Roaming About

A Life Less Ordinary

Tag: Colombia (page 3 of 3)

The Start of Our South America Adventure in a Truck Camper – Inland to Mompox & Playa de Belen, Two Colonial Towns in Colombia

Colombia is expansive and diverse, as we would soon learn. It is the 25th largest nation and has the third-highest level of biodiversity in the world, after Brazil and Indonesia. The country is bigger than Spain and France (or Texas and California) combined. While it had a bad reputation for many decades due to drug trafficking and guerilla activity, especially during the eighties and nineties, it is now regarded as one of the safest countries in Latin America.

A thread you will notice throughout my upcoming blogs – and photos – about Colombia is that the people are incredibly welcoming, curious, and friendly, especially on the off-the-beaten-path and that the roads and drivers are incredibly awful; an interesting juxtaposition regarding human behavior!

(As always, hover over or click on the photos in galleries to read their captions.)

I will take the opportunity to introduce a potentially new term to you here: “overlanders.” These are the people who explore countries and continents – even the entire world – overland, meaning by camper; truck campers like ours, vans which are the most popular means, jeeps with a roof tent, and real expedition vehicles, as in old, built-out fire or army trucks. We have also seen Class C motorhomes; a bit inappropriate as they are long, wide, and low to the ground. The act is “overlanding”. 🙂 Just like in North America, our main resource to find (free) camping is iOverlander.

Cartagena – Mompox – Playa de Belen

Mompox (Bolivar Department)

After being stuck in hot and humid Cartagena for five weeks, waiting for Thirsty Bella to finally show up and blowing our budget on Airbnbs without having much fun, we wanted to leave the coast ASAP. We’d need a few days to straighten our home and life out, but most of that would have to wait until we found a cooler, more comfortable climate in the mountains. Once Bella was safely in our hands, we spent a total of five hours on getting ready for the road, filled with propane and fuel, and left the massive city.

Some overlanders meander north from Cartagena, others head south, few drive east (or southeast), and a handful rush through this country with Medellin as their next destination and Ecuador a week or two later. Why go through the hassle, money, effort, and patience for a meager six-month South American whirlwind?

Mark and I were granted three months in Colombia upon entering the country with an option to extend this allowance with the same amount of time. Since we already “lost” five weeks before we even started this adventure, we would apply (and eventually receive) this extension – for the two of us and our camper – in January/February.

Mid-December 2022, Mark, Maya, and I decided to head southeast to the heritage town of Mompox (also called Santa Cruz de Mompox or spelled Mompos), which took us two tough and hot days to reach, mostly over slow and potholed roads. Because Mompox is located in the Magdalena River valley, it was even hotter and muggier than Cartagena and we decided to spend our one night there in a cheap hotel ($10/night). Finding one that we could reach – and park at – with our big vehicle was a challenge.

Continue reading

Monthly Expenses of a Nomad in South America – January 2023 (Colombia)

Expenses - image

Every month, I post a report of our expenses to show that it is possible to live a comfortable, exciting, and adventurous life without breaking the bank. The less money you spend, the less you need to make. 🙂

This report includes ALL of our expenses, in US$, for two adults and one 60-pound dog (we adopted Maya on June 4th, 2019). Under groceries we incorporate food, produce, and non-alcoholic drinks predominantly bought in supermarkets. Toiletries belong in that category as well. Dining out means eating at a restaurant/event or purchasing take-out food. The health category covers non-prescription medicines and vitamins/supplements; medical contains prescription drugs and doctor’s visits. Because of our income level, Mark and I are eligible for free health care within the state of Massachusetts. For check-ups and extensive care, we return to the US East Coast.

In January, Mark, Maya, and I continued our Colombian overland explorations in Thirsty Bella, our truck camper disguised as a cow. As expected, we are spreading joy and smiles driving through villages and the countryside. And we are getting stuck in narrow town centers and battered by country roads a lot, too.

