Quit our jobs, sold our home and everything in it, gone riding...
- Thread starter Lightcycle
- Start date
Update from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/126.html
"Oh, you can do Tayrona Park in a day, it's not a long hike."
The owner of the dive center gave us this sage advice, which in retrospect we should have totally double-checked, corroborated and done our own research. But more on that later...
Hiking through the mountainous region of Tayrona National Park
We rode out to the small road-side village of Calabaza, about 25 minutes outside of Taganga, where we parked our motorcycles in some guy's backyard after negotiating a small fee for the day. When the owner asked us when we were going to return, we told him later on that evening. He looked at us incredulously and asked, "Are you sure?" and followed up with an "Well, okay, if you say so...."
That should have been our first clue.
Well on our way to getting lost
The hike turned out to be fairly steep and the trail was primitive with no signage at all, often devolving into confusing underbrush. At one point we got lost and went around in a huge circle coming back to a point that looked familiar: "Weren't we just here 20 minutes ago?!"
Thankfully a guide showed up. He was leading a couple from Bogota, and he showed us where the trail continued:
This was the trail. You had to squeeze through these rocks. No signs. How were you supposed to figure that out?!
Cotton-top Tamarin Monkey
The Cotton-top Tamarin is an endangered species and is only found in the forests around Tayrona and north-western Colombia. It's the rarest primate in existence having had its natural habitat reduced to 5% of its original area. I can imagine this little guy looking down at us thinking, "Damn kids, get off my lawn!"
Kogi boy leads his horse through the mountains
We had been hiking for a couple of hours now and still no sign of the ruins of the old village, Pueblito, which was on the way to the coastline. We wanted to hit the beaches of Tayrona, which everyone told us were quite wonderful. While resting, we were passed by a boy and an older man walking their horse up the trail. They were dressed in the same way as the hippy-looking guy we saw in Taganga the other day. We found out later that they were all members of the Kogi tribe, an indigenous people native to Tayrona. They told us the village was only half an hour away.
Holy geez, this was a lot further than what it looked like on our tiny map of Tayrona Park.
Village of Pueblito
There are 20,000 Kogi living in the Santa Marta area. They were quite an advanced civilization before the Spanish came, colonizing Colombia and driving them into the mountains where they live to this day. We found out that they are very spiritual and ecologically conscious, their belief that the earth is a living being and humanity its children.
These people were the original long-haired hippies, long before the flower-children of the 60s!
These striped bags are very typical of Koni culture
Most of the men were carrying these toy-like objects that kind of look like dreidels, except that it was like a white receptacle mounted on a stick. They would rub the outside with another stick and occasionally put it in their mouths. It looked like it had religious significance, but we found out later that these were called poporo, and is given to a Kogi male upon his 18th birthday. The inside of the receptacle is a mixture of lime and coca and is actually a stimulant which helps to ward off fatigue and hunger.
I think this is my favorite part of our travels, seeing up close how people used to live. I was never interested in history and geography when I was a kid, but our trip has opened up a curiousity that I never knew existed.
Kogi village of Pueblito
We asked the guide how much further to the coast. He told us we were halfway.
This shocked us, as we were already 2.5 hours into our hike, which meant another 2.5 hours to get the shore, and then 5 hours back to our motorcycles. We had left late in the morning and by our calculations would not make it back until well after sunset if we stayed on this course.
The guide offered us another suggestion, from the beach, we could walk a bit further up and catch a bus to the entrance on the other side of the park. That would be a quicker way to get back. When I heard the word, "bus", I was all over that plan...
Yay! We finally made it!
We followed the guide and the couple from Bogota to the beach and finally arrived to the beaches of Cabo San Juan. It was like a mini resort with a restaurant, several huts and tons of tents pitched up by hikers. This should have been another clue that Tayrona was not a single day hike...
Beach at Cabo San Juan
Posing proudly with the Colombian flag
Frolicking at Cabo San Juan
More frolicking
It was getting late in the afternoon and we had no idea where to catch this bus back to the entrance, so we tore ourselves away from the beach and followed the coastline in search of a way out of this park.
Bye bye, beach!
We got about 45 minutes away from the resort and still no sign of any bus. We asked a beach-side vendor and she told us it was a couple of hours away!
A couple of hours? It was already 4PM, and it would definitely be dark by the time we reached the bus. I was very upset. No one around here has any reliable information! And no signs anywhere! Throughout this trip, we had decided that our number one rule was we would never ride or walk around after dark (even though we've broken it a few times), and now it looked like this was inevitable again.
We were now racing against the setting sun, so no pictures even though we hiked through some fantastic beaches with the setting sun casting a magical glow on the sands. We had a bus to catch.
Once again, the trail was poorly marked and we followed some other tourists through some underbrush that turned out to be a dead-end. Going our own way, we ventured back into forest to pick up another trail, but by this time, the canopy and diminishing sunlight meant we were hiking in near darkness. Neda pulled out her iPhone and ran her flashlight application. Battery level less than 30%. Uh oh.
Meanwhile in the ever-frightening darkness, we could hear sounds of animals moving around close to the trail we were on. A bat flew past my head brushing past my hair. We saw glowing points of light that looked like the nocturnal eyes of beasts that prey on lost hikers in the northern Colombian forest. That freaked us out plenty and I came up with a plan of making as much noise as possible, clapping my hands and talking loudly.
