T - Ok. Here we go. Second try to get out of Chiquinquira. Not that we minded spending more time here at all.

It had been raining a fair bit last night so a small part of me was hoping that the dirt road we planned to ride today would be a swampy muddy mess! It has been ages since we had a good muddy ride.

It didn't take us long to pack up, grab a coffee and a bite to eat, say hello to Mr Plod who wanted to know where we were from and what our bikes were, and head on out of town.

Both bikes were running like clocks and in no time at all we were turning off of the main highway and onto highway 60. This was the most direct route from where we were through to El Penon and Medellin. But about 3 kms up the road that bucking jerking jumping motion came back. Mabel was again kicking up a storm. Sigh. I pulled over just as she did a huge backfire and cut out. I didn't know what the mechanic had done to her but I knew it was something in the battery box. As I started to open her up I noticed that the lead for the sparkplug was off. I popped it back on and Mabel fired straight up and sat there purring like the little kitten she pretends to be.





We climbed a little ways up an incredibly curvy road. It wound back and forth and then we were over the crest and on the downhill run. The views were sensational. The road, even though it was beat up and broken in spots, was just insanely amazing. The corners just came one after another. The bikes constantly leaning over one way and then bang, straight back over to the other side. The curves wound back so tightly on themselves that even at 30 km/hr we were scraping our footpegs on the road. Wow. Possibly the best riding I have had on the bitumen, ever.







C - I have never scraped my pegs before and I can honestly say that it scared the #$%@ out of me the first time!! The riding was amazingly fun, throwing the little bikes around one corner, then the next.

T - There was one section which had me stopped on the side of the road and staring in amazement. I could see across the valley where the road continued on. The hill side was so steep that the road builders had constructed a concrete road that sat on huge horizontal pylons that were buried into the hillside. An engineering marvel!







Eventually the bitumen ran out and we were soon back to dirt. Narrow, rutted, rough, rocky dirt. Oh it was joyful!

We bounced along with immense views spreading out on either side of us. There was not one part of todays ride where we couldn't see for days in at least one direction.









We rode through mud holes, slid and skidded up slimy muddy slopes, bounced from one washout to another, rode through streams that cut across the road from waterfalls in the forest, we skirted a huge landslide that felt as if it would slip out from under us at any second and still we couldn't stop grinning. This was one of those roads that I could have ridden forever. But eventually all these things come to an end and soon the dirt was replaced with silky smooth tarmac and we rejoined a major highway.













C - We began the day wearing our thermals, nearly at 3000mtrs in altitude, and as we began the long, downhill run, the vegetation changed until we spent most of the day listening to the beautiful jungle creatures and enjoying the beauty of the jungle. What a day! What a ride!







T - Both of us were pretty buggered after todays ride so we found a truckers hotel on the highway and checked in.





We have another section of highway 60 to ride tomorrow and I hope its just as much fun as todays section!

C - We only had a short ride today, about 130km, but we were sure there would be more dirt ‘highway’! It rained quite a bit last night so we were both excited about this - maybe there would be mud!



We turned off of Highway 45 and back onto highway 60 and immediately approached a toll gate. Thankfully, motos are free on toll roads here, so we just rode down the little moto lane and whizzed through. Coffee was calling us as we approached the first town, so we stopped for some Caldo (soup) and coffee.

The highway was actually quite a nice ride, with beautiful views as we wound up, up, up. Yesterday, we started at nearly 3000mtrs and ended up at nearly sea level. Today, we knew our destination was back over 2000mtrs, so the girls had to climb today.





Each corner we rounded had us both exclaiming ‘wow’ and ‘is this even possible?’ as the views just got better and better.







After about an hour, we took the ‘short cut’ route through a town called San Luis. Along the way, we saw quite a few waterfalls, the most impressive being La Cascada Cuba. Beautiful! The town was bustling and lively and upon our exit, we discovered the road became nasty, nasty cobblestone. The cobblestone was wet, and it apparently often is, as there was plenty of slippery slime for the girls to slide around on.





Eventually, the cobblestones petered out and we were presented with the now familiar one lane wide, gravel/dirt/rock/mud secondary highway. The riding was sensational and we even got to play in some puddles!





https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0179.jpg?w=640

Rosie has had some electrical issues lately. We knew that it was just a broken wire, as all my accessory power was gone - indicators, horn, neutral light. So we found a little gravel pit with an extraordinary view and pulled over to do some maintenance. Mabel also needed a broken wire fixing, as since her visit to the mechanic, her key has become defunct! Obviously a broken, or loosened, ignition wire.

T - We had been making pretty good time along this track today and when I saw the little cleared area with amazing views I thought “Why not fix them here”. It didnt take too long to find Rosies broken wires and patch them back up. Rosie lost her headlight and taillight yesterday and she was constantly winking at me as over each jolt the wire or connection would join up and then cut out again. I thought I had fixed that too.





Mabel was a little harder to fix. I went straight to where the ignition wires had been lengthened to allow for her ignition to be moved from its original position to a more convenient one. No broken wires there. Eventually by pure luck I found where an old Australia Post repair on her had fallen apart. I replaced the wire and then declared her fixed. Even though I had blown her main fuse accidentally and she now has no indicators, horn, or dash lights, except when she is running.

Once we hit the track again I saw Rosie go down a rut and over a rock and her tail light blinked off. Damn it! So finding that broken wire is a job for another day.We also need to do some fuel tank repairs to Rosie as she managed to melt hers a little when she last laid down. Ahh postie bikes.





