The Muddy-Pants Diaries

7 September 2005 (Wednesday) – Medellin, Colombia

I woke up this morning, gave Claudia a little souvenir pair of chopsticks (I had brought loads to give away to my hosts), thanked her profusely and bade farewells to Oliver and her. Then, Claudia left for work while I had my breakfast. Oliver started persuading me to stay. “Come on, stay another day! Claudia is a great person to get to know… Medellin is such a nice city too!”

Oh, it’s true. I do find her very interesting and I already miss her! OK, I would stay yet another day in Medellin, I decided. Hahaa…

As I have said, Oliver had been travelling by motorcycle for 1 year and 4 months, going through northern Europe, USA, Mexico, Central America and now here in Colombia. For want of something to do today, I accompanied him to the motorcycle repair shops.

Wow, what a horrendous state the motorcycle is in!!! That’s how you ride a motorcycle to death! The engine parts were totally taken apart. Carlos, the mechanic, showed me all the wear and tear and disgusting bits that had fallen apart. He presented a list of things that needed to be replaced and it was a long, long list. He preferred to have all these parts changed because Oliver had the intention to travel through the Amazonian roads in Brazil to Peru or something. And Carlos wanted to ensure the motorcycle is in good conditions by then. Gosh, but there are crazier people, I am sure!!

I guess, since the publication of Che Guevara’s The Motorcycle Diaries, many people had nursed the romantic idea of travelling through South America by motorbike. Of course, then with the construction of the Pan-American highway and more and more publications of travel books related to motorbike-travelling, done by ordinary people or movie stars, the idea really took off and lots of people are performing the stunt of travelling around South America, from Alaska to Ushuaia, and why not? around the world, or whatever and wherever, by motorbike.

This motorcycle repair shop in Medellin is apparently famous. Oliver informed me there is a close network of motorbikers who travel around and they keep each other informed of good motorcycle repair shops around the world. This repair shop does not charge these crazy bikers for the repair works, just for the parts. Carlos told me the mechanics themselves totally love motorbikes and bike-travelling. So, to them, they are performing a service for fellow bikers who are travelling around the world.

I had a really great time chatting with Carlos. I know nothing about motorbikes or cars! Not a single thing!  Never in my life would I have imagined chatting with a mechanic about motorbiking for more than half an hour! It is not just me. It is the superbly friendly chatty Colombians here as well. Each day, I am more and more amazed by the nice people I just happened to run into and ended up chatting with.

He told me about petite Japanese girls travelling alone by motorcycle through South America, an old Japanese couple about 65 years old and above, travelling on tiny Honda bikes, and another couple who used 60 litres scooters for travelling! Oliver also had met a guy speeding to New York from Chile with a bottle of wine, signed by the various town mayors of the towns that he passed through. Oliver had met him in Cartagena. That guy had about 2 weeks to traverse through Central America, Mexico to get to New York by 18 September, including shipping his bike across to Panama. Apparently, the press would be waiting for him! Some form of publicity for the Chilean wine, haha! He had also met people travelling from Mexico to Panama and back within 2 weeks, just for the hell of it!

Unfortunately for Oliver, the parts in the list do not exist in Colombia or in South America as the model of the Suzuki he was using is unknown here. So, Oliver had to try and get them from Germany or USA. We went to an internet shop and Oliver started emailing to Suzuki dealers around Germany for quotes of the engine parts and also to ask for sponsorships, in exchange for the publicity of using his travel photos. He was emailing one by one and there must be at least 500 dealers to write to! I was then roped in to help him with the emailing!! Gosh, we were at the internet place for 3.5 hours!

Although Oliver had been in Medellin 1 week longer than I, he had hardly stepped out to visit the city. First, he was fussing over the motorbike. Then, he had his eye-operation. So I took him to visit the interesting public sculptures all over the city. Wow, I was even surprised that I was navigating around Medellin without a map now, instinctly knowing which way to go and how many blocks to walk.

One impressive sculpture was at Alpurra Administration Centre. As we walked towards the sculpture, named Monumento de La Raza, my mouth was gapping right open. I had not been to this one yet and I was totally floored. Two ladies happened to be walking past me, and they seemed to have an amused look on their face when they saw me. I greeted them ‘hola’, and once again, we soon got chatting about the sculpture, Medellin, etc… They even gave us their business cards.

Back at the Plazelota de Los Esculturas where the majority of Botero’s fat sculptures were, we spotted some students taking odd macro shots of the sculptures. I asked them what they were doing. They were from the University, taking a course on Publicity. They were told to photograph lines and curves of buildings and sculptures that fitted the listed designs. They were lacking two now. I tried to help them, but it was not so easy. But only in a city with such interesting sculptures could one have this interesting assignment!

