My first of probably many crashes........ 1/11/26

Today's destination is the beautiful monolth of Guadape.  It started raining as soon as I got on the road which was a bummer but I thought I'd keep going and hopefully it would go away. The carplay unit I purchased in the US was finally starting to make sense and I learned that I did not have to take my gloves off all the time, I just had to press harder to make the screen bigger or smaller and move the car around so I could see where I am. 

Today, I got routed all over the place and onto other roads that were shut down so people could rollerblade, walk, etc. The next thing I knew I was headed up some Bario streets in the small town of El Cabuyal which is Northeast of Medellin. 

Specifically El Presidio area trying to get to the highway 60. The barrios are neighborhoods way up the mountainside and the roads and sidewalks are SUPER STEEP.  Also, to make matters worse it raining quite well and each roads was a fast moving river. 

It was so  crazy and I couldn't believe I was riding almost straight up, the hill was soooo steep. I tried to keep the Revs up and even in first gear I started slowing down and down and it got to the point where it was going to stall. I gave it gas and the rear wheel started spinning and that was all she wrote. The bike went over on the left and I fell down and started sliding down the road and picking up speed. The bike stayed because the kickstand gouged into the road and it held it. I on the other hand was surfing down the street. I must have gone at least 30-40' before I stopped. 

 I could hardly stand up and trying to walk up was very difficult, but I managed to claw myself back to the bike and try to assess the situation.  I'm looking at the bike wondering how the heck am I'm going to get UP or DOWN the hill. It took me about 3 times to get the bike upright and a bicyclist was pushing his bike up the hill and he  stopped to help me. 

 I had managed to get the bike up on one side of the center stand and didn't want to let it over to the other foot as I thought it would continue to fall and make matters worse. He helped keep it upright as I moved the bike so it was pointing uphill and on both feet of the center stand. 

Cars were coming up and down and I was semi blocking the single lane road.  Using the Google translator he said let's try to get it to a spot where cars can get by. So the plan was to fire it up. Keep it in 1st and we'd push it off the stand and I'd try to walk/run it up the hill until I could find a place to pull over. I tell you I couldn't even breath because of the altitude. I went a little and stop, a little more and stop and continued until I found a semi level spot where I stopped to catch my breath. My head was throbbing and my leg was killing me.  and I thought I should find a medical place to get checked out. 

 The bicyclist told me to turn around and go back down. I looked at the map and was like, shit dude, I'm super close to highway 60. He said he would follow me and that the road would get even MORE steep and then NO ROAD and just muddy, swampy and it was nasty rocky as well with huge dips and muddy river flowing down with all the rain but I managed to get through all the way to the 60 road. 

The photos are of a tame area of the muddy part. At times it was a muddy river.  I'm so mad that I did not get a photo with him. I will remember his face forever though.    

Where I entered 60 it was like a freeway, vehicles were ripping up and down and I had to get across and head up.  The rain was terrible and finally I got to the cut off to Guadape.  I had a MASSIVE headache, my leg was killing me from something that happened during the fall and traffic was horrendous. Backed up on the highway for days. I followed a motorcyclist for a while and we weaved though and around the cars for many kilometers before I just pulled over and stopped to check my helmet to see if I had scratches on it and it was totally fine. 

 I just wasn't feeling the love so I turned around and headed towards the town of RioNegro

then on to Llano Grande and Don Diego before heading back to Medellin. Traffic was horrendous this entire trip and rain as well. I was in the clouds coming into Medellin and got turned around a few times. I looked up the Teknik shop and they were closed so I just headed for the barn. What a day. I have 304 Km on the bike now and have only used half a tank of gas, that's amazing . That's a good total for 2 days. 

First ride of the Bumblebeeto 1/10/26

Time to take the little bike out for a spin and see what it is really all about. My friend Andy gave a few suggestions and I took one of them. If you look at a map... (you aren't going to do it ya slacker).

Of course I waited until late in the day to start.... Not really, my first priority wa to get a global plan set up for my phone and get it working. For me that means having to get to the customer service and speak to an actual human that can help because the lame self help directions never seem to work and I always have questions. 

