Easy border crossing despite hearing of horror stories. But it was a bit time consuming on the Colombia side due to electrical problems that brought down their immigration system. The Colombian Customs guy didn’t even look at my passport stamps and had no idea I left my car in the country unattended for a month, while I spent Christmas back home in Colorado. It is illegal to leave a vehicle unattended under the terms of a Temporary Import Permit - unless you have a legitimate reason. In early December I was told that I received a jury summons and needed to report. I was prepared to present the summons as my reason for leaving. I think the Customs guy was in a hurry to go to lunch and didn't even bother to check. Technically, they can seize your vehicle, but I think it would have to be a pretty obvious case of attempting to circumvent their import laws.
Upon hitting a gas station just over the border in Ecuador, the attendant said that selling gasoline to foreign plated vehicles was not permitted in Ecuador provinces bordering Colombia. I later had to plead with a second attendant further into Ecuador to give me $10 of gas. Try to gas up in Colombia before crossing.
And bring a jacket. My t-shirt wasn’t enough.
The adventure continues!
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