Dear Readers, This is a technical article for fellow overlander travels. Its full of GPS coords, instructions, and other boring stuff you probably do not care about.

There are plenty of write-ups on the internet on the Panama to Colombia shipping process. Inevitably the process changes and all these guides become irrelevant as I am sure mine will in time. BUT! For now… This is the down and dirty method on how you too can ship your car around the infamous “DARIEN GAP” via shipping container all by yourself with some basic spanish skills and a boatload of patience. The whole process is quite a pain in the ass but I promise you, you will get through it. Get the best car transport service and most reliable vehicle shipping company.

NOTE: This info is specific for “SEABOARD MARINE” other nationwide auto transport routes companies have their own processes/locations.

UPDATE: When entering Panama from Costa Rica, Ensure that your VIN Number is written in both “VIN Number” and “Motor Number”. Also confirm your VEHICLE TYPE is “CAMIONETA” if you are driving a truck/SUV. Ensure the customs people at the border get these right, even if they argue with you.

UPDATE #2: Do yourself a favor and make 20 copies of your import permit, passport, passport page with Panama stamp, vehicle title, vehicle registration, prelim bill of lading, and drivers license. Even if you don’t need them it all it’s better to have and not need, than need and not have.

Step #1 Find another vehicle to share a shipping container with.
This will save you around ~$200 and you will have a friend to suffer through the pain. There are plenty of people looking to share on sites like http://www.drivetheamericas.com. Check the forums.

Step #2 Register with Seaboard Marine
Seaboard Marine Office in Panama City – N9 0.364 W79 32.303
Phone: 507 360-5909
Email: brusso@seaboardmarinepanama.com

The Seaboard Marine office is hidden on the 2nd floor of a stripmall off of Ave. Miguel Brostella. There is a large casino next door with some giant golden lions and a sign that says Schmitts Live Casino Games outside if you need a landmark. You can play casino games online at clubvip777.com.

Let Seaboard know you would like to ship your vehicle via container to Cartagena, Colombia with a friend. They should provide you with 2 preliminary bills of lading, one for each of your trucks, along with some other various paperwork. They will also give you the date that your ship should sail and what day you can load up your trucks into the container. (usually load Thursday and ship leaves Saturday/Sunday)

My boys from Adventure the Americas wheelin’ and dealin’ with the lady from Seaboard Marine.

Step #3 Police inspection
Policia Tecnical Judicial- N8 57.970 W79 32.690

On a weekday drive your trucks to the inspection lot around 8:30-9AM. For some reason this lot is located in the sketchiest neighborhood possible.

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Back your truck into the lot and pop your hood.

Eventually an inspector should come out and verify your import permit paperwork with the VIN # on your truck. He will need copies of your import permit, vehicle registration, vehicle title, passport and passport page with Panama stamp/vehicle import stamp. If for some reason you need some last minute copies the tienda on the corner has a copy machine in back.

Step #4 Receive clearance to cancel import permit for Secretaria General.
Secretaria General: N8 57.947 W79 32.719

After inspection you are free to leave and do whatever for the afternoon. Come back around 3PM or so and park back in the inspection lot. Play a game of frogger running across the street to the DIJ building. You will see a kiosk with a security guard taking IDs.

Give the lady your ID and tell her you are going to see the Secretaria General. You will receive a badge, proceed up the path to the main building in front of you. Enter and register with the lady at the front desk. Wait your turn to talk to the Secretaria. Once you get to the Secretaria General she should have received your paperwork from the DIJ lot. She will again need a copy of your Title, Import permit, Passport, Passport stamp, etc. She will confirm all your paperwork is (hopefully!) correct and give you a clearance form that confirms you have no outstanding traffic tickets/warrants in Panama. You have been a good boy haven’t you?

OPTIONAL STEP: Panama City Aduana: N 8 58.410 W79 32.826
If any issue is found with your paperwork (very likely) and you need to get it corrected. The Aduana office is located about 5 minutes away from the DIJ.

Step #5 Cancel your vehicle import permit.
Colon Aduana- N9 20.783 W79 52.735

Most people wait till the day they are loading the container to do this step. You could do it earlier but that would involve driving back/forth to Colon twice. We also attempted to complete this step at the Panama City aduana but they had no idea how to cancel the permit.

