I had planned on taking the Metro and one of their associated cable cars to go pick up the bike but decided against it after the previous day's experience on the Metro. I was in no mood to cram myself and my luggage into a train car today.

The hotel called a cab for me. I entered the cab and closed the door normally not realizing how flimsy Colombian cars are made. It closed with a loud bang and the driver admonished me for slamming his door and kindly educated me that this is considered violence in Colombia. I was expertly whisked through Monday morning Medellin traffic and 30 minutes later I was at my destination a refreshing 500 metres higher up than downtown Medellin and away from all the maddening traffic. I paid the driver his fare of COP 26,000 and on he went.

Bike handover was straightforward and the young mechanic forgot to get the US $500 deposit from me. The bike rental was actually a bit expensive but the other cheaper options were Colombian bikes made from Chinese parts and I didn't want to take the risk of an unknown bike breaking down on me on such a short trip. At least the Versys 300 has a fairly good reputation. The daily cost was US $65/day including mandatory SOAT (Colombian liability and injury insurance), top case, phone holder and charger and crash bars, etc. But no insurance for the bike itself. I rented from Colombia Motorcycle Adventures run by Jeff Cremer originally from the US.

Kawasaki Versys 300 X




I didn't want to drive back through Medellin on my first day so I headed north with the aid of my trusty phone and Google Maps. I was feeling liberated once again driving in a place where rules of the road for motorcycles are merely a suggestion. The traffic was actually quite light and I didn't sense any angry aggression. After about 15 minutes I arrived at my first toll booth and everything came to a grinding halt. The road was closed for the next 20 minutes to allow for road work.

I sat in the heat and we finally were allowed to proceed. For some strange reason they held all the motos back and let the trucks and cars go first. Maybe they thought we enjoy the challenge of catching up to and passing slower vehicles. The road was under construction almost all the way to Santa Fe De Antioquia but otherwise very scenic with lots a twisties. I was losing altitude quite rapidly and I could feel the heat intensifying with every passing minute. I came up behind a bus and prepared to pass when it suddenly slowed down and I noticed there was oncoming traffic. I locked up the rear wheel and realized I had to get used to the bike first before becoming too adventurous.

From Santa Fe De Antioquia I headed south on Ruta 25 and made a lunch stop when I spotted a little road side place. My first taste of Arepas stuffed with meat and eggs. Two of those little beasts filled my up quite nicely for COP 5000.

Beautiful stretch of highway on Ruta 25



Ruta 25 heading south of Santa Fe De Antioquia was basically perfect. Nice swooping curves, pavement that seemed to be no more than a year old and almost devoid of traffic. I came to a crossroads and hadn't decided yet which way to go. I quickly googled Jerico vs Jardin and Jerico came away as the winner. So off I went further along Ruta 25 and sadly discovered that it was being 4 laned with lots of construction going on. At least it was a fairly short section until I turned off to Jerico.

Today's Route



The climb up to Jerico is more how I imagine "third world" country roads. Narrow, twisty but pretty good pavement. I climbed and climbed relentlessly for no more than 15Km but gained so much altitude that the air was downright refreshing and cool at 1910 metres of altitude.

Another quick stop in the shade once I had arrived in Jerico and I saw a hotel that looked interesting on Google Maps. I usually try to find a place on the outskirts of town to avoid potential noise problems. Colombia is chock a block full of hoteles campestres (Country hotels). I ended up at Hotel Villa Palosanto for COP 55,000 including breakfast.

The view from my hotel room




As the sun went low on the horizon I walked the 15 minutes into town for some dinner. It was quite touristy with Colombian tourists milling about and the occasional gringo thrown in for good measure. Nobody bothered me and I had a nice quiet dinner overlooking the square and watching life go by. On the way back to the hotel I got "lost" only to realize I was one house over from the hotel after consulting Google Maps.

What's a ganadero (livestock raiser) to do if he needs a drink



Off to bed at my usual "at home" bedtime at 8:30