This is how it started:*bus from Taganga to Santa Marta; 1h; 1200cop
*bus from Santa Marta to Cartagena; 4,5h; 20000cop
*bus from Cartagena bus terminal to the airport; 1,5h; 1500cop
*flight from Cartagena to Bogotá; 2h
*two hours of blog writing at the airport
*flight from Bogotá to Pereira; 1h
I left Taganga at 8am and arrived to Pereira at 9pm. Having had only one arepa, a local egg pasty, on the way I was hungry and tired. There was no tourist information at the airport, I had no idea where I was going to spend the night and had only 30000 cop (13€) left 'cause I was planning to leave the country the next morning.
I had figured I'd take a local bus to the centre only 5km away and walk around to find a cheap hotel there, but at the airport I found out that the buses had already stopped running and there were only taxis left. So I had to use 10000 for the taxi ride, during which the driver told me there was no way of finding anything for less than 20000 in the city: I wouldn't have any money for food or for the bus to the airport the next morning. The taxi driver's idea of a cheap hotel in Pereira would've set me back about 50000 cop.
When I got to the centre, however, there were plenty of cheap places around and I got a clean, private room with my own bathroom for 12000. Next challenge was to find food for the 6000 I had left reserving 2000 for the bus to the airport the next day. I walked around asking people in bars and on the streets and everyone said everything was closed, but my growling stomach wouldn't let me give up.
After four blocks I came to a burger stand with tasty huge burgers with all possible fillings for 3500. The next morning I took the bus to the airport for 1500 which left me the total of 3000 for breakfast: one papita (a fried ball of mash potato and mince) and two empanadas with a 100 discount from the nice lady selling them was more than I needed. Mission accomplished. I thought.
I got to the check-in counter and was told I wasn't allowed on the plain without some sort of an exit ticket from Panama. I had read about before, but didn't think they were really going to require a physical one, and though saying I was going to take a bus and showing my Mexico-London ticket would've been enough. After googling like crazy for a half an hour with airport wifi searching for any sort of escape, perhaps an online bus ticket I could book, I had to return to the check-in helpless.
This time the guys at the counter decided to be really nice to the “blond gringa” and made me an unpaid reservation with their airline for a return ticket which they could print out for me to show to the officials in Panama but which I would neigher have to use nor pay after I got into the country.
Flirting my way out of trouble isn't really me, but I've suffered enough of my sex during this journey and it was about time the latin macho culture gave something back. Value of the gift: 153,10 US$, the price of the cheapest return ticket available. Time spend giving puppy eyed looks to the boys with my pink lip gloss shining: 15 minutes. I feel cheap. After a very thorough luggage check with x-rays and all, I was finally off to Panamá. When I got to the hostel after 3,5 hours of wondering in the rain with my all too heavy backpack I met a Dutch girl who faced with the same situation I was in earlier this morning panicked and ended up buying a 300€ flight to Costa Rica when the journey with a bus would've cost her 35 US$.
So maybe, and just maybe, it was worth it after all.
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