Bucaramanga

As we continue north, our progress has been slow through this incredibly beautiful mountainous country.  The roads are constantly battered by slides and it is hard to believe that they can keep it open during the rainy season.  We are continually slowed to a halt by construction crews.

We got up early, did some Yoga, had breakfast, and were taken on a walking tour of the property by our host.  As I mentioned, the farm is over 300 years old, so it was a fascinating walk.

Making breakfast.

Carlos, our Caretaker and guide.

Carlos' 13 year old sister, and his wife.

Bamboo grows here in abundance.

Bamboo bridge

Stand of bamboo.

The most curious cows in the world.  They all lined up to look at us.

Tiny chapel.  They host weddings on the property.

The Manager, Jorge and his assistant, the beautiful Rocio (which we found out is Spanish for "dew")

In town, we stopped for some food, but our bikes were too big to fit in the "motorcycle" parking area... so....

...Ruiz, the security guard was more than happy to look after us.

We ended up getting on the road late, about 1:00 pm, and ran into some awful traffic coming through the city.  After a couple hours fighting bumper to bumper, we left the city, but rode for less then 50 km before coming to a huge traffic jam that was a complete standstill.  

All motorcycles here "lane split" which means we ride between the cars and trucks.  Even the police do it.  However, our bikes are way larger than the locals, so we get some scared looks from people in their cars as we scrape by their mirrors.  

As we slowly made our way past the stalled trucks, it became apparent that they had been here for a while, as the locals were all out in force, selling water, pop, juice and snacks to the people in line.  

We commented that the locals seem to take this kind of thing with a grace and acceptance that is not apparent in North America.  People back home would have been angry and impatient.  Here, they get out of their vehicles and talk to one another.

We rode through the traffic for 2-3 km, and since it was approaching 6:00 pm, we were lucky (again) to find a wonderful Eco-camp just off the road.  

Once again, for some reason, we are the ONLY guests, in a hotel that could serve 300 or more guests.  It's was eerie sitting down for supper last night, in an enormous, empty restaurant, deep in the heart of the Colombian jungle.

Troy and Darren, blogging away in our empty hotel.