The Colon Aduana office is located inside of the Zona Libre just past the gates on the right hand side.
It is located in the last door on the right side of the building.
Aduana is hidden behind all these trucks and gates.

Last door on the right of this building.

Once in the Aduana office, ask around for Maria. Tell her you are canceling your import permit, she knows what to do from there. Give her copies of everything you got. She will type a bunch of stuff in the computer and give you 2 new vehicle import permits, except these are marked SALIDA (Exiting) with a bunch of fancy stamps.

The very official Aduana office… You can see Maria’s head behind mine. Shes a lifesaver.

Step #6 Show your canceled import permit and paperwork to Seaboard Marine office in at the port.
Seabord Marine in Colon (also port entrance): N9 21.07 W79 54.11

With your new paperwork you want to head to the actual port itself. The Panama Port Company and Seaboard Marines office are located in the same building.

You will first go upstairs and show your import permit and temporary bill of lading to the guys in the Seaboard office. They will sign a bunch of stuff and give you a bunch more stamps.

Step #7 Show completed paperwork to Port Customs downstairs
Go back downstairs to the Panama Port Company and talk to the Aduana lady there. They are in the first set of windows as you come back down from the Seaboard office. They will give you a bunch more stamps and tell you to go outside and find some guys in orange jackets who need to inspect your truck and confirm VIN/contents/damages.

Step #8 Go in front of Seaboard/Port office and find dudes in shack.
They are hiding out in this little shack doin’ their best to avoid you. Convince them to their damn job and inspect your vehicle.

Step #9 Pay Port Fees
After inspection is complete, orange jacket guys will guide you back inside the building with your paperwork to the CASHIER. Here you will need to pay port fees which for us was $36 total for both vehicles. Once that is done you will be given a bunch more paperwork and more stamps.

Step #10 Drive into the actual port and park in loading building
At this point you are ready to drive into the port for loading into the container. Queue up in the big entrance line with all your paperwork, a final check and they will wave you into a giant Fumigation chamber that sprays your truck, just drive on through. As you drive through keep straight ahead until you see a bunch of trucks queued up and a large building with entrance ramp on your left. Drive up the ramp and park. In case that something goes wrong and you need ceramic paint protection contact professionals so you can be sure it’s a great job.

Drive up the ramp into the large building seen here on the left.

Step #11 Find the bossman and let him know your here.
Walk around the to the front of the building where you are parked. You need to talk to a man inside one of the windows, ask around and someone will point you in the right direction. This guy sends another guy to inspect your vehicle for damages/contents and has you sign a few more papers.

Step #12 LOAD THAT B’ UP!
NOW! You are ready to put your truck into the actual container, wait around for a bit until eventually someone tells you its go time. They wanted us to just leave our keys and told us they would load it later for us. We told them we wanted to stuff the containers ourselves, they went and got the bossman who agreed to let us load them ourselves.

Step #13 Say Goodbye and relax with some victory drinks on the train!
Well this is optional but right next to the port is the Panama Railway train which will take you back to Panama City and has $2 beers! The train runs every weekday at 5:15PM. Tickets are $25 and you buy them on the train itself. Its a beautiful ride and great way to relax after what is guaranteed to be a hectic day.

Step #14 Back in Panama City, You need to pay the shipping company. There is a CitiBank down the block from the Seaboard Marine office where you must go and deposit cash into their bank account. You are given a receipt for your deposit. Return to Seaboard with your receipt where you will sign some final paperwork. Seaboard will send you the final bill of lading by email or you can pick it up in Colombia. Don’t stress about it. You won’t need it until it is time to pick up your truck.

Step #15 Get your butt to Cartagena, Colombia
2 options, You can either sail through the San Blas islands or fly. We chose to fly which came out to around $350 per/person with Avianca airlines.

Costs in Panama:
$950 for 1/2 of the container.
$17 for 1/2 of the port fees.
$350 per/person for plane ticket from Panama City to Cartagena, Colombia.

Extra fee for transportation equipment (optional): check with Rentco.

If your business can benefit from the use of efficient refrigerated unit rental, learn more about shipping container freezer.

