No AC .... stinking hot, 280 meters above sea level, we were both dissolving in the heat but no complaints as we were heading back up to Medellin to the cooler temps at 1800 meters.

Check this out, easy cycling up hill, truck was only doing 45 - 50 k but this dude has skill (if he is still alive :rofl)



The day was an easy tarseal jaunt, we had been over that road but not toward Medellin, on top of that mum nature had been watering the place well with massive thunderstorms again illuminating the skies at night so that bought out the waterfalls and changed the perspective on the road.

All was going well until we pulled up behind some cars, then some trucks hmmmm.



So ok the left hand lane plus or minus was free so we rode on by km after km past trucks, buses are cars, nearly 5 km long then it was clear again for no reason so we larfed and carried on.

Only 1 km up the road we came across more trucks, buses and cars, this time they were parked all over the road and this time because of landslides and washouts from the previous night sky fireworks.





We managed to sneak our way around this lineup which was another 4 km long up to the front then it became apparent the extent of damage done by the downpour.

A landslide had come down claiming nearly 300 meters of road with a slurry of mud and rocks up to 1.5 meters deep, it had come down at 5 am hence the incredibly long lineup.

On investigating the damage they had two small diggers chipping away at it, they had been going about an hour when we got there and we were stuck there for 3.5 hours waiting, think of the poor guys how were there from 5.00am.



It was fookin hot and this was the ONLY day we left saying we will be there in two hours so don't worry about filling up with water, lesson learned never assume you will get trough without issue no matter how close you are, lucky we have a backpack and filter system.



They were not allowed to push the slurry over the edge into the gully as it would go in the river, the reckoned it would block it, I reckon it would not stand a chance of blocking it with the flow of the angry waters.



The diggers spent half their time backing up the road with a load of flowing muck, half of it falling out before getting to the drop point, and some of it flowing straight back down the road where it came from so a LOT of double handling going on.



On completion of the final slurry being removed there was huge cheers from the audiences at each end then a running race back to the motos to let the race begin.

As usual they let the traffic go in an orderly fashion ... which lasted 30 seconds before mayhem took over, we were surrounded by a swarm of small motos and the police inundated and powerless to stop the chaotic flow.



Per usual here you either dive in or get left behind so we made sure we were up the front knowing only a km out of the traffic jam we would be past them and home free.



In the slip midship



The traffic was 5 km long from the other side of the slip and with only one lane open it would be another couple of hours at least before they all got through.



Arriving “late” was no biggy as we said we would be there later afternoon anyway, again leaving our gear there in R2R Maya hit the bath tub again to wash off all the good times.

The mission was to resolve the shock knock, make some sacrificial slider for the radiator and change the oil.

To finish, here is the "unplugging" of the slip with everyone going through in an orderly fashion :rofl

See the vid, dunno how to embed it here, anyone know please chime in.

[YOUTUBE]http://youtu.be/42MulsqzCqw[YOUTUBE]

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Great photo's as always.I always thought the guy's with the thumbs up were impressed that the K,eep T,hrowing M,oney was still running well ,go figure.
Getting a bit frustrated as house market here has died,could be some time before i get to do my own epic adventure.untill then i'll follow yours.take care guy's regards Noel

Time to take Maya in for a manicure moto style.

While in Medellin we had the rear shock re-checked, although they did their best we still have a knock between the compression and rebound strokes so now it can stay like that until it packs a sad or does what it does, they can’t find anything that is causing the noise within the shock.

The radiator was being rubbed by the safari tank because the safari tank is expanding with the heat here and rubbing hard against the radiator side tanks causing wear.

Calling on the Orange Crush lads of ADV rider I was given good advice that yes it WILL wear through if not attended to.

Confirming what I had thought we then put some ideas together, I told Andres from R2R what I wanted to achieve and he came up with a great plan of using double sided sticky tape to hold on the sacrificial angles we had formed to fit to the radiator.

This worked out really well as we didn’t really want to solder anything to the side tanks of the radiator.

Using the double sided sticky we utilized three strips per side and three strips on the back so cross fingers it will stay there.

The LHS



The RHS



Maya also received new 15 - 50 fully synthetic Motorex blood which we overshot the change by mileage by 59 km .... don’t tell anyone.:rofl

Unfortunately our fuel pump died, the Dr Bean circuit board seems ok but our pump failed, we left R2R and only got a few km down the road before it completely died and Maya had to be taken back on a truck for diagnostics.:cry

We discovered our pump was still pumping but soon as any load was applied it just died, R2R very kindly lent us a fuel pump to get us on our way.