C - Soon enough, we were back on the track and then back onto bitumen. We ended up in the town of Granada, quite by accident! We knew we had missed a right hand turn, but neither of us saw this turn anywhere. We stopped for a snack in Granada and checked our maps. We were soon heading back a few kilometres to see if we could find the right hand turn.

We found it! We turned off the smooth bitumen back onto a single lane track which quickly deteriorated into a mud pit. Oh the fun!!! We were both squealing with delight as us, and our girls, got completely filthy and covered in mud! This went on for quite some kilometres, before we came to a suspension bridge over the river. I went first and was not happy to learn the bridge moved. Also, the railing drops way down low, about the bike seat height and it was rather terrifying!







T - The little suspension bridge was brilliant! I stopped partway across to try to film it and Mabel and I were sat there rocking and bouncing up and down and back and forth. Brilliant!





C - We had some more thick mud to battle through, but then we were back on the bitumen and enjoying the views of the monolith - El Penol, where we would visit tomorrow.





It took some time to find a hotel that was not a complete rip off, as Guatape is a very touristed town. Most hotels were trying to charge extra for moto parking and they were asking way above the normal rates for lower quality rooms. Eventually, I found a little place above a local family house. We settled in and then ventured out to look around.





We found some chicharon to snack on and then found a locals bar to enjoy a or two. All the restaurants on the malecon were expectedly pricey, but as we hadnt eaten since breakfast, we decided a nice meal was in order. We found one willing to give us a discount and tucked into some fresh fish, salad and chips. Accompanied by a dark !







Tomorrow, we want to climb El Penol! Then we will head to Medellin.

T - We wanted to try to beat the tourist hordes out at the rock this morning, so that meant an early rise and a quick pack up. It wasn't long before we were out of town and parking our bikes in the parking lot of El Penol.







The rock was huge! The stairs jammed into the crack of the rock looked a little steep and there looked to be a lot of them! We paid our entrance fee and started to climb.







Wow what a climb. It was hard work and soon we were both drenched in sweat and had to have several rests where we sat on a step and gasped air into our burning lungs. But every time we stopped we were presented with bigger and bigger views over the surrounding countryside. We could see forever!

C - It was a fantastic climb and I really enjoyed the exercise, after really not doing much at all. We both noticed the difference though, exerting yourself at some altitude and we did have to stop a few times along the first 650 steps.









T - Finally we passed the 650 step mark and walked out onto the concreted top of the rock. It has become quite the tourist drawcard and there were a few shops up here selling water and tourist tat. We had a squiz at the views and sat down to enjoy a cold water and a coke. We still had another 100 odd stairs to climb up a tower but first we needed to get our breaths back.





We trundled up to the very top. 740 steps up from ground level. The views were breath taking, if we had any breath left. We spent a few minutes enjoying it and then started the climb down. We could see the carpark below us slowly filling with tourists and thought we should move out of there before it became too crowded.







The climb down was just as hard as the one up. My calf muscles were not happy and protested loudly and painfully all the way. There is a second staircase hidden behind the main one and is used by people descending only. It has tight spirals and very narrow steps.

C - After my last job, I take an unusual interest in land slips/rockfall risks and we were both pleased to notice that at several times on the way down, we were walking directly under large boulders which had the look that they may wish to dislodge themselves, given the right situation! I would not like to be climbing that during an earthquake!



T - From there it was time for us to head into the city of Medellin. It wasn't a far ride but we did end up on a major highway full of buses and trucks. It was awful! But it was nothing compared to when we finally made it into the city proper.

The traffic was mental. We saw bikes lock up and nearly collide with other bikes, cars drifting in and out of lanes as their drivers texted, trucks cut us off and forced us out of the way, oh it sucked big time and it wasn't long before Chantelle told me that she was scared shitless.

C - We came into town on the autopista and honestly, it was the most terrified I have been on my bike this trip. Everyone was moving at around 70km/hr and nobody actually seemed to be paying attention to where they were driving. I can not describe in any other way other than seriously terrifying!

T - We decided right then that we would avoid any more cities for the time being as we have heard they only get crazier the further south we go.

We ended up being sent to a hostel in the nice part of town and once we were unpacked we wandered off to have a look at the nearby square and to buy a few items. The hostel next door had a couple of other overlanders staying there and we caught up with one of them for a few s and a chat before calling it a night.







Both of us are getting a little tired of the hotel scene and can't wait to get back into camping. First though we need to find a new sleeping mat for me!

Tomorrow we are going to go look at Pablo Escobars old mansion in the city near to us and take a trip out to the favelas (shanty towns) to have a look.

More great reports and pics! ... and great COFFEE stories!
Engine cost $300? I've not read ALL your report ... did you change out your Honda Motor at some point earlier on? Lifan? Is it a Lifan motor in there? ... Honda copy? ... or what?

Love to hear about any bike rentals places out of Medellin. Just curious what you might happen to see walking around.

Sounds like your little Hondas will make Argentina. High quality synthetic motorcycle oil should help in HIGH HEAT. Use the best you can afford but NOT the super slippery energy saving synthetic oil for cars. All the best, stay safe!

Are they really stealing bikes right off the street in broad daylight? Cheeky!

T - We were going to be tourists today. Which meant our bikes would get a days rest! But first we had to move to another hostel as this one was full. Once we had moved everything and parked the bikes behind bars we wandered off through the streets of Medellin.

