The Darian Gap is about 250 miles of dense, pretty = much impassable jungle in Panama, and is essentially the "end of = the road" until you get to South America proper (usually Colombia = or Venezuela).  It is an area notorious for being filled with = Colombian rebels and drug runners, and not a nice place to visit if you = are a peaceful Westy-driving Gringo.  It has been crossed a few = times in RUGGED 4 x 4 vehicles, but they usually take a month to do it, = with much of that time spent with machete, shovel, and winch, making a = few miles a day.

In 1994 I believe a ferry service called = "Crucero Express" was started from Colón, Panamá to = Cartagena, Columbia where you could actually travel with your = car.  (Normally you have to pack up the car, have it shipped, fly = and meet your car a week or two later).  It may or may not still = be in operation.  I have a friend that went down there a few years = ago to discover it was "temporarily closed down."  This = may have just meant that the skipper was too drunk to drive the = boat...  (que sera, sera...)

You can also ship to/from Miami from Caracas, = Venezuala.

There is also a TON of information you need to know = about getting a "Carnet"  which is like a passport for = your vehicle, as well as a LOT of other regulations regarding passport = handling, visas, etc. etc. etc.  (For example, in Costa Rica, if = you stay past a certain length of time on your way down, you will only = be given like three days to traverse the entire country on your way = back!  (Lots of screwy rules like that)

The only reason I know all this stuff is from reading = a lot about it a few years back - I was planning to accompany my friend = on the trip but never did.

Brent Christensen
'89 GL Syncro Westy
Santa Barbara, CA

-----Original Message-----
From: Zoltan Kuthy [mailto:zol@foxinternet.net]
Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2000 4:39 PM
To: BRENT CHRISTENSEN
Cc: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: driving to rio (little vanagon = content)