Bogota 3/10/11
We left for Bogota at 10:30am. Going to be a long day!

Great thing about riding in Colombia: Motorcycles don't pay tolls. Every toll station has a tiny lane on the far right for motorcycles and bicycles.


Ate lunch next to a picturesque river.



After a grueling 9 hours of riding, we arrived in Bogota.

We had planned to meet with Ronald (Colombian we met on the boat, lives in Bogota), so we gave him a call once we hit the city. "Oh, you're 4 hours away. Better find a hotel!". Bogota is an ENORMOUS city. Ronald says it has 12 million people and takes 4 hours to cross by car.

We searched and searched, but Bogota is so sprawling it took forever to find anything remotely reasonable. It always seems like it's the really long days where we had this trouble. Eventually we found a place to stay for $20,000, and we collapsed into sleep.

Next day we decided to ride around Bogota to see the city. Not really a great idea. Bogota is so huge and sprawling we rode around for hours without seeing anything interesting. Just an eternal sprawling metroplex. It is very clean and cool, but reminded us too much of Houston back home.

When we were stopped at a stoplight, waiting for it to turn green, a man approaches us. "I found this screwdriver on the road, I don't need it. You have it."

Since I had just lost my toolkit a few days before I was very excited. What a nice guy. Just long enough to adjust that pesky carb calibration screw too.

We were supposed to meet Ronald that day in the Simon Bolivar plaza, so we headed that way. The plaza is very beautiful, very European, but somewhat irritating to hang out in. Every two minutes somebody will approach you asking for money or offering to sell you something.



On the plus side, there are many little vendors selling interesting Colombian treats.

It's called Obleas. Two big paper-thin wafer cookies filled with cream, lecherita, crushed peanuts, cheese and fruit. Delicious.
We waited for two hours. Apparently Ronald had missed the last bus into the center. Damn! I guess we'll be finding a hostal.

... or not. After an hour of riding around we found the historical area with all the hostals. Unfortunately in the hostals it would be $40,000 for the two of us, and this was just too expensive. We settled on a hotel 3 blocks away, for $15,000 for the both of us, private bathroom.


Next day we did a little run around to take some pictures of Bogota. It grew on me during our stay downtown. Quite a beautiful city, just too big for it's own good.


Park close to downtown:


We met up with Ronald and his girlfriend and did the tourist thing. Museums!

Museum of gold:



Museo de la florero (flower vase): Colombian indepence was sparked by an argument over this flower vase.

The locals asked to borrow the vase for a dinner, knowing the request would be refused, and the Spanish government official refused. The vase was broken, a fight broke out and the Colombian revolution began.

Random museum of the HJCK radio station. It's free! Why not?


Their original record player, I love record players, I miss mine.

We could have spent days doing all the Museums in downtown Bogota. There are tons.

The ninja on the streets of Bogota:


Police motorcycle.

Suzuki Freewind 650. Never heard of it before, but it's a cool one. They also use DR650s and GS500e´s. I love police motorcycles down here!


I gave Ronald a ride on the motorcycle and we bid our friends goodbye.

That night we met the other hotel guests, a group of 5 Colombian military. They were all in town to collect their government disability benefits. One was missing a finger and had been shot in the leg, one had been hit by lightening while on patrol and his heart was connected to a battery on his belt. They were all our age or younger. We chatted for hours. Talked about music, culture and the guerilla. One of them showed us some pretty ghastly videos on his phone. Interesting night, but the talking lasted so long it was too late to grab any real dinner. We settled on empanadas and arepas down the street, which can be found at any time of day.

Next day we left for Cali, Colombia, the third large city of Colombia. On the way out we took a little detour to the kawasaki dealership to find an oil filter. Had to pay OEM prices, but since the filter hadn't been replaced in 3 oil changes I didn't care. Just happy to have found one. We also came across a little outdoor market with a guy selling tools, and I began to rebuild my tool kit.

Our little detour took up a good part of the day, so we didn't get very far on the road towards Cali. We spent the night in Fasafasuga, two hours away. Nice hotel for $20,000.

Bogota was high, but we'd be going even higher. Within a few hours we were in the clouds once again.


Crazy low visiblity up there in the clouds.