Chantelle was keen to go and see Pablo Escobars 1980’s mansion in the city. This guy was a real bad ass. He basically was the major guy exporting cocaine from Colombia and was just rolling in money. He was making around 60 million US dollars a day for a while there and he couldn't launder his money as fast as he made it. Anyone who stood in his way or spoke out against him was murdered. Finally though the Colombian government had enough and chased him down. Eventually Escobar lost all his properties, some 800 of them, and finally his life. So this building has sat empty and abandoned for quite some years now. There is footage on the net showing cavities in the walls of the building where Escobar hid bundles of cash. Very interesting.

We wandered along one of the lanes of a major highway, yes that is right, as it was totally closed off from traffic and opened up to Colombians who were walking, running, and cycling. Medellin has some great social policies and making the city more community focussed vs car focussed is part of that. There was thousands of people out and about and we walked along and did a touch of people watching.



C - I have read quite a lot about the work the city has done to try to rebuild itself after Pablo Escobars reign. A key strategy was to try to rebuild a sense of community, and it was wonderful to see the effects of this nearly 15 years on. One particular initiative included building two cable car lines to extend the metrorail system into the favelas (shanty towns) allowing the poorer residents in the area easier access to the services in the city, in an effort to increase social inclusion. These social programs have made Medellin into an extremely lovely city and it certainly appears to be very ‘liveable’ now.

I was also however, very excited to see one of Pablo Escobars mansions, Edificio Monaco, where I can only imagine the sorts of conversations and business dealings happened! It is difficult to comprehend being able to earn US$60million a DAY in the late 1980’s. He was clearly feared by many, and had a lot of power, both in Colombia and the USA. He was definitely known for his ruthlessness, and it is believed he is responsible for the death of well over a thousand Colombian police, judges and journalists. Interestingly, he did spend money on the favelas, including building 800 houses and investing in community services in these poor suburbs. By these people, he was viewed as a modern day Robin Hood and a hero.

T - We eventually stood outside of a very tall very square and very dilapidated looking building. There was a security guard eyeballing us from the gatehouse so we took some pics of Escobars house and then carried on our way.





Next on the list was a train trip and a cable car ride to one of Medellins Favelas. Tightly packed housing that ran up the sides of the valley where the city is built. Mainly consisting of the poorer inhabitants of the city. We had read that it was safe enough to wander the streets of this particular suburb but to avoid other favelas as they could be quite dangerous for outsiders.



The train ride and cable car came to a grand total of $1 each. So long as we didnt exit the stations we could ride the trains all day. We hopped into a cable car and began the climb up over the favela. The Medellin government had several of these cable cars installed so that the people of the favelas could have easy and cheap access to the train lines into the city. The theory being that it would allow families easier and cost effective access to work.

The view from up there was impressive. The favela was like nothing I had seen before except on TV. Houses were stacked on top of each other with stairs leading from rooftop to rooftop. There was graffiti everywhere and some of it was gorgeous. There was some very talented artists around. We decided to just sit in the car and enjoy the ride up and the views on the way back down.





C - The further the car moved up the hill, the more the housing and streets deteriorated. It was interesting to see the contrasts between the suburbs, from the city out to these areas. In 30 minutes we had gone from large shopping malls and modern apartment buildings with streets filled with new and expensive cars to homes that barely looked like they should be standing. Sure, the views back over the city where beautiful from the top cable car station, but really, it was witnessing the favelas that made the trip for me.



T - We took a train back to the city and just hung out for the remainder of the day with another overlander.





We have decided that we will head out of the city tomorrow and make our way down towards the coffee growing region south of here.

C - Oh delicious Colombian coffee, I am coming for you!

Gday! We decided way back in Australia to swap out the original tired 110 Honda engines in favour of a Lifan 125cc. So far they have been good and cheap. So many of the bikes from Mexico down have been a Honda clone of some type and gives us plenty of access to parts. The Lifan horizontal engines are basically a copy of the Hondas. They used to be terrible but these days hey seem to make an ok product. I am hoping mine will make Argentina which would put this motor at 50 000kms, which is very impressive for $300! If not then I will buy a local bike and put the motor into mine!

Oh yes they are cheeky buggers alright! The lady at that hotel was most adamant that we get them off of the street ASAP.

I didnt take much notice of bike rentals in Medellin but for the amount of tourists that are there I am sure there would be heaps of rental places.

For the oil we have to use mineral only in these bikes. Synthetic oil of any kind glazes up the clutch plates within 500km and then we have nothing but slip! So we just use local sourced oil, usually 20/50 and change it out every 1000kms(600 miles).

T - We had a few errands to run this morning before we buggered off out of the city. We needed a few bibs and bobs for the bikes. Mabel has lost 2 of her three engine mount bolts thanks to the very rough tracks we have been doing, we are using an engine mount adapter for the Lifans, and the motor is basically held in place by the exhaust header at the moment.

On the way back from shopping, where we also found some new camping mats, we stopped in at a Royal Enfield bike shop. Lucky for Mabel she wasn't there or else I may have traded her in on one. We have both been thinking we might do our trip again but in reverse next time on some Enfields. The new Himalaya was on display and I quite liked it but there's no beating the looks of the Classic.




Pictures taken from royalenfield.com

After the new bolts went in and we packed up we said goodbye to our overlander friends Dave and Chris and headed out of the city. For us that meant a trip down the autopista through crazy traffic before we finally found a quiet little back road.