That afternoon, although we were now 4 hours behind and still in Medellin another silver lining appeared with meeting Daniel and Lina, Daniel is famous for riding the indian made Bajaj branded bike from South America, up through South Africa, up and across to India to the factory where it was made.

This is on a 180 cc bike with two metal side cases and a top box, his ride was based on taking the bike from Colombia and riding it back to where it was born ... pretty bloody cool.

Daniel has made it to print in magazines and articles so a primo effort from a Colombian man following his passion, he also has an old skool BMWR80GS which I like too.

This on Daniel .....

"AROUND THE WORLD on a PULSAR “ Journey of a lifetime"
Daniel Velandia, a Colombian biker and a proud owner of the Bajaj Pulsar, has traveled around the world to 23 countries on his Pulsar180, and finally reached Pune in India, the hometown of the Pulsar.

Pune, June 2, 2009: Daniel Velandia, a biker from Colombia has just concluded a mammoth journey around the world on his Pulsar 180, traveling across 23 countries and covering about 30,000 miles from Columbia to Pune, India. This was a journey of a lifetime and of self-discovery for Daniel, experiencing the freedom and magic that can only be sensed onboard a motorcycle, to the commands of a Pulsar 180, which Daniel calls Elvira.

He was struck with the idea of combining his passion for Motorcycling and Traveling across the globe in the year 2007, giving birth to this adventure. His journey started from South America, through the African continent and concluded in Asia. Along the way he passed countries such as Columbia, Argentina, South Africa, riding country by country towards northern Africa, passing by the Suez Canal to the Middle East, and finally arriving in India. Daniel's motorcycle was equipped with some trimming protections to save him from any fall and was loaded with two cases for his limited luggage.

He rode on his Pulsar 180 showcasing to the world that his motorcycle can handle the 30000 miles, climbing snow clad mountains, crossing deserts and the African Steppe and finally arriving in India to reach Pune, where his very own Pulsar was born in Bajaj Auto's Chakan plant. He is overwhelmed by the performance of his Pulsar during this journey with special mention for its great autonomy, handling and amazing fuel economy.

Daniel says, "I am delighted on completing this journey on my Pulsar 180. My dream of traveling and riding across the World has become a reality. This has been an unforgettable adventure, filled with unparalleled experiences, surviving difficult times in which both human and machine strength were tested, but from which both came out proud.

He further added, "I really wanted to visit the place where this wonderful machine is being made and I thank Bajaj Auto India and Auteco Bajaj in Colombia and its people for fulfilling my wishes."

According to Mr. Ashok Saxena, General Manager-Marketing, International Business, Bajaj Auto Ltd " This is the kind of journey, which is a dream for every biker. We would like to congratulate Mr. Velandia on successfully completing this enormous adventure and wish him all the best for his future endeavors."

He further added," Bajaj has been in the forefront of developing products like Pulsar, which instills this passion in its rider and drives such levels of performance. This journey has once again shown that Pulsar is numero uno when it comes to performance biking. We will continue to make such dreams a reality for professional bikers, with our commitment to provide distinctly ahead products."

Profile of Mr. Daniel Velandia :-
Daniel Velandia is 34 years old and he has been riding motorcylces for the last 9 years. His first possession was a Plus (Chetak 150) model, year 93 and over the last 5 years,he has dedicated his life to motorcycles.He was a test rider at a local factory in colombia and then a test rider for the colombian magazine La Revista DEMOTOS where he had the opportunity to test some amazing motorcycles. During the course of this trip, he got the opportunity to pursue some riding courses, both off road and race road riding, in South Africa. He hopes in future to get some kind of a PhD for riding.

For more information,please visit his blog :-
http://www.elcolombiano.com/infograf...lish/home.html

About Bajaj- Pulsar
In 2001 when motorcycles were just an efficient mode of transport, Bajaj Auto Ltd. launched a performance motorcycle with distinct styling and muscular features. Eight successful years later, the Pulsar is today one of the icons of youthful, progressive and confident India.