6 September 2005 (Tuesday) – Santa Elena / Medellin, Colombia

I slept very late last night coz I was chatting with 2 tourists. So, this morning, it was super difficult to get my ass up from the bed. I had to check-out of the hostel and walk over to Claudia’s house to put my things, before she goes to work.

She gave me a little map on what to do when I get to Santa Elena. Santa Elena has a town centre but the houses of the people are spread out all over the mountains with tiny paths everywhere. It would be impossible to locate an address. Hence, I had to call her sister Patricia when I get off the bus and her sister would walk from her house to meet me.

The bus to Santa Elena wound up through the mountains, providing a great view of Medellin down at the valley. The air was noticeably cooler and 100% purer and fresher. When I arrived, there was only a little shop which had a public phone. I tried to call Patricia but the phone I was using seemed not to be working well. In Claudia’s map, she had written Tienda de Martica (Martica’s Shop). She had told me to wait for Patricia there. The lady at the shop told me where to walk to try and find this Martica’s Shop.

Wow, the view here was really scenic, with many nice houses and pretty flowers in the gardens. It was utterly tranquil. I had a thought in my head – I am in Colombia! Everyone kept yakking about how dangerous this place is… Not everywhere, please! Look at where I am now, gosh… it could not be more peaceful and pretty.

I meandered down the path and found a couple of old folks chatting. So I asked them about Martica and an old lady took me there. Yep, they had all the time in the world. I explained my situation to Martica, another very sweet little old lady, and thank goodness, she knew Patricia and so, she gave Patricia a call. Oh, great!

Patricia took me walking through the tiny paths, behind people’s house, through the woods, down the muddy paths, etc… to get to her house. She is an artist who makes jewellery, mainly silver. There is a great view of the valley in front of her house. She made a simple lunch and then, we walked through the woods and up more mountain slopes to her friend Angela’s house. Gosh, this one was really isolated. There was only a lonely path in the shaded woods for a long distance. Angela’s house is a little wooden-and-brick house, very very sweet and pretty. Imagine, living in a wooden cabin up in the mountains, thoroughly isolated!!! Carlos, Angela’s friend was there and he was very interested about Asia and he seemed to have read up a lot and so, we had a good time, chatting about everything Asian. It was truly a very nice afternoon up in the mountains. Carlos told me we were at 2500m. Wow, I did not realise that! No wonder I was huffing and puffing a little.

By late evening, I was back in Medellin, feeling a little woozie from the lack of sleep and the windy paths downhill. During my dizzy walk in Medellin’s centre, Carlos pointed out several ‘stars’ on the road. Stars? What were they? Well, apparently, if there had been a fatal accident in a particular spot on the road, the authorities would paint a star with a figure of a man lying there. This was to serve as warning to the pedestrians and drivers. However, everyone seems to disregard the ‘stars’ and crosses the roads and drives around recklessly, as per normal. In my state now, I feared I would become another ‘star’!

Today, Oliver could finally go out of the house. Yep, he was finally released from his self-imposed house arrest, haha! Claudia and her friend Santiago, decided to take us for a short tour around Medellin to see the night sights. Santiago was another amazing person, full of enthusiasm and pride about Medellin, excitingly showing us the interesting architecture, the details above certain door-ways and other sculptures around the city. There was a Parque de Los Luces which had many huge pointy columns that illuminated light accordingly to the phases of the moon! Wow!! However, there was no moon tonight, so none of the columns were illuminated. But imagine, how interested the city is in making such innovative public art and sculptures all over the city to beautify the place. In fact, there is a law that states that every building constructed must come with a sculpture. I already have so many pictures of sculptures here in Medellin and yet, I was still snapping away.

Santiago later brought us to a gem of a nostalgic cafe – Salon Malaga, near the San Antonio metro station. The walls were lined with stars of bygone days, old gramaphones, ancient telephones and other antique items. There were 7 jukebox machines as well. At this moment, the tearful songs of tango were being played. Sigh, how it reminds me of Buenos Aires!

Medellin must be the second city of tango after Buenos Aires. I have already heard tango being played at several places around the city. The reason was because Carlos Gardel, a tango legend from Argentina, died in a airplane crash here in Medellin at the height of his career. Hence, the love of tango just took off in this city as well. Also, strangely or coincidentally, some people here use ‘vos’ to mean ‘you’, like how it is done in Argentina.

Wow, I was really glad I stayed 1 more day here in Medellin and meet all these amazingly friendly and hospitable people. I must stay I truly love the Colombians!

5 September 2005 (Monday) - Medellin, Colombia I had spent these 2 days walking around the centre of Medellin, admiring the numerous sculptures all over the city and visiting the odd sights here and there. I like the city, although the ... [Continue reading this entry]

4 September 2005 (Sunday) - Medellin, Colombia The journey last night on the night bus was less than comfortable and I reached Medellin, extremely exhausted. I took the metro straight to the centre and walked from hotel to hotel and, ... [Continue reading this entry]