Here I am Colombia!

The name only of this country scares a good part of my people in France. Everybody think this is a dangerous place where you will get kidnapped or killed for sure.

Well, this is not!

People are the friendliest I have seen in South America with Chilean and Brazilian people.

We are now late December.

I calculate I have to be before February in Panama in order to look for a sailing boat going to New Zealand across Pacific. That gives me a month to cross 1800kms of hard mountains. This scares me more than the drugs smugglers in the country.

One good point is that I am alone. Meaning I can destroy my legs, my heart, my body with the firm objective to cross something likes 100kms a day. I will be the only one to convince, much easier!

Also Franck-Olivier, a friend I met in Toubkal, Morocco, will come and join me in Panama start of February.

I have no choice but going fast, again!

It has been a while that I am fed up with going fast. Biking is not about going fast, not at all.

I realize I have put my objectives too far compared to what I really wanted to do on the way. I make my mind up to have smaller objectives once the Pacific Ocean crossed.

This also make me think I might take 2 or 3 more years to finish the trip, meaning a total of 6 or 7 years.

I like 7, this is a good number.

First part of the Colombian trip is really mountainous but also truly beautiful.

The southern part of Colombia was also quite dangerous a few years ago, but for 2 years, the government has strengthened up the security in the whole country. I meet soldiers of the “regular” army every few kilometers, protecting every bridge, showing their presence.

Usually I don’t like the over presence of a security corpse in a country. It is never the sign of a healthy country. But in the case of Colombia I must say I am quite relieved to see them, I feel much safer.