Pivoter pour une meilleure lecture
Medellin
The roads of Colombia do not spare our travelling companion and we feel that the clutch slips a little .... it is original and displays 272,000 km ... We had planned its change by purchasing a complete kit in France when we returned (8kg in luggage).
Also on our favorite site we find two specialized garages.
The first does not give us confidence, it is located in the district of the dusters where dirt reigns.
We head towards the second, crossing the city where as in other cities the traffic is anarchic ...
We arrive in the mechanics' quarter ... As creepy as the one of the rag pickers. Imagine the court of miracles version "auto repairers".
On the same street are all professions and each garage has its specialization: tires - radiators - clutches – oil changes - etc ...
These are stalls, so the work is done on the street, no room to enter a vehicle ... Cars or vans park in front or in double-file ...
The repair is done in the midst of passers-by, automobiles and street vendors.
Everyone knows each other ... a real family.
We had already contacted this garage and explained that we had a motorhome ... no worries ... When we arrive there is no room in front of the garage that is around the corner ... it is not a problem ... The staff clears the vehicles to give us the space.
Christophe explains our situation, releases the clutch kit and work can begin.
We wonder if we made the right decision by coming here!!!
Our dear companion finds himself on two logs in front of the street in the middle of a crowd composed of mechanics, customers, passers-by, food delivery, street vendors.
We arrived at 14:00 and according to the engineers' estimates it takes 3 to 4 hours of work...
Disassembly is difficult ... wear and rust of parts complicate the operation.
As time passes, our two mechanics discover worn or defective parts and advise us to change or repair them ... Here, all trades being present on site, one can repair or machine a part of the engine.
This is truly the court of miracles!!! Everything is possible!!! Even staying at night in his camper perched on two streets in a creepy neighborhood.
And yes the repair can not be completed tonight ... So we stay sleeping in the street.
Meanwhile, we discover that the kit brought back from France is not the right one ...it doesn’t matter the garage will adapt it for our engine ...
At 6 o'clock all shops close and the neighborhood empties. We are alone and we spend the night in our elevated camper.
At night, another population appears ... these are homeless people or other people who do their market in the garbage ... what sadness to see this show (which is not one).
Here a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line.
Early waking and work continues. Between parts repairs and reassembly, the day passes slowly.
Unfortunately a cardan is badly repaired and it is already 5 o'clock ....
Second night in our motorhome!!! it becomes a habit.
The next day, reunion with our friends .... they find us the source of a small oil leak.
Once everything goes up, it’s the time of the tests .... The speeds do not pass!! It’s not normal.
After a few adjustments everything is in order. We can leave.
Two days of repair among lovely and helpful people
Alto Bonito
A day of driving on a steep and winding road and always followed by a parade of trucks.
A hell that wears us out. We have to constantly look at the state of the road, try to overtake idling trucks and avoid the cars opposite ...
We thought we would bivouac and visit the "Canon Del Rio" nature reserve but the advertised rate is exorbitant 130,000 cop or about 30 euros ... For the country it is a fortune!!!
We continue to rest on the parking lot of a hotel-restaurant.
It rains a little, which refreshes ... And yes we are lower than last days and the temperature is much higher ... We put back our shorts on
San Francisco de Sales
It is Sunday, as yesterday we woke up by the installation of the hot air balloon.
There are a lot of candidates ... the trick is to climb 100 meters without moving!!! the balloon is attached to the ground ... it only takes 4 people at a time!!!
It’s not hot, the temperature at 6 am is 11°
We go to Nemocon, known for its salt mines.
Less touristic than the Zipaquirá, one, the visit is more oriented towards the technical, historical and scientific aspects of salt mining.
Mining began in 1819 and ended in the 1980s.
The one and a half hour visit is obligatory guided and, once again, we were very numerous, about 70 people, which does not allow us to hear and understand the explanations ...
After lunch we continue our way towards Medellin. The road is 415 km long through the Andes mountains ... Synonymous with steep and winding roads.
The landscapes are beautiful ; unfortunately it is impossible to stop to take pictures or movies.
The traffic is dense, full of trucks ... no days off for drivers.
After a 2.5 hour drive we covered .... 158 km.
The possibilities of bivouac are rare and often do not match the description ... We find refuge in the parking lot of a hotel.
ROAD BOOK 121
Guatavita
For several months, the water pump that supplies the interior of the motorhome (sink, shower and toilet) is leaking a little.
Installed behind the heating, it is very difficult to access.
We had contacted "Laika" who had explained to us that we would have to disassemble the heater to change the pump ... but especially had advised us to go through a professional ... What the websites confirmed.
Knowing that in our journey it would be difficult to find spare parts, we had bought a spare pump ... clever!!!
Luckily, we found on our favorite site, an independent caravan builder on our way to the Guatavita lagoon.
We stop there and make an appointment for the next day at 7 a.m.
In the meantime, we land at the edge of the lagoon of Guatavita in a campsite.
The night is quiet but we are awakened at 5:30 am by a hot air balloon company that has chosen this vast pitch for launch base.
So we attend the preparations before joining our repairman.
We are there at 7 am as agreed, however the manager does not open the doors until 8 am
The access inside is very narrow but we pass ... Christophe stays in the motorhome and Jean-Pierre settles in the office to write the logbooks.
The work begins, the employee tells us that it is not necessary to disassemble the heating and that the work will be difficult but feasible.
After 2 hours, the first test ... the water flushes into the tank!!! this is not normal.
Christophe tells the employee that the pump is installed upside down ... he does not agree and modifies the installation ... second test ... idem.
Christophe had taken pictures before the disassembly and shows the manager that the pump is installed upside down ....
Re-disassembly .. Third test ... everything works normally .
We are relieved.
We return to the campsite via the lagoon viewpoint which is not a good idea.
The access road is steep and difficult. The 2-hour tour is only with a guide ... and it is already 4 pm. We give up on it
MAVROS ODYSSEE
