JourneyRider

Getting my bike fixed in Medellin (12/16-12/28/07)

While researching my motorcycle's problem on the internet a Colombian motorcycle mechanic named Tiberio advised me not to have my motorcycle fixed in Cartegena because it would be the end of my bike if I did. He offered to come pick my bike up and take it back to his shop in Medellin (450 miles away) so he could fix it. After a little thinking the situation over I decided that it was better to pay to have my bike shipped all the way to Medellin rather than risk a poorly qualifed mechanic in Cartegena trying to fix the bike.

Tiberio kindly came and picked the bike and I up with his truck. Tiberio was about 60 and had worked in the U.S. as a BMW motorcycle mechanic for a few years. His English was really good and on the long ride to Medellin we talked about motorcycle traveling and about the tyrant Pablo Escobar!

(Tiberio's truck and the local kids in San Onofre)

Tiberio met Pablo by accident when he stopped to fill up at a gas station 20 years ago.
Apparently, Pablo was short and stocky unlike the Hollywood movies. Tiberio told me that after his death it was discovered that he used a hollowed out milk truck to travel around Colombia secretly.

(dangerous form of hitchhiking)

(A nice view on the way)

Tiberio and I arrived at Moto Angel (the motorcycle shop) and met the friendly staff at the shop. There was Hectar the manager, Carlos the mechanic, Camillo the assistant mechanic, and Jimmy the other assistant mechanic. Carlos gave me a nice Colombia bracelet and pin.

(L to R: Hectar, Mexican motorcyclist, Tiberio, Me with the cool socks, Carlos, Andrew)

Next, I went to Hostal Medellin, where I stayed for the next week. At the hostal I met a nice Australian  guy named Andrew who was doing the same trip as me on his 1994 Kawasaki KLR. There was also a nice Swiss couple who showed up later at the Hostal (Martin & Katia). They started their trip in
Argentina and were on there way up to Panama. Martin (a mechanichal engineer) was rebuilding his 1988 Honda Africa Twin's engine himself at Moto Angel. His girlfriend Katia was riding a 1999 Suzuki DR 650.

After a week my bike was fixed and I took off for Bogota, but was unpleasantly surprised to see that the same problem was still happening. I returned to Moto Angel and decided that with the extra time needed to fix my bike, I should look for a solution to my luggage problem on my bike. My sole remaining BMW plast side case had fallen off the bike while riding a couple times. The plastic around the metal reinforced mounting tabs had started to rip off.

(My high quality BMW luggage cases)

After much debating I decided to buy some used aluminum panniers from Moto Angel and change the mounts so they would fit my racks. This was much more work than I thought it would be, but fortuntely my Swiss friend Martin (the mechanical engineer) helped me out by giving me directions on what to do and lending me tools. Martin made his own panniers and they were quite impressive because they were elliptical in shape and one of the lids had a built in folding stand so that it could be used as a table.

For my last few days in Medellin I couchsurfed with a very nice Colombian family in the suburb
Acevedo. My host Giovanny was a great guy and really made me feel at home with the rest of his family. I had a chance to practice my Spanish because no one else in his family spoke English. Finally, after 2 weeks in Medellin, I left early in the morning to Bogota and my bike ran like a charm.

Christmas dinner at the Hostal

I thought that this Christmas would be pretty lonely but with the friends I made at the hostel it was very nice.

Exploring the beautiful land of Colombia and my bike breaking down (12/04-12/15/07).

After leaving the rough port city of Turbo (located in the northwest) I set out for Cartegena. My friend Tomas (was a nice 21 year old English teacher in Turbo who helped me get my motorcycle papers at the customs building) rode on the bike with me. He needed a ride to Barranquilla to visit his mother and I needed him to help me get my papers in Cartegena.

Little did I know that the road from Turbo to the next major city was nearly all dirt and gravel with pot holes the size of a small car! With 2 people the bike sits a lot lower to the ground and every pot hole or speed bump becomes hazard to the bottom of your engine. We made are way painfully slow for the first 100 miles.

Before we got to the next mjor city I noticed that my bike was leaking oil. I pulled over to an internet cafe and researched what the problem could be for a few hours. The trip that was supposed to take 1 day to Cartegena ended up taking 3 because my bike`s problem became progressively worse. At first the bike was leaking oil, than the oil mysteriously stopped leaking and the check engine light came on. I kept topping the bike off with engine oil (even know there was no evident leak the oil level kept going down) to get rid of the check engine light. Finally, the check engine light refused to turn off and Tomas and I were forced to stop in the small town of San Onofre which is only 60 kms before Cartegena! (grrr)

I had managed to spend all of my money and Toma´s too on oil for my bike that day. I assumed that there would be an atm along the way, but there was nothing but tiny towns between Monteria and San Onofre (it is a 100 miles between them). Since darkness was approaching Tomas and I were forced to seek help at houses nearby. After knocking on a few doors we found a very nice family who let us sleep on hammocks in their enclosed backyard. They also gave us food and a safe place to store my bike for the night.

My crazy adventure crossing the Darien Gap (11/18-12/03/07)

To be updated.