C - Thankfully, the autopista was a little less crazy than it was on Friday when we rode in. There was much less traffic on the road and therefore I did fear death the entire time we were on it! Soon enough, we were climbing out of the valley that hugs the city.

T - It was a nice ride, again offering us incredible mountain views and the road soon became a one lane affair with sparse sections of bitumen, a few rocks and a bucket load of fun!







We made good time and eventually the sealed stuff was upon us again and as we climbed another mountain mother nature unleashed a little fury on us. The heavens opened up and soon there was water running down the road in streams. Lightning flashed and crackled all around us and the thunder echoed off way down into the valley. It was brilliant! We had donned our wet weather gear but within 5 secs they gave up the ghost and we were soon drenched through. I love heavy rain like this and it is always nice when the rain is warm.



C - The downpour was amazing! A true tropical rain that even managed to fill my gloves with water and start to soak through my wet weather jacket (which has never leaked before!). And, as always, it was lovely to then ride along for the rest of the afternoon with a pool of water gathered in my crotch region.

T - We eventually crossed another mountain and began following a very wet, very slippery clay track. It went on and on and both of us were battling to keep the bikes upright. Eventually Chantelle took a spill and a lovely man walking by helped her pick her bike up.





C - The track was not particularly long, only about 30km, but the condition of the track meant that this took us well over an hour. It was exhausting riding. The track continually climbed up and down going over 2000mtrs then back down to 1700mtrs, and it was difficult navigating the ruts, streams, bog holes and large slippery loose rocks. Despite this, I actually dropped the bike on a straight section of track, when I was not particularly accelerating or braking. I was not going fast, so it didn't hurt, but I was riding straight then I sliding sideways on the clay! Poor Rosie!







T - After a very exhausting ride we found a bitumen road. We could have kissed it such was our delight to find it. The roads are starting to make their marks on our bikes with Rosies wiring again failing and leaving Chantelle without indicators, a horn, or any types of lights. I will fix it in the next day or so as I know exactly where the issue lies.

The town of Jardin was our stop for the night. It appeared to be another stunning little place and we had a short wander around the square as darkness fell.

C - Again, we had not ventured near food since breakfast (which was just a pastry) and so we were both starving and keen to find a decent sized plate of food. We found a wonderful little restaurant, upstairs with a balcony overlooking the square. We subsequently dined on chicken and vegetable soup and then pork with rice, salad, beans, fried banana and a ! Divine!

T - Then it time for bed. We are going to spend another day here in Jardin before we head towards Bogota.

T - We had a couple of things we wanted to do around town today. Mainly look for parts for our bikes. Chantelle needs some new foot pegs as the rubber on one of hers has vanished somewhere along the way. I needed a fuse for Mabel and I have been on the hunt for some time now for a Colombia sticker for my bike.

We started the day with coffee, of course, before we began wandering the streets. After having been in a few motorcycle shops we were soon pointed to a little auto electrical store where I found a fuse. We found some footpegs but they looked very weak and plasticy so we passed on them. Rosies electrics have decided to give up the ghost altogether now and I am not sure where to look next. Maybe she needs to go to a doctor.









We enjoyed hanging out in the square for most of the day, alternating between coffee and and just watching the world go by until it was dinner time. I found a little street vendor who was selling the Colombian version of fish and chips. It was damn fine too!









Then it was off to bed. Tomorrow we are going to ride to Salento, a town at the start of some gorgeous looking valley and we are going to have a day on the bitumen, just for something different.

T - Chantelle was very tired last night, so I let her sleep in until 830, at which point I thought we should probably get up and get a wriggle on. We packed up, grabbed a coffee from the nearby bakery and set our GPS to take us to Salento, along the bitumen.

We rode out of the town and started to climb immediately. We were soon above the town and looking out over the valley in which it nestled. Low wispy clouds clung to the dark forested mountains in the background. Such a beautiful place.



The road curved back and forth and we enjoyed the novelty of the smooth tar, right up to the point where it vanished and was replaced by muddy rocky track. Sorry Rosie and Mabel, no rest for you today.





C - We had visions of giving the girls an easy ride today, but sticking to the black stuff. However, what we didnt realise, was that there was no way out of Jardin on the bitumen. Oh well, back to muddy, rocky, steep tracks for us!





T - We climbed ever higher on the very wet and bumpy track until we were in the clouds. It was constantly drizzling now and soon we were both quite damp. But neither of us cared because the scenery was just outstanding! And to be fair the riding was a bit of fun too. Slipping and sliding into ruts, crossing streams and negotiating land slides. Colombia, you are beautiful!



C - As it turned out, the track was not that bad. I think we both had visions of the track being as terrible as the one into Jardin had been. Thankfully, it turned out to be fun riding, not hard riding!







T - We eventually wound out of the hills and back onto the main highway which was clogged with traffic. It turns out that we move faster in the off road bits than we do on the highways! There were a lot of road works, which works out for us because everytime there is a stop go person we get to scoot right to the front, usually passing 10-15 trucks along the way.

We turned off of the highway after a while and twisted and curved our way into Salento. A little touristy town tucked away in a valley.

We found a place to stay, camping here was as much for the two of us as a hotel room, and went for a wander through the town.





C - Neither of us were particularly taken with Salento, but we did find a super lovely hotel, run by an even lovelier family. We were both keen to check out the Valle de Cocora tomorrow!

T - We plan to leave tomorrow and head along a dirt road through some valleys. We have heard its a lovely track and we are both looking forward to it. If I get the chance I will even have another look at Rosies wires.