 A couple hours later... I can go. I started out probabaly 2-3 in the afternoon and traffic is crazy as usual so Combat riding, weaving in and out of cars, splitting lanes, filtering to the front, coming inches from big trucks and mirrors of cars, it's like everyone is a MotoGP racer and is trying to be up front in a monster frienzy. 

 Now I would think that by the time I hit the major freeway heading out of Medellin things would chill but NO, I kept enjoying this loco traffic for Kilometer after Km after Km. It thinned out a bit when I started to cut north to Don Matias and that was going up and up and up the mountains. 

 A few of the locals thought they were Jorge Martin from Spain (famous MotoGP motorcycle racer) and were passing everyone on the line and blind curves, you name it. I couldn't let these yahoos leave me in truck diesel smoke so took the liberty of catching and spanking them badly on my little 160. I'm sure if I took my helmet off they would be flabergasted that some old fart just put them to shame. 

 I have a 7" carplay screen I purchased in the US for the trip and it mirrors my phone so I can have my phone in my pocket and can see the map . This is a learning experience for me but by day 2 I've kinda got it figured out. 

 Anyway, up and up I go and the scenery is lush and green everywhere, farms everywhere too.

The little bike just kept chugging along not missing a beat. It certainly isn't a power house but gets the job done, The bike sits perfect for me ergo wise. I'm not leaning forward or hands in a strange contortion, legs are just right. I'm super happy with how it fits me. 5'8" 30" inseam if you want to know if it will fit you. 

 It handles very well, I can lean it over in curves and it feels quite solid, even in the rain. When I get on the gas it doesn't really start moving until you hit about 5k RPM and then it starts to move. I'm not supposed to take it over 7K but did it a couple of times on accident. 7k RPM buy the way is about 95 Kph so almost 60 mph and it can do it easily, even at the high altitude I was riding at. 

 Between Don Matias and Santa Rosa it started to sprinkle and get worse and worse. I pulled over to put on my gortex wind pants to keep my legs somewhat dry since I'm wearing mesh armor pants. The temps started to get a bit chilly up there as well. While there along side the road a guy on a bike probably in his 40's-50's stopped. This guy started speaking to me in a somewhat excited voice. I'm sure he was talking about the rain and then I slowed him way down by telling him I wasn't understanding him. In my broken Spanish I told him I had just purchased the bike and was going to ride to Ushuaia and he almost gave me a hug. He was so happy and said he wanted to do it sometime as well. He was a lot of fun. I never got his name but here he is.

We said our goodbyes and I headed off to Santa Rosa. 

 When I got into Santa Rosa the town square was a fun little square with Christmas displays still up and a super beautiful church on one side. I wanted to pull over to take a photo of it but the parking was all full of tall vehicles and there was no place to park period as there were so many people. I ended up going around to the front of the church where I stopped and got a lousy shot of it.

It was starting to come down a little harder now and the road I was getting ready to go down had different colored umbrellas hanging across the street and it was beautiful. I pulled up and stopped to get a nice photo.

This road had every shop you could think of on both sides and I wish I had gotten here earlier as it was probably about 5:30 and I was starving but wanted to get back before dark. The street turned to the right and there were MORE umbrellas for blocks and then it switched back to normal but it sure was fun. At the edge of town was another fun more modern church and a beautiful shrine. There was no place to stop and cars behind me so I did a circle of the area and did a couple of shots behind my back.

Then it was time to stop taking photos and make some time. I started blasting along the ridge of the mountain and since it was almost dark there wasn't much traffic so I was scooting right along and the bike was humming with glee. I was having a lot of fun scrubbing in the tires and they did an excellent job of keeping me glued to the road. About 6 it started to get dark and by the time I hit San Pedro it was pitch black and I still had quite a bit of time to go. Now going fast on these roads is going 60-70 Kph. That doesn't sound like much but it is on these twisty roads. 

 

Also, there were stops in the middle of nowhere for TOLLS! I'm not sure what that is all about but here is a string of cars, trucks, busses, etc so you just ride right past everyone, get in the far right and there is a small lane just for motorcycles. It has monster speed bumps so you have to go very slowly over them and you don't have to pay. Super cool that we don't have to pay. 

