Colombia

It is such a pity that news about Colombia in modern times has been dominated by the likes of Pablo Escobar, the Medellin drug cartel as well as the 50 year war with FARC. This is so not the real picture of Colombia. Today Escobar is dead and a peace deal has been signed with the FARC who are disarming and being brought into the mainstream Colombian society.

It is a country of stunning beauty, a vibrant economy, a rich culture and very friendly people who go out of their way to help a foreigner.

I spent 5 days is Cartagena getting my land legs after the time spent onboard the Stahlratte.

Cartagena has so much to offer from the very modern to the old walled city that has withstood  not only the passage of time since its founding by the Spanish in the early 16th century but also numerous attacks by the dastardly British. 

Fruit seller

The Magdalena River at over 1500 kms is Colombias longest and most important river, draining a vast swampland and providing transportation inland. I decided to explore part of this huge area by taking roads and ferries to the old colonial town of Mompox which at one time was a very important market town before the river shifted and left it literally out of the mainstream. This town, like many in this part of the world boasts that Simon Bolivar passed through it on his way to liberate Venezuela from the Spanish in the early 1800s 

Entrance to Mompox market

Bored angels on church wall

The road east out of Mompox needed a few repairs

Once I hit the main road on the eastern side of the country I had nearly 800 kms to ride to the capital Bogota, mainly through the sweltering heat and humidity of the lowlands of the Magdalena River valley. At the town of Honda the road follows a tortuous route out of the valley into the Colombian Andes to the capital of Bogotá at an altitude of over 8600 ft. It was not long before I was complaining about the cold. 

Gas station attendants love my bike

Road signs along the way

The main reason to go to Bogotá was so I could obtain a Brazilian visa. Filling in the online form has definitely been my biggest challenge of the trip so far. ( I HATE any type of official form and this one confirmed just why that is the case) Anyway at the time of writing my passport and $200 is in the hands of the Brazilian Embassy and so now I wait. ( anywhere from 2 days to 3 weeks)

Bogotá, the sprawling city of more than 8 million people as seen from Monserrate. 

I decided to hike the top of this mountain on a public holiday when it seemed that most the city had the same idea. A hard hike at this altitude and stairs that climbed the mountain for 2000 meters in a fairy short distance - I suppose I could have taken the funicular but just seeing all the locals buying food and drink at all the little food stands on the way up was well worth the effort. I have no idea how you do that hike with a bellyful of beer, chicken kebabs, cheesecake and other unrecognizable delights.