T - I was keen to get on the road early today. The road we want to take doesnt show up on Google Maps at all. Not even in Google Earth mode! Based on our past travels on some of these back roads in Colombia I knew that we would possibly only manage around 20 km/hr on average.

We were out of town nice and smartly just after 9. The sealed road ended about 3 meters out of town and then the climb began. The road was in pretty good nick compared to the last few days roads and we made steady progress in 2nd gear at 15 km/hr. Up up up we went. Steadily climbing. 2000 mts, 2500 mts, 2800 mts, 3000 mts, finally topping out at 3327 mts. Poor Mabel was gasping for breath. But she chugged on. I kept telling her to get used to it as we would probably ride a lot higher once we got further south!







We followed the single lane road along the ridges of mountain tops and dropped in and out of the clouds. Valleys spread out on either side of us as we motored along. I'm really loving the mountains of this place.





C - The riding was sensational and I was very excited to see the Wax Palms, Colombia’s national tree! The green of the valley was vivid and with the beautiful white drifting clouds it made for an awesome view.

T - We passed a few cattle farms and enjoyed the very slippery, very poo and pee filled mud that the cows had left behind on the road. No way was I going to face plant into that stuff! It was super slippery for our little machines and at one point Mabels front tyre was up on the centre ridge and her rear in the right hand rut leaving me hanging on for dear life as we slid sideways down the hill.







We passed through a very sleepy little town called Toche and crossed a roaring river before beginning another ascent. Up went our little trains that could. Up up up. Back to first gear for some of the steeper sections before we levelled out again at over 2000 meters. We splashed through puddles and Mabel and I took a ride up a creek until we came to a waterfall. It was tons of fun!









We found a flat spot on a hill overlooking the city of Cajamarca and I proceed to rip Rosie apart in order to find this damn electrical fault. Rosie has no blinkers, no horn, no tail light and no headlight, and her battery is dead flat and wont charge up. I found nothing. Wondering if it could be a regulator, I swapped Rosies out for Mabels. No change. I pulled the wiring looms apart as much as I dared. Still nothing. So now I am down to an issue with the stator perhaps, or a wire I haven't yet found to be broken. We have decided that she will be best left in the hands of a mechanic when we get to near Bogota.





After we put Rosie back together again we headed down the hill and rejoined the highway. This highway was chocka block full of trucks and buses. We took a few chances with overtaking some of them but mostly we were stuck between trucks. Eventually though the ever useful roadworks came up and we zipped to the front of the line.

We passed through a few towns and soon we ended up at the town of Venadillo where we decided to call it quits for the day.



What a fantastic day! I really enjoyed it! I will be glad when we have Rosies electrics fixed as I do worry about Chantelle having no brake lights or horn, not that any of the local bikes seem to have any working electrics either.





Tomorrow we head to Zipquira which is a tad over 200kms away. We plan to be there a few days while we do some maintenance and washing.

T - Zipaquira here we come! Reading up about this underground salt church place seems quite interesting. We are both looking forward to it as it is quite an unusual thing. But first we had to get there. We intended to use the highways so we could make good time, and here in Colombia we are not the slowest thing on the road anymore!

We struck out from Venadillo nice and early and cruised along the road. We were back down in elevation and the weather was perfect. Not too cold and not too warm. Just right!

C - I had picked this route to Zipaquira because the highway goes straight through the town of Armero, where in 1985 the entire town was devastated by a volcanic eruption.

T - Along the way way came to an old town called Armero. There were broken buildings and buried houses lining the highway. We had read about this place. On November 13 1985 a volcano nearby erupted after 69 years of dormancy. The Colombian government had some advance warning of this but basically did nothing to get residents out of the area. As the eruption occurred the glaciers on top of the volcano melted and a fury of water, mud and debris raced down the mountain and straight into the town of Armero. 20000 people died. A very sad event.





We had a look around the old townsite. There were hundreds of headstones amongst the trees at sites where houses had once been. It was very sobering.



C - This event was broadcast around the world by the media, with particular focus on one small girl. She was trapped under debris, but there was no equipment available for anyone to attempt to extract her from the rubble. Rescue workers talked with her for three days before she passed away. It was very sad to see the impact on the town and the image I found most profound, was that of the place of the cathedral, where half the dome still sits.







T - We continued on from there and soon began to climb the mountains again as we neared Bogota and our turnoff to Zipaquira.





The traffic began to build up very fast and soon we were at a standstill. We passed when we could on either side of the traffic, right up until the police pulled us over. We had been passing the traffic on the verge side and they told us in no certain terms that this was illegal in Colombia. We knew it was and played dumb tourists. They let us off with just a telling off which was quite lucky as we had heard of other bikers being fined up to $300USD and having their bikes impounded. So it was back to overtaking on double lines, around bends, and over crests for us!

C - Besides our dumb tourist act and being over the top apologetic, I think what really helped us was that in this particular instance, we were following a local rider.



T - We eventually made it into town just as the heavens threatened to open up and drench us.

Tomorrow we shall go to a mechanic for Rosie and visit the salt church.

T - We found a small section of motorcycle shops today where we could get Chantelle some new footpegs and bits and pieces and one of the stores directed us to a mechanic. With Rosie running he grabbed his test light and poked about a bit before declaring her stator to be dead. We knew we could get one in Bogota and even though we didn't really want to go there we now had to.