We came upon some other hikers coming our way and they smirked at my hand-clapping. "Um, los animales...", I offered up lamely... As it turns out, the glowing eyes were actually fireflies. I was clapping my hands in the dark at fireflies. What a big city dope I am. The hikers told us it was another 45 minutes, so we stumbled ahead and finally found the bus after what turned out to be a 10-hour, 17.5 km hike through the Tayrona National Park. Day-hike my ***.
*phew* I need a bed now...
"Oh, you can do Tayrona Park in a day, it's not a long hike."
The owner of the dive center gave us this sage advice, which in retrospect we should have totally double-checked, corroborated and done our own research. But more on that later...
Hiking through the mountainous region of Tayrona National Park
We rode out to the small road-side village of Calabaza, about 25 minutes outside of Taganga, where we parked our motorcycles in some guy's backyard after negotiating a small fee for the day. When the owner asked us when we were going to return, we told him later on that evening. He looked at us incredulously and asked, "Are you sure?" and followed up with an "Well, okay, if you say so...."
That should have been our first clue.
Well on our way to getting lost
The hike turned out to be fairly steep and the trail was primitive with no signage at all, often devolving into confusing underbrush. At one point we got lost and went around in a huge circle coming back to a point that looked familiar: "Weren't we just here 20 minutes ago?!"
Thankfully a guide showed up. He was leading a couple from Bogota, and he showed us where the trail continued:
This was the trail. You had to squeeze through these rocks. No signs. How were you supposed to figure that out?!
Cotton-top Tamarin Monkey
The Cotton-top Tamarin is an endangered species and is only found in the forests around Tayrona and north-western Colombia. It's the rarest primate in existence having had its natural habitat reduced to 5% of its original area. I can imagine this little guy looking down at us thinking, "Damn kids, get off my lawn!"
Kogi boy leads his horse through the mountains
We had been hiking for a couple of hours now and still no sign of the ruins of the old village, Pueblito, which was on the way to the coastline. We wanted to hit the beaches of Tayrona, which everyone told us were quite wonderful. While resting, we were passed by a boy and an older man walking their horse up the trail. They were dressed in the same way as the hippy-looking guy we saw in Taganga the other day. We found out later that they were all members of the Kogi tribe, an indigenous people native to Tayrona. They told us the village was only half an hour away.
Holy geez, this was a lot further than what it looked like on our tiny map of Tayrona Park.
Village of Pueblito
There are 20,000 Kogi living in the Santa Marta area. They were quite an advanced civilization before the Spanish came, colonizing Colombia and driving them into the mountains where they live to this day. We found out that they are very spiritual and ecologically conscious, their belief that the earth is a living being and humanity its children.
These people were the original long-haired hippies, long before the flower-children of the 60s!
These striped bags are very typical of Koni culture
Most of the men were carrying these toy-like objects that kind of look like dreidels, except that it was like a white receptacle mounted on a stick. They would rub the outside with another stick and occasionally put it in their mouths. It looked like it had religious significance, but we found out later that these were called poporo, and is given to a Kogi male upon his 18th birthday. The inside of the receptacle is a mixture of lime and coca and is actually a stimulant which helps to ward off fatigue and hunger.
I think this is my favorite part of our travels, seeing up close how people used to live. I was never interested in history and geography when I was a kid, but our trip has opened up a curiousity that I never knew existed.
Kogi village of Pueblito
We asked the guide how much further to the coast. He told us we were halfway.
This shocked us, as we were already 2.5 hours into our hike, which meant another 2.5 hours to get the shore, and then 5 hours back to our motorcycles. We had left late in the morning and by our calculations would not make it back until well after sunset if we stayed on this course.
The guide offered us another suggestion, from the beach, we could walk a bit further up and catch a bus to the entrance on the other side of the park. That would be a quicker way to get back. When I heard the word, "bus", I was all over that plan...
Yay! We finally made it!
We followed the guide and the couple from Bogota to the beach and finally arrived to the beaches of Cabo San Juan. It was like a mini resort with a restaurant, several huts and tons of tents pitched up by hikers. This should have been another clue that Tayrona was not a single day hike...
Beach at Cabo San Juan
Posing proudly with the Colombian flag
Frolicking at Cabo San Juan
More frolicking
It was getting late in the afternoon and we had no idea where to catch this bus back to the entrance, so we tore ourselves away from the beach and followed the coastline in search of a way out of this park.
Bye bye, beach!
We got about 45 minutes away from the resort and still no sign of any bus. We asked a beach-side vendor and she told us it was a couple of hours away!
A couple of hours? It was already 4PM, and it would definitely be dark by the time we reached the bus. I was very upset. No one around here has any reliable information! And no signs anywhere! Throughout this trip, we had decided that our number one rule was we would never ride or walk around after dark (even though we've broken it a few times), and now it looked like this was inevitable again.
We were now racing against the setting sun, so no pictures even though we hiked through some fantastic beaches with the setting sun casting a magical glow on the sands. We had a bus to catch.
Once again, the trail was poorly marked and we followed some other tourists through some underbrush that turned out to be a dead-end. Going our own way, we ventured back into forest to pick up another trail, but by this time, the canopy and diminishing sunlight meant we were hiking in near darkness. Neda pulled out her iPhone and ran her flashlight application. Battery level less than 30%. Uh oh.
Meanwhile in the ever-frightening darkness, we could hear sounds of animals moving around close to the trail we were on. A bat flew past my head brushing past my hair. We saw glowing points of light that looked like the nocturnal eyes of beasts that prey on lost hikers in the northern Colombian forest. That freaked us out plenty and I came up with a plan of making as much noise as possible, clapping my hands and talking loudly.
