Hi, my name is Giacomo Olcese and I'm planning a trip from Lima to Colombia. I live in Lima and I have done some short journeys like Lima-Cusco-Bolivia last year, so traveling to Ecuador is not a big deal in terms of security for me. My question for all of you experienced rides: how safe is to ride from Ecuador to Bogota and then to the coast (Cartagena, Barranquilla). I'm planning to go alone in my KTM 640 Adv., unless I met someone going the same way. I know that Colombia is great and worth visiting.
Any advise is appreciated,
thanks
Giacomo

Giacomo,

I am American, but have lived most of my life in Peru (Lima, Pucallpa, Ayacucho) and love to ride there. I took my 17 yr old son this summer on Tornados from Pucallpa to Cuzco, all the way to Iguazu and returned via Bolivia. Have you ever driven the backside of Lake Titicaca?

I can't get away now, but I am organizing a trip for Peru friends Cuzco-Chachapoyas-Cuzco for June 2009. Do you know good hostels in Yauri (Espinar), Huamachuco, Chachapoyas, Moyobamba?

Toby (charapa) Around the Block 2007 |

__________________
http://www.aroundtheblockmotoadventures.com/
'We build the bike (in Peru) for your Epic Ride of South America.'

Hello,

I am planning to leave Santiago on the 10th and go down to Pucon for a few days and visit with friends then over to Argentina and head north. If you want to keep in touch we may be able to hook up. I have friends in Arequipa I would like to see before I go through Lima.
When are you leaving??

My plans are to ride back to Canada.

Yukonneely,

Hi, I'm planning to leave around 15-20 of march. Would be great to ride together, let me know when are you are arriving in Lima.

Giacomo

Yukon....

Hi, its Chas ie Soundpony, we have been in touch. I am in Buenes Aires now resting up.
Are you near? Are you coming here or nearby and heading North? Mendoza?
I am considering sending my bike back on a ship but might reconsider if I had someone to ride with all the way to Cuzco or Colombia..
Hope all is well...
Let me know..
Chas
KTM950
Picasa Web Albums - Charles

Hi all,

I will be in the Mendosa area in about 6 days and am heading north. Would like to hook up and ride with you. I pan on riding to all the way back so I got to go through Columbia and fly the the bike to Panama to continue.

Just picking up my bike tomorrow.

Keep in touch.
Neal
AKA Yukonneely

hi, just came thru there without a problem, people happy to see travellers.now in quito,leaving south tomorrow, i hope someone left the porch light on.

Fastfreddy and Yukonneely, when are you arriving in Lima? let me know, I can help in anything you may need... Neal I'm planning to leave around the third week of march...
Giacomo

hi, in mangora peru .may be in lima on weekend.

Hi,
I met Freddie in Guatemala and rode with him through C.America, Columbia and as far as Equador, swell guy.
We were a group of 6 on 4 bikes, Freddie and I solo, but as we all had different agendas we sort of broke up with me and a couple on a Buell hanging together. Then I lost them in Santa Rosa near the border with Peru and havent seen them since.:confused1: If you read this Fred, or anyone sees Roger and Linda travelling through Peru on their orange Buell, tell them I didn´t loose them on purpose, honest, (maybe they were lucky considering the following). I am in Piura recovering from a fun packed couple of days where I talked my way through 7 barriers manned by angry villagers, got sent 14km down a mud track that went nowhere to try and get round a 5ft tall blockade of mud and rocks, fell off 3 times on the way back, exchanged very angry words with the guy in charge of the blockade, calmed down and had a coffee with him, slept on someones front porch, got flooded out, carried on through 5 other barriers and at the last one the bike blew a fuse, fainted due to dehydration when I bent down to fix it, paid $20 for a litre of coke, (it was the only bills I had, I was wanting to get change at Piura), was the afternoons entertainment for the protesters until the army arrived, and much more, but...and it´s a big but, the people were very friendly towards me, at first firmly refusing permission to proceed and then either telling me how to get around the blockade or moving it a little, just smile and try and find the main man.

So... anyone else out their want company for the trip to Lake Titicaca, Chile and Argentina..........but beware I seem to be accident prone.

__________________
Happy Trails

Stagbeetle

It is not the Journey nor yet the Destination, that is the Prize; it is the people you meet on the way.

Blog on http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tstories/fairless/

eh stag , keep the rubber on the road , i had a mild case of what you got yesterday , i am glad i got past it , i did not want to make a poncho out of my bike cover, we will see you later, heard the salt hotel may be hard to get to even by 4 by 4 ,depends on the weather . cuzco train not operating next three days i was told,sun and a beach may look good soon.

Hey, Stag. I'm the fellow who passed you (left you to die with the angry mob) on the VSTROM1000 while you were having your fuse problem. I did stop and offer help but you *insisted* you had things under control.....besides after you told me you were peeling off $20 for cokes, I was getting nervous about the crowds expectations...and they way they kept trying the locks on my luggage.

I did manage to blow through all the road blocks and ran into the military convoy that eventually came and got you. Made into Piura that afternoon....had to ford a river about 3 feet deep at the time.

Anyhow, I'm now broken down with a dead clutch actuator (mud contamination from all the damn offroading around roadblocks) at the most expensive hotel (Gran Hotel room 720) in Chiclayo. Stop by, I have an
extra bed.

Glad you're not dead,

Toodles,

-LJ

eh laser jock, check this thread for gio, he said he was willing and able to assist passers by, maybe he can get you what you need

Hi Laser, I'm in Lima, if you need help finding parts for your bike or anything else just let me know. Suzuki and Kawa parts are hard to get in Peru.
giacomoolcese@yahoo.com

Hey Freddie is this you?? Somebody is sending me a GPS locator beacon tranmission without explanation.



From:noreply@findmespot.com

now feb 20, may be leaving cuzco peru to bolivia on way to argentina
south ruta 40 , or go from top of chile down s
Unit Number: 0-7350607
Latitude: -15.8536
Longitude: -69.9733
Nearest Town from unit Location: Unknown
Distance to the nearest town: Unknown
Time in GMT the message was sent: 02/22/2008 18:52:25
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-15.8536,-69.9733&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Unit Number: 0-7350607
Latitude: -16.4944
Longitude: -68.1405
Nearest Town from unit Location: Unknown
Distance to the nearest town: Unknown
Time in GMT the message was sent: 02/23/2008 00:06:39
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-16.4944,-68.1405&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1