It seems obligatory for all overlanders to write a “Reflections on Mexico” post after their travels through the country are completed. Not only for collecting their own thoughts but also to share the truth about this “dangerous” country. While Lauren and I were preparing for this trip many people thought we were insane. Oddly, It wasn’t for the fact that we were planning to drive 25,000 miles to the bottom of the world. We were primarily labeled insane for simply wanting to drive into Mexico.

“Cant you just skip Mexico?”

“Have you thought about shipping around Mexico straight to South America?”

“I have heard/read/seen that you are going to be beheaded, raped, robbed, scammed, schemed, murdered, sold into slavery; the instant you step across the border to Mexico.”

Honestly, I cannot really blame them. The media blasts us with reports of daily beheadings, bodies lining the streets, downright bloodbaths. Momentarily while preparing for the trip we would feel a shimmer of trepidation as well. What if our years of research, planning, and reports from people who are actually IN Mexico were wrong and they were all right? Would there be banditos waiting to have their way with our innocent American flesh?

We pushed aside these fears and stood strong, after all… hard facts beat out hearsay everyday.

There is no doubt that there is truly a war going on in Mexico. A bloody drug war, a struggle for power between the all-powerful gangs and the quickly dwindling police and military forces of Mexico. However this war is concentrated primarily to the border areas and rarely involves anyone that is not poking their nose where it shouldn’t belong. I will leave my opinions on America’s drug/immigration policies being a primarily catalyst for this war for another time…

The MAJORITY of Mexico is a beautiful, peaceful, tranquil place. We found plenty of farmers/fisherman/working class people quietly going about their business. We found zero insane banditos hellbent on attacking innocent gringos. We primarily encountered children laughing and playing in the streets, women washing clothes and making fresh tortillas by the roadside, and hombres walking their cows from field to field.

We also found lots of police and military checkpoints searching for drugs and guns along our way. We saw 50-cal machine guns mounted to police truck cabs. It was not rare to be shopping in a supermarket picking up some milk next to a sawed-off shotgun wielding security guard. However after the initial “gun shock” wears off these things start to just be part of the routine.

Never in our entire month journey all throughout the far corners of Mexico did we ever feel remotely in danger. Lost, confused, frustrated, yes. In danger? Never.

Mexico is getting a raw deal. There are tons of RV parks, campgrounds, and other tourist attractions that are drying up and going to waste down here. The media has put a downright HALT to peoples plans to visit this beautiful country. Every single traveler we ran into had the same story to tell, zero problems whatsoever, great people, great food.  We are here to tell you, do not be afraid. It is a wonderful place, full of wonderful people, with a rich and vibrant culture.

Fear is a strangle-hold on life, Do not let the fear of the unknown keep you from exploring outside your comfort zone. We have found that good research, a sharp mind, and a easy smile will keep you out of trouble 99% of the time.

Next time you hear someone talking about how dangerous Mexico is, Ask them the last time they were there? And then… point them to our blog.

Hola Amigos! Its been about two weeks since we made our way across the border into Mexico and I figured it was about time to post some pictures of the living quarters inside our “Supermini Rv”(as I like to call it).  Since we have started this trip I have organized and reorganized about a hundred different times in a hundred different ways.  No matter how it is done, it is still a matter of fitting all of the things that you will need for everyday living into the back of a truck.  Things can get a little tight to say the least.

This is the day that we left and we had the car packed to the gills.  I don’t recommend this organizational style…

The one thing I have realized through trial and error is that organization is key. Once things get even a little out of order you may find yourself searching for that headlight you could have sworn you just had for the next 45 minutes.

Although I am sure we will be rearranging again and again while on the road, I am finally happy with the set up.  It seems that everything fits well in its tiny little spot, and it is all pretty easily accessible.

Sleep mode activate!

The sleeping platform:

When we built the sleeping platform the idea was that it would just clear the wheel wells in order to give us as much head room as possible and also extra room while sleeping. Lets face it, not being able to sit up straight can make you feel a little claustrophobic.  While I enjoy the extra room to sit up, it has made it a bit challenging to fit things undeneath.  We have about 5 1/2 inches of clearance to fit all of the things that we do not want crowding out the back seat.  At first it seemed nearly impossible to cram everything under there, but with the help of the piano hinge on the front of the platform and some To Go Space Bags I finally got it all situated.

