| Location: | Popayan, Colombia |
After all the hassle getting the bike into Venezuela no one asked for the documents when we were there and they didn´t even want to check one scrap of papaer for the bike when we left.
Colombian Immigracion managed to squeeze dollars out of us by insisting that we should have a return air ticket out of Colombia or else they could not stamp our passports in. Somehow leaving on a bike was just no good enough.
The ride on the Northern Coast was quick, the road long, straight and in good condition and other that torrential rain and the numerous police check points, nothing extraordinary. The police have been fabulous with us, always interested in the bike and most shaking our hand for visiting Colombia. We stayed the night on the Tyrona coast which is spectacular.
Our ride the next day got us to Caucasia where we met Camilo, Felipe and Diego, GS riders from Medellin. Caucasi to Medellin is the most extraordinary steep mountain road, bend after bend after bend and truck after truck. In places the road is just collapses into ridges and waves, grinding the underneath of the bike. It was a little hair raising, especially coming into Medellin in the dark - but we were riding with guys who knew the road like the back on their hand.
From here to past Cali we had Colombian riders stay with us and get us through the cities. We stayed with Camilo in Medellin and the following day, although our target ride was to Cali, actually got to Popayan about 100 miles further south. We had one check point where they tried to ring through on their mobile phone with our passport numbers to check us out, but gave up when they could not get a signal!
It is the first time that we actually have a little time in hand.
Tomorrow, all being well, we should cross to Ecuador and head for the Equator.