(As always, hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)

Our grocery amount was decent and similar to the previous month. We are eating out regularly now, which might explain a drop in grocery costs and a jump in eating out. Life is much cheaper in Colombia than in the US, allowing us to splurge more.  A decent dinner costs around $5-$8 a meal. It’s possible to eat cheaper and more expensive. Grocery shopping is affordable.

While in the US and Canada we always camped for free, mostly in nature. Once we arrived in South America, it’s been a mix of boondocking in or on the edge of towns or along roads and paid campgrounds. That’s what the accommodation cost of almost $100 is attributed to.

On average, campsites cost $4 a person per day. Don’t expect hookups for that. We merely pay for a flat place to park in a safe environment. Sometimes, there are amenities like showers, toilets, and trash cans. Once in a while, a common space like a kitchen, firepit, or lounge and laundry facilities are available. Secure overnight parking in a lot is cheaper at around $2 a night.

Our cost for internet was high last month. We paid $50 for our Google Fi plan, which allowed international roaming. Warned that this option was going to be suspended in February, we finally registered our phones in Colombia (mandatory by law) and bought local Claro SIM cards and data plans. The good news: internet is cheap in this country; the equivalent of $20 for 80GB of data (valid for one month). Propane is affordable and we use much less with our electric fridge. Most of the potable water we obtained (up to 48 gallons) was free.

In February, we planned a visit to our friends Susan and John in El Retiro, near Medellin. They blog about their worldwide travels and Colombian expat life on Latitude Adjustment. This provided us with a shipping address – yes, Amazon ships certain items to Colombia! – so we ordered a few camper necessities, like a waterproof tarp, new propane hose, fridge thermostat, and water filters. Our alcohol expense was decent.

Last month, we also managed to apply for – and receive – visa extensions. If I would have entered the country with my Belgian passport, this would have been free for me. But I boasted my US citizenship when arriving, so I had to pay the same amount as Mark, around $23. Totally worth being able to spend another three months in Colombia, of course! Recently, we managed to get the same extension for Thirsty Bella from Customs (free). All of us can now legally stay in the country until May 8th.

In Villa de Leyva, while driving to a water spigot to top off our tanks, we passed through a narrow road, of which there are many in Colombia. It was a route we’d taken before, except, this time, a car was parked a distance from the curb. Instead of jumping out of the passenger seat like I usually do, I estimated we’d clear everything. When Mark rounded the parked car, we could hear roof tiles clatter onto the cobblestones. Darn…

Our ladder had hit the decorative, overhanging tiles topping a cute gate. Luckily, the owners were relaxed about the scene and no harm was done to our camper. We gladly reimbursed the lady for eight broken tiles and the labor to fix the gate. Being in Colombia, paying for the damage didn’t set us back too much! That was the miscellaneous category.

Besides hiking and exploring some natural sites and historic centers for free, we “splurged” on entertainment last month, visiting an interesting fossil museum in Villa de Leyva (El Fosil), hot springs in Iza (Piscina Erika), and a gorgeous waterfall near Gambita. Each destination was worth a stop or a strenuous hike!

The other categories were on the low end. Early January, I did laundry at a campground – three loads in three days, hanging everything to dry outside. The rest of the month, we washed by hand.

Camped for free on the edge of
Villa de Leyva and doing laundry by hand – the town offers free water

We took taxis a couple of times in skinny Barichara (“transportation”), I needed aspirin and more acetaminophen for my headaches, Maya could use more treats, we bought a gift for friends, and I finally received a professional haircut. The hairdresser took pride in her work and finished with 10 minutes of hair blowing. This unnecessary touch-up cost an extra 5,000 pesos ($1), totaling $6 for the entire experience. Oh, and Mark drank one beer out as well. At these prices, it is easy, fun, and possible for us to support local businesses!

We didn’t quite make it under $900, but we keep trying. Luckily, February only has 28 days. Our goal is to spend less than $800 a month in South America. We still have a way to go. Colombia is probably the cheapest country of the continent, so if we fail here, we might have to alter that target.

