"OWN ONLY WHAT YOU CAN CARRY WITH YOU; KNOW LANGUAGE, KNOW COUNTRIES, KNOW PEOPLE. LET YOUR MEMORY BE YOUR TRAVEL BAG". Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Last night we got bored waiting for the bus, we ate empanadas. When we got on the bus they started showing a really bad movie so a little while later i was asleep. It is some 400 kms to Bogota express, but the ride was rough and there are many curves and mountains. I woke up on arrival to Bogota.
We queued up for the taxi and saw a bloke with a computer registering passengers name and destiny, then you receive the taxi number that you are to get on, which are queued across the road. I guess this is for the traveller's security, all across Colombia they are trying so hard to make the tourists feel secure.
We went to the airport EL DORADO ($12000 pesos) to find the office of Girag but couldn't. I started asking around, there were two tourist officers who proceeded to try and get us accomodation, they walked us towards the Girag warehouse all the while asking us about the bikes, a police officer went by in a truck so the officers called him and he took us to Girag.
At Girag, they gave us some papers and sent us to customs some five blocks away.
At customs, a very friendly lady from security said she had to check us for any bombs we might be carrying so she frisked us from top to bottom, i insisted she didn't do it properly and would have to do it again but she only laughed and sent us off to a desk. We filled out some forms, photocopied our documents and the entry stamp on our passports, all for 600 pesos. We were then told to go back to Girag where customs would be checking the bikes. So back we went, it's a good thing we had left our bags behind.
Finally i get to see my Angelina again, just as i had left her in Panama. We signed everything that needed signing, got everything stamped that needed stamping and went off to the manager at the warehouse to get our bikes, although we had some difficulties to get them out as there were some steps to go down.

Outside as we loaded the bikes with our bags, many people approached us, so friendly too.

We were low on fuel but a km away found a petrol station and filled up, i also got someone to change the oil, he wasn't sure how to do it so i explained and he got some plastic bottles and that was that. 3 lts of oil=30000 pesos, he said to give him whatever i liked for the labour so i gave him 10000 pesos.

Heading off to the border and to Quito, I asked which way to Cali (on route 25) as the other route to Neiva (route 45) had problems along the Magdalena river with FARC, we then found out this is not so, that it is a placid drive.

Gallon of petrol aprox. 7000 pesos, a little dearer on the road.

We got lost a bit exiting Bogota, we were tired from having slept both nights on a bus and we didn't smell to descent neither. We made a few kms and retook the Panamerican Highway. We then arrived at a toll booth but some truckies yelled out that we needn't pay as to the right there was a motorbike pass.
Each day i am more impressed with Colombia.
As soon as we passed Granada we found a hotel in Subia for 15000 pesos, nice and safe; Hotel Billares. I tried to get on the internet but with no luck.SAME TEXT HERE IN SPANISH: Dia 29 …………….Martes 26

Anoche nos aburrimos esperando el bus, comimos unas empanadas, cuando subimos al bus empezaron a pasar un película malísima y al ratito quede dormido, son unos 400 kms pero duro nueve horas y era directo, muchas curvas y montañas, me desperté entrando en Bogota. Hicimos cola para el taxi y hay un muchacho con una comp. Te pregunta adonde tú nombre y adonde vas y te da el número del taxi, que están haciendo cola enfrente, debe de ser para seguridad a los pasajeros, en todas parte en Colombia están haciendo lo posible para que el turista se sienta seguro, quieren cambiar la imagen que tienen.. Llegamos al aeropuerto El Dorado, no podíamos encontrar la oficina de Girag, igual nos bajamos en el aeropuerto, pagamos 12.000.00 y empecé a preguntar, llegue a dos jóvenes oficiales de turismo que nos querían conseguir hotel y nos empezaron acompañar al deposito de Girag, ellos haciendo preguntas de las motos, paso un policía en una camioneta y ellos lo llamaron para que nos llevara, llegamos a Girag, nos dieron unos papeles y nos mandaron a la Aduana enfrente como cinco cuadras. Allá fuimos la de seguridad pura broma y muy simpática, les tengo que revisar, donde tienen las bombas nos decía y después nos dio una tocadita por todo el cuerpo de arriba a bajo, le insistí que no lo había hecho como es devido y que lo repitiera pero solo se sonrió, nos mando a un escritorio, una señora nos dio un formulario para llenar y que necesitábamos dos copias de cada documento y la entrada en el pasaporte. La que saca las fotocopias no había llegado aun., esperamos unos minutos, llego, sacamos las fotocopias por 600.00 se lo llevamos todo a la señora, esperamos media hora nos dijo que volviéramos a Girag que ella iba a inspeccionar las motos en auto, de vuelta para Girag menos mal que habíamos dejado los bolsos en la oficina del jefe, a los minutos nos encontramos todos en Girag y pude ver mi Angelina como se la había entregado en Hotel por 15.000.00 y seguro en Subía Hotel Billares (Restaurante mas Gas) Trate de escribir pero solo un Internet café en el área dos comp. Y no pude abrir el Hotmail.