Cartagena was the first city in Colombia we had ever visited, and although not our first stop via sailboat, it was on our high priority list — one last shower before heading “off the grid.” We chose to explore the Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, an impressively large fortress overlooking the extent of the city and its waters.

The Castle probably wouldn’t meet safety standards in the USA since there were no barriers stopping you from tumbling over the high edges of the walls. Not to mention, the passageways underneath tunneled so far underground that Ian and I weren’t able to find an end. The floors started to be covered by a couple inches of unlit water, which paired with the stagnant smell of the air sent both of us tankerman PICs out running!

The walled city of Cartagena is a very colorful and active component of the city.

Night time colors were just as vibrant.

We happened to walk past a couple of the military vessels moored along the edge of Boca Grande, and they were giving tours of a research vessel! Naturally, we jumped on the opportunity, and enjoyed a briefing of their fleet, the equipment, how the officers stand watch, and the lifestyle on board ships (all in Spanish, of course).

The good ship, Toi et Moi

The next stop after Cartagena was the San Blas Islands in Panama – a true tropical paradise. We did experience some difficulties getting into “Swimming Pool Anchorage” since the charts we were navigating with led us aground. Thankfully it was a soft and very slow grounding in sand, so we only had to back up and rotate the stern to starboard about 15 ft. to get us safely back in deep water. After dropping the anchor, and with the help of the dinghy pulling then pushing, and some serious RPMs on the engine, we were free! Unthankfully, the engine was giving us problems, and we had to prime it every 5 minutes or it would stall, and Opti dog took this prime opportunity of steady ground to take a big poop on deck as Maggy lowered the anchor. She has a way with actions of expressing her deepest love and appreciation to us!

After a hard earned and sweaty entrance to “Swimming Pool Anchorage” it was a welcome relief to jump into the cool, crystal clear water!

We anchored in about 10ft of water, and scattered along the ocean floor were different kinds of living sand dollars, two varieties of conchs, and hundreds of giant star fish! Maggy was in heaven.

Our main activity in the San Blas Islands (other than swimming) was taking dinghy adventures from one island to the next and seeing what each had to offer. While underway, we motored past the strangest thing and had to make a Williamson turn to go back and inspect. A giant mollusk was eating a live starfish! I can only image the Animal Planet commentary on the world’s slowest battle to the death between the creeping mollusk and the unaware starfish!

Maggy never gets bored of inspecting the starfish and other sea critters! The underside of each starfish is covered with hard little stumps that have similar characteristics of teeth. The “teeth” which line each of the five arms, protect hundreds of tiny suction cups. When the starfish feels unthreatened, it relaxes its “teeth” and allows the suction cups to pop out and walk along the sea bed.

Opti was not a huge fan of paddle board rides and it took a lot of coaxing to make her believe that she was safely on land once we reached shore. The very first time we beached, she jumped off the board as if she were jumping into water, with all four legs spread out to prevent her from sinking into the water, only she hit land and did a doggy split! Luckily Opti dog is very forgiving and good natured about all her graceful accidents.

Ian managed to sort out the engine problem for the time being – just in time for a decent passage by motor out of the Guna Yala.

Portobello , Panama was a colorful little village with a surrounding fort. The only two notable buildings in the village were the church and ancient customs building

The fort was not maintained, similarly many of the boats at anchor appeared to be neglected or abandoned as well.

After spending 9 days cruising through Panama, we reached Shelter Bay Marina at the mouth of the Panama Canal and the final destination for Toi et Moi the next couple of months. At customs, the official was not happy with the fact it took us 9 days to make it “what should have been 3 days.” Luckily our crazy taxi driver (who actually hit a car while driving us) and a ship’s agent convinced the official that we were on a “yate” (a yacht, pronounced “ya tay”) so we naturally would take our time.

As a special and unexpected treat, the sailing vessel, Pain Brule, ( translated to “Hot Bread) was transiting the Panama Canal and seeking an additional crew for the adventure. As a good son, Ian stayed behind so that he could pick his parents up from the airport, but Maggy couldn’t say no. If anyone is considering making the trip across the Canal in the near future, it costs about $1,489 with an agent, including the 2 pilots and the fee for the locks, as opposed to up to $250,000 for panamax ships and up to $600,000 for ships transiting the newly expanded Panama Canal… Yikes!

It was a great experience to meet the amazing French sailors, Xavier and Thomas, and the friendly and fun crew, Mark and Ettie. It is always rewarding to stray out of your comfort zone, meet new friends, and try something challenging and new!

Lessons learned on the sail from Curacao to Aruba helped us better prepare for this passage. Having to send someone up the mast once because of a poorly tied knot is one time to many – fortunately we haven’t had any more problems thus far on our voyage in Colombian waters.

Throughout our time off the Venezuelan coast, these little flying fish constantly made kamikaze leaps into our boat. While we found most dried up on our foredeck, a number managed to make it into the cockpit where we could hear them flopping around and tossed them back to sea. On one occasion a little guy landed in the aft cabin next to Maggy as she rested off watch; shortly afterwards another jumped so high that it actually hit me in my head!

The passage north of Los Monjes had a good bit of commercial traffic. Here the ‘George N’ passed safely ahead of us after we gybed to avoid him. Before our course change, the Closest Point of Approach (CPA) was only .09 miles!

Entering Colombia on the remote La Guajira Peninsula was an interesting experience – aside from the natural beauty of the desert landscape, the lack of government presence left us with a better understanding of the difficulties that come with controlling coastal borders. Our arrival into Cabo de Vela was unmonitored, giving us the opportunity to explore the country without ever passing through Immigration or Customs. We wouldn’t officially ‘clear in’ for another 3 days.

While this picture doesn’t seem like much at first, Maggy could not help but notice how well it summarizes life in this small village. In the far right you can see a bench lined with random soda bottles, all of which are filled with gasoline for sale to passing 4×4’s. The building under construction on the left is something seen throughout the country – people add to their dwellings in a piecemeal fashion building when supplies and money allow it. As for the goats, we aren’t sure what their story is… other than they did not like Opti dog what so ever.

This small fishing village is plagued with strong easterly tradewinds throughout the year. Fortunately, the shallow protected bay is oriented such that the high winds blow over miles of flat land before coming into contact with the sea. This setup allows for ideal kite boarding conditions, suitable to beginners and pros alike. The local teenagers are truly impressive, landing tricks you rarely see back home. Lessons start at $33/ hour and gear rental is $8 less. Not only are these lessons insanely cheap, but the latter often isn’t even possible due to insurance requirements in the states.

These dolphins swam right under the bow for about thirty minutes during one of Maggy’s morning watches. There were 7 dolphin total, one of which was just a baby.

After a strong squall settled down we were able to catch an evening view of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the world’s highest coastal mountain range extending from sea level to 18,700 feet. This view reminds me so much more of landfalls I have made up in Alaska rather than in the warm waters of the Caribbean. Unfortunately due to our timing, we weren’t able to see the snow capped peaks of Pico Bolivar or Pico Cristobal.

This passage really exemplified the diversity in Colombia’s geography. When we left the desert sands of Cabo de Vela we expected a temperate environment in Santa Marta, however the change of landscape over just 120 miles still amazed us. After a thirty hour passage, we anchored in Bahia Gairaca for the night before heading towards the city. Our short stay here in the Tayrona National Park ended up being a great treat, especially after seeing so many tourist agencies advertising their adventures there.

Santa Marta was a great little city with an excellent marina in the heart of it all. After a few nights underway and on the hook, Maggy and I both looked forward to the luxuries that accompany being tied up to a dock. Aside from the amenities, we enjoyed the mixture of commercial and private activity in the harbor; the port’s pilots used our pier to embark on their launches, as did locals on their weekend fishing trips.

In Maggy fashion, we naturally needed to visit the Rodadero Sea Aquarium and Maritime Museum. We were unexpectedly escorted through the aquarium by a student volunteer, eagerly talking about each of the species of fish. After an awkward 5 minutes of the tour, we finally confessed that we couldn’t understand him. He was devastated. We did pick up a couple facts; all the fish on display lived in the coral and that Colombia’s national fish, the Royal Gramma, earned its title for its colors, “yellow and blue on the outside, and if you cut it open, red on the inside.”

Part of the aquarium was dedicated to sea turtle rehabilitation. The turtles were raised until they had a better chance at surviving in the wild, then released. Last year, the facility released around 300 turtles back into their natural habitat. The crates of turtles were waiting for their daily cleaning, as the two volunteers tended to all of their little scratches, one by one

Ian’s choice destination while in Santa Marta was Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino. This extensive “hacienda”or farm was built in the 17th century, and at the time, primarily produced honey and rum.

La Quinta de San Pedro is famous as the death place of the beloved revolutionist, Simon Bolivar. Nowadays, the hacienda has been converted to a museum, detailing the final 11 days of Simon Bolivar and explaining the many buildings used for processing the rum. It also remains as grounds for a botanical garden.

Back at the hotel, we opted for the ‘economy package’ which included breakfast and their most basic room. For $83, we found ourselves in tiny room right off the main dining hall. Upon opening the door, the smell of gasoline quickly filled the air. The inn-keeper who showed us the room assured us that the smell was not gasoline, but rather a treatment they used on the wooden floors. Needless to say, we quickly opened up the windows, we left for a quick walk to the falls for some fresh air.

After more than an entire day of travel, Kristy and I made it to Bangkok! Our first big stop the next day was a treat — Wat Traimit, the Temple of the Golden Buddha. This buddha statue is sculpted of a solid 5.5 tons of gold! Apparently, the statue was constructed in the 13th century and at some point, covered in plaster to hide its true value. As time passed, the Golden Buddha was forgotten, and the temple in which it was located was abandoned in 1931. the secret was rediscovered in 1955 when attempting to relocate the plastered buddha, and it was so heavy that the lines lifting it parted, chipping away the plaster and revealing the gold beneath!

Next stop, Wat Pho, the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. This statue towers at 15 meters high and 46 meters long, one of the largest buddha statues in all of Thailand! Reclining Buddha represents the Buddha’s entry into Nirvana.

The temples at Wat Pho were magnificent!

Wat Pho’s grand landscape extends 20 acres and is considered the largest and oldest in Bangkok. It was actually constructed 200 years before Bangkok became Thailand’s capital!

Kristy and I enjoyed the variety of teas and coffees we tasted while in Thailand and were so spoiled that we even got unlimited cappuccinos for breakfast at the Amari Hotel in Bangkok.

I loved all of the food! We were able to find the most delicious street-side food, which usually cost less than $2 USD!

Although, sometimes it was difficult to know exactly what you were ordering, even if the menu was translated to English…

Yes, I tried rat. And yes, it tasted like chicken (although slightly more gamey). The rats, along with snakes, are caught in the rice field. After just 5 minutes on the grill, you have a cheap and tasty rat barbecue!

This is arguably the best crepe I have ever had! And the price can’t be beat either — at less than $1 USD. The woman making the crepe worked impressively fast, usually creating two crepes at once! Each was filled with an egg, sweetened condensed milk, spoonfuls of sugar, and an entire banana. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Next stop was one of Thailand’s famous floating markets. The best part of this was the boat ride to get there, which took about 20 minutes of tight maneuvering through winding canals. The boat’s rudder stuck out about 12 feet behind it (a full boat length), making the tight turns even more impressive!

When in Thailand….go to an elephant sanctuary! This one was called Taweechai Elephant Camp in Kanchanaburi.

The most exciting, fast, and cheap method of transportation is by moto taxi…This is if you are willing to put your life in the hands of a crazy driver, that disobeys any and all traffic laws. Fun fact, Uber Moto does exist, and you even get a 99 Baht discount the first time you give in to your curiousness.

Kristy and I were surprised to learn that it is illegal to purchase any merchandise, display as a decoration, or even have a tattoo of a Buddha head. It is considered a huge disrespect to the religion.

One of the most unique beauties we came across was the Buddha head in the roots of a Banyan tree at Wat Mahathat, which is located in the ruins of Ayutthaya. Ayutthaya was once the capital of Thailand, and it is thought that the head was leaft behind after the Burmese destroyed the temples in 1767, during their takeover of the city.

On our way back to the States, our 8 hour layover in China happened to give us the opportunity to visit The Great Wall on a 1 day visa that you can obtain at the airport.

Visiting the Great Wall was an unexpected treat. It was the cherry on top to an already perfect adventure across the world!

My commute was a little shorter this time than normal. Instead of heading off to Houston, I flew east from St. Pete and ended up on Grand Bahama Island. I managed to catch this shot of my ship on final approach as it drifted around awaiting pilots.

Maggy and my mom were able to catch a cruise over to Freeport for a day. They got to check out my ship and meet the crew. While Maggy knows ships all too well, my mom on the otherhand does not. It was a great experience showing her the bridge and cargo offices, the two places I spend most of my time.

Ian and I decided to drive the motorcycle from Cuzco to the outskirts of Machu Picchu, and the final leg (or so we thought)was another winding, one-lane dirt road running along the ledge of a cliff. Luckily it was a perfect day with a gorgeous view

I’m not even sure that Indiana Jones would venture across this bridge, unless of course, there were thousands of snakes guarding the road we chose to take

Two rivers merging into one

Not many people can say that they drove from their house to Machu Picchu, but we are some of the few that can! And the ruins were, as predicted, quite spectacular

The best part of Machu Picchu was its supreme location. The city was perched atop one of the highest mountains, and the city stretched much further than we had anticipated in both directions. The peak in this picture although removed from the heart of the city, had structures built there, as well

We even got to play with the llamas, which weren’t that friendly and kicked with all fours

The “Inca Bridge” built on the ledge of the cliff

A chinchilla, which Ian thought was a bunny (that had a long tail and was somehow able to make this 4ft vertical jump)

The agriculture produced from these terraces was able to support 1,000 men

If anyone is ever planning on visiting Machu Picchu, we have learned that it is by far the best deal to purchase an all-inclusive tour package for about $110 USD. We learned this the hard way and thought that by driving there ourselves we would save money, which unfortunately for us was not the case. Peru has a monopoly on this world wonder, so it is actually impossible to transport yourself there. Instead, we had to park the bike and take a 20 minute one-way train ($23 USD p/p) to Aguas Calientes and from Aguas Calientes, purchase an additional $19 USD bus ride to the ruins. It was a shock to us mostly because locals paid 2 soles, which is equivalent to $0.60 USD and we naturally felt robbed

Needless to say, we decided that we would rather walk the 15 Km back to the bike and save enough money for unlimited Starbucks drinks during the rest of our stay in Cuzco. Surprisingly, the Machu Picchu ruins are actually visible from the train tracks, and if you look closely, their outlines can be seen in the center of this photo

Once back from our adventure to Machu Picchu, we decided there was no better time than now to venture into the Manu Jungle for a bit. We signed up for a 4 day expedition, and our first stop along the way was to see the Ninamarca ruins. All of these little structures were actually tombs

We also visited a small town, Paucartambo, which is famous for hosting the Virgen del Carmen festival, where everyone dresses in colorful costumes, covers their faces with hideous masks, and preforms a variety of dances, each one symbolizing a different aspect of the Peruvian culture. This gentleman is representing bread makers

We tried passion fruit for the first time. The fruit is similar to a pomegranate in the way that the skin protects hundreds of seeds, each one encased within a small amount of tasty fruit

We were lucky enough to find a brilliantly colored male Cock of the Rock, which is Peru’s national bird

Next stop was an animal rehabilitation center, and we got to meet monkeys, snakes, turtles, a parrot, a tapir, and a peccary. Ian is petting the tapir, which had very soft hair, unlike a pig that it otherwise resembles in its size and shape

Maggy’s favorite animal was the peccary. They made friends when Maggy gave her a belly rub

And of course the monkeys were fun…Ian especially thought they were fun when one of them rubbed poop all over his clothes

On one of our hikes through the Manu Jungle, we found this little fly catcher, which is about the size of a hummingbird, sitting on her delicate, walnut-sized nest

Then the guide tricked Ian into eating a termite under the pretense that termites have a tasty mint flavor

Although we have never been to the Red Wood forests, this tree seemed pretty impressive and is considered sacred to the local villagers

Speaking of the local villagers….they believe this rare insect, the lantern fly, is so lethal that if it bites you, you must have sex for 24 straight hours or you will die!

Also included in the tour was a chance to go zip-lining. Ian learned that this sport can be quite dangerous if you forget to put the brakes on at the end

This palm has evolved to protect itself from climbing animals with these small thorns. The indigenous people used these to make hunting weapons by injecting a small amount of poison secreted by frogs into each thorn

The group hiked to this small lake and got a first class tour on these yachts

The marshy area surrounding the lake supported many different animal species including this bird, the hoatzin, which is on top of the food chain and apparently tastes so bad that people don’t even hunt it. Interestingly, hoatzin chicks are born with 2 claws on each of their wings!

There was also a capybara sighting!

To get to the lodge, the final stretch was down the river by boat. It was a quick arrival and took about an hour on the return trip back upstream

The lodge was positioned in what is known as the “buffer zone” of the National Rainforest, along the Madre de Dios river. It was run by solar power

Since there we had unlimited coffee (and a view), life was good

Naturally, there was intermittent rain throughout our stay, especially every morning from about 4-7am

Since our time was coming to an end, we decided to make one last motorcycle trip to Ollantaytambo, the town marking the beginning of the Inca Trail, a 4 day 27 mile hike to Machu Picchu. On the way, we stopped at the Moray Inca ruins, which is unusual for its circular terraces and the fact that there is a 15 degree Celsius range in temperature from the top to the bottom!