C - We really need to sort Rosie out, as I refuse to head further into the Andes and into higher elevations, whilst approaching winter, without heated grips! Despite our strong desire to not experience Bogata traffic, it appears we will do just that! On a plus side, another traveller we know is currently in Bogata and he invited us to stay in his apartment with him - we are super excited to catch up with Dave again!

T - We then wandered up to the salt mine where the church was and joined a tour. We walked down until we were about 180 meters underground. The carvings down here were really well done.







It took 120 miners a ton of time to carve out the crosses, columns and other bits and pieces. The guide was super passionate about it and we learnt quite a few things. It was cool to see the way the salt formed on the granite walls.









C - The underground cathedral was beautiful and the walk down was interesting, as they have carved the 14 stations of the cross along the route. The representations were interesting and the salt carvings were beautiful. However, the whole place lacked the atmosphere you normally expect in a cathedral. The place was ridiculously crowded, it felt as though there were about 10,000 tourists down there, all making a lot of noise. It did take away from the feel of the place.











T - Then it was time to just lay about and we ended up watching a movie, drinking some wine and eating cake. Not a bad way to end the day.

Tomorrow we head into Bogota

This post is for the few days we spent in Bogota. There isnt too many pics though.

19 March 2017

C - Today, we were heading to Bogota to meet up with a fellow traveller, Dave, and hopefully get Rosie’s electrical problems sorted.

After a yummo breakfast of soup, eggs, bread and coffee, we hit the road to tackle the 47km into Bogota. Dave had mentioned it could take one and half hours, but that the traffic should be ok. I was a little worried about the traffic after our experience in Medellin, but I need not have been. Being a Sunday morning, the traffic was relatively quiet and sedate and we made pretty good time.

When we arrived, we were warmly greeted by Dave and his beautiful mother. After settling in, we devoured a lovely lunch and then set out with Dave for coffee and an explore of a Sunday craft market.







T - Dave and his mum, who I am also calling Mum, are such lovely people and we are so lucky to be here with them.

C - After eating too much cake and drinking too much coffee, we retired to Dave’s place where we proceeded to solve the future problems of the world before collapsing into bed, still full on cake and coffee!

Tomorrow is a holiday here, so we won't be taking Rosie into the mechanic until Tuesday, so we will do some relaxing and exploring.







20 March 2017

C - Well, we have spent some wonderful exploring the city of Bogota and enjoying the wonderful hospitality of Dave and his beautiful mother.

Today is a public holiday here, so we will have to wait until tomorrow to get Rosie to the doctor. Instead, we ventured up to Monserrate, a church high up on a hill above Bogota. We caught the ‘funicular’ up to the top, which was amazingly steep! Sitting at a height of 3150mtrs, the air was definitely cooler and us three sea level bunnies were soon puffing away, climbing up the steps. We knew that coca tea was said to be helpful for altitude, so it wasn’t too long before we found a vendor and were sipping on the sweet, delicious tea. Interestingly, all three of us felt that it was much easier to breathe after the tea.







Dave shared some history of the area with us, and it was interesting to hear that the church directly across the next hill was frequented by Pablo Escobar and his crew. Colombia has such a fascinating (albeit dark at times) history.

After descending from the mountain, we wandered through the old city and visited the birthplace of Bogota - a small plaza where it is rumoured that the city founders sat around discussing the development and governing policies of the city to be.







After wandering further to Bogota’s main plaza (Plaza de Bolivar), we went past the parliamentary building and then took a sneak peak at the Presidents residence. After taking us unsuspecting tourists down Bogota’s ‘most dangerous street’, Dave took us to a craft brewery where we celebrated our one year on the road anniversary with some fantastic local s!



21 March 2017

C - After a loooong sleep in, we awoke to yet more magnificent smells coming from Madre’s kitchen. As dutiful guests, we devoured a delicious breakfast before heading out with Dave to visit Bogota’s ‘motorcycle alley’.

We jumped on the bus and headed into a much grungier looking suburb - there seemed to be more rubbish and more faeces on the sidewalk and it didn't take long before we started to spot prostitution.

We rounded a corner and boom - there it was! The most amazing amount of motorcycle accessory stores I have ever seen. There were bikes everywhere! We hunted for some warm, waterproof gloves for our journey into the Andes and then we, and by we I mean Dave and Todd, started scouring for LED lights. After buying numerous un-needed items and meandering through tons of stores, it was time to head back and take Rosie to the mechanic.

T - It was bike bling heaven! I could have bought so many things for Mabel here and it took all my strength to not buy a set of blue and white police LEDs for my bike. Maybe when we come back here. Every item you could want for your bike was here. It was incredible!

C - The guys at the mechanics were all lovely and we learned that they all have day jobs, and then open the shop in the afternoon, sometimes working through past midnight! I definitely felt that Rosie was in good hands.

Dave took us to a wonderful little hotdog and burger joint near his place for dinner and Todd enjoyed the most monstrous hotdog I have ever seen! I had a burger which was pretty damn good too.

As we were eating dinner, the mechanics sent Dave through some pics, showing us the inside of Rosie’s stator. What was once copper is now black… so tomorrows plan is to find a new stator, or new parts for the stator, and take it back to the mechanic fit tomorrow evening. Hopefully, Rosie will be as good as new and we will once again have our heated grips to get us through the Patagonian winter!



22 March 2017

T - I do apologise for the lack of photos. Dave who has been our chaperone has advised us against taking the camera out to the places we have been going. And when a local says don't, we don't. We have been in some of the rougher spots of Bogota, and it really has shown. Rubbish piled high in the streets, and shady characters lurking about everywhere. One of these shady areas is where the motorcycle stuff is and today we went back there.

