I started a 14-month round-the world tour in Perth, Australia in January and have so far ridden through New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador on my Suzuki V-Strom 650.

I was travelling north from Carmen de Bolivar, Colombia on Highway 25 at around 1530 on 26 June, on my way to Cartagena, where I planned to find a boat to take me and my bike to Panama. It was daylight on a clear, dry day, with overcast skies. The road surface was dry and my headlights were illuminated.

On a long, straight section of road the were two trucks travelling in the same direction ahead of me, but at a slower speed. There was no oncoming traffic, so I checked my mirrors, indicated and started to overtake the nearest (rearmost) truck. My speed at this time was approximated 70 km/h. When I was about a half of the way past the truck, it moved sharply to the left, without indicating. I braked, but his truck continued to the left and I was pushed off the road and into a ditch.

I fell from my motorbike. The truck continued without stopping.

I lay on the road for about 10 seconds before getting up. Two passing motorists arrived on the scene and lifted the bike up. I took off my helmet, which was badly scrapped, and my rucksack before the adrenaline wore off I I felt intense pain in my shoulder and had to lie down. The local police and an ambulance arrived within a few minutes.

Luckily, a group of about six V-Strom riders from Barranquilla, who had passed me earlier in the day, arrived and gave assistance. They passed me their details, and that of a good Suzuki dealer in Barranquilla.

I was taken to the hospital in Carmen de Bolivar, where a young, English speaking police officer was waiting to help me. I contacted my medical insurance company in Europe and gave them details of what had happened.

An x-ray was taken of my shoulder, but there was no doctor available to assess my case and I was given some pain-killers and asked to return the following morning at 0800. The police found me a hotel and ensured that all was well before leaving me for the night. The hospital had not treated or checked my other injuries and I had to ask for some hot water at the hotel so that I could clean up a large abrasion on my shoulder.

I was picked up the following morning by the police and returned to the hospital. The doctor was still not present and I was told that he had decided to treat the more serious cases first.

I received various phone calls, from the local mayor, the head of police and other concerned people. All of them told me that I should not hesitate to contact them should I need anything.

The V-Strom riders had contacted the British Embassy and started to make arrangements for me and my motorcycle to be transferred to Barranquilla. At about 1400 I finally saw the doctor, who told me that surgery was necessary and that he could do it for free, however, the police strongly advised me against this as the hospital was not well equipped.

I had lunch with my police friends and completed the official accident report. The V-Strom riders arrived and took me, along with my bike to Barranquilla. The bike was placed in secure storage and two doctors from the Reina Catalina clinic, who were friends of the riders met me at a hotel and assessed my injuries. They made arrangements for a steel plate to be made for my shoulder and for me to have surgery the following evening. I paid a deposit towards the cost of the treatment.

The following day I was looked after by a friend of the local riders. I drew more money from the ATM before going into the clinic at 1630 on 28 June. The surgery was performed that evening and all went well. I spent a total of two nights in the private room in order to recover and received painkillers and antibiotics via IV drip. I completed an accident report for my insurance company and it was faxed back to them.

I left the hospital on the afternoon of 30 June and returned to the hotel where I had previously stayed. I had been given pain-killers and antibiotics and told that I must wear a sling for the following 15 days; shorter than the usual 6 weeks for a 'simple' fracture.

My helmet had done a superb job and I had no injuries other than to my shoulder. It was testament to the importance of buying good protective gear, and wearing it properly.

As I was able to walk, I visited the Suzuki dealer where my bike was being repaired. The damage was mainly cosmetic and their mechanic was doing a fantastic job of restoring my bike.

After the accident, I had initially decided to end my trip due to the realisation that I could have very easily died in the accident, and return the motorcycle to Australia (it was travelling under a 'Carnet de Passage' and must be returned to Australia for legal reasons). With my arm out of action for only 15 days, and the bike looking much better again, I decided that I would instead continue my journey north and ride to Los Angeles, where I would arrange for the bike to be shipped back to Australia.

I had originally planned to ride around the world, via Europe and Africa after I had finished in the Americas. The shock of the accident, and realised how things would have been if it had occurred somewhere else, like Africa, made me decide that I didn't want to take the risk of continuing on my original route.

I realise that Colombia is not without its problems and HU does not recommend travelling through it for security reasons. I listened to the tips of the many Community members here who kindly replied to my enquiry before I arrived and I only travelled on major highways during daylight hours. I appreciate that there has been an incident in which a rider was kidnapped and do not suggest for a moment that what happened to him was a result of his behaviour. I can only comment on my personal experiences.

I had previously visited various parts of Colombia in 1999, when I was working here for two months. Since then, Colombia has elected a new president who has stuck to his promise to tackle the issues which blighted this beautiful land. I see that Colombia in now a totally changed country; changed for the better. I find the people to be very friendly and hospitable, with many people genuinely interested in my journey and ensuring that I enjoy my stay here. Even before my accident, I found people very keen to help me out and received friendly advice and was invited to join them for meals, at their expense. I would strongly advise any sceptical over-lander to put their natural fears to one side and visit and enjoy this friendly country. Everybody here, from the military to the police to the locals in the smallest villages, is trying to change Colombia for the better – please help them out by joining in with their positive efforts to change attitudes and make this place even better.

Thank-you Colombia!

Paul

PS – For your bike's mechanical needs, I can personally recommend the services of Extreme Motor, Cali (extrememotorcali@hotmail.com) and Suzuki Super Store, Barranquilla (+57 313 661 5990).