Saturday Night Josh and I checked in to the Kokiri Hostel around 9pm. I was just glad that they had empty beds for us to use, but the guy checking us in asked if we were interested in staying in an apartment. It was $40 for a night, which is outrageously expensive for Colombia. If Josh and I split the… Read more →
Month: February 2016
The long, hard ride to Pareira
Brace yourself, folks. This one is a novel. We set out…or try to It was Saturday, February 20th, and Josh was still sleeping. Elizabeth and I were not thrilled. We had both gotten up early so we could hit the road by 7:30 or 8am and be in Salento by 4 or 5pm. It was by now around 9:30, and… Read more →
Our visit to Medellin
Sunday Arrived. Discovered that there was no secure motorcycle parking. Panicked. Spent several hours searching before finding refuge in a garage owned by the Casa Kiwi Hostel. Monday I spent the day getting essential supplies for the hostel we’re staying in. A bath towel. A lock. Two locks, actually. Funny story there. I walked to the local Exito (the… Read more →
The drive to Medellin
12pm, Saturday We were almost ready to leave Bogota. Elizabeth and I had spent the majority of the past few hours trying to fit everything onto our bikes, and making it secure. I had several bungie cords and some elastic bungie netting. My first attempt was awful; it had way too much slack in it. My two bags would shift every… Read more →
Departure
Well, we’re ready. The bikes have been obtained and outfitted with special tires. We’ve got insurance on the bikes. We have a plan. Tomorrow morning (hopefully in the morning) we’ll be leaving Bogota and headed to the town of Honda (pronounced “onda” even though I really, really want to call it “Honda”) in the department of Tolima. It’s a three-hour ride; a… Read more →
A tale of four taxis
Let me start out by saying that traffic down here is absolutely crazy. There are lanes. There are traffic signs and signals. But nobody pays attention. The only hard and fast rule seems to be: stop at stop lights. A road can contain as many lanes of traffic as can fit in it. If the road you’re in can fit… Read more →
Quick Update
Things are going fairly well. The three of us seem to be adapting to how things work here. Much of this week has been dedicated to finding motorcycles so we can continue our journey. We found some motorcycles. Josh is purchasing a KTM Duke 200, and Elizabeth and I are getting KTM Duke 390 bikes. I’m pretty happy that the… Read more →
What a difference a day makes
Yesterday was a pretty great day. After writing my horribly depressing blog post where everything was terrible, Josh, Elizabeth and I went out to eat lunch. We tried a new restaurant and had an absolutely fantastic meal. Here’s what I had: It’s a savory crepe filled with chicken and mushrooms, along with some type of sauce that tasted completely amazing. I… Read more →
Let’s cut to the chase; I hate it here
It’s never the things you plan for that get you. It’s always the unexpected. I’ve been planning this trip to South America for more than a year. I’ve been talking about it for months. I knew that things were going to be a break from the ordinary and I was looking forward to it. But I absolutely loathe Bogota. It’s… Read more →
Cash
I think my most urgent need is for cash in hand. I had $14 USD that I exchanged for pesos last night, and that got me enough money to hail a cab and eat dinner. I’m out of money now, and the most urgent need is getting cash in hand. Some places accept credit cards, but down here cash is… Read more →