 Also in the middle of nowhere and almost random are these huge speed bumps that are about 3-4 feet wide. Mostly they are around schools and towns but there can be many of these so you have to pay attention and slow WAY down or you'll be playing Evil Kenevil. 

 As I started down the mountainside on the west I finally got under the clouds and could see the lights of the city of Medellin. I was so high up that I couldn't believe it. It was very pretty and I wanted to stop but thre was no place to pull over and traffic started getting super thick. The road started getting quite bad as well with pot holes, speed bumps, areas where the road was washed away and big cracks.

 I was having a tough time seeing as my car play unit was blasting a brite light in my face like I was being interigated. At one point I think I went into a huge pot hole and thought I had blown my tire as I couldn't see it, was in horrendous traffic and it was pitch black when BAMB! I almost flew over the handlebars it was such a jolt and I wasn't even going 10 kph. 

 There were parties and going on all over since it was Saturday night and the road was very steep. It took probably another half hour before I got down to the neighborhood and found the parking garage. What a ride. It was 160 Km (about 100 miles). The bike ran flawlessly, it fits me great, I'm figuring out the powerband and I think I used 1 bar of fuel on the fuel guage so it is sipping fuel which is awesome. I think it will be a great bike for the trip.

1 week in Medellin and I picked up my bike today 1/9/26

Today was a little different from the rest as I had to schlep my motorcycle helmet along with some other stuff to class. That was a lot of weight to carry to the metro, deal with passengers and then walk up the hill to class. 

 I arrived early and started to do my homework when Scott the English chap started talking my ear off. It was ok, as it was at least English and muy dificil a comprendo. In a few minutes I found out that my teacher Bivi was not going to be there and I had the pleasure of having Fredrico the owner of the school teach me for a couple of hours. He likes guitar and motorcycles so we hit it off well and I was able to give him some very good feedback about the school. 

I needed to pick up my new motorcycle today and they were short staffed we decided that I would have a couple of make up hours next week. I zipped down to the metro and got on with the masses toward the center of town. (Yesterday, I was able to help a couple from Hong Kong figure out the metro, which was fun.) 

 Since I didn't receive an email receipt from the accessories guys JC Bikes which I think they were trying to give me Gringo prices on everything, I went back to their place and asked for a receipt. My bike was in their shop being worked on when I walked in. The work should have been done the day before so I wasn't to pleased. They also didn't have the aluminum skid plate, they said it would be next tuesday. They had a Stainless Steel one that I orginally wanted, so I had them put that on and it also saved me 70,000 pesos. 

 Next, I went over to Teknik. 

I mentioned them yesterday. These guys are AWESOME! Here is a different link which you can get translated to your own language. 

Owner Daniel, young Daniel, owner Anthony, Juan the mechanic.  The owner Anthony and his brother Daniel speak impeccable English and Spanish of course. They are a couple of very interesting young hombres (I can say that because they are younger than me - Hahaha). Their shop is not just any shop, they can do EVERYTHING. Of course they sell, helmets, top boxes, locks, gloves and other accessories but where TekNik really shines is their other awesome ability to fabricate anything you need for your bike. They have a tube bending machine, welding, paint booth, these guys can make whatever you want or need at very reasonable prices. Juan the mechanic is top knotch and has been doing this for many years and as an added bonus is an engineer so he knows all about engines, electrical, welding, etc. Everyone pitches in to get the job done. And you know they do good work because they also are restoring multiple bikes in the back. I was fortunate to get a tour by Daniel and was super impressed, so if you need anything done in Medellin, go see the guys at Teknik. 

 After I told Daniel I would be back when I picked up my bike I headed over to the Suzuki Stealer and of course it took a very long time to get the paperwork, license plate and my questions anwered. I Can't even believe it, but the bike had fumes in the gas tank. I said to Santiago and Stivo (my sales helpers who were very nice),

What the Hell!, you spend over 14,500,000 pesos and you can't even fill the tank! It didn't make me very happy to have to find a gas station first thing but apparently that is how ALL stealerships operate, even the car stealers. I found this out talking to many people. After all the hugs, kisses, photos and bitching, I loaded up the bike an took off for the closest gas station. 

