We left Cali early, and being Sunday, the otherwise crazy and hectic streets were virtually empty. our hotel receptionist, Giovanni came out to see us off and to wish is well. A very nice young guy. On the way out we passes a bunch of motorcycle shops and one of the larger ones was already open at 9am on a Sunday. We stopped in and bought oil (these little bikes use a little bit) and some chain lube. A quite old gentleman in a ratty looking uniform controls the parking in front of the shop and then wipes down your lights and mirrors for you. All for tips and I suppose this is how he makes a living. He also supervised our oil adding, holding the container and putting the cap back ob for us. We paid him decently for his excellent assistance and went on our way.
We rode for a couple of hours on the main Colombia highway. A 4 lane beauty that would give any road in Canada a run for quality. Nothing third world about it. We turned off the main road and cruised along a country lane about 15 minutes until we reach the Parque del Cafe. A giant amusement type park all based on coffee. We catch the cable cars and train through the park, surrounded by coffee plants of a few varieties. unfortunately we missed the one time per day that you can sit in on a complete talk and tour but it was still all a ton of fun. In one area park they had go carts for the kids, horse back rides and all sorts of theme park fun. They also had very good coffee.
We left the coffee park and rode on to the quant town of Salento. Very popular with tourists, the town is filled with little hotels and hostels, with active town square. We find a nice little hotel and after settling in, head to the square for dinner.
Colombia Motorcycle Ride 