Bad altitude and happy to be here

So, Tuesday 29th September, we set off for the cargo terminal to deliver the shed. We were meeting Globebusters at the terminal who arrived soon after 11am - en mass. I have to admit that at one point I was questioning whether we could have got all this palava over with a little quicker earlier in the week and on our own instead of our paperwork being put through with 17 other bikes. However, Roddy had made good contacts with the shippers and, with Kevin and Julia's help, got us all through very smoothly. It was a great opportunity to get to know quite a few of the guys on the adventure tour and we spent time chatting and comparing stories about our journeys so far and the history of the bikes. Once the shed had her bar code sticker for shipping and Julia had got Brian, Kevin, Roddy and myself booked on a flight in the morning, we went back to the hostel to pack ready for an early start.


This was a time to reflect on my journey through Central America.

I had been very apprehensive about the countries we would be passing through and this proved to be totally unnecessary. It would be unfair to group the countries altogether as one. Some of the countries were clearly trying to improve the lives and potential of the people and to rid themselves of corruption .
They were also trying to retain the individuality and history of the culture, towns and cities. Other countries did not appear to be putting as much effort into this. Despite these differences the majority of the people we met on our travels were friendly, helpful and appeared to be interested in our journey prior to meeting them and in what lay ahead of us.They were all happy to have tourists in their towns. I'm afraid I found that I was continually shocked at how little many of the people had and the massive gaps between the people that had and the people that had not. As we approached and left towns, we rode through areas of obvious poverty. I found it hard to understand how families could live in such small spaces and in houses made of wood with corrugated metal roofs weighted down with bricks to prevent them blowing away. There were no paved streets in these areas and dust and dirt appeared to be everywhere but believe me, this contradicted the evidence of absolute pride and cleanliness evident in the lines and lines of bright white washing to be seen every day and women out sweeping the front of their houses to make room for the next lot of dust to be blown their way. The school children here were always immaculately turned out both on their way to school and on their way back (not often evident back home with shirts hanging out, socks rolled down etc etc) I also became aware of not hearing the sound of children crying or parents shouting, either in the shopping mals or at home. I would see them sat quietly on their porches, playing happily with each other or sitting on the parents or Grandparents laps. They didn't appear resigned to their situation but seemed contented and comfortable with where they were, who they were and who they were with. I can only try to understand why this is but I think that they have to spend lots of time with each other and so have to get along. They can't go to their room to play on their computer or watch TV. They can't wind their parents up asking for the latest game, gadget etc like 'all' their friends at school have because they and their friend all have the same. There was a nice air of peace and contentment. This will be a lasting memory of Central America.

Enough of all that now. Here I am in Columbia. All in one piece and very, very happy to be here. We stayed a couple of nights with the Globebusters in Bogota before heading off on our own again. I had begun to feel like a 'hanger onner' and, though the group had made us feel very welcome, felt we needed to be doing what we did best which was traveling on our own. We went to visit the Catedral de Sal in Zipaquira just north of Bogota (recommended by Jose). This was a fascinating place to visit and as a taster I've put this photo in but there will be more in the Album when I get it ogether.


The plan was to collect the part from BMW then be on our way towards Honda. However, the part hadn't arrived so we had to stay in the city another night. We stopped at the Hotel Regency a few doors away from the dealer to ask about the price but it was too expensive. However, the reservation co-ordinator, Irwin Rodriguez, was enthralled by our journey and offered us a room at a greatly reduced price. All of the staff there were lovely and keen to ask question about the shed etc.

After a really good nights sleep in a luxurious bed we were desperate to make haste out of the city. This was delayed by the BMW dealer who couldn't find the part but assured Brian it had been delivered. As a result of the delay we hit a lot of heavy traffic getting out or the city which caused a bit of friction between the rider and pillion but eventually all was well with the world and we found ourselves on a fantastic windy road through the mountains but unfortunately it was full of heavy traffic. Brian rode like a demon taking bends beautifully and overtaking whenever possible. We passed some lovely small towns and I began to realise how beautiful Columbia is.


It was getting very humid again and it was apparent that the road shown on the map did not resemble the roads we were riding. What appeared to be a short distance was doubled by the number of hairpin bends and ups and downs we were doing. By the time we reached Honda we decided to call it a day.

Honda is a rough and tumble town with few hotels. We chose the best of a bad lot, ate slept and in the morning prepared to leave. Brian bought some water for the camelbaks and off we went. It was a nice sunny morning and I soon got thirsty. I had a drink of water only to be surprised to find that it was carbonated soda water. Still. It was very refreshing and did the job. We were on another winding road, but well paved. It took us higher and higher into the mountains as we headed northwest. We actually reached 3,700m above sea level at which point I had a drink from the camelbak...... My God ...... It hit the back of my throat like a water cannon. It nearly blue my brains out! The altitude had inflated the carbonated bubbles and when I looked at Brian's camelbak (which was right in front of my face) it was blown up fit to burst which explained why I had kept banging my helmet on it. I couldn't understand why this had been happening ? I hadn't moved but, it seems that Brian's camelbak had ... towards me. The video below will explain all.

So, all major mishaps averted we found ourselves in Pereira at the start of gale force winds, rain and then hail. Fortunately we had stopped at a hotel to get prices and the doorman invited us in to stay until the storm passed. It was so strong that it actually blew one of the big panes of glass out of it's runner!
We are staying in another hotel round the corner (it's cheaper) and continue to find the people of Columbia a pleasure to be with. They can't do enough for us, ringing people they know who speak English to explain things to us, recommending food, places to visit and generally making us feel very, very welcome.