Now the best part, I get filled up (nobody but gas station attendants touch the pumps so they fill your car or bike, unlike America). Just after I paid the $50,000 for 3 gallons (they sell in gallons not liters - go figure) the sky decided to open up and pour like nobodies business.

It was coming down so hard that lakes were forming in the street. I saw some other motorcyclist putting on cheap plastic rain suits and asked about them. They said the attendant sells them so instead of staying for hours under the canopy, I went over and picked up the economy suit for $8,000 pesos.

It even came with booties so you totally stay dry. Pretty awesome. It was time to baptize the bike and ME to motorcycling in Colombia and off we went to Teknik for the rest of my accessories. 

 I pulled in out of the rain and we got started, David was giving directions and the other Daniel started gathering my top box, Anthony took off and found a back rack and in minutes they were dismantling my new bike. The rack went on in just a few minutes and while the young Daniel was installing that,

Anthony found a front bracket for my car play unit and I helped him install that.

Then he took apart the side of the bike to fish the wires through while the younger Daniel started looking for Hand guards. I'm talking these guys were tag team wrestling on my bike and it was really starting to come together fast. Juan came out from working on other bikes to help with the wiring of the car play unit and turned it into a better than factory wiring interface. SUPER IMPRESSED with this guys. One handlebar end gave us fits even with a hammer impact driver but with some other tools Juan was able to remove and we got the other hand guard installed. I wanted a cover for the bike and they had a VERY nice one which I can use as a tent from the rain if needed and then the last thing was a disk alarm/lock. We took pictures,

I asked if I could wash dishes in leu of pay and then they kicked me out. No, we had an awesome time and I can't recommend them enough. 

 Now my phone battery was down to 15% and I needed to figure out how to get back to the homestay. Talk about combat driving..... I pulled out onto the 1 way street (there are many in that area) and headed through the gauntlet of motorcycle mecca. Every store on a number of blocks is ALL motorcycles and parts, hundreds of motorcycles are lining the street, sometimes 2 deep. I followed a couple of other bikes through the maze, lane split and whatever to get out to the main road. I could see on the car play unit that I was about to hit a MAJOR congestion area (all red). Sure enough it was red tail lights for days. I followed the other bikes as we lane split and weaved through the cars. It was totally amazing that nobody got hurt. I wish I had it on video, you would NOT belive the chaos. After 20 min or so I pulled up to the homestay and took some things in before getting the remote for the parking garage a few blocks away. I had to push the bike across the street just like a pedestrian which is quite common. I then was turning the bike around to get on the street and 2 Army kids with Israeli machine type guns came over to me and I think they were saying I could not be there or something. I just smiled and asked if they spoke English and we talked for a few minutes, they in Spanish and me in very bad broken Spanish. I took off and parked the bike then came back to chat with them a little more. The homestay is across from an Army base and they have a tank out front with the young kids guarding the place. So there you have it, a day picking up the new bike.

Buying a motorcycle in Colombia 1/8/26

The reason of my trip is to ride a motorcycle from Colombia to Ushuaia and back. I flew down to Medellin Colombia because Colombia is about the only country where you can purchase a motorcycle and travel OUT of the country with it. Other countries you have to stay within the country. 

So my friend Andy and I headed out on the great motorcycle search Saturday morning after a coffee. We saw a few bikes that looked nice but they were only sold in Colombia, a lot of good that would do if you broke down in southern Argentina. So we kept going until we found a Honda dealer. I think it was the NX250 that looked promising but we couldn't get any help from the sales folks so we pressed on. Later we went downtown to the motorcycle mecca area of Medellin. This area has a ton of different dealers and blocks and blocks of accessory and mechanic type shops. If you need anything they have it or can fabricate it. 

 We hit the Honda shop down there and the young kid told us that we couldn't purchase the 250, so we asked about the 190 and he said No again. I think we even asked about the 150 and no again. Finally, we asked WHY? He said there is a 3-4 month waiting list because they are all sold out. This happened in the Royal Enfield dealer as well and we went into the Suzuki dealer and the 250 VStrom looked perfect but.......... 3-4 month waiting list for it as well. They had some on the floor but they wouldn't sell it to me. They did however have a 160 VStrom so I said I'd be back on Monday for a down payment. 

