Sun, Sand, Swamps, and History

We decided to stay in Santa Marta until noon to enjoy the beach for a bit. Because it was Sunday, a lot of people were out ... and a few casualties from the fun last night ... a few people, and dogs, still sleeping around in the sand everywhere. I guess the dogs here also have fun all night.

We swam in the ocean and pool, had lunch in Santa Marta's historic center and headed to Cartagena. Great drive by the ocean with a few great inland detours ... so green, and humid, and wet, with flooded low lands (swamps?) everywhere ... Amazonian at times.

We crossed the Magdalena river right as it plunges into the ocean ... what a massive river ... the whole up river trade to Honda now takes a whole new meaning ... a wide and fast moving natural highway.

As we rode through Barranquilla, we could see in the distance the stadium were Colombia qualified for the World Cup two nights before ... huge.

We finally made it to beautiful Cartagena de Indias. We rode into the city with the ocean on our right and the hotels and the great walled city founded in 1533 on our left. We even took a little ride on the sand for a sunset picture with the bikes close to the ocean.

The walled city of Cartagena is a true wonder with hundreds of buildings, plazas, churches, stores, hotels, restaurants inside it ... we walked around for a bit at night and had dinner outside in one of the plazas ... and, yes, it is official, I am addicted to "limonada con coco". 

It is amazing what a UNESCO World Heritage Site designation does for a place ... economically, socially, culturally ... a great idea indeed that has changed, and continues to change, the world.

Tomorrow, we will spend the day exploring the walled city - no riding : )

Tight Commando Unit

We made it to the Caribbean coast of Colombia in the North. The longest day ride yet ... more than 500 kilometers as we descended from the mountains into a very long, flat valley with a very straight road, with tropical forests (and monkeys, allegedly) all around us. A beautiful mountain range and Venezuela to our right as we descended to sea level.

It is worth mentioning that it is incredibly satisfying to ride with such a group of experienced riders ... from the start of the trip, the six of us have operated as one tight, high-performance unit : )  How we have managed to stay together and get through things so efficiently is still amazing to me ... watching the group from behind as we approach all kinds of challenges (traffic, switchbacks, dirt, weather, animals, obstacles) and see how everybody just makes it through so effortlessly is very cool.

Temperatures got hot quickly today. By 9am, we were at 32C and by midday we were up to 36C. As we approached the coast, the wind picked up, temperatures dropped 10C degrees very quickly (nice!), lightning everywhere and trees falling on the road ... which created a few traffic jams. Managed to take an amazing picture of the sky as the storm subsided (see below).

We arrived in Santa Marta at night and went for a walk on the beach. Amazing sight at the beach ... thousands of people sitting around on the sand, playing music, dancing, swimming, drinking, eating ... young, old, families, couples ... everybody was out enjoying the night. At some point, we were even asked to join in the dancing with whole families, kids ... nice : )

Colombia is a very different country up here. There is a very strong African influence - the music, the people, the culture, the dancing ... all unique and more Caribbean than Latin.

Tomorrow we are going to enjoy the beach (during the day), go see Santa Marta's historic colonial center, and ride to the famous city of Cartagena in the afternoon.

A Massive Party

Today, Colombia played the soccer game of their life ... and it managed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup! The whole country went crazy. We were at a bar in Bucaramanga and it felt like an earthquake every time Colombia scored ... especially when considering that Colombia managed to tie the game 3-3 in the second half when they were down 3-0 at the end of the first half. Unbelievable!!

Being in a place that is playing a crucial soccer game offers a unique way to experience a culture, a country, and its people at their best. The unifying effect that soccer has, the passions it inspires in people, and the universality of it all is just plain amazing ... humanity as a whole enjoying a common thing, coming together with joy. Nice.

The road out of Villa de Leyva this morning was one of the most picturesque roads we have been on ... green everywhere, small farms, hills, trees, beautiful scenery. It is interesting that, like Brazil, this country is also very clean which makes the whole nature thing more intense.

We also rode through the Chicamocha Canyon on our way to Bucaramanga. This canyon is an amazing formation carved by the Chicamocha river separating two of the largest mountain ranges in Colombia. Amazing road with endless switchbacks going down into the Canyon and up on the other side ... lots of traffic at times ... it is a long weekend in the country after all ... and everybody was also in a hurry to get somewhere by 4pm for the start of the game.