January 2023 Overview:

Groceries:

Dining out:

Accommodation:

Car (fuel: $89; tolls: $8; parking: $1):

Utilities (internet: $77; propane: $5; water:$1):

Camper (tarp, filters, hose, thermostat):

Alcohol:

Customs & Immigration (visa extensions):

Miscellaneous (broken tiles):

Entertainment (museum, falls, hot springs):

Laundry:

Transportation (taxis):

Medical (drugs):

Health & Fitness (haircut L):

Dog (treats):

Gifts:

Household:

Drinking out:

 

TOTAL:

 

$251

$128

$99

$98

$83

$79

$49

$45

$21

$18

$9

$8

$7

$6

$5

$5

$3

$1

———

$ 915

Find all our expense reports here. To learn what other full-time nomads spend each month, check out the blogs of our vanlife friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.

Donate to Roaming About to help maintain this website.

Cartagena behind the Scenes – Five Weeks of Airbnb Hopping with a Dog in Colombia’s Famous City

In November (and part of December) 2022, Mark, Maya, and I found ourselves in Cartagena, Colombia, for only one reason: pick up our truck camper from the port and start our South American adventure. I’ve already written extensively about how to ship a vehicle between the two continents here and about what went wrong in our story here. Because of all the delays and mistakes made (by our UK agent IVSS), we ended up spending five weeks instead of one in this well-known Colombian City.

(As always, click on or hover over photos to read their captions.)

Old Town Cartagena or the “walled city” is a World Heritage Site that draws lots of visitors – nationally and internationally – and that is certainly worth a stop. For a couple of days. It’s picturesque, colorful, and historic, yet touristy, pricier than elsewhere in the country, busy, loud, and very hot and humid. Add to this that Mark and I already visited this city in 2011 by sailboat (check out my short posts about that here (mainly text) and here (mainly photos) and you will understand playing tourists in Cartagena was not high on the agenda.

Our five weeks here were spread over five different areas and Airbnb apartments in this massive city.

1. Manga

Our first week in Cartagena was booked ahead of time. We picked the Manga area, because the cost for accommodation, while relatively steep for Colombia, was much lower here than in the walled city, which was located within walking distance from our Airbnb rental. Price: US$43/night.

Notes: All prices mentioned include taxes and fees; cleaning fees are much lower than in the US; there is no hot water anywhere, so cold showers were the norm in our accommodation choices; we didn’t meet one English-speaking Colombian during our five weeks in Cartagena.

The apartment was sparse but adequate, with a little patio. Unfortunately, we never sat outside, because the traffic noise was too loud (honk, honk, honk) and it rained a big chunk of the time. The nicest – unexpected – feature of this location was the park across the street and a short riverfront path a block from us. This worked to let Maya out in the early morning and late afternoon.

We had planned some old town strolling and relaxing in the nearby parks during this first week, to decompress from months of preparation for this new adventure, but both Mark and I became sick for over a week. Did we finally contract Covid on the plane ride? We wore surgical masks, but in the frenzy of packing, organizing, and planning for this big move, we had forgotten to grab our “good” masks.

Continue reading

Annual Expense Report of a Nomad – 2022 (USA, Mexico, Colombia)

Expenses - image

Every month, I post a report of our expenses to show that it is possible to live a comfortable, exciting, and adventurous life without breaking the bank. “The less money you spend, the less you need to make” is our motto. 🙂 At the beginning of each year, I produce an expense report for the previous 12 months. This is the most recent one, for 2022.

Our first yearly expense report (2016) can be found here, the report of 2017 is here, the one for 2018 here, our 2019 expenses are located here, our total costs for 2020 are documented here, and those for 2021 are detailed here.

These reports include ALL of our expenses, in US$, for two adults and a 60-pound dog. We adopted Maya on June 4th, 2019. Under groceries we incorporate food, produce, and non-alcoholic drinks predominantly bought in supermarkets. Toiletries belong in that category as well. Dining out means eating at a restaurant/event or purchasing take-out food. The health category covers non-prescription medicines and vitamins/supplements; medical contains prescription drugs and doctor’s visits. Because of our income level, Mark and I are eligible for free health care within the state of Massachusetts. For check-ups, we both return to the US East Coast. The utility cost refers to phone data plans, initially with AT&T and at the end of 2022 with Google Fi.