We needed to find a stator part for Rosie. We knew we would find one but it required us to go to several shops. Eventually we found two stators. One was a 6 pole stator but no fly wheel and we hoped Rosies old flywheel would fit. We also found the parts to fix her old stator. Woohoo. Total cost for both stators was about $30.

Then we went on the hunt for some LED globes to replace ours. We found good quality tail lights, that flashed brightly when braking, super bright headlight globes that only drew 6w vs the 35w of the old ones and we also had a pile of custom stickers made for us. We were missing a few flags from central america. We ended up getting 30 stickers between the 3 of us at a cost of 40 cents each. Bonus!

As we were walking towards the exit Dave suggested we get into a nearby shop for a few minutes. Which was a handy stop as Chantelle and I found some new wet weather pants in there. Dave had spied three men who were casing us out and had overheard them say they were going to get a closer look at us around the corner. Not a good thing in these parts. Soon enough though he had an Uber pulling up outside and whisked us away.

We took the parts to the mechanic and headed back to Daves place. Hopefully Rosie will be ready tomorrow.

23 March 2017

T - Rosie is ready to be picked up! The nice 6 pole stator wouldn’t fit with the old fly wheel unfortunately, so the mechanic replaced the black copper things with the new shiny ones and away she went. Woohoo!

We had to go into another suburb of the city where we renewed our insurance for another month, ours runs out in a few days, and then wandered to another Royal Enfield dealer to drool over the bikes. In Australia they are about $6500, here they are $3700, Cheap!



Then we pretty well chilled out for the rest of the day. Chantelle went and picked her bike up and then the three of us put our stickers on and went out for s. And so ends our Bogota adventure. Tomorrow we will begin our southward journey again.







C - We have been so fortunate to see Bogota with Dave. We definitely saw parts of the city we would not have seen without him and tried local delicacies we would not have otherwise tried. But, it is time to keep moving and we are excited to continue exploring Colombia.

So, tomorrow, the journey continues with a fully repaired Rosie who has new stickers, new mirrors, new footpegs, new lights, new stator and her forever plucky attitude!!

T - Time to head out of the city. Dave and his mum have been amazing hosts and it was sad to say goodbye. Daves family is truly beautiful and we look forward to meeting them all again in the future! Thanks guys for looking after us!



C - We left with a firm plan to see Dave again in September and Madre is keen to visit us to Australia one day! Very exciting!







T - As we left Daves place the rain was falling. Luckily we had our new waterproof pants and gloves on so we stayed nice and warm and dry. I was loving my new gloves. Ever since we were in Arizona all I had was some $2 gardening gloves that I had bought in Walmart, so these ones seemed like pure luxury in comparison!

We had to get onto a major highway to head south and as soon as we did we were stuck in standstill traffic. Trucks and buses sat there all idling away. We snuck our way along through the jam, squeezing up between trucks and buses for kilometre after kilometre. No word of a lie we rode about 7 km of stopped traffic before we reached the end. Then suddenly we were clear. Neither of us sure as to what had caused the blockage.

C - The traffic jam was incredible. A lot of people were standing outside their vehicles, chatting away, and vendors were walking up and down the lanes of vehicles selling food and drink. It felt like a lot of these people had been here for hours. This is certainly the bonus of bikes, as we filtered between the standstill traffic for kilometres and kilometres, ducking and weaving our way between the two lanes. Which sometime became three because a vehicle had decided they deserved to squeeze in and create their own lane. It opened up just as we caught sight of a toll booth - the only logic explanation would be that maybe the toll gates were not working for a bit?

T - We whizzed along in the pouring rain, climbing higher and higher and then we crested a mountain and began the downhill run. We descended from 2700mts right down to 700mt and then Mabel got a flat.

We haven't had flats for a while until recently. Rosie had one the other day and Mabel must have felt left out! We had a spare tube, so Mabels rim came off and I belted the bent bit from Honduras back into shape, found a few loose spokes, and fitted the new tube. I also noticed that the rim had some nasty looking cracks around a lot of the spoke holes. Hopefully it lasts until the bottom. Then it was back on the road.











We found a hotel in a rather large town and as we were checking in a local stopped in to chat to the receptionist. They definitely had a little spark between them. He, Oscar, invited us out later if we wanted too see the town as both he and the receptionist told us this was a bad bit of town and we shouldn't be out on the street past 7pm.

C - Oscar seemed like a nice guy and it was lovely of him to offer to take us out. The hotel receptionist encouraged us to take him up on his offer, saying that she would love to come too, it she didnt have to work. Oscar made a vague plan of coming back to the hotel around 8pm and I do not think either of us thought he would. However, both made it very clear that there were bad men around these parts and we should not wander around on our own after it got dark. We decided that food and bed was good enough for us tonight!

T - We had a quick clean up and went out for some food. The town didn't seem to have anything of note in it and was really just a highway town. While we were sitting eating our dinner, Oscar came in the door. He had been out looking for us and the receptionist had told him where we were. He was off to play soccer and wanted us to come with him and his friends. We agreed. The receptionist at our hotel had told Chantelle that Oscar was a good guy and could be trusted.

Well, after a crazy drive, Colombian style, we arrived at the town of Chicoral, where the game was to be held. I was promptly given a soccer uniform and told that I was to be the guest player tonight. Errrrr. Hang on. So hurry up and get dressed and get out on the field and warm up. Oh crap. I have never played soccer in my life.