Tomorrow, we ride all the way to Santa Marta on the Caribbean coast ... the longest ride of the trip so far.

The "Nueva Espana" Connection

Never seizes to amaze me how Latin America is all connected through their common Spanish heritage. Wherever you go in the "Nueva Espana", the architecture, how cities and towns are laid out around a big central plaza, their catholic heritage with their big and ornate churches, their mix with indigenous populations and the incorporation of their cultures ... all connecting more than 15+ countries in Latin America by a common bond.

Today, we arrived at Villa de Leyva, a beautiful example of a nice colonial town in the mountains with the largest cobblestone central plaza in the world. A bit like Mexico, a bit like Guatemala, a bit like many other towns throughout the Americas. Because of its proximity to Bogota, this is a well developed and preserved tourist and weekend destination ... with great weather, sunny, mild temperatures, and relatively dry all year round. We sat around the plaza watching life go by having capuccinos and ice cream ... ahhh, "il dolce far niente" : )

We also visited a Gaudi-like house that a local architect has been bulding over 14 years out of clay ... and he is not done yet. It felt like you are inside a living organism. Very strange.

On the way to Villa de Leyva, we visited the Catedral de Sal (Salt Cathedral) which was built in an old salt mine 250m below ground ... many underground chambers with all kinds of crosses, statues, and catholic themes ... even a full nativity scene and a three dimensional replica of michaelangelos sistine chapel ceiling painting. A bit surreal but interesting.

Tomorrow, we have a long ride to Bucaramanga.

Historic Center

Bogota is a great city. Like any other big city it is busy, chaotic, with its own personality. Bogota has a lot of history dating back to the 1500's. The big Plaza Bolivar and the cathedral were started in 1553. Now Bogota has between 8-10 million people and at 2650m it is one of the highest capitals in the world.

We spent most of the day in the Candelaria district (historic center). Great neighborhood with its own unique character. Lots of people, museums, emerald trading ... and interesting graffiti. We took the cable car to the top of Montserrat mountain for great views of the city.

This week has been a holiday in Colombia so there were a lot of people out. Great colonial streets everywhere that wind up and down the hill towards the plaza. Lots of history ... and Juan Valdez coffee shops (no Starbucks here ... yet).

Andy's height was a great hit with all the high school kids ... they wanted to take pictures of him, with him ... and even do interviews for school projects. Apparently dating amongst teenagers follow more of the Mexican model than the American model ... either friends or steady, nothing in between : )

We went to a typical Bogotan restaurant and had the local Ajiaco soup - big bowl with avocado, rice, corn, capers, chicken and who knows what else ... amazing. It is also de rigueur to have fruit juices in Colombia. The best? Maracuya. Dinner was at the famous "Andres Carne de Res" ... Hundreds of people over many long tables spread over 5 stories ... and the best food. Worth the visit.

Tomorrow, we head north towards Cartagena and go by the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá (an underground Roman Catholic church built within the tunnels of a salt mine 200 meters underground.)

A City in Decline

This morning we went for a walk around Honda to learn more about the town's golden age as Colombia's main river port and Bogota's gateway to the Caribbean.

Ships used the Magdalena river (surprisingly fast moving) to get to the Caribbean (1,000 km away.) Commerce has now moved on (trucks mostly) and the town has seen a decline that started in 1910 ... but signs of those glory days can still be seen ... bridges, churches, warehouses, great colonial houses, cobblestone streets, plazas ... all in decay but interesting.

Honda is also the warmest place in Colombia nestled in a valley between two mountain ranges (600 ft altitude, 90+degrees and humid most of the time).

We left and rode along the Magdalena river on a dirt road for around 20 km through beautiful scenery. Still very hot. We finally turned onto a paved road and started climbing up the mountains to reach Bogota's valley at 9000 ft. As it seems to be the norm now, the road to Bogota was an endless sequence of tight turns and beautiful scenery ... again : )

Traffic into Bogota was interesting (Vietnam like at times) but not too bad ... there are lots of small motorcycles everywhere that flow like water through any traffic jam. A bit more challenging in our big bikes but we managed to also flow : )

Our hotel is a new and modern 10 story hotel in the Zona T of Bogota (the cool section) with a "living facade" (plants). We went out exploring and met a lot of motorcycle enthusiasts - KTM dealer, Cafe Racer (a Motopia-like coffee shop), the Royal Enfield and Harley dealers, etc.

Tomorrow is a rest day in Bogota to explore the city.