 So Monday rolls around, I go there and put a deposit on it. OF course I use one of my debit cards and it is declined after I had already paid for my Spanish class. Grrrr.... So I call, finally get through to a lady and explain the situation. I tell her I'm going to make the final payment in a few days and then purchase some accessories as well. She makes a note of it and assures me everything is OK. 

 In the purchase process you have to sign about 6 pages of paperwork. Then you have to put your fingerprint next to each signature. I asked for copies of EVERYTHING because that's the kinda guy I Yam! (as Popeye would say).

 I did this entire process in a reverse order. The first thing you are supposed to do is get a RUNT. The National Single Traffic Registry (RUNT) is a vital system for traffic in Colombia. You have to do this at the Ministry of Transportation. Now you'd think this would be in some special government office building but SURPRISE! It is actually in a HUGE mall in the heart of the city. After class I got off the metro in downtown and started heading for the Premium Plaza mall. I knew it was huge but didn't realize it had 400 shops. People take their pets there and there is a place for them to play as well. I'll leave out all the searching and asking people IN SPANISH that didn't have a clue like the security guy who had me type it in translator. Anyway, you go to this place in the mall. There was a husky woman with a metal wand to check you out but she waved me in and told the people sitting to MOVE DOWN and for me to sit their. Everytime a person would go up to the row of desks, she would bark out for us to MOVE DOWN again. I thought it was quite comical. I finally got up to the first desk and the gal took my name and maybe my passport to put into the system then gave me a number. I sat down and waited for my number. Then went up and talked to this really hot young gal that spoke English. She did stuff with the passport and I had to give a bunch of other information on where I was staying, a local phone number, etc. Then she gave me a piece of paper and said to go pay this at a specific bank in the mall. 

 I wander down the hallway and there are full size banks in this mall. One right after another, at least 6 different ones and so I went in the designated one and paid the bill.

 Then back to office and get another number. This time I got the same young lady and she did a few things on the computer and said I was good to go. NOW you can purchase a motorcycle.

 I went in the next day to pay the balance and of course the card was declined and I had to call again. I wasn't happy about it and let the guy know. He said he would put a travel notice on my card that would be good for 2 weeks. I said that isn't going to help. I'm going on a multimonth trip. I don't even want to be calling in every 2 weeks. Ugh! I got it paid and now just waiting to have the accessories installed at a shop (today) so I can pick it up tomorrow. 

 The accessory process........... The stealer only sells the bikes. If you want any accessories they have a shop that installs them for you and you purchase them there.... 

To cut it short, after to much time in the stealer that afternoon another salesdroid tried to help me out. So we walk over to this place and it's kinda like every other place. Then they started to hard sell me on the aluminum vs steel bash plate. I said I want the strongest and figured it was the steel (which was cheaper) and they convinced me the aluminum was, so I picked that. Then they wanted to sell me a top case and gave me a price of 750,000 COP which was just the box, and I said NO, YOU GUYS ARE GIVING ME GRINGO PRICE! The salesman laughed and the guys in the shop looked like I slapped them. So I paid for the crash bar and bash guard. I think they ripped me off about using my card as well. Those are supposed to be installed today (Thursday 1/8/26). 

 After I get those installed I'll take the bike over to the guy who owns the Teknik shop. Those guys are GOOD and have excellent prices. They are a full fabrication, electrostatic paint shop and handle everything. Awesome mechanic who can fix or fab anything as well. I'll have them install the hand guards and top box for at least $200,000 COP cheaper. Pictures to come.

First week in Medellin, Columbia Jan 2-8, 2026

The first week has been great! It ain't 32 degrees, like when I left Everett a week ago. Temps have been in the 70's and a little bit of humidity so for this cat, it's HOT and MUGGY. Hahaha 

 I just checked my Altimeter and it says about 4,900 feet so no wonder I'm huffing and puffing around the hills when walking to the Metro or Class which is up a steep hill. 

