Adios Colombia

I am back on the road again working my way towards the border of Colombia and Ecuador. Once again I am a solo rider which suits me fine since I have had to put in a few long riding days. 

The first 7 hour day took me from Medellin to Cali and I am still amazed at the beauty of this country.  

The second day was supposed to be shorter as I was heading from Cali to a town called Pasto. But I have learnt always to expect the unexpected. First of all there is no such thing as a straight road in these countries so you usually only average 60-80 Kph.  And you can also expect significant traffic winding it's way throughout these mountain roads.

Unfortunately due to the slow going, patience becomes lost on some drivers and accidents happen. I came upon this head-on accident around 4 o'clock and only 35 km from my final destination. As you can see from the below picture traffic was backed up for hours. The positive side of riding a bike in these countries is you just bypass all the traffic and go to the front of the line and wait.

Well after my second long day I was all  set up for a short 60km ride to the Ecuador border. But prior to heading there I wanted to drop by and see Las Lajas Cathedral. The Cathedral itself is only 10 minutes from the border in a town called Potosi.

It is quite an engenering marvel as it spans over a deep river gorge. 

Well as I said earlier adios Colombia, It is time for me to hope on my bike and explore the next country.  

Just the stats and nothing but the stats

For something completely different (and because I won't have any fresh pictures for a few days) I thought I would post some of my blog stats.  Below is the country listing of where the love is coming from for my blog. Common people lets get a world wide competition going on. Who wants to be the big dog! Pageviews by Countries Entry Pageviews Canada 2165 United States 975 Colombia 131 Russia 107 Guatemala 100 Panama 71 Belize 58 Nicaragua 58 Peru 56 Germany 44

Pageviews by Operating Systems

Entry Pageviews Windows 2142 (52%) Macintosh 735 (18%) iPhone 505 (12%) iPad 395 (9%) Android 141 (3%) BlackBerry 86 (2%) Linux 41 (1%) iPod 2 (<1%) PlayBook 1 (<1%) Other Unix 1 (<1%)

The Cocaine Capital

As beautiful as the city is it is hard to hide the history of drugs and violence associated with Medellin. Throughout the 80's and 90's it was the headquarters for the Medellin drug cartel ran by the infamous Pablo Escobar. 

Pablo Escobar was murdered a day after his 40th birthday when it was discovered that he was hiding out at his aunts house . He was gunned down when trying to escape through the back window. Pablo was being hunted by many groups, all of who laid claim to being responsible for finally finding out his whereabouts .

At one time Pablo owned over 500 properties within Colombia all of which remain empty to this day even though 20 years has passed. All his buildings were white to represent the colour of cocaine. 

The drug traffic in Colombia is still prevalent but is no longer under the control of the cartel. The control has shifted to the paramilitary groups within the country and into the hills of the Darien Gap. 

There is another grave of note near Pablo Escobar and that is of Griselda Blanco  (otherwise know as The Cocaine Godmother). If Pablo Escobar was the king of the Medellin Cartel she was the queen. If you google her name you will see she was one of the most ruthless women in the drug cartel. She was also called by the name of the Blackwidow as she had a habit of killing her husbands.

Medellin of today is a far contrast from  the past, the streets are now lined with cafe's, shops and a constant hive of activity. It has quickly become my favourite city to date, and by the look of all the foreigners making it their new home I am not alone in this feeling.

El Penol (The Stone)

One of the reasons I wanted to come to Medellin was due to its relative closeness to El Penol. I read about it prior to arriving and new I wanted to see this anomaly in the surrounding landscape.

El Penol is located about 1.5 hours Northeast of  Medellin just outside of the appropriately named town of El Penol.

The area was flooded in the past to create a reservoir and now has become a popular weekend destination for Medellin. It is similar to cabin country back home with marinas and homes throughout the waterway.

The unique thing about  El Penol is it is nothing like the surrounding area? It is just one big stone in the middle of rolling clay based land. 

To turn it into a popular tourist destination they laboured to create 649 steps out of concrete for anyone to climb for an amazing view. You have to feel for the labourers that carried all the cement and water to create these steps.

You can see what I see.

Sometimes it's hard to explain some of the things I see each and everyday while crossing a country. Whether it is the people or scenery, each day brings on a new experience. 

I decided to post some random pictures from across Colombia to give you a feel of what may pass by my eyes on any given day.

Landscape

The Working People

The Medellin Metro Train Station links the city from North to South

At the north end of the city the Metro Train connects to the  Metro Cable

The purpose of the Metro Cable was to provide a link for the people of the barrios to come from the hillside into the city to work. 

I am currently staying in the Zona Rosa neighbourhood within the financial district. The area is lined with bars restaurants and cafes and is the playground of Meddellin's more affluent . When you take the cable car over the barrios you see with your own eyes the difference between the upper and lower class which is absolutely staggering.

And finally you just see some plane odd things. 

I guess vanity is prevalent throughout the world! If anyone wants me to order them a his and hers girdle set just let me know. 

Catedral de Sal ( Cathedral of Salt)

The Cathedral de Sal is a Roman Catholic church built within the tunnels of a salt mine 200 meters underground.

The salt mine is located in the mountain town of Zipaquira.

Throughout the mine you find crosses carved out of the salt mine

This image was taken from above the Cathedral area where people come to pray.

Tribute to the miners