Departing Curaçao: No Colombian Visa, But Eyes on Panama

Our efforts to secure a Colombian visa have unfortunately been unsuccessful. Despite the agent’s best efforts, he was unable to arrange a visa on arrival, even with a four-day timeframe. This means our hitchhikers will need to find alternative transportation to South America.

The hitchhiking count has now reached 97 since departing from Poland, including rides within Curaçao. The goal remains to reach the South American continent with fewer than 100 hitchhikes.

Oskar is currently working on repairing his camera. While it’s still functional, there’s some condensation inside the lens, visible at maximum zoom. Being a YouTuber, he’s documenting the repair process in a vlog-style video.

We decided to take a short excursion to a nearby lake known for its pink flamingos. Although it’s likely not the right season, we wanted to stretch our legs and explore the area. After a 10-minute ride in an inflatable boat, we continued on foot.

The landscape near our landing spot was a desert-like expanse with bushes, a small lake, and earthen mounds. We followed a trail, but there was no sign of any flamingos. Some mountain bikers passed us and continued on their way. It seems the flamingos are elsewhere at this time of year. During our short hike of just under 10 kilometers, we only spotted a pelican.

On our way back, we stopped to chat with some sailors, hoping to find someone sailing to Colombia who could offer Ana and Oskar a ride. While they had no immediate luck, they reconnected with some sailors they had met previously, who offered them passage. Arrangements were made for their departure tomorrow, allowing us to check out of Willemstad and head towards Panama.

The following morning, we all went into town to finalize our departure paperwork. Oskar and Ana moved their belongings to their friends’ boat. After saying our goodbyes and promising to stay in touch, they said they’d let us know as soon as they found a boat to Colombia. While waiting for the ferry to take us across the channel (avoiding a longer walk to the bridge), I saw a local fisherman catch a pufferfish—a surprising sight in the city’s waters. I hadn’t expected to see such fish there. The city has implemented a ferry service near the old bridge, providing quick access to the other side of the canal (where immigration is located) for residents, avoiding a longer detour. It’s a very convenient service for the local community.

After completing our remaining tasks, we decided to leave the marina and begin our journey to Panama in the afternoon. This passage is quite long, and given that we don’t have a Colombian visa, we technically don’t have a port of call. We’re facing a journey of approximately 1,000 nautical miles, which should take about six days, weather permitting. January is drawing to a close, and we need to be in the Pacific by February to complete our passage before cyclone season.

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