First off My friend Andy from British Colombia, Canada shot me a quick message saying he was in town. Now Andy and I have been friends for months and have talked about all sorts of things from business to motorcycling and beyond. However, like many of my friends I have never actually met him as we met online. Well lucky me, since he was in town we got together a number of times for coffee, dinner, hitting motorcycle shops, hitting motorcycle utopia and more Andy rode his Kawasaki 300 Versys from Canada down through Central America and most of South America. He is on his way down to Santiago where his bike is currently stored so he can continue south to Ushaia as well then head NE to Uraguay. 

 Once I got the Metro fairly figured out I have been using it daily to go back and forth to class. It is pretty awesome and moves millions of people daily. On the way to class it is just fine, not super busy but on the way home it's sardines in a can. How many people can you pack in a car. I almost laugh it is so hilarious and you can't wait for the next train as it is just as packed and this can be from 2 in the afternoon ON! 

The poorer folks live up the hillsides and let me tell you it is crowded central. The reason I'm here is to brush up on my Spanish and purchase a motorcycle for my trip to Ushuaia and back. I signed up at Vally Spanish School in Poblado neighborhood on the southeast side of the city.

This is also the touristy area so prices are higher. My homestay is in the Laureles neighborhood which is in the northwest part of town which is nicer and quieter (except for the major highway outside my window. Hahaha)

So the typical day starts out around 8 walking to the metro station. It is about a 10 min walk. Then ride the metro from the Floresta station to the San Antonio station where I get off and transfer to the north-south A line and ride it down to Poblado. That metro ride is about 30-35 mins. Then I hike up the hill and it is just enough of a hike to make me sweat like a pig by the time I reach class. The entire trip lasts about 50 minutes. I have a couple hours of group classes from 9-11 and then from 11-1 private class and I've had fun and am not to frustrated that I don't understand a word they say. haha 

 After class I start heading back to wherever. This week it has been to the Motorcycle dealership, the motorcycle mecca with every and anything you could ever want for a motorcycle in about a 4 block area, accessories, tires, mechanics, you name it! 

 I'll give another post for the buying process of a motorcycle. I've walked a bazillion miles and have blisters on both feet to prove it. Around my neighborhood it is great beause it is fairly flat so no issues. Poblado is on the side of the mountain and I'm glad I'm not staying there. Some of the more well to do live in that area and you can tell by the mercedes, BMW's and other nicer cars there but don't be fooled, there are PLENTY of other brands from Chinese BYD to the local favorite Renault. Hyundai, Fiat, Toyota, Mazda are big here as well. I have seen some Ford cars and trucks along with Ram and Chevrolet in both gas and electric.

First day in Medellin, Colombia Jan 2, 2026

In the last episode, I arrived super early in the morning and deicded to hang out in the airport until 7, before snagging a taxi and heading to the homestay. As the taxi driver took me through town I saw what looked like a light display over and along the main river in down town. I made a note of it for later. I arrived at the homestay and was beat so I just took about a 4 hr nap. Later that afternoon I walked around the neighborhood and was getting hungry. Now there are franchises of all sorts EVERYWHERE in town. There are shops in almost every little nook and cranny in every neighborhood and street as well. Just a flew blocks from my apartment I swung into a 24 hour franchise type restaurant. Did I mention they were everywhere...

The meal was $5.84 US

 I talked to my host about the lights and she mentioned it happens every year and that she hadn't been to it, so I asked if she'd like to take me down there or go with me and she said yes. Later that evening we walked to the Metro rail station and she showed me how to do the entire process of getting a card, going through the gates and riding it. We had to do a transfer to another lines and it was a good simple process that I would be doing to go to my Spanish class everyday of the week. We got off at a station and right below us was where the light show started. It was like a major carinval and there were THOUSANDS of people. Also, there were tents with people selling all sorts of food and other trinkets. The light display was produced by the city power company and had probably fifty or more huge lighted figures, animals, buildings, etc. all lit up along the river walk. They also had lights strewn across the river with different animals hanging below, like a parrot, Bee, Humgingbird.Here are a bunch of the lights from the show. It was really spectacular to see this nice display.

