Photo: Cartegena
August 14, 1992 Perhaps the worst day of the trip. From Santa Marta I left for Maicao, on the border, and Venezuela. A few hours later I reached Maicao, a border town that deserves its reputation as a center for thievery and smuggling. I took a taxi to the border with a New Zealander, an Austrian, and an English woman. A month earlier, in Quito, the Venezuelan Consulate had told me I did not need a visa. However, the man at the border insisted I did. I went back to Maicao and then onto Riohacha, where there was a consulate. It was closed and would not be open until 4 days later. I took a hot, crowded bus back to Santa Marta. About one hour from Santa Marta, the bus stopped and picked up passengers from a stalled bus. It was great to get off of that bus. It was so crowded, I crawled through a window to exit the bus.
August 15, 1992 Went to Santa Marta travel agents to arrange flight home. American Airlines helped me change my flight and I flew from Barranquilla to Miami the next day.
Photo: Convent on hilltop
Photo: Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas
Photo: Sharks in aquarium
Photo: Feeding frenzy
Photo: At the beach
Photo: Old fortress
Map: South America Trip