It feels like 2023 has only just started, yet we are already a month into it. Crazy how time flies. I better publish our 2022 expense report, before the February 2023 one is due!

(As always click on or hover over photos in galleries to read their captions.)

In 2022, Mark, Maya, and I focused on purchasing, fixing, equipping, and upgrading our current truck camper, a Lance 830, in the Pacific Northwest and Colorado. Before that, we explored the Baja peninsula in Mexico for 3.5 months. We completed the year in Cartagena, Colombia, happily reunited with Thirsty Bella, which we had shipped there from Texas. I also visited my home country of Belgium for two weeks, but my parents took care of me there. 🙂

Last year was relatively expensive, especially if you add the one-time cost of shipping our truck camper to the mix (see below). We better live extra cheaply this year to make up for that!

The highest category in 2022, by far, was our car and more specifically the fuel. Over $4,000! We purposefully decided not to drive to the East Coast over the summer (to visit family, friends, and doctors), because of the exorbitant gasoline prices. But we did make it to the southern tip of the Baja peninsula in Mexico (and back) with our previous Cirrus camper and ended up driving huge distances to find and pick up our current truck camper in super expensive California. I can’t say any of that was planned, but such is life – our life anyway.

Vehicle insurance and maintenance for our Ford F-350 each cost over $600 as well. We prepped the truck for this extended adventure in South America, which included spare parts, oil and filter changes, and a tire rotation and alignment.

Mark and I have periodically discussed our annual high prices for maintaining and fueling the vehicles and sailboats we own(ed), which made us realize that we could easily use this amount for plane tickets to house and pet sit internationally. As a matter of fact, that was the plan… before we adopted our Maya, three years ago. That’s when the South America trip became our goal. Then, Covid arrived.

Groceries is the second-highest category and averages $268 a month. Not bad. This is always the most straightforward subject. What is there to say? Everyone needs to eat. In our case, we stick to a healthy, mostly plant-based diet and consume 95% of our meals at home. Here in Colombia, we eat out a bit more, because it’s affordable.

Travel costs went to plane tickets for Mark, who needed to fly to Massachusetts twice (once from Mexico and once from Oregon) for family and healthcare reasons. Our dining out expense was almost a grand as well. I’d like to say it will be less this year, but even though food is much cheaper here, we probably will eat out more, so things might even out. We will see.

Everyone knows that taking care of a dog isn’t cheap. In Maya’s case, we spent over $900, mostly on food, her anti-itch medicine (Apoquel), and one expensive vet visit enabling and preceding our move to South America.

Maya getting ready for her exam, extra shots, and international health certificate

Our utility cost for 2022 also seems high at $800. The majority of that went to internet, unsurprisingly, but almost $200 was “wasted” on propane, thanks to the ordinary fridges put in RVs. Even though they are called 3-way fridges, they run inefficiently when using their DC power source. We don’t use AC, because we never plug into power. When using an RV fridge solely on propane, we emptied two full 20-pound propane tanks every month, and that’s being careful by monitoring the temperature and adjusting the settings.

Like fuel, propane gas prices swung through the roof last year. Filling our two tanks cost around $40 every month and there was the hassle of finding propane places that actually filled tanks instead of just swapping them out. Tractor Supply and U-Haul used to be safe bets but they aren’t anymore.

Because of all these reasons – the hassle, money, research, wasted trips and phone calls, worry of running out of gas, and lack of freedom – we replaced our propane fridge in Thirsty Bella with a 12V compressor fridge that we can easily run with the power created by our solar panels. In Mexico we paid for agua purificada (purified potable water) to fill our water tank.

Another big – and extra – expense was a new hybrid computer/laptop for Mark. That section underneath also includes hosting fees for our website and some software Mark bought. When it comes to adult beverages, my husband and I occasionally like to drink beer (only Mark) and wine and usually have one bottle of hard liquor around. There is no space for more. Our preferred alcoholic drink is rum with fresh juice, ice cubes, and a slice of lime.