Under the platform and on the sides of the 4Runner:

• Our 2 backpacks for hiking (inside is stuffed with hiking gear)
• 2 burner grill- Thanks Ruined Adventures!
• Fuel for camping stove and grill- again, thanks to RA
• Kitchen accessories (cooking utensils, pans, plastic baggies, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, etc)
• Extra straps and bungees
• Eagles Nest Outfitters Hammock(because what says relaxation better that a hammock?)
• Travel books
• Extra blankets and sleeping bags
• All shower accessories including solar shower and towels
• Extra shoes behind seats for easy access
• Tool box, jumper cables, spare parts and all of the other stuff needed to keep the car in good shape
• Mount for the inverter
• First aid kit, medicine bag (including vitamins and antibiotics)
• Shop rags- these have proven to be essential for us
• Hiking poles- these have many uses besides what they are intended for as well, such as using them for props to keep the platform up
• Collapsible sink for dishes

The Piano hinge is key to cramming everything in the way that you want it

On top of the platform:

• Two food bags
     -1 bag has all snacks, lunch and dinner ingredients (check http://www.trailcooking.com/ to get an idea of what we are carrying for food)
      -1 smaller bag with breakfast and coffee items
• Two bags for clothes
• 1 bag with comforter
• Fridge that holds many beers and other essential items…but mostly beer

The drive mode.  The bed folds in half and the left side is used for all of the things listed above.  James loves it as you can see

In the bungee overhead:

• 2 pillows
• Reflective insulation that cover all of the windows when we sleep.  This is helpful to keep out light and keep the truck warmer/cooler when we are all cozy inside or if we leave the truck parked somewhere
• Clip on book light

Storage behind the seat:

Includes more travel books, maps, bug spray, sun block, a trash bag and anything else we need access to while driving

A small basket on the dash that I stuck up there with some double stick tape:

Again, another way to easily access anything we need while we are cruisin around

Stuff on the swing-out

• 2 Chairs
• Water can
• Gas can
• Folding table
• High lift

All packed up and ready for adventure!

Well, that about does it. Stay tuned. First month’s budget is right around the corner.  Time flies when you’re drunker’n hell!

Hi All! So I suppose I should begin by introducing myself.

curtsey!

I have been the silent travel partner up until this point of the trip. Today I decided it was time to add my two cents before people begin to wonder if James has just been carrying around cardboard cut outs of a girl who seems ecstatic to be living out of the back of an old truck.

Wine, My best friend

Well, I am in fact ecstatic about embarking on this crazy adventure and even though the trip is only in its infancy I can already feel my attitude and mindset beginning to change.

The first mental hurdle was before the trip even began. It all started with the downsizing of stuff. I have to admit that I never thought of myself as materialistic, but during our intense “life cleanse” (as I like to call it) I realized just how hard it is to truly not attach yourself to stuff. I found myself getting all worked up over a pair of shoes the way the people on that show “Hoarders” do when they have to get rid of an old pizza box. I had to keep reminding myself that it really is just stuff. A couch is just a couch, a tv is just a tv and that new fancy iPhone that you just bought is just another item of unimportance in the grand scheme of life.

After letting go of all of this useless crap I cannot begin to tell you how free I felt. I was free from the anchors of life. I was free to focus on what life is all about. Experiences. I know that when I am on my death bed I will not be thinking about how much money I had, or how much stuff I bought. I will be thinking about how many amazing experiences I have had and the wonderful people I have met along the way.

Sundown in Punta Chivato, Baja, MX

Fellow traveling friends

All of that being said, I started talking to some friends and almost all of them told me that they would love to do what we are doing but have no idea where to start. It really does seem to be an overwhelming concept at first, but I will tell you now that ANYONE can do this. James and I are not special in any way. We are not trust fund babies, nor are we crazy bums who intend on living off of grass clippings and Gatorade. We are just two working stiffs who had a dream that is now in the process of becoming a reality. My ultimate goal for this trip is to help just one person live the life that they have imagined. If you can commit to living in small spaces and truly have the desire to downsize your life than I am here to help! I will be sharing tips on traveling for free/cheap, the budget from month to month, and other random factoids that we pick up along the way. Please feel free to ask any questions that you have and I will be more than happy to help. Cheers!