I did not sleep very well, too many things on my mind, too many uncertainties and always my baby Matilda. I started working right away and wanted to do as much as possible while I still had access to the internet here at the airport. I had set the alarm for 10:00 hours, the time I thought I would have to leave Barranquilla and still make it back to Cartagena de Indias. The alarm went off and I took the bus to the center but had to get off at the intersection of the main road from the airport with the main road towards the bridge and Santa Marta to one side and the beaches and Cartagena de Indias to the other side. I walked for 2 kilometers, passed the football stadium and decided to take another bus towards the beaches. I got off at the first intersection of the motorway and the first of 2 motorways to Cartagena de Indias.

Please click on “View Album” to see pictures in a Google+ Album.

I positioned myself and tried thumbs up for about half an hour but something was not feeling right and I decided to go back to the motorway again and take yet another bus even further north and closer to the beaches and got off at the second intersection of the motorway and the second of the 2 motorways to Cartagena de Indias. I wanted to take the same motorway along the coast that I had come from almost 2 weeks ago but nobody could confirm this. I positioned myself again and tried thumbs up again. I was nervous today, quiet nervous today but a very nice lady finally stopped, the first woman out of the nearly 20 lifts I have had so far.

Please click on “View Album” to see pictures in a Google+ Album.

She immediately spoke English to me and immediately we had a very good conversation. She had been married to a Chinese man and had lived in Australia, New Zealand, China, Portugal and Colombia, had recently travelled to Mexico, to Argentina and was now on her way home to Santa Veronica, almost half way between Barranquilla and Cartagena de Indias. She invited me to get to know the village, the beaches, her house; it was late afternoon and I wanted to make sure that I get to Cartagena de Indias. She turned right into the street towards her house and we said good bye. She was a very nice, educated and intellectual lady and I am sure she would have cooked me dinner and probably even invited me to stay for the night.

Please click on “View Album” to see pictures in a Google+ Album.

I positioned myself on the motorway again, ready for the next lift and the third car stopped and took me all the way to Cartagena de Indias. The young technician had a delivery of a part for a crane and was driving at a high speed. We arrived on the outskirts of Cartagena de Indias and I remembered every meter that I had walked that day. The motorway would automatically pass the airport and I knew exactly where to get off. I was hungry and I was hungry for the Colombian potato at the same snack bar that I had gone to all the nights that I had been at the airport. I had started this morning from Barranquilla airport and had arrived 5 hours later at Cartagena de Indias airport. I had my Colombian potato and walked to the terminal.

Please click on “View Album” to see pictures in a Google+ Album.

I was pretty much up to date with the diary and the pictures and had to work now only on some final bits and would then have to spend some time to upload each day onto the site. There was no free internet connection here at the airport and I did not want to drive to the center to Frank; I just finished the work and looked up the next destinations, the next cities or villages on the way to the border with Panama. The city of Turbo at Caribbean will be the village where I will have to make a decision to either go further north to Panama or south to Medellin. I still had 2 to 4 days to get inspired, to listen to my heart or my angels. I went one more time to the snack bar and had another Colombian potato with the three different tasty sauces, spicy, garlic and onion.

For a small understanding of the days travel, I have included a Google Earth map. The red pins mark the locations I have stopped and taken pictures. At the bottom of the page you will find a link for all the pictures I have taken. The link will open in a Google+ Album.

Please click on map to enlarge!!!

See map and distances / Siehe Karte und Entfernungen / Ver mapa e distâncias / Ver mapa y distancias

0 km      Barranquilla

50 km    Lomo de Arena

100 km  Cartagena de Indias

Please click on “View Album” to see pictures in a Google+ Album.