Tag Archives: Jumbo

Couldn't find the typical Antofagasta Sign, so this will have to do.

Preparations to Head to South Chile

Before any journey there is a laundry list of things to do.  We are preparing for our biggest passage to date from Chile to French Polynesia.  What does that entail?  Buying staples for 3-4 months, purchasing boat parts, oil, propane, and fuel.  And of course preparations include a few boat projects.

We will be heading to southern Chile before beginning our passage. First we will go to Caldera, then Coquimbo, then Valapariso, then Valdivia.  So what type of preparations and boat projects have we been doing?

BOAT PROJECTS:

  • PHOTOS: We needed another set of passport photos for our carte de sejours which are part of our French Polynesia long stay visa application process.
  • WEE FEE: topped up our sim card plan so we could activate another month as we journey to Southern Chile.
  • FUEL PUMP: We were on the hunt for oil and a fuel pump. Off to find an auto part store. They have entire one street dedicated to auto parts where you can find just about everything. Of course, it was an 8 mile walking day for us. Score, one 5 gl of oil and a pump for fuel filter.
  • FUEL PUMP TESTING: We used a baja fuel filter while we were in Galapagos which was not efficient. We had a fuel pump on board but it died and needed to be resurrected. We got the pump, found the connectors, and bought the hose. Matt tested it by moving fuel from one jerry can to another and voila it worked perfectly!
  • FUEL: Getting fuel was no easy feat. We had two 5-gallon jerry cans and bought two more. We walked the .5 mile to the gas station with a cart and our cans in tow. Filled them up and loaded 3 on the cart which I dragged. Matt hand carried one and we walked the .5 mile back. Gesh, this will take forever! At 20 gallons per trip we would have to make 8-9 trips! After 2 trips, a local cruiser saw us struggling. He loaned us 4 of jerry cans and drove us to and from the gas station 3 times! Lucky for us, the extra help allowed us to fill both tanks 85% full. That’s good enough for us as we will have to fill up further south anyway.
Adventures of refueling

Adventures of refueling

Provisioning:

We had emptied out the boat finally. We stocked up so well in Panama and Costa Rica that we did not have to buy staples or frozen meats for the past 9+ months. Of course 6 of those months we lived in an apartment while the boat was being repaired, but the food stayed frozen and tasty.

We hit up Jumbo and Unimarc Supermercardos, to of our favorite stores with the largest variety of foods. Of course, peanut butter, popcorn, ginger cookies and butter crackers are still eluding us, but we may find them in Santiago.

What does provisioning look like for 2 people for 3-4 months?  Don’t you love the box of veggies and fruits?  So easy to store!

Provisioning The Basics

Provisioning The Basics

We purchased mostly staple items on this run. As the stores here have great variety and are well stocked. Prices are a little higher than we anticipated, but what can you do?

The next day we hit the fresh fruit and veggie mart to stock up on 2 weeks of yumminess. This was a fantastic fresh market, with so much ripe and semi-ripe foods. They had these huge barrels of olives, peppers, juiced items and nuts.

Provisioning Fresh Goods

Provisioning Fresh Goods

Of course, we will have to do another fresh fruit and veggie run before we leave Valdivia.  We will also need bread and eggs to go with the fresh goods.  Always fun to explore grocery stores in new cities though!

Other Interesting Photos:

Couldn't find the typical Antofagasta Sign, so this will have to do.

Couldn’t find the typical Antofagasta Sign, so this will have to do.

Memorial to those who have passed away, just outside the cemetery.

Memorial to those who have passed away, just outside the cemetery.

 

Sunset Marina Santa Mart

Life in Santa Marta

The oldest city in Colombia, romantic Santa Marta is fringed by delightful beaches and the stunning mountains of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta range.  Santa Marta is a beautiful little seaside town filled with shops, eateries, bars, discos, malls, and lots of street vendors  It is easy to navigate around, exceedingly clean, and very friendly.  The marina, an IGY marina is very large and provides several amenities including showers, laundry, mini-market, security, WiFi, and good customer service.

At 1800 there is an impromptu happy hour where the cruisers gather to share their stories and watch the sunset.

Sunset from IGY Marina Santa Marta

Sunset from IGY Marina Santa Marta
The XVIII Bolivarian Gameswere being held Santa Marta during our stay. It is a multidisciplinary sporting event that takes place at a regional level every four years among the Bolivarian nations, between November 11 and 25, 2017.

Santa Marta Olympics and their mascot.

Santa Marta Olympics and their mascot.

Athletes from 11 countries compete in 34 sports disciplines.  Competition in golf, volleyball, tennis, mixed equestrian, diving, weight lifting, sailing, soccer, rugby, baseball, boxing, judo, and karate.

All water sports start and end at our marina.

All water sports start and end at our marina.

Gorgeous Tall Ship with teams on the rafters singing!

Gorgeous Tall Ship with teams on the rafters singing!

Across from the marina are a lot of eateries.  There is a bank of cafes right as you exit the marina and then across from the marina is a handful of other tasty treats.  We decided to enjoy sunset from the rooftop bar called “Sunset.”

Santa Marta. Sunset at Sunset's bar.

Sunset at Sunset’s bar.

Along the streets of Santa Marta you will find a lot of vendors selling their wares, but you will also find many fun street performers – everyone is trying to make a buck.

Yikes, bad photo, but these guys were amazing street dancers!

Yikes, bad photo, but these guys were amazing street dancers!

Our friend Barry, from Adventures of an Old Sea Dog even got into the action – here is performing one of his original songs.

INSERT BARRY VIDEO

Barry took us to one of his favorite street vendors.  It was down a dark alley with a few other food carts.  We stopped at the first one and had burgers (I had a chicken burger and they had beef) along with cheese fries and it was amazingly tasty!  All for 8,000 pesos ($2.50).

Matt and I are stocking up before we head to the San Blas Islands where grocery stores are non-existent.  Food is very cheap in Columbia, but you do have to shift your thinking.  They don’t have the same brands or types of foods so you must improvise.  In fact this grocery store, Jumbo is located inside Ocean Mall.  Always fun pushing a grocery cart through a shopping mall.

1 million 300 hundred thousand pesos later - our grocery run of staples. ($400). Shopping at the largest market which happens to be inside a mall.

1 million 300 hundred thousand pesos later – our grocery run of staples. ($400). Shopping at the largest market which happens to be inside a mall.

Some basic staples to fill the bilges for San Blas islands.

Some basic staples to fill the bilges for San Blas islands.

Life in the marina includes:

  • Daily walks to fresh fruit and veggie market.
  • Easy access to loads of restaurants with tasty, cheap food.
  • Close proximity to many cruisers which creates an instant community.
  • Most noteworthy, nightly happy hour.
  • Daily showers.
  • Laundry twice a month.