The Bajaj Pulsar continues to set new benchmarks in technology, performance, and styling.The Pulsar's durability and its sustainability in the toughest condition has been worthwhile to address the needs of a growing segment of pro-bikers. Today, the Pulsar is not only India's best performance motorcycle it also is the category leader with nearly 50% market share in the 150cc plus segment. Pulsar has presence in global markets as well including Columbia and it has been well received the world over.

Daniel Velandia – From South America to India on a Pulsar 180!


KTM, if you need someone to do that pick me, I have not been Austria yet (we almost did but ran out of time) I will happily ride a bike back to Austria .... and 1190R will do!!

So, back to reality, Daniel and Lina seeing our plight and learning we are RTW travellers kindly invited us back to their place up in the hills above Medellin, we accepted their offer and once Maya was going we followed them home.

A quick stop to buy some tea on the way and we arrived at their .... and what a cool home they have, close enough to Medellin but so tranquil in bush, perfecto!!!

Daniel And Lina ... not sure what his grin had in mind :eek1



Groovy fire place



The stair case



Someone who looked like Daniel liked Maya too, he has good taste :rofl



Chats over some wine and food, about travels, motos and experiences a great night unfolded, we saw some of Linas works as well, she has an arty touch I can only dream of and a singing voice that makes you sit up and listen.

The moon over Colombia from their home through the trees



Onya guys, a real pleasure to meet you and Lina ... see you in New Zealand?

The four of us



The following day was back to reality heading toward Bogota to get some shite sorted out, the not so good part or travelling, more or this under our Bogota report to come.

The road was meant to be blocked by protesters so we already had a Plan B put in place just in case, as usual when your are organised for it you don’t need it and we had an easy run through, we decided to stay in Mariquita that night so the next day would be shorter in Bogota and we could reach the US Embassy in time.

Getting into Manizales the clouds opened and we got a good wash, heading in to get petrol we geared up for what looked to be a very wet and cold 3800 pass but after fueling up, gearing up it had almost past us, we left the gear on anyway knowing it will be cold at the top which turned out to be a good move.

Up and over the pass was quite pleasant apart from one woman driver trying to overtake us into a blind corner locking it up and almost losing it ... dunno what the hell she was thinking and at that point she may have felt the same but she cut us off to save her arse nearly kicking us off the road only to sit in front of us in traffic ... total winner. :huh

Next day Bogota.

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Heya Noel

Bumma bout the pad man, don't worry it will sell for sure ... maybe look at renting it in between then bugger off and live on the rent?, ...see you here in South America ... no pressure

I think the K,eep T,hrowing M,oney still going by itself impressed them ... they seem to know a lot about KTM

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Taking a taxi from Salvis place to the US embassy was an adventure in itself, the taxi should cost $6mil and the wonderful taxi driver who assumed we didn’t know where we were going took us around in circles and despite us telling him where to go in and he ignored us taking us around the block. :huh

When he said 12 mil we said no and that is when the fight started, he called the police which was perfect.:clap

The police were good, the taxi driver tried to charge us double so I told him to get ****ed (politely), he called the cops (good move) and the cops sided with us when they heard where we had come from and how much he was trying to charge, the taxi driver wouldn't accept my offer of what we SHOULD pay so we just walked off ... he followed us for 300 metres yelling and carrying on to the embassy with the police in tow who were getting less and less happy with the taxi driver by the second.

Even the US embassy lady at the gate was getting pissy with the taxi driver so I said very firmly 6 mil or nada to the taxi driver as we were about to go through the gates into the embassy, he snatched it and swore at us in Spanish (well done) and the police nearly thumped him.

No receipt tho from the taxi driver (surprise)*

The fun side of travelling :cry

The Reason We Are At The US Embassy

So yes some wanker in Antigua, Guatemala cloned or copied my debt card, they spent $930 US on my card in Antigua when we were in El Salvador up in Parque Imposible.

We have shown all the evidence to the bank including our passports stamped out of Guatemala but they have a forged sig which is really bad and they are sticking with it so we had to travel 500 km back to Bogota, get an affidavit notarized at the US embassy then get our passports notarized as to being authentic and now we have to go through the small claim court to recover our money that we didn't spend:baldy:baldy.

The bank Wells Fugwits better known as Wells Fargo has been the biggest pack of wankers to deal with ever.

They have stuck their head in the sand in the face of verified information and said no so their bill is going to go up ten fold now with legal counsel.

