[YEAR 7!] Quit our jobs, sold our home, gone riding...
- Thread starter lightcycle
- Start date
lightcycle
Nomad
Thanks!
Yeah, I saw that. We were in Panajachel and took the gravel road north-east back to the Pan-American. That road is south-west around the island and is notorious for bandits. I suspect it's the same two guys that's been terrorizing the area for years. Surprised no one's bothered to take the time to track them down.
I suspect the reason they do so well on that road is that there is very little traffic (since most people take the ferry across) so the chances of a robbery being foiled by another vehicle passing through are pretty slim.
lightcycle
Nomad
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/127.html on December 5th, 2013
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:
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:
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!
lightcycle
Nomad
Haha, you must think very highly of my ability to get timely pictures, videos and posts up... Check out the dates on the most "recent" posts... :hehe:
lightcycle
Nomad
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/128.html on December 10th, 2013
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 watched the beaches of Taganga shrink 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 watched the beaches of Taganga shrink 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!
lightcycle
Nomad
lightcycle
Nomad
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/129.html on December 13th, 2013
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
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...
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
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...
lightcycle
Nomad
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/130.html on December 21st, 2013
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 many 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 many 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!
freedomrider
Ordinary average guy
I remember a BBC show from several decades ago (I think it was an episode of Nature) that highlighted the Kogi culture and lore. I was fascinated by the show and watched it several times. It seems somebody's posted the whole episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnLX9pdKuEg. It no doubt pales in comparison to being there first hand but it's a first rate production nonetheless.
I started reading this thread soon after you started it. I stand in awe that each new post is not only still fresh, but remains just as interesting as the first few pages. Thanks for the intriguing read. I hope you both plan to continue your journey to the other 5 continents!
Regards,
Mike
I started reading this thread soon after you started it. I stand in awe that each new post is not only still fresh, but remains just as interesting as the first few pages. Thanks for the intriguing read. I hope you both plan to continue your journey to the other 5 continents!
Regards,
Mike
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 Kogi 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.