The Adventure Begins!

I made it safely! Yesterday was a long day to say the least. It started with a 2 hour drive to the Pittsburgh Airport. From there I flew to Houston. Then to Panama City. Both were uneventful flights. I did more sleeping than anything else.

The third and final flight to Barranquilla, Colombia was a bit more eventful. None of the plane announcements were in English, I had to use some deductive reasoning to figure out what was up. It was preparing me for the coming months. On the plus side I got use my first Spanish sentence. I requested an apple juice on the plane. Jugo de manzana. When I arrived, I found out that this was a tiny airport. My original plan of blending in with the crowds as I slept through the night was not an option. I asked a security guard if I could sleep overnight there. He confirmed that I could. My bike box doubled as a bed that night, as I slept in the middle of an airport hallway.

My bed for the night.

Got the bike pieced together without incident, and it only took about 2 1/2 hours. Man is it hot here! The humidity is off the charts and I'm not even riding yet.

Before

Got the bike pieced together without incident, and it only took about 2 1/2 hours. Man is it hot here! The humidity is off the charts and I'm not even riding yet.

After

An airport janitor approached me as I was setting up my bike. We could barely understand each other, but I pointed to my water bottle and said "agua". He nodded and took the bottles and left. About twenty minutes passed and I wondered if he understood. Finally he came back with a big smile on his face and two full water bottles. He also tried giving me directions, but I couldn't make out anything he was saying. Just smile and nod. I think I made my first friend in Colombia. Now to hit the road. Tomorrow heading to Tayrona National Park. Check back in for more interesting updates, and pics!

Mi primero amigo.