Epic!!!

So not everything works the way you want it to, now no slant on the US but the three things we have been ripped off on our trip are US based and we are travelling in dangerland down here :rofl hmmmmm

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Which ATM did you use in Antigua? The obvious bank of three (AFAIR) on the main square in the center of town have been famously compromised for a couple of years now. If you used only others, you'd do a real service to say which ones.

So with the completion of our shitty legal side of the trip done we hit resume, destination El Espinal mainly because we were running later out of Bogota by the time we Fed Exed everything off to the USA.

As we were heading to Neiva we headed west out of Bogota which was an easier option than south.

The traffic thickened with people sitting in red lights and pushing in and general mayhem, we had a very narrow escape when a dickhead in a blue dodge truck couldn’t keep his bumper to himself and lightly T bones us in the right pannier scorching our case and world sticker and leaving blue paint from front to back ...n o i c e.



Then we got stuck in a truck and bus traffic jam, we had miles to go and we were sitting surrounded by trucks, the little motos were able to squeeze through but it was difficult for us with our panniers, I managed to sneak a break through to the right hand side and we managed for quite some time to actually make ground.

Then the traffic just locked and was not moving (except little motos) so .... 250 mm wheel travel, big wheels, dirt bike style we break out and onto the “footpath” area which was dirt, dumped fridges and various rubbish with a semi walking path through it all, some little motos followed on like the pied piper.

We did ok but the 300 mm steps on industrial driveways etc stopped the the little motos and we continued lights to lights pretty much offroad, in and out, up and over kerbs and off drop-offs 300 - 400mm high in places which made it interesting but we managed to bust out and get going....kind fun too.

Once out of Bogota the pace relaxed and we a very nice road to ride mostly down hill from Bogota which sits at 2500 meters down to nearly sea level so yes it got hotter and hotter really quickly.

Stopping in El Espinal for the night we set up for our desert road assault, the turnoff which is about 20 km south of Natagaima.

In El Espinal we found our mate from New Zealand



The road starts like any other but has some cool surprises, several km in there are two tunnels with a bridge running between them then it opens out into the Tatacoa Desert with terrain varying from sandpits to cool clay formations, for those who have been to Bryce Canyon this is a smaller version of that with Cactuses and stunning colours.







We took the main road down through the desert and decided to come back sans cases and have a better look around ....and it was 43 degs C





Getting into Neiva it was confirmed we are Kool :rofl ...or at least our twins are



Also we were meeting up with Diego in Neiva with the plan of heading out, this worked out perfectly.

To back track slightly, we met Diego at Villavencia when we stopped at the same place for roast beef lunch, Diego was interested in us and our trip and we were interested talking with a local biker so when we said we were heading south to San Augustin he invited us to join him in Neiva, the world is a great place.:clap

Neiva

We left from Neiva later afternoon (at 40 degs C) and got to the observatory with perfect timing 1/2 hour before sunset with the oranges and red coming out quicker that rats leaving a sinking ship so camera time was little.





Wow, this place can turn it on, the colour changes were incredible so we were mindful of trying to catch it to share but also to just be there and enjoy it with Diego and his friend.



Diego liked Maya too



The colours changing with low sun and shadows



Maya ready and waiting



Diegos bike with the clay colours



Sunset



After feeling very appreciative of the location and setting we headed back with a bottle of Rum calling our names, one must rehydrate after being in the desert ya know.

Diego with his mum and sis, very nice family indeed (dad was at study)



Vid of the desert

Tatacoa Desert Road - YouTube


<iframe width="960" height="720" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/zDEtZOQJ-cY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Actually to be straight up we are not 100% sure if it was cloned there or not but the shop called ARTESANIAS ANTIGUA GUATEMALA GT did the dodgy swipe transaction IN person on what appears to be a zip zap machine and I still have my card in my possession.

So in essence we don't know exactly where it was done which is a bugga or I would gladly offer it up.

Either way we are in for a shit fight for our own money, NEVER assume the bank or VISA will look after you as the sigs etc are so different it is not funny.

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

This time 18 months ago or 1.5 years ago we left New Zealand for our 1.0 - 1.5 years on the road, here we are at 1.5 year and we have not even reached the equator

So today is our 1.5 year on the road celebration here in Cali, Colombia

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

I'll have a whiskey on your behalf

Good man, no excuse needed but what the hell

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

A very family orientated post and true Colombia at its best, not much moto or travel stuff today, this really was a relaxing on the ground day with Diegos family for which are very grateful for being invited to join in.