Cali 3/16/11

The road from Bogota to Armenia was in great condition, but plenty of traffic and tight twisty stuff kept us down to an average of 20mph all the way to Armenia. I didn't think there was any way we'd make it to Cali, but once we turned South from Armenia the road turned into flat plains and pure straight highway. I pushed the bike up to 80mph for the first time in weeks and we flew into Cali before dark.


The exhaust had turned from a nice black to a red rust during the boat trip to Colombia, and I took some time to care for the bike with my "new" tools. Changed the oil and filter finally, gave everything a once over, and painted the exhaust with some rustoleom BBQ paint.

You might notice there is a big hole on the inside of the exhaust. There is one on the other side too, where the exhaust was rubbing on the trailing arm. I hadn't noticed that until Panama, I have no idea how long it's been like that. That explains why I've been setting off all those car alarms...

We were told to try a few things in Cali.
Manjar blanco: a thick milk-based confection, served in something like a coconut shell.


Pan de Bono: A yucca based bread filled with cheese.


We also tried Bandeja Paisa, a crazy huge dish, which in order to be considered a real bandeja paisa must include these 13 ingredients:
red beans cooked with pork, rice, ground meat, pork rind, fried eggs, plantains, chorizo, arepa, hogao sause, black pudding and avocado. Ours was missing the black pudding, but it was still amazing. Supposedly it's best in Medellin.

(not my picture)

We spent two days in Cali, nothing of interest really, and then left for the Ecuador border... or we tried to.

The 12" LP record we were given in Medellin was becoming somewhat of a burden. It was too large and fragile to be put into the luggage, so Michelle had been carrying it for hundreds of miles. It was such a important gift that there was no way we would leave it behind. It was clear that it would not survive the trip for much longer, so we decided to send it home. We spent a good deal of time locating the post office and spent a hefty $45 to ship our little package home. Nooowwww we can finally start on our way to Ecuador.

Two hours into the trip Michelle tells me to pull over. She has been keeping a journal full of all the information she's learned, names, addresses and phone numbers for everyone we've met, information on fabric suppliers she's found, sketches. She truly treasures this trip journal, and now she has no idea where it is. We look through the luggage and find nothing. I guess we're going back...

We checked everywhere we had been the night before. The restaraunt didn't have it, the hotel didn't have it and the bakery we had coffee and pastry didn't have it. When we returned to the bakery we were befriended by the owner. Alberto had been running the bakery for 14 years, and had lived in Colombia all his life. He brought us out different breads and cheeses to try for free. When I inquired as to where I might find a grocery store he said "let´s take my truck!". Incredibly friendly fellow.

He invited us to come to the river with him the next day. Apparently he has a friend who has a lot out there, and he goes frequently. I guess we'll be staying in Cali a little longer than expected!

The next day we arrived at the bakery hoping to grab a quick breakfast before we left. Just as I was ordering he stuck his head out of the back and asked "you want eggs?". In a few minutes we had big plates of eggs, rice, beans, bread and coffee in front of us. Very tasty, his bread was truly incredible. I went to pay and the cashier refused, saying that the boss had sent it. Good start to the day.

He drove a little chinese brand work truck with two seats. Since there were four of us going out to the river me and Michelle opted for the back. It was pretty interesting carving around the mountain roads, sliding around on little plastic crates with the door open in front of me.


Half an hour later, we arrived in the little pueblo called "La Elvira".


Stopped for some vegtable sancocho and cerveza.


We went a little further and arrived at his friend's lot. His friend lives and works in Cali, but he would be joining us later. We explored the picturesque little farm on the mountainside.
Crazy swing off the edge of the mountain. Pretty intimidating to do for the first time. You slip off and you could very easily die.


Stairs leading down the tilapia pond.


We met a confused rooster, who according to legend was only sexually attracted to shoes. I kicked my shoe at him to find out.

Let's just say there is DNA evidence to prove it.

Next, to the waterfalls. Freezing cold but amazingly beautiful.
Alberto is at the bottom for reference.

Me and Alberto enjoying our high pressure massages.

Moving onto the next waterfall.

Alberto diving:

Enjoying the smaller stuff:

Obviously we're very frustrated at having to return to Cali.


We go back to the farm and enjoy a snack of more bread and cheese. Soon the owner arrives (name forgotten!) with his family, and another friend. I am told that this little village is paradise, and Colombia is the best country in the world. It's hard to disagree.

Michelle talking with Jason, a nephew.


