For a few weeks I am in Colombia, a fasinating and interesting Country, and if time allows I will give a little view of the transport scene here.
Colombia is a huge country, some 3500 miles long, 2000 wide and much of it mountains. There are effectively no functioning railways so it all falls to road transport. Most of the trucks are used American gear with some very old Spanish trucks still at work every day. I got talking to the owner driver of this truck and asked him why 95% of the trucks are day cabs? I should havd guessed. In a land where wages are very, very low the day cabs get some night out money and just like we did they pocket it and sleep across the seats. I also asked him how long he was able to drive. 'Do you mean how long can I stay awake? He asked. I told him about tachographs - he laughed like a drain and wanted to know how we paid the bills!
I will bring more as I go on.
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Obviously I will have to work on my posting skills!
David
i woulldnt have thought it was ignorant…more like a light hearted attempt for someone with the slightest idea of a sense humor to have a grin at…columbia…drugs…your on holiday there…if your anywhere near eldorado airport in bogota then if you like,i could get my cousin to give you a couple of statues to bring back,1 for you and 1 for me…there quite heavy and in a box all wrapped up with silver paper to protect them so they wont get broken.itl look great on your mantlepiece…honest.
Dave would you keep a lookout for some old scanias I was once told there are a few still working there be nice to see some photos thanks regards rowley ward
Certainly I will Rowley. Till now apart from modern Ivecos and Mercedes I have seen nothing European but if I do it will not escape having its photo taken.
You are dead right on one of those things Patrick but not the other.
Unfortunately many people that do not know Colombia still associate it with the production and distribution of certain white powders but that has not been the case for better than 10 years. With a lot of help from the USA they have made it so hot here that the production has moved elsewhere and the penalties for pocession here would fairly make your eyes water. For that reason they have been able to draw the teeth of the guerrilas who were causing so much prouble, the FARC - no product means no money for them.
On the other subject, though, you are dead on although as with all Latin women they generally have a short ‘shelf life’ Only last night I was able to introduce my mates here to the expression ‘Backside as wide as a Mack truck’ which translated as ‘Culo tan ancho como un camion Mack’. Well it made them laugh.
I shall certainly post what I, in decency, can but for the moment I am having a 3 day trip on my own to see some different places and I doubt that Hotel WiFis wiill be strong enough to post with - certainly not tonights one anyway.
But fear not, I am snapping pictures every chance I get.
OK merry men - I need help.
I am taking the pictures with a Nokia Windows phone, sending via bluetooth to a Samsung Tab3 tablet and posting them from there. Whatever I do, whether I post them straight or turn then upside down before posting they post upside down. I never get this on the desktop at home. What am I doing wrong and how can I correct it??
David Miller:
OK merry men - I need help.
I am taking the pictures with a Nokia Windows phone, sending via bluetooth to a Samsung Tab3 tablet and posting them from there. Whatever I do, whether I post them straight or turn then upside down before posting they post upside down. I never get this on the desktop at home. What am I doing wrong and how can I correct it??
Any help would be much appreciated.
David.
Just put them on I will turn them round, looking forward to seeing them. Les.
OK here we go. First down by the River. This is Sugar Cane country and they use some serious Road Trains to get it to your Corn Flakes. Then off toward the Central Andies Mountains to find the big roads. On the way found an old traditional bus having a rest and the two sides of a Tropical Christmas.
In the hills now. This is one of the main highways joining the capital Bogota with the city of Cali. This climb is about 8 miles without a break so these boys need to know what they are about - and they do. I thought at first that the trucks were brought second hand from the States. Some are but the great majority are brought new in Colombia. Mr Kenworth seems to have 90% of the market. One driver was telling me that most go for 450 ■■■■■■■ with 13 speed Fuller - they need it.
David Miller:
OK here we go. First down by the River. This is Sugar Cane country and they use some serious Road Trains to get it to your Corn Flakes. Then off toward the Central Andies Mountains to find the big roads. On the way found an old traditional bus having a rest and the two sides of a Tropical Christmas.
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Thanks Oily. Here things get strange badges and this one called itself a Hino. There is also a lot of Chinese mid wieght vehicles unknown to us, which I will come too later.
That’s it lads, I give up.
I cannot find any way to post my pictures properly on this equipment. I should have brought my camera but instead I relied on the phone. The pictures are OK but the orientation seems random and impossible to change.
However I will get them sorted on my own computer when I get home in a couple of weeks
In the meantime have a great Christmas and New Year one and all.
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