We came upon some other hikers coming our way and they smirked at my hand-clapping. "Um, los animales...", I offered up lamely... As it turns out, the glowing eyes were actually fireflies. I was clapping my hands in the dark at fireflies. What a big city dope I am. The hikers told us it was another 45 minutes, so we stumbled ahead and finally found the bus after what turned out to be a 10-hour, 17.5 km hike through the Tayrona National Park. Day-hike my ***.
*phew* I need a bed now...
Last edited:
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/127.html
Neda is getting impatient.
It's been a month since we arrived in Taganga, and since then, barring the occasional trip outside our hotel to grab a bite to eat, I've been content to watch the hot, lazy march of days file past our balcony window. If this was a movie, there'd be a time-lapse shot of the sun rising and setting about 30 or so times over the bay of Taganga with me in the foreground lying motionless in a hammock.
But Neda is getting impatient.
Binge watching TV shows. Seven seasons of Bones flash by in the blink of an eye...
After our dash (yet again) through Central America to catch the ship to Cartagena, this is the first real opportunity to relax and not have any appointments in front of us. I needed the world to shrink to the size of this small town... actually, I was even happy having the whole world be the size of our room overlooking the beach.
For Neda, Taganga was too small. Even her bi-weekly ride to Santa Marta was not enough. Although we both agreed we weren't ready to be nomadic again, she needed a larger homebase to settle in - hopefully somewhere with a well-equipped kitchen so she could pursue her love of cooking, instead of eating out of tiny cube fridge in the room. I felt like I was living with a caged lion, pacing restlessly back and forth in the confined little space of this tiny Caribbean resort-town.
To be fair, if Neda wrote this blog entry, it would read, "I felt like I was living with a hibernating bear."
Our friends from the Stahlratte, Simon (with his IV) and Anne
I did manage to make it outside of Taganga a few times. We've been keeping in contact with the travelers we met on the Stahlratte and we were surprised that our backpacking friends, Simon and Anne from Germany, were still in Colombia. In fact they were in Santa Marta, just down the road. Because of our glacial travel pace, we've watched all the motorcycle travelers from the Darien Gap crossing zoom past us to points further south.
Unfortunately, the reason why they were still in town was because Simon got the dreaded Dengue Fever. It's quite a nasty sickness, with two stages: an initial flu-like period lasting 4 days, and then a critical phase from Day 4-10 when the illness could develop into a fatal Hemorrhagic Fever. I suspect he got bitten in mosquito-infested Cartagena - the incubation period is anywhere from a few days till up to two weeks!
Simon's doctor Wendy and her young son take us for some Dengue Therapy
We visited Simon in Santa Marta and found out his doctor was based in Taganga, just down the street from our hotel. So the next time he came into town for his check-up, we also dropped into the clinic to see how he was doing. His doctor was super-nice, she told us she modeled her patient-care style around Patch Adams, the old Robin Williams movie, treating her patients less impersonally and more like friends.
We got that sense right away - Because it was the weekend and it was supposed to be her day off, Wendi was going to take Simon and Anne to the beach for some outdoor recuperation. And we were invited too! What a cool doctor!
You don't need to contract Dengue Fever to enjoy a dip in the ocean!
Wendy's son inspects the day's catch
The beaches where we lounged for the day was also a homebase for some local fishermen
We watched as they pulled some of the nets ashore
The owner of the Dive Centre where we're staying also invited us out on one of the dives. He lent us some snorkeling equipment and we got to swim around the corals with his scuba customers. It's not the best time of year for scuba, there's a lot of wind and the choppy waters didn't make for clear viewing underwater, but hey, it was free and it was a really nice gesture on the owner's part
< Cue Jaws music >
Brain coral
This was the last picture my (not-so) waterproof camera took
I was planning to do some dive videography, but unfortunately, my waterproof camera got waterlogged and went belly-up. Second waterproof camera to die a watery death on this trip. That was kind of disappointing. This was all I could salvage before the camera turned into an expensive brick:
[video=youtube;t5C860UrTM8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5C860UrTM8[/video]
I like Taganga a lot. I wouldn't have minded staying here to relax a bit longer, but Neda need somewhere a bit more homey so we're packing our panniers and climbing back on the bikes tomorrow to find a more suitable place to settle down for a bit longer!
Neda is getting impatient.
It's been a month since we arrived in Taganga, and since then, barring the occasional trip outside our hotel to grab a bite to eat, I've been content to watch the hot, lazy march of days file past our balcony window. If this was a movie, there'd be a time-lapse shot of the sun rising and setting about 30 or so times over the bay of Taganga with me in the foreground lying motionless in a hammock.
But Neda is getting impatient.
Binge watching TV shows. Seven seasons of Bones flash by in the blink of an eye...
After our dash (yet again) through Central America to catch the ship to Cartagena, this is the first real opportunity to relax and not have any appointments in front of us. I needed the world to shrink to the size of this small town... actually, I was even happy having the whole world be the size of our room overlooking the beach.
For Neda, Taganga was too small. Even her bi-weekly ride to Santa Marta was not enough. Although we both agreed we weren't ready to be nomadic again, she needed a larger homebase to settle in - hopefully somewhere with a well-equipped kitchen so she could pursue her love of cooking, instead of eating out of tiny cube fridge in the room. I felt like I was living with a caged lion, pacing restlessly back and forth in the confined little space of this tiny Caribbean resort-town.
To be fair, if Neda wrote this blog entry, it would read, "I felt like I was living with a hibernating bear."