Shortly afterwards we are treated to even more baked confections, along with coffee and agua de panela (boiled fruit water). Turns out this guy owns a bakery too. Bakers are great friends to have.

Alberto has to get back to close the bakery, so we exchange information with out new friends and bid them goodbye.

If you are in Cali, this bakery is around the intersection of 6th avenue and 15th street (as is Hotel California, where we stayed for $5us a night). He loves talking to travelers and if you strike up a conversation with Alberto tell him Jordan and Michelle say hello.

Dinner is granola, bannanas and chess. The little travel chess has gotten plenty of use this trip.


Next day we eat one more delicious breakfast at the bakery and head out.

Eating lunch on the roadside.


The road from Cali to Ecuador is great. After an hour you're out into an area that looks and feels just like Mexico. Dry, hilly desert. The roads were even potholed exactly like they were in Mexico. We spent two hours in dejavu remembering what a great time Mexico was. Then, the next hour we are up towards the clouds again, carving up enormous platueas and valleys. We have seen many beautiful mountain ranges on the trip, but never anything like this.



Wow.


And then soon enough we're back in the clouds, soaking wet.


I actually give a little love tap to the bumper of a car at one point. Guess the wet grip of my China tires isn't up to snuff. No damage though, thank goodness. If I still had a front fender I probably would have left a nice yellow mark. Almost makes the constant stream of dirty water getting thrown up into my visor worth it.

Pasto 3/21/11
We were advised that Pasto was a nice place to stop, and since the weather wasn't looking any nicer we stopped for a place to sleep. As of Today, 3/22/11, that is where I am writing from.

Pasto is a very nice town. Clean. Big enough to have everything you need but small enough to avoid the big city grime. It's very cool and rainy up here, which I like.


I could live here. Michelle says it's too rainy.

Lunch in the market $2500 pesos. Most places were serving "pata". A plate of duck for $2500!

Pata means "duck", but I guess it means hoof as well, because this is what we got. Definitely interesting, I've never tried it before. Incredibly fatty, with many different textures. Michelle was not a fan. If nothing else it was incredibly filling.

Also trying the local Pasto soft drink. A flavor something like big red, but I can´t quite put my finger on it.


Also finally got to try these little tomato looking things I've been seeing this whole country. Turns out they´re nothing like tomatoes. They're more like potatoes, but they have a seed in the middle. Served hot and with salt. Delicious.


And, some good news. We called the DHL office where we stopped briefly a few days earlier, on the off chance that Michelle left her prized notebook there. Yes, they've got it! Getting it shipped to the US would be $75, but getting it shipped here to Pasto is only $4. I guess we're hanging out in Pasto for a day!

Looks like an awesome trip! Also I like that caveman beard you got going on

Quito 3/22/11
We got the package by 11am and headed out to Ecuador. Not far from Pasto. Goodbye Colombia.


Ecuador border crossing was very easy. Checking out of Colombia only took a moment, checking into Ecuador took 30 minutes and cost nothing.


We weren't sure where we would end up that night. All the Colombians we talked to said that Ecuador was cheap, but all the hotels we came across were twice the price of our Colombian hotels ($15 compared to $7), but dusk was fast approaching. The Panamerican was in such great condition that we decided to break our normal no-night-riding rule and keep going to Quito.

Stopped and tried "bizcocho", which were advertised everywhere. Little hard sticks of salt bread.


Got to quito, found a hotel ($12 per night, too expensive!) and awoke in the morning to get breakfast. At least the food is cheap here.

Egg, two "tortillas de verde" and coffee for $1.

Stayed two nights in Quito. Lovely city. Second highest capital city in the world. Very clean and cool.

Most impressive Cathedral of the trip, by far. Basilica de Voto Nacional.




African-American protest in front of the hotel. They had signs with Malcom X and Martin Luther King Jr.


Quito historic district streets:




Center of Contemporary Art:

Favorite art museum of the trip.

Tons of people were selling this:

"Esponilla", means "foam" in spanish. Looks like ice-cream, is actually just some sort of whipped cream. A little too rich for me.

Last day we rode up onto the hill in the middle of the city, where an enormous angel ("El Panacillo") is perched.




Goodbye Quito:

Next, to Banos.

First crash of the trip.

