After 10 frustrating days in Bogota calling and visiting countless dealerships, exploring alternative options for bikes, and experiencing numerous let downs, we FINALLY got our bikes. In line with the whole process, the colors we ordered did not come, but at that point we really didn't care. We were excited to get on the road and finally begin what we came here to do: explore South America on motorcycles!
One little funny aside of the whole process, however, was that Brian had e-mailed the author of a book that talked about the bikes we wanted (TT 250 Adventours in Colombia, or RX3 Cyclones in the States), and the author put Brian in contact with the general manager of the entire company that manufactures them, AKT. Brian convinced the manager to ship us two of the bikes that everyone else had claimed were "sold out in all of Colombia." Knowing that we shouldn't assume anything (see last blog post) we kept looking while we waited for them to arrive. It's a good thing we did because we soon found out that the place that was receiving the bikes decided to sell them to another buyer in between messaging us at 4:30 pm on a Wednesday (to make sure we still wanted them) and us responding "yes" at 8 am the next morning. Luckily, there were two other bikes with our names on them on their way to a dealership in Bogota, and after a few more days of waiting, including one additional day because the place that manufactures the license plates "ran out of license plate material" in between manufacturing Brian's and mine, we were off!
We started out by heading Northeast of Bogota to a small town called Villa de Leyva. This city is known for having the largest cobblestone square in all of South America. We spent the evening people watching in the square and enjoying some delicious Colombian food.
The next morning we headed further Northeast to San Gil. San Gil is known for its outdoor adventure activities, and we ended up staying 3 nights. We spent our first full day about an hour's ride outside of San Gil in the Chicamocha Canyon. Here, we were able to take to the skies as we paraglided over the canyon. Brian and I both came away from the experience with an adrenaline high and a bit of nausea (side note: paragliding involves a lot of spinning in circles in the air thermals to gain elevation), but it was well worth it!
The following day we did a ride to a couple of small neighboring towns. The first, Barichara, is said to be the prettiest town in Colombia and based on the number of photos we took here, we are inclined to agree. Not far up the road from Barichara, along a fantastic winding road, we found the town of Guane to be as charming as it is small, with only about 3 streets in each direction and a small town square where we met some very friendly locals.
Our experience with Colombians thus far has been nothing but positive. Everyone we have met, from cab drivers to gas station attendants to random people on the street, has been genuinely friendly and eager to answer our questions or hear about our adventure. Below are Patricia, Wilmer, and Rosa, 3 people working the gas station restaurant we stopped at for lunch on our way out of San Gil that insisted on taking at least 15 photos with us.
It is not only the locals that we have enjoyed meeting, but we have also come across some other travelers doing similar trips on motorcycles, including a Belgian couple that we met in Cartagena and two French couples we met at a gas station on our way to Medellín. The French couples are riding down to Patagonia on two motorcycles with sidecars (so cool!) and we were able to chat with them over dinner and beers in Medellín. They are really awesome people, and if you would like to check out their blog, you can click here: friends4adventures.org
Leaving San Gil, we headed West toward Medellín. After 8 hours, 300 km, beautiful winding mountain roads, rain, fog, and plenty of truck passing, we stopped for the night in a small town called Puerto Berrio. Here, we enjoyed people watching in the lively square and reflected on the challenging, but rewarding roads of the day (see video below).
The next morning we rode the remaining 4 hours to Medellín where we encountered the craziest traffic yet, but luckily made it to our hostel unscathed (although we may have gone around the same roundabout 3 times before making the correct turn...Medellín roads are chaotic and confusing).
We spent our first few days in Medellín relaxing, running errands, doing a bike tour around the city, and meeting up with the French couples mentioned before. We also took a day trip to Guatapé , a colorful town surrounded by lakes, where we climbed the 659 steps to the top of el Piñon de Guatapé , a massive rock overlooking the lakes. We made the mistake, however, of going on a holiday weekend (apparently today is Columbus day in Colombia), and the town and its attractions were a little too crowded for our liking, so we didn't spend too much time there.
Today, we embarked on a walking history and graffiti tour of Comuna 13, allegedly once the most dangerous place in the most dangerous city in the world (circa 1980s to early 2000s). This was by far the highlight of our time in Medellin as we learned about the incredible transformation the city and this comuna have undergone from a guide who lives in the comuna herself.
Tomorrow we will head down to the Zona Cafetera (coffee-growing region) where we hope to do some trekking and stay on a coffee plantation.
Cheers,
Erin and Brian
Wow, Paragliding! Great way to see the area from the air as well as making a memory of the area you won't forget. It is nice to see you take an interest in the locals and the history of the area. Too many riders are more concerned with making miles instead of memories.