Our friends from the Stahlratte, Simon (with his IV) and Anne
I did manage to make it outside of Taganga a few times. We've been keeping in contact with the travelers we met on the Stahlratte and we were surprised that our backpacking friends, Simon and Anne from Germany, were still in Colombia. In fact they were in Santa Marta, just down the road. Because of our glacial travel pace, we've watched all the motorcycle travelers from the Darien Gap crossing zoom past us to points further south.
Unfortunately, the reason why they were still in town was because Simon got the dreaded Dengue Fever. It's quite a nasty sickness, with two stages: an initial flu-like period lasting 4 days, and then a critical phase from Day 4-10 when the illness could develop into a fatal Hemorrhagic Fever. I suspect he got bitten in mosquito-infested Cartagena - the incubation period is anywhere from a few days till up to two weeks!
Simon's doctor Wendy and her young son take us for some Dengue Therapy
We visited Simon in Santa Marta and found out his doctor was based in Taganga, just down the street from our hotel. So the next time he came into town for his check-up, we also dropped into the clinic to see how he was doing. His doctor was super-nice, she told us she modeled her patient-care style around Patch Adams, the old Robin Williams movie, treating her patients less impersonally and more like friends.
We got that sense right away - Because it was the weekend and it was supposed to be her day off, Wendi was going to take Simon and Anne to the beach for some outdoor recuperation. And we were invited too! What a cool doctor!
You don't need to contract Dengue Fever to enjoy a dip in the ocean!
Wendy's son inspects the day's catch
The beaches where we lounged for the day was also a homebase for some local fishermen
We watched as they pulled some of the nets ashore
The owner of the Dive Centre where we're staying also invited us out on one of the dives. He lent us some snorkeling equipment and we got to swim around the corals with his scuba customers. It's not the best time of year for scuba, there's a lot of wind and the choppy waters didn't make for clear viewing underwater, but hey, it was free and it was a really nice gesture on the owner's part
< Cue Jaws music >
Brain coral
This was the last picture my (not-so) waterproof camera took
I was planning to do some dive videography, but unfortunately, my waterproof camera got waterlogged and went belly-up. Second waterproof camera to die a watery death on this trip. That was kind of disappointing. This was all I could salvage before the camera turned into an expensive brick:
[video=youtube;t5C860UrTM8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5C860UrTM8[/video]
I like Taganga a lot. I wouldn't have minded staying here to relax a bit longer, but Neda need somewhere a bit more homey so we're packing our panniers and climbing back on the bikes tomorrow to find a more suitable place to settle down for a bit longer!
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/128.html
It's with great reluctance that I'm leaving the Caribbean coast of Colombia. The weather was perfect - hot, no humidity and no mosquitoes. I have a fear that where we're going may not be as nice a place to relax as where we're coming from.
With our bikes heavily-laden with all our worldly possessions once again piled on top (and the sides, and the back), we left the beaches of Taganga in our mirrors. The plan is to head further south into the Cordillera Oriental, otherwise known as the East Andes mountain range of Colombia.
On the road again! Neda is a happy traveler.
Terrain turns mountainous, weather gets cooler and wetter
As if to confirm my dread of leaving, we encounter early afternoon showers - something that we had escaped on the northern coast. It reminded us that rainy season was not over in this part of the world. I miss Taganga already...
Bikes are relaxing in Aguachica
We took a very leisurely ride south, stopping overnight in the small towns of Aguachica and Bucaramanga on the way. After a month in Taganga, we wanted to ease back into riding again.
Neda is relaxing as well
And then back on the road again!
We're deep in the mountainous Cordillera range and the roads get super-twisty. Me gusta!
Neda planned an amazing route that turned twisty as we got closer to Bucaramanga. We were now deep in the heart of the mountains of the eastern Andes. It was a great way to get back into riding again, and as long as we got our riding done before the early afternoon, the weather held up perfectly!
Smooth pavement and twists and turns that don't end! We can't stop grinning under our helmets
One of the things we wanted to see along this route was the Parque Nacional del Chicamocha. It's located at the steep canyon carved by the Chicamocha River, 6500 feet from peak to valley. The government has built a cablecar that travels over the canyon, as well as a huge tourist attraction complex that offers rides, concession stands and adventure sports like kayaking, mountain climbing, etc.
We get to Chicamocha Park and we are the only vehicles in the parking lot...
So we arrived here on a Monday, which turns out to be the only day of the week that it's closed. Fahhhhh....! We had a mini-huddle: do we want to go on further to the next town, stay the night and then backtrack to take the cablecar the day after? We're not really going to raft, or kayak or mountain climb, so it's only the view that we'd be coming back for.
Chicamocha Canyon
After walking around the area and seeing where the cablecar went to, we decided we didn't have to revisit the park again. All the amusement park stuff was closed, but we hopped the fence and walked around anyway. There was a huge Christmas tree that we spent some time fooling around with the camera:
We're having a ball!
Viewpoint from the Chicamocha amusement park. Shortly after this picture was taken, a security guard kicked us out for hopping the fence...
Some of the Chicamocha activities were still open
Because everything was closed, we became the new attraction
We don't feel too bad about mistiming our visit. This family also showed up and was similarly disappointed. They were very curious about us and wanted to know everything about our trip. I got the sense they were more interested in me, but because I can't communicate very well, they had to talk to Neda, "Where is he from?", "Does he understand any Spanish?", "Why is his bike bigger than yours when he is shorter...?"
There was a little boy that couldn't stop staring at me!
Everyone wanted a picture of us!
It's with great reluctance that I'm leaving the Caribbean coast of Colombia. The weather was perfect - hot, no humidity and no mosquitoes. I have a fear that where we're going may not be as nice a place to relax as where we're coming from.
With our bikes heavily-laden with all our worldly possessions once again piled on top (and the sides, and the back), we left the beaches of Taganga in our mirrors. The plan is to head further south into the Cordillera Oriental, otherwise known as the East Andes mountain range of Colombia.
On the road again! Neda is a happy traveler.
Terrain turns mountainous, weather gets cooler and wetter
As if to confirm my dread of leaving, we encounter early afternoon showers - something that we had escaped on the northern coast. It reminded us that rainy season was not over in this part of the world. I miss Taganga already...
Bikes are relaxing in Aguachica
We took a very leisurely ride south, stopping overnight in the small towns of Aguachica and Bucaramanga on the way. After a month in Taganga, we wanted to ease back into riding again.
Neda is relaxing as well
And then back on the road again!
We're deep in the mountainous Cordillera range and the roads get super-twisty. Me gusta!
Neda planned an amazing route that turned twisty as we got closer to Bucaramanga. We were now deep in the heart of the mountains of the eastern Andes. It was a great way to get back into riding again, and as long as we got our riding done before the early afternoon, the weather held up perfectly!
Smooth pavement and twists and turns that don't end! We can't stop grinning under our helmets
One of the things we wanted to see along this route was the Parque Nacional del Chicamocha. It's located at the steep canyon carved by the Chicamocha River, 6500 feet from peak to valley. The government has built a cablecar that travels over the canyon, as well as a huge tourist attraction complex that offers rides, concession stands and adventure sports like kayaking, mountain climbing, etc.
We get to Chicamocha Park and we are the only vehicles in the parking lot...
So we arrived here on a Monday, which turns out to be the only day of the week that it's closed. Fahhhhh....! We had a mini-huddle: do we want to go on further to the next town, stay the night and then backtrack to take the cablecar the day after? We're not really going to raft, or kayak or mountain climb, so it's only the view that we'd be coming back for.
Chicamocha Canyon
After walking around the area and seeing where the cablecar went to, we decided we didn't have to revisit the park again. All the amusement park stuff was closed, but we hopped the fence and walked around anyway. There was a huge Christmas tree that we spent some time fooling around with the camera:
We're having a ball!
Viewpoint from the Chicamocha amusement park. Shortly after this picture was taken, a security guard kicked us out for hopping the fence...
Some of the Chicamocha activities were still open
Because everything was closed, we became the new attraction
We don't feel too bad about mistiming our visit. This family also showed up and was similarly disappointed. They were very curious about us and wanted to know everything about our trip. I got the sense they were more interested in me, but because I can't communicate very well, they had to talk to Neda, "Where is he from?", "Does he understand any Spanish?", "Why is his bike bigger than yours when he is shorter...?"
There was a little boy that couldn't stop staring at me!
Everyone wanted a picture of us!
Last edited:
Awesome :lmao:
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/129.html
Just 50 kms south of the Chicamocha Park is the town of San Gil where we've booked a casa for a few nights. It's advertised as the adventure capital of Colombia because of all the natural structures - rivers for kayaking, caves for exploring, and lots of trails for hiking.
Catedral de la Santa Cruz is the most famous structure in San Gil. It's even on the back of the bus in this picture!
Ridley Scott commissioned this statue in the main square to commemorate his movie, Alien
Neda does some grocery shopping in the marketplace
This is the neighbourhood where our cozy casa was located
San Gil is a nice town, but nothing too special about it. Most people use it as a base to go on to do other activities in the area. We're here primarily for the hiking. Actually, Neda is here primarily for the hiking. I'm here because I followed her motorcycle...
Pretty town of Barichara
We took a bus 45 minutes out of town to Barichara, which is called "the most beautiful town in Colombia". Funny how every town or city has to have some kind of distinction around here, but in this case, it is definitely the most prettiest town we've visited in the country so far.
Church of the Inmaculada Concepcion, Barichara
Smooth cobblestone streets and a tranquil approach to life</center>
Churches are made of stone, but the rest of the houses are traditional whitewashed walls made of bahareque (compressed mud)
Hangin' out by a door, waiting for it to open
Walking around the picturesque town
The Camino Real between Barichara and Guane is a very popular trail for hikers
The Camino Real trail is a 9-km hike that typically takes a couple of hours, and follows a rough stone path originally laid down by the indigenous Guane people, and then later used by the early Spanish colonizers. Unfortunately, very few of the Guane people are around as the conquistadors wiped the civilization out.
Spectacular views along the Camino Real
Normally, I'm the one that has a short attention span, but Neda: "oh look, a bird..."
We encountered a small shrine along the way. It's kind of pretty and creepy at the same time...
Camera is surgically implanted in my hands
Just 50 kms south of the Chicamocha Park is the town of San Gil where we've booked a casa for a few nights. It's advertised as the adventure capital of Colombia because of all the natural structures - rivers for kayaking, caves for exploring, and lots of trails for hiking.
Catedral de la Santa Cruz is the most famous structure in San Gil. It's even on the back of the bus in this picture!
Ridley Scott commissioned this statue in the main square to commemorate his movie, Alien
Neda does some grocery shopping in the marketplace
This is the neighbourhood where our cozy casa was located
San Gil is a nice town, but nothing too special about it. Most people use it as a base to go on to do other activities in the area. We're here primarily for the hiking. Actually, Neda is here primarily for the hiking. I'm here because I followed her motorcycle...
Pretty town of Barichara
We took a bus 45 minutes out of town to Barichara, which is called "the most beautiful town in Colombia". Funny how every town or city has to have some kind of distinction around here, but in this case, it is definitely the most prettiest town we've visited in the country so far.
Church of the Inmaculada Concepcion, Barichara
Smooth cobblestone streets and a tranquil approach to life</center>
Churches are made of stone, but the rest of the houses are traditional whitewashed walls made of bahareque (compressed mud)
Hangin' out by a door, waiting for it to open
Walking around the picturesque town
The Camino Real between Barichara and Guane is a very popular trail for hikers
The Camino Real trail is a 9-km hike that typically takes a couple of hours, and follows a rough stone path originally laid down by the indigenous Guane people, and then later used by the early Spanish colonizers. Unfortunately, very few of the Guane people are around as the conquistadors wiped the civilization out.
Spectacular views along the Camino Real
Normally, I'm the one that has a short attention span, but Neda: "oh look, a bird..."
We encountered a small shrine along the way. It's kind of pretty and creepy at the same time...
Camera is surgically implanted in my hands
Trail ends in the small village of Guane
Guane is a tiny pueblito, the same kind of architecture as Barichara but on a smaller scale. There was a mass organized for the day. Later in the afternoon, a priest gave out a sermon while we sat in the shade people-watching and enjoying being in tranquil surroundings on such a nice sunny day.
Stage being set up in front of the Santa Lucia church in Guane
"The first rule of Fight Club is..."
A marching band helped further the day's festivities
Flagbearer (Flagbear?)
The town square in Guane was filled with vendors selling local crafts
Hanging out with the locals
Plenty of people had their eyes turned to the sermon at the church
We had planned on riding out of town shortly after returning to San Gil, but I developed a pretty bad flu. There was a pregnant woman who was in the room next to ours in the casa. She was there on vacation, but was bedridden because of a condition with her uterus. On occasion she would leave the room to walk around a bit and we would nod at each other in the hallway, two infirmed patients in the Casa Medico.
When my symptoms persisted for four days, Neda got a bit worried and insisted that we call in a doctor, especially after what happened to Simon in Santa Marta. Despite my stereotypical male-aversion to medical care, I relented, and the local doctor was dispatched to our casa to determine whether I had the Dengue...
Thanks, Raf!
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/130.html
We've both been getting sick a lot lately, we seem to be taking turns one after another. It's quite annoying, but thankfully now that's we're past the Darien Gap, our schedule has freed up enough to slot in the occasionally illness with little to no advance warning... Bring it on, Disease and Pestilence! (just kidding, please don't...)
The doctor came by and cleared me of The Dengue, so we all breathed a sigh of relief. However, it would be a whole week in bed before I was ready to leave San Gil.
Negotiating the twisty highway south out of San Gil
Our plan is to head westwards, but the main highway goes north a bit before turning west at Bucaramanga - exactly where we came from, so we had an idea to journey on another highway south, and then take a smaller road northwest. Looks to be the same mileage, but it should give us some different sights, especially when we get off the highway.
At Barbosa, we get off the main highway and take a gravel road northwest
We pass by some very small villages and heads turn as they watch a couple of monstrosities on two wheels trundle by
Sometimes the small road turns into a narrow dirt path, made a bit slick by the earlier rains
Jungle-aya!
We both love riding off-this-beaten path. It really felt like you were riding through the heart of the Colombian jungle, like any moment you would need to get off the bike and hack away at the overgrowth with your (BMW Motorrad) Machete to cut a trail in order for you to ride your bike further!
Girls wanna talk about bikes? Neda is ecstatic!
We stopped for a water break in a larger town and these two girls approached Neda and started asking about her bike. Normally guys of all ages, from little boys to old men, are the ones interested in the motorcycles, so these two girls were quite out-of-the-ordinary! Neda was so happy to talk bikes with them!
Back on the main highway heading westbound
We stopped for the evening in Puerto Berrio. It's a very small town, but seems to have spent most of it's annual budget for Christmas lights!
Christmas lights strung up in Puerto Berrio
An evening out under the stars
Neon Nativity
Watching an evening wedding ceremony from outside the church
Christmas lights as far as the eyes can see
Puerto Berrio is so small that there really isn't a hotel. We asked around and we were directed to a place about 3kms outside of town. It was a Love Hotel!!! Our first experience with Love Hotels outside of San Salvador was not a pleasant experience, so we were a bit hesitant about staying the night here. But after checking out the room, we were surprised when it was actually a nice place. The first room we saw was the deluxe suite and it had a stripper pole in the middle! But the room we booked was a normal motel-like room - no stripper pole, no mirrors on the ceiling...
Even the skankiest Love Hotels have private garages - so the neighbourhood won't know who's LoveHotel-ing
Throughout the evening, we heard lots of partying in the other rooms. With so multi-generational families living under a single roof in Latin America, the Love Hotel becomes a very popular place to get away from the relatives.
We continued traveling westwards early the next morning.
Stopped for breakfast in this small town that pretty much consisted of this diner and a few other buildings
Our bikes got a lot of attention while we ate inside
Riding through some very peaceful countryside scenery
Good to be out riding!
We've both been getting sick a lot lately, we seem to be taking turns one after another. It's quite annoying, but thankfully now that's we're past the Darien Gap, our schedule has freed up enough to slot in the occasionally illness with little to no advance warning... Bring it on, Disease and Pestilence! (just kidding, please don't...)
The doctor came by and cleared me of The Dengue, so we all breathed a sigh of relief. However, it would be a whole week in bed before I was ready to leave San Gil.
Negotiating the twisty highway south out of San Gil
Our plan is to head westwards, but the main highway goes north a bit before turning west at Bucaramanga - exactly where we came from, so we had an idea to journey on another highway south, and then take a smaller road northwest. Looks to be the same mileage, but it should give us some different sights, especially when we get off the highway.
At Barbosa, we get off the main highway and take a gravel road northwest
We pass by some very small villages and heads turn as they watch a couple of monstrosities on two wheels trundle by
Sometimes the small road turns into a narrow dirt path, made a bit slick by the earlier rains
Jungle-aya!
We both love riding off-this-beaten path. It really felt like you were riding through the heart of the Colombian jungle, like any moment you would need to get off the bike and hack away at the overgrowth with your (BMW Motorrad) Machete to cut a trail in order for you to ride your bike further!
Girls wanna talk about bikes? Neda is ecstatic!
We stopped for a water break in a larger town and these two girls approached Neda and started asking about her bike. Normally guys of all ages, from little boys to old men, are the ones interested in the motorcycles, so these two girls were quite out-of-the-ordinary! Neda was so happy to talk bikes with them!
Back on the main highway heading westbound
We stopped for the evening in Puerto Berrio. It's a very small town, but seems to have spent most of it's annual budget for Christmas lights!
Christmas lights strung up in Puerto Berrio
An evening out under the stars
Neon Nativity
Watching an evening wedding ceremony from outside the church
Christmas lights as far as the eyes can see
Puerto Berrio is so small that there really isn't a hotel. We asked around and we were directed to a place about 3kms outside of town. It was a Love Hotel!!! Our first experience with Love Hotels outside of San Salvador was not a pleasant experience, so we were a bit hesitant about staying the night here. But after checking out the room, we were surprised when it was actually a nice place. The first room we saw was the deluxe suite and it had a stripper pole in the middle!
But the room we booked was a normal motel-like room - no stripper pole, no mirrors on the ceiling...
Even the skankiest Love Hotels have private garages - so the neighbourhood won't know who's LoveHotel-ing
Throughout the evening, we heard lots of partying in the other rooms. With so multi-generational families living under a single roof in Latin America, the Love Hotel becomes a very popular place to get away from the relatives.
We continued traveling westwards early the next morning.
Stopped for breakfast in this small town that pretty much consisted of this diner and a few other buildings
Our bikes got a lot of attention while we ate inside
Riding through some very peaceful countryside scenery
Good to be out riding!
I don't miss that **** for one moment!
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/131.html
We're in search for somewhere to call home for a while. Although there's a certain romanticism around the nomadic lifestyle, we're finding we're now craving a balance of stability and routine - somewhere where we can stock the fridge without having to label our food, use all the pots and pans in the kitchen and not have to clean up immediately, walk around in our underwear... No wait, I do that last one everywhere I stay anyway...
Passing one of the small towns heading westwards from Puerto Berrio to Medellin
Riding into the big city!
This is the bustling metropolis of Medellin - the second-largest city in Colombia. The Spanish language in this country is a bit different than what we're used to - the double "ll" in Medellin is pronounced like a "J" instead of a "Y". So we teach our family and friends back home how to pronounce Medellin by telling them that it rhymes with Neda-Gene.
A city with a name like NedaGene, how can we not stay here for a while?
Hostel Casa Kiwi: "Just throw your motorcycle over there behind those plants..."
We booked into a hostel for a few days to get our bearings in Medellin. The plan is to search around for an apartment, which should greatly reduce the cost of our accommodations.
Crashing a Christmas Party. What's ADV.com anyway...?
Just a few days into our stay, we were spotted on the road by Marc, another ADVRider who was traveling southwards as well. We were invited to a Christmas dinner at the Shamrock Pub, just a couple of blocks away from the hostel that we were staying at.
Birds of a feather feasting together, while Valentino cooks up some mean ribs
We spent the evening hanging out with the latest group of motorcycle travelers who just got off the Stahlratte. The sailboat has dropped off two sets of bikers and backpackers in the time that we've been here! We feel like we're the welcome wagon to Colombia, and we'll soon be waving goodbye to these travelers as they make their way onwards.
We travel slow. Oh well...
Hey we got a kitchen! And an apartment came with it as well! Neda is super-stoked!
The search for an apartment was quite painless. We got a referral from the Casa that we were staying in in San Gil the week before. When we dropped in to take a look at it, we fell in love with the place immediately. Located on the second floor of high-rise condominium, it's got a walk-out balcony where we can sit down and eat or read a book. It's in a very nice part of town called El Poblado. There's a grocery store right across the street and the subway is a 5 minute walk away.
World-famous NedaBurgers make a return, with home fries and a side of sauteed mushrooms. Fancy!
I got a Man-Cave! Well... a Man-Corner...
We can catch a bit of sun out here on our balcony
The weather in Medellin is very temperate, even though we're fairly close to the equator. Because we're 5000 feet above sea level up in the mountains of Colombia, the average is about 22C all year round, it can get to 30C in the hottest part of the day and then down to 15C overnight. Because of its unchanging climate, Medellin has often been referred to as "La Ciudad de la Eterna Primavera" (The City of Eternal Spring).
In other words, the perfect place to settle down for a bit.
By contrast, Toronto is suffering from the worst ice storm it's had in several decades. Over half-a-million homes were without power in the dead of winter. When we tried Skyping with my folks for Christmas, we found out that they had to relocate to a friend's house because their house was without heat or electricity.