Raining. Came up to these diagonal railroad tracks, didn't realize they had deep wheel-catching trenches until it was too late. Slowed down and tried to go sideways over but didn't take enough of an angle and the front wheel caught the trench. I was only going 5mph, so no damage to us or the bike. Just a few frustrating minutes of trying to clear the flooded carbs. Lucky it was very minor.

Stopped in a Salcedo, where every single shop advertised this special fruit ice-cream. Apparently it's famous all over the world

Probably the best icecream ever. Cream flavor on the right, avacado flavor on the right.

We got to Banos, but kept going to find an appropriate camp spot. Right before the first tunnel after Banos we saw a little place where I could ride the bike up into the reeds. Beyond that, there was a short hill where the tent could be hidden. This looked good:


View of the waterfalls going down the canyon.


Stealth camping at it's finest.


The bike was hidden slightly further up the hill.


Definitely the most beautiful camping spot of the trip thus far. We spent two nights here while we explored Banos.

Paid $1pp to take a hike down to "Pilion Del Diablo", a waterfall.
From a distance:

40 minutes later:

You could crawl up a little path to go behind the waterfall. Rain gear came in handy here.



Beautiful place.


Then we went to this bridge:

Climbed up on this platform:

And did this:

It's called "swing jumpin". Sort of like bungee jumping, but the line isn't elastic. You run out, jump headfirst and when you hit the end of the line you go into a big pendelum.


I planned to take a video of Michelle doing it, but 2 seconds into the footage the camera said "memory full", and I didn't have enough time to erase anything before she jumped. What a shame!

Here she is setting up:


Banos is famous for it's Melcocha, a sugar-cane based candy made by hanging the mix from a doorframe and beating it. It´s all over Banos.




These meals-in-a-bag are common in Ecuador. Normally corn, topped with meat and salad. Quite tasty.


Still have yet to try the Ecuadorian delicacy: Guinea pig


Banos Cathedral at night.


Thermal waters. Super crowded every day.


The last day in Banos we rode up to the top of the volcano road to get pictures of the active Volcano and the town. This is what we got:

Damn clouds! The road itself was interesting enough.

On the way down we took our second tumble of the trip. Going down a rocky hill the front wheel became destabalized from the large rocks in the road. Lost control and had a low-speed tip over. No damage to ourselves or the bike, just a sore knee the rest of the day. Ecuador is just bad luck. Did 9 countries with no spills and now two in 200 miles!

Our next destination was Guayaquil, the second biggest city of Ecuador. Ecuador is a gorgeous country.


The first part of the day was clear, but after 2pm the clouds and the drizzle came in. We were riding through the clouds for hours. Visibility was only 10 meters, and the road was very wet. Not having a front fender, I had dirty water shooting up into my face constantly. Visor up or down, I couldn't see anything. This, plus numerous Ecuadorian dogs running into the road and tight twisty turns was just too much for me. We turned into a little town and asked for a hotel.



We had no idea where we were at this point. We had started the day following the signs to Guayaquil, but once we hit the clouds even if there had been signs we probably wouldn't have seen them. According to the spot tracker message we were in "Suscal", some secondary route.

The only hotel in town was a strange one. 4 stories high, but completely empty. Eventually a little boy came by, and said the room was $7. We went floor to floor looking at all the rooms that were unlocked. We chose one. A few minutes later a woman approached me on the street asking what I wanted to eat. $2 a plate. Where? She would bring it up to our hotel room. Some little girls walked in an hour later asking why we were in this room. Apparently they lived on that floor and used that bathroom. Strange circumstances, but the people were friendly and we were happy to be warm and dry again.

We ended up paying $10 for the room when we finally found the owner the next day. In the morning we bundled up and hit the road. 2 hours later we at sea level. Probably 50 degree difference. We were dying with all our layers on. Not so bad when we were moving (roads were flat and straight, back to 80mph!) Walking around from hotel to hotel in Guayaquil was a very sweaty enterprise. Guayquil is where we are now, doing laundry, uploading pictures, and all the fun stuff we've been putting off.

I am a huge fan of trip threads with lots of photos! Thank you for letting us live vicariously through them.

enjoying every episode - keep them coming! great pics too.
in a world where "adventure" is a big Beemer, metal panniers and sat nav, you guys rock!
I envy you and your adventurous spirits - keep safe.

__________________
I am a traveller, not a tourist.