Being Sunday morning Diego and his family go to grandmas casa about half an hour away to enjoy a family day out .... and we can see why, very welcoming family, the Finca (Farm) has a huge swimming pool, volley ball court, soccer field, 3 dogs, a super cool cat that looks like a tiger and a horse.

With lunch planned on the way we took Diego, his mum and sister out for a family lunch (Dad is studying) at a thermal pool place then off to the Finca to enjoy the afternoon or snacks, natural juices and coffees while stuffing around in the pool and riding the horse ... it was harsh.

Diego and sis with us



No need to write about this :evil



At the Finca Maya created a little interest so we stuck her up on the centre stand so family and friends could have a sit and see what we have to put up with :rofl

Biker chica mum aboard the mighty Mayan...... go girl!!!!:clap



Even Grandma sat on the steel pony ...awesome :clap



The horse correspondingly created interest, hot horse chica :evil



He seemed happy enough so not sure why the long face :rofl



I had a hoon on the neddy too taking him for a hoon around the property



Diego and I, I had a word to the horse and told him to be nice :huh



A lite tea was had, the rice that is cooked in the pig, just beautiful, sorry bout my woolly belly in the pic, next time I will try and find a supemodel or hot Colombian chica to do it :rofl



A finish to the night in the pool, have camera will take pics



We stayed the night there, waving goodbye to Diego and his family after a very nice day out they headed for home back in Neiva.

Next destination, San Agustin.

Thanks Diego, a real pleasure meeting you and your family and thank you for showing us your “locale”, when you guys come to New Zealand we can show you our back yard.

PS that 950 suits you sir ..!!:clap

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Congrats!!
you have gone through so much struggle but you keep going strong!
Better luck in continuation and maybe I catch up...

greets from Caucasia

Wow 1,5 years! since i have followed you guy's from the start i think i'll have a nice Whisky too.
Seriously though iv'e really enjoyed all you posts .
Oh i bet you are not home in another 1.5 years .
well not unless coin gets short.
Carry on ,regards Noel

San Augustin

Leaving the Finca was slippery after some heavy rain during the night and the puddles had grown big...none the least we made it out to the main road with only a few wobbles in the stodgy stuff :clap

Encountering the usual roadworks stops and a heap of trucks was the norm when on main tar roads and today was no exception but it was a smooth run through beautiful farms lands.

Arriving with a bloody barb from a barb wire fence stuck into the tyre we carefully examined it before puling it out, I must be the luckiest guy alive as it has chosen a deep knobbly and had gone in sideways .... WOH HOH escaped!!:clap





We clocked in and took in town as we had arrived with plenty of time, no landslides or epic accidents today ...boring :rofl.

We had planned to look at the archeological sites which San Agustin is known for, we opted to do a “jeep” tour which meant we didn’t have to faf around with our gear, it also came with a bonus parque pass for Ellen which made it more attractive and we got to see some extra shit on the tour.... our rig a clapped out Isuzu Trooper POS that rattled and clunked badly ... but it worked.

The hotel owner said part of the road was EXTREMELY dangerous and no good on the motos ..... pift turns out to be a great sales tactic, so we showed him what we had been riding ..... it was funny, nonetheless we wanted a hassle free day where I could sit back and enjoy too :deal.



This fella is 7 metres high





All in all a great day was had, I think we have seen every tomb in the district, I was waiting for Lara Croft to pop out but she never did (I had the camera on boobie mode too), I think she was at lunch or something.

There is the highest waterfall in Colombia there, it is also the second highest in South America at 400 meters high, Angel falls in Venezuela in numero uno although not much rain meant our view of the falls was minimal.



Another claim to fame in the Magdalena River which narrows to just 2 meters wide at one point, it is however 10 meters deep, the bigger thing it is Colombia’s largest largest river and travel south to north 1528 km so nearly 1000 miles into the Caribean sea.





So for those who know what sort of rains Colombia gets you can understand to size of the monster.

We also met Dave, an Ozzie on a Wee Strom travelling north so chats about bike, travel etc again WOH HOH, his bike with Maya



Destination Cali next to the famous Hotel Casa Blanca run by Mike.

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere