More Pics

These students were with their teacher at the border of Colombia and Ecuador, hoping to find some English speaking travelers passing through. They were from Ipiales, Colombia, and hit paydirt with us.

Just hangin' out in Otavalo

Yes, this is the municipal cockfighting ring in Otavalo. For those of you unfamiliar with it, it's kind of a UFC for roosters.

Some big ole doors

Plaza in Otavalo

Some pics from our travels

"For those about to rock"

Popayan at night

Pre Colombian works in the hotel lobby

How would you get it home?

Colombian Highway

Equador

We have arrived in Otavalo, Equador.

Southern Colombia offered days of wonderful rides and people. Heavy cloud cover has hampered internet service here, and two electrical outages have made it difficult to post a blog. I´ll post more text and pictures as soon as possible.

Bogota

Bogota had it´s delays and challenges, but they were manageable. While working on the problems (Sean´s blog has a detailed description), we had the privilege of meeting some wonderful people and exchanging some good stories and jokes. We had very little free time. Bogota´s main attraction for me, the Gold Museum, was closed for remodeling. The central plaza and cathedral were blocked off for an official ceremony. And we didn´t get to the salt mine and church. But we were able to take come walks in the old city, have some great conversations, and solve the problems. I found the time in the city to be very positive, and we´re hoping to get back to Bogota when we finish our ride in South America.

We did indeed free our bikes from their cages on Thursday. Processing them through customs took all morning. Getting them out of the airline cargo bay took all afternoon. The entire front of the cargo terminal was a loading dock, with a couple narrow, railed stairs for customers and workers--too narrow and steep for the bikes. The problem was how to get the bikes down the drop.

Everything was considered from an I-beam ramp (too high, narrow, and steep) to driving them around the back of the terminal and out the service entrance (the obvious solution, but it wasn´t acceptable to the airport security). By mid-afternoon 30 people were working on the problem. Finally someone mentioned that they had a fork lift in the parking lot. With a large aluminum palate and a skilled driver, each bike in turn was smoothly lowered to ground level. And we drove off jubilantly into a deluge that was just hitting the city. It was a baptismal experience of the highest order.

Chalecos, they're mandatory.

Colombian Highway
Some days it's just too much
Popayan

So wehave been in Colombia nearly a week and the only problems have been with the guerillas of the urban tribe, you know the kind with the suit and tie that think you haven´t done your homework. So we left Bogota in the rain and only two or three hours of daylight to ride and we ended up inFusagasuga, a town well known in these parts for growing the national flower of Colombia, the Orchid. The hillsides were covered with greenhouses full of colorful flowers. The Hotel there was really cheap, but nearly brand new. $US17 a night for 3 people. After we left there we headed down into avalley and then up into the mountains to cross the pass near Armenia at close to 11,000 feet and 55 degrees f. We finished the day about 15 miles east of Cali in the town of Palmira. About 20 miles outside of Palmira we started to see acre upon acre of the plants they make fine white powder for the American consumer from, you know it as sugar, here it's call azucar. Every miles there were warnings about the crossing of the "cane train", opwards of 6 massive, self dumping trailers hooked together and being pulled by large trucks or tractors. After a bug infested night in Hotel El Dorado we moved south to Popayan, a touristy colonial town at about 6,000 ft . If you would have told me the climate would be this pleasant this close to the border I wouldn't have believed you. The roads have had military checkpoints every 20 miles or less, so it seems things are pretty calm at this moment.The roads and sceneryhave been absolutely breathtaking, especially when you comearound a mountain curve looking at a truck in his right lane,a bus in his passing lane, and another car passing them in your lane . Maybe that's why some folks call it Locombia?

At last, South America

On Monday morning, as planned, we drove to the cargo area of the Panama City airport, bid our bikes goodbye, transferred to the passenger terminal, and flew to Bogota. Not as planned, our bikes failed to travel Monday. We have received word that they arrived this morning, and are hoping to go to the airport tomorrow morning to get them. It´s been a real runaround, largely because we chose to use an agency to "help" us with shipping the bikes. But it looks like we´ve got things worked out today. It really seems weird to not have the bike, and the experience of getting it out of customs and back on the road cannot come too soon. We´ll post some pictures and details later.

Lou and his bike in Granada, Nicaragua

Flora and Fauna in Panama

Landon is the one who has been making the posts lately in this blog. I´ve thought about it a lot, and have even had several opportunities, but I didn´t know what to write. In almost every way the past few days been routine: riding, asking for directions, eating, packing, unpacking, sleeping, reading, washing clothes, and drinking a refreshing beverage. I haven´t come up with much that seemed remotely interesting to folks back home. In most ways, we could be home.

In comparing the backpacking trip through Central America in 1976 and this one, I´m surprised at how much things seemed to have changed, or maybe I´ve changed. I´m wondering if everywhere is starting to look more like everywhere else. You imagine exotic places you want to see and people you want to meet. Maybe you even remember them from former visits. Then, when you arrive, they seem so common and familiar. The thought is comforting and sad at the same time.

If all goes as planned, tomorrow we and our bikes will be in South America. Mid-day the motorcycles should be on one airplane and we on another, hoping to meet again in Bogota. Then begins the adventure south through and along the Andes. I´m thinking there might be plenty to write about again.