Once in the quaint town of Ollantaytambo, we were surrounded by these Inca ruins lining the mountains

The ruins were designed with these irrigation systems, which are still used throughout the entire town of Ollantaytambo

This is the Plaza de Las Armas, downtown Cuzco, with Inca ruins lining the top of the mountain in the background

Once back in Cuzco, we relaxed and enjoyed the holidays as our 6 month journey finally came to an end. Although we didn’t finish the trip via Land Cruiser or make it to Tierra del Fuego as we had originally planned, we are nothing but content with how our voyage evolved. Most importantly, we look forward to the next time we are able to finally complete the crazy idea we set out to achieve!

A small fishing village we drove through, which is just south of Mancora, the last city with warm ocean currents

Since we entered Peru from the north, we experienced parts of the country that most tourists never get to, like the Sechura desert, which lines the entire coast of this immense country

The winds were incredibly strong in the desert and immediately knocked the bike over when we stopped for a break

We stopped at the Chan-Chan ruins in Trujillo, and as always, the ruins were incredible. These ruins were covered with this above fish design in addition to a “fishing net” design

All of the diamond shapes are the symbolic fishing nets, which covered the majority of the maze-like city

The Chan-Chan civilization began in 850 AD and is thought to have supported 30,000 people. The Incas conquered the Chan-Chan’s in 1470 AD

Also in Trujillo was a mall, a happy sight when you are missing “American” food….We also stumbled upon this adult clothing store…

Most of the country is sadly littered with heaping trash piles wherever human presence exists. The smell of rotting garbage is repulsive

But the 200+ Km stretches of the Sechura desert between each town were breathtaking

…breathtaking until the stretches are so long that you run out of gas

We tested the bike’s ability of driving through sand to reach this beach….Maggy decided she would rather walk than be the passenger during Ian’s steep learning curve

So Maggy went and captured the wildlife while Ian had his fun on the bike

After stopping in Lima for a day, we decided to stray away from the coast and head into the mountains towards Machu Picchu. We tested the motorcycle’s stamina when we summited Abra Anticona at 15,807 feet, puttering along in 2nd gear. Outfitted in every layer of clothing we owned, it was still freezing!

This one-lane road presented an adrenaline rush every time we turned into a blind corner. What appears to be a road on the right is actually a large river far below us

An example of Peru’s vast range of terrain

Possibly our favorite place in Peru, Ayacucho boasts that it is home to 33 churches. We only saw about 10, but from what we observed, the churches are quite grand

The Pikimachay cave, about 30 Km outside of Ayacucho claims to have discovered fossils of giant sloths and horses in addition to dating human existence from earlier than 10,000 BC

Our next stop was the nearby Quinua, a small rural village well known throughout the country for its handmade ceramics. Many houses are decorated with ceramic replicas of churches or, surprisingly, ceramic bulls

On the way from Quinua back to Ayacucho, we decided to explore the Wari ruins, home to 50,000 people and dating back to 600 AD

During our stay in Ayacucho, we were lucky enough to participate in the celebration of the Battle of Ayacucho. Peru’s victory of this battle, which occurred on December 9, 1824 during the Latin-American Wars for Independence, gained the country its independence

The obelisk is the monument rising from the battlefield near Ayacucho and can be seen from miles away

When we stopped for lunch on our drive to Cuzco, we met these two kids who thought we were amusing

Unfortunately, also on the way to Cuzco, we ran into three different protests, which significantly reduced our progress. The first protest had lined two sets of six people up, perched in the cliffs and armed with rocks and boulders to launch at any vehicle that attempted to pass. After about 30 minutes of trying to plead with the locals, we suited up and took our chances. Luckily, we lived, although they did through all their rocks at us. The second two protests were more reasonable and since we were just a small motorcycle, it was possible to slowly navigate through the roadblocks

Our first major stop in Ecuador was the small town of Quilotoa, located 13,000 ft. in the mountains, to see the famous crater lake, Laguna de Quilotoa

Despite being at the equator, it was cold enough to see our breath!

