I’m here, my stuff is here, and my bike works, but after two days I still feel like I’m on a different planet. Perhaps it’s not knowing any of the language, or the general intensity that is any city of 7 million people, but this experience has been mixed with equal parts of excitement, apprehension and being totally overwhelmed. I’ve spent most of my time just biking- getting to know the city (somewhat), getting a feel for how differently people interact, and seeing a few sites. Couchsurfing has both landed me places to stay and English speakers to converse with, for which I am very grateful. I met another American through the site and we toured the national museum together yesterday afternoon. A couchsurfing meetup last night made for an evening of friendly conversation as well as a taste of the extensive bus network here (it’s not recommended for gringos, or anyone, to bike after dark).
So far I haven’t had any reason to fear for my safety, though the urban biking requires a very high level of concentration, courage, and bike handling skills. That said, there is an incredible network of bike lanes and overpasses that makes crossing the city quite doable, even on my first day here.
Juan, my first host, lives in a quiet area on the north side of town with good views of the city and surrounding mountains. I appreciate the relative calm after a day exploring the denser parts of the city. In many ways, Bogota is what I expected- dense, busy, smoggy, and cultured. The density is the most challenging part- in the 5000 square blocks I have traversed by a variety of routes, I have found nowhere that isn’t busy. In many ways being here is harder than I expected and I’ve thought of home quite a bit. Why did I spend my last few months of unemployment away from my friends? Why did I think I could take on a foreign country and language solo? Why did I choose to come here of all places? Amongst the folks I’ve met the gringos think my bike tour is awesome, and the locals think I’m loco. It doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to doubting myself right now. It’d be easy to get back on the plane. I could justify giving up. But it would still be quitting. Don’t quit Skander, don’t quit.
I met a Brit named Richard at the meetup last night and he agreed to host me the next several nights. More importantly, he also knows a climbing spot outside the city and is willing to bike out there with me for the weekend. Neither of us have a rope, but he may know some others there and there is a hostel with the potential of meeting other folks as well. I don’t expect to have Internet there so hopefully there will be good stories when I get back on Sunday afternoon!
A few photos-

Me and the bike box at SFO

My host Juan and his Samoa pup, Yuki.

Getting the bike put back together.

Awesome cargo bikes abound!

Looking towards the south end of the city from downtown.

Looking across the north side from one of the many well placed bike overpasses.

This is just a quick note amidst packing and finalizing a few last details.  My flight takes off at 12:55am tonight.  My regular phone service ends at 12:01am tonight, so I’m not sure when the next post will be.  That said, this blog and my email will be the best ways to get in touch with me.  Also, new on the blog as of yesterday is my “Professional Information” section, designed to share some of my professional side.  Please leave feedback on this new page- your advice might help me get back on my feet once I get back from this adventure!

I’ve had a great few days visiting my brother and sister-in-law in San Jose. I got to see both Dustin and my friend Tom, who is just starting grad school at Standford and might be the main reason I was able to graduate Northwestern. Check out Tom’s amazing sculptures on his website.  Thank you all for following, and for all the support!

A few photos from the fun here in Silicon Valley:

The shiny new burnished orange bike frame (with no cracks!)

New tent! I never thought I'd buy a solo tent, but it's perfect for bike camping.

Me, the Cilogear pack, and bike repair gear. One of many photos I shot for insurance purposes.

It all fits! (just barely)

Loaded for the airport run tonight!

Even just the visitors lot at Apple has some unusually nice digs...

I’m in Berkeley. I was here already in March this year. I will see people I saw then, visit places that I have seen before, but this time it feels different. I have a bike. I have a plane ticket to Colombia.

Staring at San Francisco Bay, the sea breeze was cool and beckons me outwards. Cesar Chavez City Park was the first place we stopped after 10 hours of driving (one bathroom break, one gas break makes for good time). I picked up an artist in Portland named Charlie who needed a ride, and he hadn’t ever really seen the Bay. The Park, and the perfect sunny weather, did not disappoint. It feels good to be here, to be on the move again. Charlie was excellent company for the ride down, and I strongly encourage you to check out his beautiful woodcuts.

I’m particularly excited to spend tonight catching up with Dustin, then the next few days spending some quality time with my brother and his wife in San Jose. With a little luck, there are a few other folks I’d like to see as well. I’ve got a few final arrangements to make, and need to repack my bike, but the sense of adventure is tingling in my toes, and I’ve got a grin on my face that belies the fact that it’s already started.

Thursday I was nervous.
Friday I was exhausted.
Today I simply feel alive.

I have no Spanish skills. I don’t really know what I’m going to do when I land in Bogota on Wednesday night. I will be humbled, the experience will be new, and most likely difficult at first. It doesn’t matter- I’m psyched.

Berkeley, California

How far would you go for a friend? I’m racing to post this from Washington-Dulles, the fourth of five airports I will visit today. Thursday night after entertaining my grandmother I picked up a cryptic voicemail from a friend. I called him back, and he asked me for an unusual favor. He knew I was in the eastern part of the US, and had time on my hands. One of my objectives in being unemployed and traveling has always been to take advantage of spontaneous opportunities, and this seemed right up my alley. My friend had been looking for a Sprinter van to take on climbing trips, and found his dreamride in West Virginia, 2,600 miles from Portland by highway. He asked me to fly to West Virginia, pick up the van, and drive it to Portland- all expenses paid, plus a little extra. I’ll see most of the US in the process, and probably see a few more friends along the way. I’ve got the time for this because of another phone call I got on Thursday…

Despite the good vibe that my touring bike has given me, I got also got a call on Thursday from the mechanic looking at my bike prior to leaving for South America. He was replacing the bottom bracket that was wiggling into oblivion when he noticed a sizable crack in the frame. They figured it was a fatal flaw in an already tired bike. I sent it over to the impeccably built TiCycles to get it welded up, only to have them insist that I not leave the country on the bike. Buyer beware- while I support a re-use economy, I should have just bucked up and bought a new Surly Long Haul Trucker instead of going for the bargin on a used bike. I’ve got a lot of decisions to make about how this bike tour is going to unfold, but the plan is the plan, and sometimes you gotta stick to the plan.

The funny part was the difficulty of getting from Montgomery, AL to Charleston, WV. I was scheduled to fly from Montgomery to Portland via Dallas, but the cheapest ticket we could get on short notice was from Dallas, via Austin and Washington D.C., to Charleston. Probably more of a curse than a blessing, my layover in Dallas was scheduled at 40 min, and 37 min in Austin. My flight from Montgomery ended up being late and suddenly the CrossFit WOD was making it across two terminals in Dallas for a flight (on a different airline that I wasn’t checked in for) that left 19 minutes after I crossed the transom.

I made the flight, made it to Austin, grabbed a sandwich at The Salt Lick kiosk, and jumped on my flight to Washington. I’ve got one more leg to go, and now that I’ve finally finished my addiction to “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest” I might actually get some of the trip planning done that’s I’ve been putting off so far this week.