Next thing I know I'm standing on the field and the ball is heading my way. I managed to get away with only two kicks even though both teams tried their hardest to get the ball to me. I was always running the wrong way or standing behind someone else. Not on purpose mind you…..

C - It was so much fun to watch the game. It was a little local league game, but I have never actually watched soccer in my life. I love watching any kind of sport and got to spend some time cracking up laughing at Todds situation. As you know, team sports has never been high on his interest list! It was great to see him get a couple of kicks and have some fun - both teams were super into it!

T - I'm glad we went. It was fun to play a game I don't know, with people yelling at me in a language I can't understand! Thanks guys for the fun night out! Unfortunately we hadn't taken the camera with us so there is no photos of my amazing bend it like Beckham moments.

After the game there was lots of handshakes with everyone and then we went back to town and bed. They guys were all very lovely.

C - The receptionist warmly greeted us when we arrived, and before she left for the evening, came and gave us her personal number in case we needed anything during our time here. So lovely!!!

T - Tomorrow we will head for a little desert south of us, and I promise I will take more pictures.

C - We were eager to hit the road today as we were both looking forward to seeing Desierto de la Tatacoa and its little red canyon. But first, Todd wanted to pick up a new cam chain for Mabel as we had spotted a Honda dealer on the way in.

T - Mabes has a little rattle up in the head under load or high RPM. So I will do for her what I can otherwise she will have to wait a while for an overhaul! Im going to try the new cam chain and maybe I will even run her on premium for a bit! She has 40 000 very hard kms on this engine so I am happy to give her a little love. And seeing as it was a Honda dealer I figured they would have a suitable part.

C - The Honda dealer was super friendly and we soon had what we needed. Time to hit the highway!





The best way for us to get to the desert, was to suck it up and spend a day on the highway. So we trudged along and spent the morning sharing the road with lots of trucks and buses. In no time though, we had only 40kms to go and we turned onto a lovely dirt road. This proved to be such fun!

The road started out as a fairly good, one lane dirt road and we were soon passing through a very small village where everyone seemed to be out sitting on the pavements chilling out. After the town, the road deteriorated somewhat and we rounded a corner to be confronted with…. A tunnel!

T - Not any old tunnel though. This thing was narrow and very tall. Train tunnel! It was all Mabel and I could do to not make woo woo noises as we chugged our way into the darkness. Woo woo Mabel, woo woo!







C - The road must follow an old train line and Todd was very excited to be able to ride through the tunnel. As we entered the tunnel, we saw that the whole length of the tunnel was a massive puddle. We dived straight into and the girls were soon creating bow waves to our hoots and laughter.

T - The floor of the tunnel was churned up mud and about a foot of water. I couldnt resist giving Mabel a bit of throttle and we screamed through, spraying mud and water every where. If Mabel could have I am sure she would have giggled her red bottom off.







C - After another, longer tunnel, we came across a very unsafe, very long bridge spanning across a river than was angry and raging. Of course, Todd suggested I should go first… It was as little scary as the whole bridge clunked and moved as I rode across. Rosie was a little nervous, with her little eye spying the raging, muddy waters below.

T - I felt it was my duty to take a photo of Chantelle as we needed it for our records. It had nothing to do with the fact that the steel plates of the bridge were loose and very thin. As Rosie trundled across I could hear the banging and clattering of the steel as they wobbled and buckled. It was cool and Mabel and I raced across, again making train noises.





C - Many water crossings later, we were reached a little village and turned back onto bitumen, for the final few kilometres to the desert.













We could see the red canyon for a few kilometres, as the road wound down to the rim. The canyon was beautiful, and extremely small. Its amazing that this little red desert exists among the grazing land around it. We took some pics, had a walk and then decided to venture a bit further along the road. Unfortunately, the rest of the desert area was hidden from view by entrepreneurial types who had built large fences and buildings. You can pull into these camps and restaurants to see the desert. For a small fee of course.









Naturally, we did not stop! As it was still only lunchtime, we decided to push on further to the town of Neiva before we stopped for the evening.







As we approached Neiva, we realised it was a big and very busy city. Nope! Not for us! We pushed on, with the GPS navigating us to San Agustin. It was not long before we spotted a cheerful little truckers hotel with a restaurant attached. We pulled in and after checking out the rooms, I decided it was the place for us tonight.

T - These bigger cities are crazy! There is way more bikes in them and the riders just swerve in and out of fast moving buses while texting, looking at us, or chatting to their pillion passengers. Its nuts! At one point a bus shot past me and then immediately decided he needed to pull over to the curb and just swerved straight in towards me. I was very much unimpressed and gave him a good dose of Mabels horn. Not that he noticed because he was texting away madly.



C - After Todd had started unpacking the bikes, he asked how much it cost. When I told him, he made me go and double check with the girl that the cost was for a whole night, and not just a few hours (a lot of hotels here rent rooms for a few hours at a time - I am sure you can imagine why!). After buying a few drinks and ‘casually’ bringing it up, she definitely confirmed that it was a whole night. Guess how much? Precisely $6.21US. Seriously! And more, the room was super duper clean, the bed comfy and it had a working fan.

We ate a huge and delicious meal in their restaurant, where we each had a meat and cheese stuffed arepa, soup, a full plate of pork, veges and rice, a , juice and waters for the same price as the room!! Truckers stops are certainly great value in Colombia.

Tomorrow, we are hoping to reach San Agustin to visit the Parque Arqueologica.