Although we feel bad for our family and friends, I kinda feel a bit smug sitting down here in the City of Eternal Spring... hehehe....
So we get this idea that we'll ride everywhere in Medellin.
That idea dies a quick death when we get stuck in the city's horrible traffic...
...so these are our new wheels!
Medellin is very much a large, modern city. With a population of about 2 million, it's about the same size as Toronto. All the amenities are available here, and within walking distance there are plenty of huge malls, one dedicated to just electronics! I'm in heaven!
Every once in a while, we take a day-trip downtown, about 5 subway stops away
Vera Cruz Church. Behind the scenes: Neda ran into the courtyard
flapping her arms to scare up these birds... Locals not amused...
Sunlight on the Vera Cruz Church
Found some time to get our shaggy-dos trimmed. Shamefully, it's been months overdue...
We're in search for somewhere to call home for a while. Although there's a certain romanticism around the nomadic lifestyle, we're finding we're now craving a balance of stability and routine - somewhere where we can stock the fridge without having to label our food, use all the pots and pans in the kitchen and not have to clean up immediately, walk around in our underwear... No wait, I do that last one everywhere I stay anyway...
Passing one of the small towns heading westwards from Puerto Berrio to Medellin
Riding into the big city!
This is the bustling metropolis of Medellin - the second-largest city in Colombia. The Spanish language in this country is a bit different than what we're used to - the double "ll" in Medellin is pronounced like a "J" instead of a "Y". So we teach our family and friends back home how to pronounce Medellin by telling them that it rhymes with Neda-Gene.
A city with a name like NedaGene, how can we not stay here for a while?
Hostel Casa Kiwi: "Just throw your motorcycle over there behind those plants..."
We booked into a hostel for a few days to get our bearings in Medellin. The plan is to search around for an apartment, which should greatly reduce the cost of our accommodations.
Crashing a Christmas Party. What's ADV.com anyway...?
Just a few days into our stay, we were spotted on the road by Marc, another ADVRider who was traveling southwards as well. We were invited to a Christmas dinner at the Shamrock Pub, just a couple of blocks away from the hostel that we were staying at.
Birds of a feather feasting together, while Valentino cooks up some mean ribs
We spent the evening hanging out with the latest group of motorcycle travelers who just got off the Stahlratte. The sailboat has dropped off two sets of bikers and backpackers in the time that we've been here! We feel like we're the welcome wagon to Colombia, and we'll soon be waving goodbye to these travelers as they make their way onwards.
We travel slow. Oh well...
Hey we got a kitchen! And an apartment came with it as well! Neda is super-stoked!
The search for an apartment was quite painless. We got a referral from the Casa that we were staying in in San Gil the week before. When we dropped in to take a look at it, we fell in love with the place immediately. Located on the second floor of high-rise condominium, it's got a walk-out balcony where we can sit down and eat or read a book. It's in a very nice part of town called El Poblado. There's a grocery store right across the street and the subway is a 5 minute walk away.
World-famous NedaBurgers make a return, with home fries and a side of sauteed mushrooms. Fancy!
I got a Man-Cave! Well... a Man-Corner...
We can catch a bit of sun out here on our balcony
The weather in Medellin is very temperate, even though we're fairly close to the equator. Because we're 5000 feet above sea level up in the mountains of Colombia, the average is about 22C all year round, it can get to 30C in the hottest part of the day and then down to 15C overnight. Because of its unchanging climate, Medellin has often been referred to as "La Ciudad de la Eterna Primavera" (The City of Eternal Spring).
In other words, the perfect place to settle down for a bit.
By contrast, Toronto is suffering from the worst ice storm it's had in several decades. Over half-a-million homes were without power in the dead of winter. When we tried Skyping with my folks for Christmas, we found out that they had to relocate to a friend's house because their house was without heat or electricity.
Although we feel bad for our family and friends, I kinda feel a bit smug sitting down here in the City of Eternal Spring... hehehe....
So we get this idea that we'll ride everywhere in Medellin.
That idea dies a quick death when we get stuck in the city's horrible traffic...
...so these are our new wheels!
Medellin is very much a large, modern city. With a population of about 2 million, it's about the same size as Toronto. All the amenities are available here, and within walking distance there are plenty of huge malls, one dedicated to just electronics! I'm in heaven!
Every once in a while, we take a day-trip downtown, about 5 subway stops away
Vera Cruz Church. Behind the scenes: Neda ran into the courtyard
flapping her arms to scare up these birds... Locals not amused...
Sunlight on the Vera Cruz Church
Found some time to get our shaggy-dos trimmed. Shamefully, it's been months overdue...
What the heck are these things?
We were fascinated by the Parque de Las Luces (Park of Lights) downtown. It's as if a convention of giant Jedis just threw their lightsabers into the ground and went off to have lunch somewhere. We stuck around all afternoon and into the evening to watch them light up:
I sense a disturbance in the Force... or at least a disturbance in the city's electrical grid
Lightsaber Park is quite a sight at night
Popular place to hang out
The Parque de Las Luces was right next to this very avant-garde-looking building
Things are looking up for Neda
Buildings nicely lit up downtown
Can't get enough of the lightsabers
Christmas lights decorate the streets of Medellin
Streetside vendors take up valuable lane space downtown
Peldar Bridge, just a few blocks away from our apartment, all lit up for the Christmas season
Oh yeah, our second Christmas on the road... Kinda cool...!