Our first snow-capped mountain sighting (at the equator)

We decided it was a good idea to hike down to the lake…We reconsidered or decision on the way back up

But it was beautiful at the bottom

Nothing lives in Laguna de Quilotoa, and the locals believe that its depth is limitless

During our drive through the mountains, we discovered this canyon

Maggy went on a tour to Isla de la Plata (Island of the Silver) This included riding the local bus, a crazy tuk-tuk taxi ride, and a 1.5 hour boat ride in 6 foot swells…

Even though the Galapagos were out of the question, Isla de la Plata offered a great opportunity to see plenty of unique wildlife species

Since it’s dry season, the island looked barren

The blue footed boobies nest during dry season and, at the time, the eggs were about a week away from hatching

The blue footed boobies lay 1-3 eggs depending on the surplus of food

The frigate bird chicks had hatched about 3 months ago. The mother birds take care of their babies for 2 years!

There was even great snorkeling around Isla de la Plata, although the water was a bit chilly

A new method of free transportation

Valle de Cocora, near Salento

A Barranquero!

There are many different species of hummingbirds in Colombia

While in Salento, we stayed at La Finca don Edwardo coffee plantation, a 15 minute walk out of town with a perfect view of the surrounding mountains and other numerous coffee plantations

The beginning of a coffee plant. Coffee is unique and only grows at very high elevations — the greater the elevation, the better grade of coffee. Because of this, coffee plantations are usually located on the sides of mountains, which is inaccessible for machinery. Therefore, all coffee beans are hand-picked, with the exception of the world’s leading coffee producer, Brazil, which uses machinery and goes for quantity over quality.

The red and yellow pods are two different types of coffee. The green pods aren’t quite ripe and if mixed into a batch of ripened coffee beans, produce a lower grade of coffee. This lower grade of coffee is usually made into a dark roast (the beans are roasted longer) to disguise the inferior flavor. Finally, the black, shriveled pods weren’t picked soon enough and must also be separated by hand.

Each pod contains two seeds that are supposed to grow equally. When the seeds are squeezed out of the pod, they contain a slimy and sugary layer that must be removed

The sugar layer on each of the beans is removed by soaking them in water for a couple days. An inferior bean can be easily determined at this stage because it floats, while all of the good coffee beans sink to the bottom of the container

After the sugar layer is removed from the beans, they are laid out to dry for a couple weeks. The dried beans are referred to as “green beans” and are at the stage where they can either be planted or traded in bulk. The green beans still have a papery skin over them which must be removed before the beans can be roasted

Once the beans are roasted, which, in small quantities and with a lot of practice, can be done in something as simple as a frying pan, it is time to grind the coffee and enjoy a cup o’ joe! There is so much that goes into the coffee process, and it is sad to learn that the farmers only make about $0.09 of every $1.00 value of coffee sold in the States.

Well that’s an expensive bottle of wine!

The police seem to be pretty relaxed around here…

While the car was being worked on in the shop, Maggy took advantage of waiting and painted a picture for Patricia, the wife of our friend and mechanic, Santiago.

Santiago helped us more than we could have ever hoped for. Despite the car not being worthy to finish the trip, he restored it to life so that it runs and drives safely (unfortunately, just not up the Andes). Furthermore, he volunteered to take care of the land cruiser for the next couple months, enabling us to continue south. And to top it off, Santiago and Patricia enthusiastically chauffeured us around Medellin, helping us buy the motorcycle, all the equipment, and even with getting our licenses

Finally, after a month of uncertainty, we bought a motorcycle and are determined to continue our trip south one way or another!

After waiting 2 days for all the paperwork to clear, the bike is finally ours

We stopped for lunch at a roadside restaurant, and this is what we found….Ian thought the dog was abused (possibly mentally)

Two churches in a row — street view in Popayan

This was a roadside stop that we immediately regretted. A swarm of bees invaded the café, and we were all forced to do the “killer bee drill,” which is very similar to a tornado or hurricane drill. Everyone laid flat of their stomachs, while thousands of bees swarmed around us. I never considered the possibility of being stung to death until then. The locals were all really scared, which increased our temporary anxiety. Luckily, nobody was stung and the bees decided to make their nest on the nearby truck rather than our bike, which was parked only about 5 feet from them.

In the same day, we passed by two land-slides, one of which was still in progress

Las Lajas Cathedral in Ipiales, which was built in the early-mid 1900’s

The cathedral was built right into the cliff, which acts as the entire front “wall”