Chapter 1: Am I tripping yet?

                          Chapter 1: Am I tripping yet?

This is it, it's happening, no going back now. I can't say I forgot what it felt like, but at the same time have to mention how awesome it feels again to be all saddled up but not yet itchy in the butt.

Homie Churchill said “No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle”. And that was before they invented adventure riding! Can you imagine what he would say nowadays… Ok, yes, he did mean horses, but would you guys stop being the fussy hair splitters that you are? God, I don't even have hair!!

Back to business and some sloppy wheelys through Bogota, the first day ride quickly turned from hours of rain and traffic jams into a solitary zig zag up the mountains toward sumapaz national park, just south of bogota. And not that the city didn't require zigzagging, holy lords of the fuming rubber, this is worse than Italy! between potholes, trucks and 8million loco bogotanos on motos, this feels like being stuck in a blender. Coming back to nature, the focus lies more heavily on the amount of cow schmear on the road and how many chickens await after every sharp turn. The good side of all this? No need for coffee to stay awake! To credit the Colombians and their artful ways of making and serving coffee, I did have the best cappu of my life. 

For someone that never drinks coffee, you can assign this statement as much gravity as a coffee bean in space. Makes total sense to me btw. 

Where were we? oh yeah, helmet thoughts, like this one, where I thought I could make it through Sumapaz in a half day. HA! Luckily this potato and sheep farmer offered me a warm dinner and a cozy bed for the night. 

And not only that, but the next time I'm here he says, I should bring all my friends and we’ll chop up one of his sheep. uuuuhm … if you go, I'll go… I guess?! 

After dinner, I did some homework with their 3 year old and I learned a lot from this little nugget as he explained a whole lot of animals in Spanish to me and what they do. I am very grateful for this experience, as anyone in life can teach you something! Then we played space invaders on his phone while dad tried to get me to explain german politics to him… what??? 

A week later, reality has caught up to me. The stark reminders of solo traveling don't strike everyone everytime but when exposing yourself to unknown environments, things happen. Within 3 days, I managed to cross two national parks

ride endless mountain trails, meet great people and animals

 get around 1500km of riding in, about 15hrs in the dirt...

...crossed multiple climate zones, ate new foods and fruits and milked a cow… 

              [the end of the road or beginning of the fun?] 

... besides from the uplifting parts, I also had my phone stolen (lost most of the photos I intended to post), lost my GPS, ran out of gas, got stranded in the middle of the night in pouring rain and almost crashed twice due to rain and slick road conditions with multiple close calls that I stopped counting… with the adrenaline still echoing through my bones, I needed a break.

 

Perfect time to meet my buddy Jake and his mum in Medellin for 4 days. 

Quick shoutout to all the fellas out there willing to drop their things, book a flight and just kick it for a few days. What a privilege to have friends like this! 

This is crazy by the way. I'm standing on the concrete soccer field in Comuna 13 which in the 90s and early 2000s was used by the infamous Guerilla group (FARC) to execute people of opposing groups. The soccer field is overlooked by the neighborhood from all sides and therefore offered the perfect location for a public display. 

Nowadays, the community has received lots of support from local and foreign government, peace has moved into their homes and culture, arts, food and music are at the forefront of people's dealings. 

To a foreigner, the stories of Pablo Escobar and his henchmen are as captivating as they can be, to the Colombian locals, this past is real, viceral and to some still painful. Like this local chef that I met, who's story went under my skin as he was telling me about the government forces raiding the comuna in 2002, where at the time his uncle grabbed him, the young boy, shielding him from what is about to come as the gunfire approached their house. For hours they had been laying there until their house was next on the list, his uncle got shot in the neck, bled out and died on the spot with his nephew in his arms. For the next 48 hours, the boy didn't move, paralysed by the shock... still wrapped in the arms of his dead uncle. 

Any guesses? Yes, Pablo's old villa. Bombed out by the Pepes in the year he died, 1993. The horse staples, the soccer field and some exotic trees still visible on the grounds. An incredible sight! 

Back in Bogota, the machine is scheduled for one last round of modifications, repairs and service. The comforting thought of not having to spend any more money other than on food, accommodation and gasoline is making me even more excited than I already am.

                         [sometimes it looks like this...]

 Seeing the bike ready, the gear fit, the route clear, the tools and supplies and spare parts all inhabiting their perfect little place in, on and around the machine fills me with confidence that reaching Argentina in one piece is an attainable goal. 

                           [...and sometimes like this] 

List of modifications:

- Aurora long range kit, consisting of 2 additional fuel tanks, a softer more comfortable seat for long rides, an additional fuel pump, a switch to power the tanks, new fairings to make everything fit snug

- Rally tower, consisting of a wide and tall windshield, several indicator lights and ample mounting space for additional gadgets and miscellaneous electrical

- Rear rack, for mounting bags and tools in different ways

- Passenger footpegs

- Deleted evap cooler

- Ram mount mirrors for offroad action

- Bark busters 

- Shortened clutch and brake lever

- Suspension set to highest possible weight and impact absorption 

- Carbon fiber skid plate

- LED head lights and brights

- USB charger

- Additional wiring for future attachment points like grip warmers

- Hydraulic clutch

- Heat shielding around exhaust pipe and muffler to protect luggage and clutch performance 

Thank you ADVENTURE GARAGE of Bogota! They do an awesome job at selling, repairing and servicing all KTM brands. 

                                    [The machine...] 

We're talking fuel range of 630km per fill. Weight capacity of around 400lbs. Infinite mounting options. Yes, it's very heavy compared to its stock specs, but still super light to handle as Husqvarna is the lightest build out there. Definitely doesn't lift with one hand anymore! 

                                   [is finally ...] 

List of parts and supplies:

- Spare tubes

- Tool kit containing everything required for repairs and jerry rigging on the fly 

- Lubricant 

- Chain links

- Epoxy

- Gorilla glue

- Duct tape

- Zip ties

- Straps and tie downs

- 2 spare keys

They say “name your bike” … that means deciding if it's male or female. I don't think I want to do that this time. I mean, it's for sure not female cuz it hasn't complained one bit so far (😉 jooking!!). And a dude? I wouldn't want to be sitting on a dude, not for one second! So let's just call it the machine, or better the wurst machine. 

                               [READYYY!!!!] with el Patron                                                 watching over me, can you spot him? 

Now that we got the ground work laid and the boundary conditions defined, I think we can conclude this chapter and say “I am officially tripping now!”