Long Day of Traveling -- Jan 1-2

Finally, the day has arrived.  My flight leaves out of Seattle close to 2 in the afternoon and for international flights you should be there 3 hours ahead of that and it takes an hour on the light rail from Lynnwood to the airport and another 20 minutes' drive from hour house to the light rail station....  So, we left about 9:30 in the morning.

It was gray and overcast, not exciting weather but typical for the time of year.  I practically had the rail car to myself.  After a stop or two a guy got on with the big puffy jacket and a half bottle of beer.  Who knows if he was just enjoying himself or if he had gotten off work and was drowning his sorrows.  Anyway, got to the airport without issue and started to the terminal with 800 pounds of moto gear and a half pair of underwear.  Hahaha

Checking in was interesting.  You need to show the folks checking you on your flight that you have a RETURN FLIGHT.  Apparently, Colombia does not want us to just come and not leave, imagine that!  Of course, I have a 1-way ticket because I don't have the foggiest idea when I'll be coming home if ever, so I had to go sit down, break out the phone and book a flight home.  I picked about 60 days out, FULLY REFUNDABLE economy flight to Huston was $1299 cough, cough, gag!  Sheesh!  And that was sitting on the wing.  It took me a while to figure out how to book the flight, but I managed and headed over to check in AGAIN.  They were able to get me through the system with the return flight, I said goodbye to my bags and headed through security.  

For this trip I decided to get a Global Entry card so I could zip through on the way back.  It also allows me to go through the TSA precheck.  Now every time I go through this silly screening I get pulled aside for special treatment. Eyeroll....  Today was no different.  

I got on the plane and was fortunate to sit where I could see the guy loading the luggage.  I did catch my 2 pieces being loaded on, so I knew they would make it to at least Denver my next stop. 

The flight was not bad, couldn't see anything but talked to a Rich Chinese Lawyer that lives in Seattle, and we ended up talking about cars most of the flight and traveling to different countries.  He was headed to Munich to go skiing with his daughter.  A quick layover in Denver and on to Huston.  Another semi quick layover and it's off to Medellin, Colombia.

I was supposed to arrive about 5:42 AM but we got in about 5:15 AM.  Then figure an hour through customs and getting bags and be out 7.  I'm figuring the 5-hour line, being interrogated in a dark room with a lightbulb in my face.  I read on the website that I needed to show my passport, where I'm staying, return flight, blah, blah, blah.  In about 10 min I'm at the guy checking my paperwork and he only wanted to see my passport.  No questions, Stamped it and basically said get outta here.  I walked into the next room and this guy is unloading all the luggage into a nice line.  My stuff was there so I grabbed them and headed into the next room and line.  We had to run our bags through a scanner and our jackets and 2 min. later I was a Citizen of Colombia (well close enough).

The terminal is kind of small and maybe they are working on it.  Taxis are all over the place and very tiny Fiats mostly, some Hyundai and a few small Toyotas.  I was staying at a woman's house from Homestay.com and did NOT want to get there at the crack of dawn to wake the house up so I just hung out in the terminal until about 7, people watching, dog watching (they take them everywhere).  Finally, the sun came up and I was going to get an Uber but then it was more than a taxi so taxi it is.

The international airport is on the other side of the mountains from the actual city of Medellin.  We took off towards the city and very shortly hit a toll booth.  About 200 yards later we start into a HUGE tunnel.  This tunnel went on forever and the driver told me it was about 9.4 KM long so about a 6-mile tunnel.  Motorcycles are not allowed on this road so that was interesting.

The clouds were just like Seattle and down low with spitting rain.  In spite of it I could see the city of 4 million people and there were skyscrapers everywhere.  Houses were up the steep hillsides, and it is STEEP around there with mountains all over the place.

It is surrounded by hills.  When we finally got into town it was pouring, motorcycles were like killer bees zooming all over the place.  There is no lane for them, and lines are merely a suggestion as they split lanes and drive like maniacs.   We crossed over the main river going through town and I could see lights EVERYWHERE!  I could tell there was an incredible light show from Christmas that I needed to see one night so I took a mental note.

Finally, I arrived at my destination and was met by the nice woman renting out the room and then I crashed on the bed for quite a while.