4 x 4 Trip Bogota & Girag

Salvador and I have a lot in common, we both have 4 x 4 Toyotas set up well, we both have KTM 950, we both have a great other half and we both love Scotch ... just to name the important ones. 

So Salvador knowing this organised some local hoods that he hangs with to come out and play on Saturday on a cool track to a hill range top.

Dan and Sara were here too so they were extended the invite and we shuffled between trucks during the day ...WOH HOH.

Arriving at the head of the track tires were let down and preps made before we hit the good stuff, Salvador drove the first 200 meter gnarly section then handed over the wheel to me and said go for it ..... what was a man to do. 



Salvador negotiating the first bit and making easy work of it in a well set up truck.



Given my 4x4 history of competition trials and speed events there was a bit of pressure to get it right, in my mind I did OK cos he got his truck back in one piece, this is more than I can say for some of my acts of unprofessionalism in New Zealand.

This is my truck misbehaving



In action



Click on the pic to see our river crossing, we didn't do this to Salvadors truck 



Check this out for cool territory



This is Salvadors sister doing her best to be a counterweight



I thought I would have a crack at doing a wheelie in Salvadors truck ... nearly got it 



Arriving at the top we had pretty good views being at about 3300 meters, fog was hanging on the cliff side and a big rain wall hanging on the opposite ridge and we managed to sit in the middle dry and listen to the thunder clap and roll through the valleys.



A barbecue was pulled out of one of the back of a truck and a big beast was cooked up with beef, chicken, sausages and pork all on offer, at 3300 meters and cool enough this tickled the right sensors.



Heading back down Dan took the wheel and did a good job navigating Salvadors truck through various obstacles, the last part of the track I drove down to “the hole” then I handed back to Salvador.



It was a good size washout with guidance needed to make sure the truck wheels didn’t drop literally about 1.8 meters which would flip the truck over a and do some big damage.



Successfully navigating this goodbyes, handshake and hugs were had, what a great bunch the Colombians are, just like Kiwis in so many aspects.

Now the big mission, Salvador had been on the phone more than a dozen times to help get Dan and Sara bike out of Girag which is the local air freight company from Panama to Colombia. 

Dan and Saras bikes were supposed to have been in on the Thursday and we had confirmation at 4pm on the Saturday driving home from the 4 x 4 trip so we diverted to the airport.

Even armed with Salvador, fluent in Spanish and local knowledge they tried to brush him off talking through a crack in the door, luckily Salvador had the number and name of a bigwig so things started to happen.

Even so it was a long drawn out process of excuses etc and finally they were reunited with their bikes at 8.30 pm Saturday night.

Now they had left their batteries connected for 5 months so there was big doubts as to their state, no fear at all.... Dans fired straight up with Saras needing a little encouragement but both bike under the steam of their own batteries, very impressive to say the least, they run the Deka Batterieshttp://www.dekabatteries.com/ 

Getting the bike home was great, Salvador being the great host had organised a boys ride on Sunday so Dan was able to join ..... that next.