Gifts include the annual calendars I create for our Belgian and American families, gestures (usually bottles of wine or dessert goodies) we bring when invited for dinner, a contribution to utilities when we stay on someone’s driveway for a while, Christmas gifts for friends we end up traveling with, excursions we do with our nieces and nephews, and birthday presents for each other, although I don’t recall any of those in 2022.

Household items are improvements for our life inside the camper – cooking, storing, light fixtures, … – and the camper category resembles materials and tools required to keep our home on wheels running. This last amount is low, because it does not include the money spent equipping our camper for South America, which we consider part of its purchase price and not maintenance cost. I will write a separate post about this in the future.

In the US, we always camped for free, but because we traveled in Mexico for a third of the year, there is a substantial accommodation cost as we tend to stay at campgrounds there once in a while. Some of this category’s amount was spent in Colombia, on camping and a hotel.

The clothing expenses were higher than the previous year, because we made sure to have decent pairs of hiking shoes, rain jackets, jeans, and shirts to hold us over for a few years. In 2023, we hope this amount, in addition to the “computer” section, is negligible.

Drinking out is self-explanatory and transport covers taxis (in Colombia), Uber (to get to Houston airport from Galveston), and public transportation when we visit Massachusetts. Customs and Immigration fees were mostly paid in Mexico for tourist cards and towards a new Belgian passport for me. Luckily, those are now valid for seven years instead of five.

Cashier’s checks cost $15!

Banking costs went to our annual credit card fee and a cashier’s check to pay for our Lance camper (yes, that costs extra money). Health & Fitness includes vitamins (Mark) and occasional haircuts (me). This amount should mostly disappear as well. We gave up on the vitamins (don’t want to deal with it here), we keep cutting Mark’s hair ourselves with clippers, and my twice-a-year haircuts should cost a quarter of the price in South America.

We spent less than $100 on entertainment. Most of our hobbies, like hiking, visiting natural attractions, writing, and reading are free. We never visit museums or pay for expensive activities. Last year, we bought two sets of snorkel gear (still to be used) and paid the entrance fee for a few parks.

Our medical cost is usually minimal, but last year Mark had to pay for an expensive Covid test in Mexico and I had two new pairs of prescription eye glasses mailed to an address out west. My husband chipped in for his dad’s memorial service (miscellaneous), we paid for laundry in Mexico (the rest of the year we managed to use the facilities of friends), and a small amount of money went to postage.

Sunrise along the Baja Peninsula

Extra one-time costs for 2022

One big expense not included in this annual report is the $5,497 we paid for shipping and agent fees to transport our home on wheels to South America for a multiple-year adventure.

So, what would have been a decent year in general at $16,809 (which is about $800 more than our average, not bad under the circumstances of inflation and super high fuel prices) is not so great anymore when you add the $5,500 of shipment costs to the mix. That’s around $22,300 in total. Let’s hope the year 2023 will be a fraction of that!

2022 Overview:

Car (fuel: $4,394; insurance: $666; maintenance: $631;

tolls: $19; parking: $16; registration: $10):

Groceries:

Travel (plane tickets Mark):

Dining out:

Dog (supplies: $413; food: $224; vet: $268; import: $11):

Utilities (internet: $552; prop.: $179; water: $48;

dump stations: $8; Skype: $5):

Computer (hybrid: $728; hosting: $40; software: $11):

Alcohol:

Gifts (B-days, Christmas):

Household:

Camper:

Accommodation/Camping:

Clothing:

Drinking out:

Transport (Uber, tip escort, taxis in COL):

Customs & Immigration (new passport L, tourist cards Mex.):

Bank fees (Chase visa card, cashier’s check):

Health & Fitness (haircuts L, vitamins M):

Entertainment (snorkel sets, parks):

Medical (Covid test M, mailing glasses):

Miscellaneous (memorial service):

Laundry:

Postage:

 

TOTAL:

 

$5,735

 

$3,211

$1,086

$954

$916

$791

 

$779

$574

$483

$364

$307

$302

$266

$188

$166

$147

$129

$126

$94

$85

$51

$41

$14

———

$ 16,809

(It might be easier to read the table when turning your device in the horizontal position.)

