So… the girlfriend overstays her visa. The only correction for this is to leave the country and return 3 days later. It´s interesting, the bus ride to Panama City is$12.50 each way. You can pay your penalty either at immigration or at the airport, then you have 8 days to leave. This is the fee schedule for the amount of months that you can pay for your overage:
- 1 month = $25
- 2 months = $40
- 3 months = $45
- 4 months = $50
- 5 months = $80
- 6 months = $95
- 7 months = $100
- 1 year = $300
The sweet spot seems to be around 4 months. It is actually cheaper to pay the fee and leave the country than to take the bus and be legal (figuring in also meals and hotel).
Oh well, wanted to visit Colombia, and needed a vacation anyway. But staying with and meeting the girlfriends family is always challenging. Off to Medellin…
Some of the hills are pretty steep. They use cable cars to make that distance…
The cables just cruise through town like it´s normal.
This is the fountain in front of the big church on a walkway through the center of town called La Playa. Obviously someone has a sense of humour.
Love old churches. Always need to get a few shots.
Now that´s a statement!
This is the government building in the park with the statues called “Los Gordos” (the fatties).
And you can see the meaning for the statement. Pretty neat. These statues are all bronze.
Definitely some very cool statues.
The metro system is excellent.
And, always need to get a shot of the colorful buses.
On the road to Piedra Espanol. You can rent a horse for the journey to the rock.
The scenery is very pleasant, but a bit of a walk.
That is one big honkin rock. That little castle looking building on top is actually 6 stories tall, and an observation platform.
The view from the observation platform.
Lots of waterways. Pretty neat.
Oh Jeez… The Capn and girlfriend.
It is a long walk up some very steep stairs. I could hear people counting the stairs as they walked. I´m gonna guess at least a million… or least it felt like it.
There was a point at which the bus was pulled over and everyone was ordered off the bus and frisked by the policia. These guys are all over the place.
Another great church pic.
And another.
All in all, a good trip. A beautiful country and definitely the most beautiful women in the world. Unfortunately, very dangerous. Over the past couple of years, 4,500 people were kidnapped. That is such a travesty for such a beautiful country and people.