The ride out from Medellin was both exhilarating and annoying. The road itself runs along the ridge line, with sheer drops to either side. The annoying part is that the road is under construction and the work crews have to alternately stop traffic in either direction. When they stop traffic, they do it for long stretches and can be up to a 45 minute wait until you are released. The good part is that the motorcycles are released first, and since my engine is 6-10 times larger than the average bike here, I can shoot out front with little difficulty, then I have the entire twisty ridge line to myself, which is fantastic. Unfortunately, I can not stop and take pictures as traffic will catch me and then I have traffic issues. The buses are the worst of the lot, they fly through those mountain passes, towns, school zones. etc with reckless abandon. I am surprised that there are not more wrecked buses laying at the bottom of ravines.
I rolled into the mountain town of Manizales just after lunch today. The town was built as part of the coffee business, before automobiles were popular, so the roads are thin and unidirectional, making for a very quaint atmosphere.
I am heading off to Bogota in the morning. My first experience with AirBnB, so we will see how that goes.
Trip Summary
Today's Leg: 136 miles
Total Distance Traveled: 5,615 miles
Total Borders Crossed: 8
Total Countries Visited: 9
Total Times Stopped by the Police/Tickets Issued: 6/0
Shaken Down by the Police/Police Success Rate: 2/0
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