And that’s a wrap! If you are enjoying these posts and would like to help out with our expenses maintaining this blog, please click on the donate button underneath, in the side bar, or in the menu bar on top. I promise Roaming About will remain an ad-free website. Thank you!

Find all our expense reports here. To learn what other full-time nomads spend each month, check out the blogs of our vanlife friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.

Donate to Roaming About to help maintain this website.

Monthly Expenses of a Nomad in South America – December 2022 (Colombia)

Expenses - image

Every month, I post a report of our expenses to show that it is possible to live a comfortable, exciting, and adventurous life without breaking the bank. The less money you spend, the less you need to make. 🙂

This report includes ALL of our expenses, in US$, for two adults and one 60-pound dog (we adopted Maya on June 4th, 2019). Under groceries we incorporate food, produce, and non-alcoholic drinks predominantly bought in supermarkets. Toiletries belong in that category as well. Dining out means eating at a restaurant/event or purchasing take-out food. The health category covers non-prescription medicines and vitamins/supplements; medical contains prescription drugs and doctor’s visits. Because of our income level, Mark and I are eligible for free health care within the state of Massachusetts. For check-ups and extensive care, we return to the US East Coast.

The first two weeks of December, Mark, Maya, and I still stayed in Airbnbs in Cartagena, like the majority of November, to wait for our camper’s arrival from Texas. This was followed by a night in a hotel close to the port where we picked up our truck camper, Thirsty Bella, on the evening of the 14th. Rule #1 in developing countries, “Do not drive at night,” was immediately disregarded. We didn’t have a choice. Luckily, nothing was hit or damaged on that first drive.

(As always, click on or hover over photos in the galleries to read their captions.)

We paid for all these nights with credit card points, depleting our account, leaving us with no buffer for a break from the road in the future. All because we had to wait two extra weeks for our vehicle. Oh well. We were beyond happy and relieved to be reunited with our home on wheels.

After spending the first night on a hot and humid parking lot, we put in many more miles to reach Mompox, a World Heritage Site, for another night at a hotel. It was too uncomfortable to sleep in the camper. The other accommodation expenses went to campsites without hookups (just parking, sometimes with the availability of showers, toilets, a shared kitchen, and a laundry machine), which seem to range between $2 and $4 a person per night. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but $8 a night does add up for us, so we try to combine free camping andcampgrounds.

December was the first decent expense month since Mexico in February. We stayed under $1,000 for the three of us. The highest categories, “groceries” and “car,” were close, but not that crazy.

What we saved in groceries, we spent in eating out, by the looks of it. Again, this pastime in Colombia is affordable, but $8 dinners also add up after a while. Another balancing act is needed.

We did cover a bit of ground in those first two weeks on the road, but with gasoline at $2 a gallon, we don’t worry too much. The $40 insurance (SOAT) cost covers our vehicle for liability for three months. Our cost for tolls was actually higher than stated – amazing how many toll roads (Northern) Colombia has, and they’re expensive all things considered – but we received a refund for our toll device and credit we returned to Massachusetts before leaving the country.

The gift category should fall away next month. As usual, I created and shipped calendars to my family in Belgium and the US. Each month of the year exhibits a photo of the two or three of us in a different location. This way, we are somewhat present in the households of our loved ones. And we bought small Christmas gifts for our new friends Sheri and Jeff, whom we met up with several times over the last two months.

Propane is cheaper in Colombia than in the States, but it is a pain to obtain nevertheless. That’s why we changed our propane fridge out for an electric one that efficiently works on our solar panels. This way, a full propane tank (20 pounds), used only for cooking and heating, should last months instead of weeks. For internet, we still use a Google Fi global data plan, but we already have been warned this will be suspended next month, so we will need to find another, local solution in each country. We’ve been working on that.

