Colombia de despedida

I depart Medellin on a quiet Sunday somewhat melancholy and my sights set on the southern border. The bike responds effortlessly to my commands as if to thank me for the maintenance I performed on her in Medellin. After thousands of pavement miles on knobbies and a soft rear suspension I welcome the predictability of the fresh Scorpions and heavier rear spring. I hammer through the twisties contemplating the significance of each in the context of a trip that began with the Espinosa del Diablo and continues as I get deeper into the Andes entering Ecuador. I reach Cali with great efficiency and was welcomed by Mike and the gang at Casablanca Hostal. I run into Marco, a backpacker from Quebec, it turns out we made similar choices to explore Latin America in lieu of our careers. We have beers and compare our war stories. As it was, most of Marco’s belongings were stolen off his bus en route to Cali so I helped him get through the grieving stage, burp. It was great meeting you, Marco! I regret not getting to sample the offerings at Mike’s new microbrewery, Roosters, but the road was calling. A cool night in Pasto was to be my last stay in Colombia. Known for its Carnaval de Negros y Blancos, I resist the urge to stay another night in the city and head for Ecuador. But not before a quick stop in the border town of Ipiales to see the famous Las Lajas Sanctuary. As I approach the last peaje before the border, I’m reminded of why I like Colombia so much, “Motocicletas a la derecha”, I just love that. The moto culture in Latin America is something of a novelty to me but Colombia is just special, I will miss it. There’s not many pics from this leg of the trip as riding gave way to camera work.