Freedom ain't free!

Exploring off the beaten Gringo Trail.

One of the hardest things about experiencing a foreign country is finding transportation. Since public transit normally operates within city centers or goes from one city to another, most tourists only get to see the cities. In the past I've hitch hiked and gone on bicycle tours, but neither of those are great options along Colombian roads. While I can't say it's much safer, I decided a motorcycle would be a great way to explore.

I started looking for a motorcycle a week or two after arriving in Colombia and was astounded at the costs. I learned that Colombia has a very different second-hand ecomomy than the US, and things hold their value extremely well. Craigslist doesn't exist here nor is there anything similar and you'll never find a free couch on the side of the road. This is because there's a very small segment of the population that can afford to make large purchases regularly so when someone saves up to buy a new car, motorcycle, or couch, they hold onto it forever. And if, for some reason, they decide to sell it before it has had all the life beaten out of it there are loads of people looking to buy cheaper secondhand goods.

The motorcycles I was finding for about $2000 were completely thrashed - stretched chains, worn tires, half the radiator missing – and they had tiny motors. Most Colombians ride a 125cc because it's small enough for them to stand over, and because taxes go up substantially when the motor is over 200cc's.

Stoked on my new moto!

It took a while for me to accept that these tiny bikes might be sufficient but eventually I found a 1996 Yamaha DT 125 that seemed in decent condition for about 800USD. I couldn't believe it but according to several Colombians this was “a good deal.” I scooped it up, hoping that if nothing else it would hold it's value and I could sell it without losing too much money.

I rode it into town a few times and found that motorcycles were - from all appearances – immune to the law. Helmets are required but many people perch their helmets on top of their head instead of pulling them all the way on, one way streets are only a suggestion for motos, and motorcycles regularly pass cars and trucks on narrow single-lane streets. (No vehicles stop at stop signs, don't be ridiculous)

A passenger isn't a reason to drive any more carefully.	Who needs a pickup truck when you can carry gas cylinders or mini fridges on a motorcycle.
Splitting between taxis, straight into pedestrians.	Somehow this satisfies the legal requirement for wearing a helmet.

One Friday night I was riding home after dinner and while passing through the city square a police officer held out his hand for me to stop. Apparently they were conducting a sting and stopping motorcycles that night. He asked for my “documentos” - the Colombian equivilent of US registration and insurance – but I had sent my backpack home with Gringo Mike and the papers were in the backpack. In the US this isn't a huge deal – everything is computerized so an officer can look up your name, find if your license is valid while getting a picture of it, and check your registration status. In Colombia that's not the case. Without documents a motorcycle is immediately impounded.

Finally, after a few days of impatiently waiting and then paying a fine, I was able to reclaim my tiny little motorcycle. I had my freedom back!

Aside from the monetary expenditures, one of the things that has surprised me most about living in Colombia is how much time it takes to accomplish tasks. When my motorcycle was impounded the police said I could get it out Saturday so I went to town and checked with the impound lot. They said I had to go to the police station first, so I went there and an officer made a few phone calls before telling me to have a seat. I could see my moto sitting on the street next to the building. After about 15 minutes the officer calls me over and tells me I can't get the moto until Monday.

Repair shops are especially bad – they will quote a certain amount of time to complete a repair but when I call to see if it's done they tell me it will be a little while longer. Eventually I'll go to the shop only to find it wasn't fixed correctly, or occasionally it won't have been touched at all. It is always up to the customer to check the mechanic's work and ensure it was actually done. Frequently the only way to get a repair done is to stand in the shop and wait.

The motorcycle has opened up the Colombian countryside for me, and it's also integrated me into a foreign society in a way that I've never been integrated before. These time and money expenditures can be extremely frustrating for someone used to the efficiency of the US or Europe, but it's part of the culture and that's what I'm here to experience. Sometimes it just takes a few minutes to remind myself of that.

Riding off into the sun.