I’d say our alcohol consumption was average last month, despite it being the holidays. Beer and rum are cheaper than what we purchase in the US, wine is similar in price. The only reason there is a clothing expense is because Amazon messed up one of the refunds before we left. Therefore, we were recharged for a pair of jeans.

We didn’t plan on buying dog food for Maya in Cartagena, since we carried plenty of it with us on the plane, enough for the expected three weeks there, plus an extra Ziploc bag in case four weeks of waiting were required. Not five, though. Luckily, we found food that she wasn’t allergic to and once Thirsty Bella arrived, carrying heaps of dogfood, Maya could go back on her usual diet. The meds we bought are herbal drops that should calm her down during all the stress and anxiety from Colombia’s daily firecrackers, bottle rockets, and fireworks.

Our drinking out cost is negligible – we usually prefer to have happy hour at home – and the low entertainment amount went to the entrance fee of Los Estoraques National Park in Playa de Belen, where we camped for almost a week as well.

Last month, we managed to only pay $2 for water, a donation to a friendly and helpful family along the way, and do laundry for free at the Airbnbs we stayed at.

The total amount for shipping our truck camper from Texas to Colombia was $5,500, which is not included in this report as it is a one-time cost. Because moving our vehicle between continents was so expensive, we plan on making our time here worthwhile. A few years of slow travel should do it! 🙂

December 2022 Overview:

Groceries:

Car (fuel: $194; insurance: $40; tolls: $14):

Gifts (Christmas & New Year):

Dining out:

Utilities (internet: $50; propane: $9; water:$2):

Alcohol:

Accommodation:

Clothing:

Dog (food: $20; meds:$3):

Drinking out:

Entertainment:

 

TOTAL:

 

$249

$248

$125

$99

$61

$47

$44

$31

$23

$6

$4

———

$ 937

Find all our expense reports here. To learn what other full-time nomads spend each month, check out the blogs of our vanlife friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.

Donate to Roaming About to help maintain this website.

Happy Holidays & May Your 2023 Be Amazing!


Mark, Maya, and I wish you all a fabulous end of the year and a healthy, adventurous, satisfying, productive, and inspiring 2023. Thank you so much for following along on our journeys and leaving comments throughout the years.

The three of us had an eventful and relatively challenging 2022, with most of our focus, effort, dedication, and expenses going towards equipping our Lance 830 truck camper Thirsty Bella for extensive travels in South America. The year started with explorations, fun, and relaxation in Baja, Mexico, and is ending in Colombia. We were reunited with our home on wheels in mid-December, are back in travel mode, and can’t wait to see what 2023 has in store for us.

Already, there are many stories to share – good ones and bad ones – and I hope to resume a more regular blogging schedule in the near future, as much as our life on the road allows. This will depend on my time, energy, interest, and internet availability. Follow us on Facebook (see right column or click here) for more frequent updates and photos.

Season’s greetings from the mountain region of Colombia!

We Have Arrived in Cartagena, Colombia – A Quick Update

Mark, Maya, and I made it safe and sound to Cartagena, Colombia, on Tuesday, November 8th. Unfortunately, with all the chaos and issues leading up to our departure, we forgot to bring our “good masks.” We did wear surgical ones from the moment we arrived at the airport.

We had booked a relatively expensive, strategically-located Airbnb for a week in the Manga neighborhood, with the idea of walking to the old, walled city a few times and visiting with a friend who lives close by. The first two days, we got settled, bought food, sheltered from the torrential rain, acclimatized to the noisy traffic and cold showers, and researched and arranged our accommodations for the rest of the month. Then, I got sick and bed bound (and still am) with the flu. Now, we fear Mark is getting sick as well. We finally got here, but are stuck inside. We move locations again on Tuesday.

We hope to get reunited with our truck camper, Thirsty Bella, the end of this month. She is supposed to be loaded on a ship this coming week.

Plunge – One Woman’s Pursuit of a Life Less Ordinary

Available on Amazon and elsewhere

eBook: US$ 5.99

Paperback: US$ 13.99

Newer posts

© 2024 Roaming About

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