Day 3
35,263 – 35,453 190 Miles today (12,690 Miles Overall)
Bogota, Colombia —-> Tatacoa Desert, Colombia
I woke up at about 6 today and started loading the bike up straight away. The sun rises here super early and sets at about 5:45PM so I think early morning starts are going to be a thing until the clocks change here if they ever do. Packing up my panniers this morning made me realize how much a few extra things really changes how packed my panniers are. On this trip Im living on the wild side since I brought 2 pairs of jeans since im pretty sure ill be wearing them alot with the weather being colder on this leg. I also brought an extra pair of heated gloves but im thinking I might send a pair back and just deal with the cold down south if my heaters don’t work anymore. I brought some workout bands which seem to be taking up a bit of space here too. I can barely close my panniers and my top box had maybe 20-25 lbs of shit in it which isn’t good.
I loaded up the bike and handed the keys back to the front desk art Daniellas apartment complex. The bike is so damn heavy with everything on it, feels much heavier than last time but it also didnt help coming from a bike that weighed maybe 70 pounds lighter all summer. I typed in Tatacoa Desert on the GPS and hit the road. I hit too much traffic in Bogota this morning which wasnt expecting. I hate cities. GPS had me arriving at about 2:10pm (or time to beat) so I had a long ride ahead of me. I took a route Daniella recommended which went by her farm but the fog was so damn thick for about the first 2 hours of the ride with rain and it sucked. I just wanted to get the hell out of it and in some clear weather if there was going to be any. The route I took had some gorgeous windy roads on a gorge with some wild rivers. I didnt stop because of the rain to take any pics. The bike was feeling normal again and I was getting used to it. Just heavy.
All the new gear felt great. Klim jacket held up and kept me dry in the rain along with the new helmet not leaking any water in through the shield. Very happy about this.
I hit about 10k feet at one point and the temps were dropping down to about 50. Thick thick fog with more rain along that part of the ride. The smells and views are coming back to me. All the burning smells reminds me of being in Serbia as a kid. Seeing everyone live their lives on the sides of the roads as im passing through small towns was fun to watch again. So many little motorcycles with 2-3 people on them, no one wearing helmets. Love it.
Finally started to descend out of the mountains and the altitude was dropping fast and the temps were rising. Next thing I know its about 86 degrees out and humid as hell. I want the cold back! I almost killed myself trying to put out my highway pegs I just installed yesterday so I can stretch my legs on these long rides. As im playing with the pegs sliding them out so I can use them I look up and there’s a car doing about 30 and im doing 80 on the highway. Just missed killing myself there. Great. Also I love how people on the highways here go from 60mph or so to almost a dead stop because there’s a small bump in the road. Cmon people!
I found my old gos tracks from the last trip and turned down a dirt path to a small town called Pata where I hopped on a ferry for 10K Colombian Pesos. Once off the ferry I had about a 40 minute ride on dirt roads through some river crossings to get to the desert. IM just praying I can get to Quito for new tires without me getting a flat here since the tread on my rear is pretty low right now. I stopped for a few pictures and enjoyed the view for a little bit. Its so weird going from Brooklyn to Tatacoa desert in nearly two days all alone. The views of the mountain far in the distance with thick fog and clouds floating above them was beautiful. No one around for miles with some peace and quiet finally was really refreshing. Feeling very vulnerable out here all alone but it feels good.
I found the hostel I stayed at last time, checked into my room and went back into VillaVieja to get a big lunch at a fancy little spot. Im trying to blow all my money sooner than later because I was expecting to stay in Colombia for about 10-15 days before I went to Ecuador but my plans changed so I have to get rid of this cash! Had some grilled rabbit for lunch with a tasty homemade cake. Went back to my hostel where I dipped in the pool and then I put my hammock up between the trees and read on my kindle for a few hours in between dozing off for a few naps. I decided to get my new Sony camera and go walk around the desert to get some shots of it for you guys and to try to figure this camera out. I have no idea what im doing with photography. I don’t have an eye for it like these other people. Props to you.
I walked around the desert for about 2 hours and enjoyed where I was and this new relaxing life with no schedules anymore. So weird how it goes from chaotic busy to pure freedom. Im so thankful I get to experience this at such a young age and I try to remember that as much as I can everyday which is sometimes every hour of my day. I walked back to my hostel where I read for a bit more. Skipping dinner for sure. I don’t quite have an appetite here so just trying to eat once or twice a day for now. Im unpacking most of my gear and rearranging everything so I can not have as much crap in my top box and I also topped up my oil since I didnt put enough in yesterday.
Just another day with nothing very exciting thankfully! Looking forward to getting out of Colombia since my TIP for my bike is expired and if I get busted at the border ill be in a shit ton of trouble so just excited to get my ass out of Colombia and into Quito for those new tires and the trip will get really fun once I get south of Quito where everything is new.
$10,000 pesos
Taking the dirt road into Tatacoa Desert.
Roasted rabbit. Delicious
Some homemade dessert
