Bienvenido a Colombia. We arrived into Medellin in the dark and rain. The rain in the evening is fairly typical here given the cities location. Colombia is on the equator, with Medellin being about 660 miles (1100 kms) north of the equator. The city is at the valley floor at 5,000 feet (1,524 meters) surrounded by the Andes mountains, rising at points up to 10,000 feet ( 3,000 meters) above sea level. The vegetation is lush and tropical and the average temperatures in the city don’t require heat or air conditioning, year round. What has totally surprised me is the lack of bugs. The occasional ants but nothing flying but bees. Windows can be left open year round letting you enjoy the beautiful weather.
Our trip from the airport was with a suicidal taxi driver. The airport is out of town about about 22km. This is because of the mountains surrounding the city making an approach with a big jet into the valley impossible. Our driver raced off the mountain, passing where there was any kind of space and coming perilously close to other vehicles often enough to elicit squeals out of Melanie and temporary periods of breath holding. It was wicked. After the ride from hell we got dropped in front of our AirBNB, to a locked door and standing in a light drizzle. Luckily the owner soon arrived and let us in. The place was very, maybe rustic is a good word. But, at $20 per night, it fit the budget. Oh well, we’re tough motorcycle overlanders and we can handle anything. This is where you chuckle. They are working on the place and it will be nicer in a few years. Many of the local places to eat were closed and we found a 24 hour arepas restaurant. The food was okay and it filled our stomachs. Better hunting will happen later.
Our first full days on the ground started with a good coffee and breakfast. This is the day for me to register with the Colombian government allowing me to own a motorcycle. This is called a RUNT. The registration follows you and your vehicle, allowing anyone to see your insurance and driving history. It’s a fairly straightforward process made easier is you can speak Spanish, because almost no one speaks English here. I finally got the paperwork done and went to pay for it, but you must pay at a specific bank. I have no idea where to go. Finally I find out that the bank is 800 meters down the hill. Everything here is hill and walking anywhere means exercise. But the weather is beautiful, so no worries. We find the bank, pay and congratulate ourselves that that was so easy. NOT!!! More on that later.
I had been looking at a particular motorcycle online for about 2 weeks. It was a trade-in on a car at Top Cars of Medellin. It was a, wait for it, 2008 Suzuki VStrom 650. We went to the car dealership and checked it out. Beside a couple fixable issues, it looked good. I had a plan to pay for motorcycle by transferring cash from one of my bank accounts in the US to a money transfer service to myself and receiving the money at the bank. Well, the banks and the US have an issue with doing that into Colombia. Some ignorant idea that everyone is going down to buy drugs, or something. After a frustrating night trying to figure this out we formulated a plan, and it worked. It took about five days, but we got the motorcycle paid for. The liability insurance, or SOAT, is also attached to vehicles, and the VStrom had insurance that was good through February 2023. The man, Pedro, we were dealing with spoke English and was very patient, helpful and reassuring throughout the entire process. Most of the waiting happened over the weekend and the Epiphany Holiday so that gave us lots of free time to explore Medellin.
Our Airbnb was located in a very green and quiet area. We were a quick 10-minute walk to restaurants, breweries and all the action. It felt very safe and we walked everywhere even in the night. The place where I bought the motorcycle was about 2 km away. They were motorcycle shops and Suzuki dealerships everywhere. I chose one by the mall and they were super accommodating, even though no one in the dealership spoke English. We did all of our communicating via Google translate and WhatsApp. While out running around one afternoon we came across a small bar, the Barrica Cervecera. We happened to be the only ones in there, except for the girl who would wait on us who had just opened up. Her name was Leffer Alvarez. She was so much fun and we had a good couple hours there drinking and eating their fantastic bowls.
Later that evening we walked back downtown just to check things out at night. The lights and outside seating were what we were looking for. And we found it. We sat in a couple places having a drinks and people watching, then found a place for pizza, the Vulcano Pizzeria. Again, the waitress was fun even though she spoke no English. We goofed around and had some of the best pizza I’ve ever had.
After a couple days we met up with Albert Crutcher, aka “100 Cups Colombia“. He is a Scotsman and has lived in Medellin for about 18 years. He has a beautiful apartment up the mountains, about a thousand feet in elevation higher. We met for coffee one morning and had a great visit and it felt like old friends coming to chat. His YouTube channel is great, covering so much more than just coffee. Give it a listen. A couple nights later we met him at a wonderful restaurant The Lucio Carbón y Vino that he frequents and had a fantastic meal of steak. I really can’t say enough about this whole area that we have been to. It is all very hilly and very green.
Check in next time to see if we ever get to buy the Suzuki.
Cheers,
2WANDRRs
2WANDRRs 
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