Brenden Anders´ diary from MotoQuest´s
Colombia Valleys of the Andes Motorcycle Adventure
February 7th 2014:
Spent most of my day with Mike making sure bikes and other arrangements were set. We reviewed the Hotel list and route to make sure everything is set.
Met two Canadians on GS1200's who started in LA and have traveled through Mexico and Central America. They have just crossed the Darien via ferry this week. They are spending some time in Cali to do some repairs and take in the sights. The Canadians met up with a local Panamanian on a V-strom while waiting for the ferry. The three will travel together through Colombia and will likely part ways soon. I joined the three moto travelers for dinner last night. After weeks of the local cuisines they took me to a Chinese restaurant! We all had a laugh at our situation, two Canadians, 1 American and 1 Panamanian eating Chinese food in Colombia and talking about German motorcycles.
February 8th 2014:
more GPS work today after going over the routes with Mike yesterday.
Said goodbye to the Canadians and Panamanian. Had a walk around Cali today. Colombia truly runs on two wheels. The streets are buzzing with small CC motorcycles and scooters. Bald tires, no real gear except the required by law helmets, most of which do not have the chin strap done. 75cc-250cc being the majority of machines on the road. All brands represented; I have seem Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Triumph, BMW, Ducati, Aprilia, Pulsar and countless emblems and brands I do not recognize from the states. There is a moto shop on every street. The shops are cramped and disorganized, no motorcycle lifts or proper tools just sweat and Colombian ingenuity. I used the restroom in one of these shops and noticed the mirror was framed by a 17 inch Kenda K270 tire. It had plenty of tread left. Made me wonder how long until they tear down the mirror to use that tire....