COOKING AND BRAAAAPING AROUND THE WORLD: SALENTO COLOMBIA

DAY-117

2/29/2012

Alright let’s try this again, check out, grab taxi, arrive at Africa Moto, and talk with Alex. Sweet good to go, I load up the bike, pay my bill; get a few pictures with Alex. As we are taking the pictures next to my bike, he yells out AMERICA HELL YEAH!!! Ugh you’re going to get me beat up.. hahaha I get my directions out of Medellin and head for the hills. I realize right off my suspension is much better but also very very stiff. I will have to play with it once I make it to my next destination. As I make my way-out of town I come up on a slow car and truck, put my blinker on and go to pass the car and then the truck. Nope the car swings out I slam the breaks and see a huge what car about to side swipe me into the wall. Nothing I can do so I lean my wait toward the car ready for impact…..nothing…. somehow by the grace of the moto Gods he missed me. I finally pass both of them and get out of there not to stoked but no need to get my panties in a bunch just keep riding and smiling. I ride up into the mountains twisting my way through up up up, and then down down down. I dump into a beautiful valley with rivers everywhere, brown ones. I stop for lunch and to walk around get the blood flowing doc’s orders. I make my way hugging the base of mountains, just dancing through. It starts to drizzle and I flick my hand warmers on first time using them in a long long time. I start to head up into the mountains again, now it is raining pretty solid only for a few minutes at a time then it stops. It goes from rain to drop back and forth for about an hour. I do not get lost; the roads are marked awesome here.

I ride this small paved road up into the hills, and finally dump out into a nice little coffee town, all I can do is small it feels very piece and relaxing. I find the hostel that I had been told about from my friend Cosmo from home, they set me up with a bed for 10 bucks and safe gated parking. I grab a cup of coffee and make some noodles (I was starving and cold from the rain). As I am sitting there a couple walks in and its Robin and Miet from Belgium, they have been traveling from the US by a Mitsubishi 4x4 van. I have met them randomly in San Blas-Mex, Puerto Escondido-Mex, Panama City-Pan, and now Salento-Colombia. They invited me to throw in on some Lasagna, wine, apple crisp dinner. We hung out all night with some really cool people and talked and shared stories. The food was awesome and good company. Tomorrow I am signed up for a coffee tour, should be interesting.