Entries by allan

Popayán. Colonial Colombia.

The ride from Cali to Popayán is stunning. Blessed with good weather, decent roads and lush green jungle that crawls up the mountainous terrain. Glittering reflections off corrugated roofs that dot the hills in the distance catch my eye. I see no roads climbing the hillsides, but along this road young men ride horses or […]

Cali Come. Cali Go.

Coffee & Bananas Everywhere in the department of Quindio, Colombia Sprawling rooftops and homes of Montegregro, the heart of Colombian Coffee growing region. I loved getting lost and riding up and down the hills of Calarca, Colombia – also in the coffee growing region. Moving coffee and other goods is still done by horse drawn […]

Armenia, Colombia: Where is Juan Valdez?

A plan for an early start was foiled by early morning rainfall. I waited. But as the clock ticked, I got antsy. So I packed the bike and headed toward Manizales. Climbing through the mountains the temperature started to drop. Then I descended into a valley and out of the rain. It was in this […]

Making My Way To Manizales, Colombia

Getting out of Bogota was easy thanks to Mauricio’s map and the help of my friends at the Capital Hotel. I had noticed it earlier at the Girag office at the airport, but I finally figured out what was going on. In many of the Latin American countries I’ve been wandering through police officers are […]

The Panama Canal

The Panama Canal represents an amazing feat of human accomplishment. Perhaps most amazing to these eyes is the fact that completed more than 90 years ago, the “technology” behind the workings of the Panama Canal hasn’t changed. The canal extends nearly 50 miles from the Caribbean at Colon to the Pacific at Panama City. If […]

Getting Ready For Colombia.

Though I thought South America and I would be very acquainted by now. But as these things go timing is everything. And in this case, my timing was a bit off. As the days draw closer to my birthday, I hope to have my first day riding my motorcycle through the lush tropics of Central […]

Panama City At Last!

Riding over the Puente Centenario (Centennial Bridge) over the Panama Canal sent chills down my spine. It was a weird feeling because for the first few moments, I thought I was riding over a river. But remembering the image of the tall towers of this suspension bridge as graphical icons on Panama license plates, it […]

Your Comments Are Welcomed

Comment Spam: Damn. v I hate to have to do this. But the Comment Spam machine has targeted the WorldRider site. And while I don’t want to deter comments, I’m going to have to require registering in order to comment on this site. It’s not a big deal. And nobody will get your email address […]

Panamanian Transito Cops

I’d already been stopped at two or three police or military check points when the policemen standing next to an orange cone and wearing a reflecting vest bear the words “transito” waved me to the side of the road. He went through the usual array of questions and asked to see my documents. He then […]