The view from the ferry approaching the business district of Cartagena.
Near the port, Cartagena.
Entrance gate, old city , Cartagena.
Typical street, old city. It's a U.N. world heritage site.
Locals in park, old city.
Girl in park.
On the road south towards Medellin, traveling with Polo, a Spanish overlander. Lunch stop. There are usually set meals (comida corrida) at a good price, including soup. They are big meals! Cost is about $4.00.
Gassing up. Price about same as home.
Arrived in Medellin. Old church near downtown. Nice city!
Cathedral, central Medellin.
Colombianos.
A Sunday afternoon in the park.
Art work, downtown Medellin.
Police confiscating liquor, downtown. There was a big police presence in the downtown area.
Coffee vendor. Of course, good coffee in Colombia.
BMW motorcycle dealership in Medellin, "Ruta 40 BMW" I needed a major tuneup, had some electrical problems. They were able to sort things out and get me on my way.
Juan the service manager.
Mauricio, the owner, has traveled extensively in the Americas. As a traveler, you get immediate service here, in and out on the same day if possible.
Took the motorcycle on a trial run high in the mountainside above Medellin.
A little mix of smog and mist. Beautiful valley setting!
Bike running well, ready to continue south.
On the road over the mountains, out of the valley, on my way south to Popayan. The mountain roads were good, but heavy truck traffic. The double no passing lines were a suggestion only.Really need to be careful on these roads.
Misty mountain village.
Result of cornering too fast.
Breakfast stop
Breakfast, hot chocolate, arepas (corn or wheat flour bread) and sausage omelette. $3.00-4.00 U.S.
Restaurant in a small hamlet.
Climbing in the Andes, great valley views, the road winding along the ridge top left.
Cattle crossing.
Ran into some rain near Popayan.
Harvesting sugar cane, outside of Popayan, Colombia.
Church off the central plaza, Popayan, an old Spanish colonial town and U.N. world heritage site. One of the nicest colonial era towns in South America.
Couple watching the world go by, in the plaza.
Typical side street, Popayan.
Early December, Santa was here. In Colombia, Christmas in celebrated all of December.
The street where I stayed, under renovation. The "Colonial Hotel", on the right.
The interior courtyard, with room for the bike.
In the Andes, south of Popayan, twisty mountain road, beautiful views.
Toll booth, bikes ride for free.
Una buena vista!!
A Catholic Shrine to the Virgin Mary, just north of the Ecuador border in Colombia. A spectacular setting!
Crossed into Ecuador. The view over Otavalo, south of the frontier.
Pan American highway through Otavalo. Incredible new highways in Ecuador.
Plaza central Otavalo.
My accommodation, a few kms up in the hills above Otavalo.
The view!
Left Otavalo south to Riobamba. The train station.
Indigenous lady selling coconut drinks to kids.
On the way south to the Peruvian border, descending the from the altiplano to the Pacific coast.
Terrific views, paintbrush skies.
Snow capped volcanoes.
Again, great roads! And nice weather!
The highway cut along side of the mountains.
Steep drops, the temperature rising.
Across the border in Peru, north of Tumbes, on the Pacific.
A dry arid coastline, all the way to the Chilean border.
The pan American is in great shape, lots of new construction.
Stark beauty.
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| The cold Humbolt Current offshore makes for a steady cool wind. The ocean water temperature is also quite cool. |
A city square in Chiclayo, 2-300 kms along the coast.
Roadside lunch stop. Food good and very cheap.
Countless seaside photo opportunities!
At Nazca, southern Peruvian coast, site of the Nazca lines.
Figures drawn in the desert by indigenous people prior to Spanish conquest.
Figures.
The road outside of Nazca Peru. Bone dry, on the north side of the Atacama Desert of Chile.
The central Plaza in the town of Nazca. The Christmas tree in the center.
Coastal Peru is crossed by river valleys which provide welcoming green breaks from the surrounding desert. Here, the land produces rich agricultural fare of all types.
Sea view, continuous fabulous beaches, but cool winds and cold waters.
Another river valley to be traversed.
And up again along the dry plains.
At the Chilean border. Patagonia beckons at its south.
The route from Cartagena on the Caribbean coast to the Chilean border at Tacna.
