After a few weeks in Cartagena, it was time to set to off to Medellin, Colombia! I spent the extra time in Cartagena getting my bike ready and spending time with friends. I loved my time in Cartagena, Colombia but I was keen to get me and my motorbike on the road again, and Medellin would be the perfect second stop.
While in Cartagena I got a fresh set of wheels and again. I also got a full service and a new rear rim. I had the front tire leak fixed, which was a sealing issue. I chose the Heidenau K60 Scout Tires, these tires were great on the road and offered good grip off-road – until this point.
As I had not been on the road for a while, I took a long days ride and started before first light trekking over 400 miles (668 kilometers), and the ride took me 13.5 hours!
I also realized that the front tire was still leaking, albeit slowly, which was a pain in the butt, so the guys at KTM Cartagena didn’t do the job, even though they had the bike for over a week!
I passed through towns on my way to Medellin, such as Sincelejo, Sahagún, Sampués, Tierra Grata, Planeta Rica, Caucasia, Tarazá, Planeta Rica, La Apartada, Santa Rosa de Osos, Don Matías, Bello and onto my final destination in Medellin, Colombia.
Once in greater Medellin, I noticed alarmingly as I got in crazy traffic, that my bike was overheating and my coolant was spewing out and had to pull over for an hour to let the bike cool down.
Why? Becuase the service guys at KTM Cartagena did not put the seal ring back on the coolant tank cap. Crazy!
I also got some new Flip Flops from Samba Sol which does flip flops from countries all over the world!
Medellin, Colombia
Medellín is the capital of Colombia’s mountainous Antioquia province. Nicknamed the “City of Eternal Spring” for its temperate weather, it hosts a famous annual Flower Festival. A modern metro cable links the city to surrounding barrios and offers views of the Aburrá Valley below. Sculptures by Fernando Botero decorate downtown’s Botero Plaza, while the Museo de Antioquia displays more of the Colombian artist’s work.
Las Olas Americas – Cartagena
The Las Americas Casa de Playa hotel is well located only a short 10-minute drive to Old City ($5 by taxi) and remote enough to be away from the mayhem. The beaches are probably best in Cartagena, but if you go to the beach, be ready to be hassled by locals selling their wares!
But they are friendly and security is nearby. WiFi is great one day and good the next. Having to constantly log into WiFi with devices is painful and unnecessary being such a remote hotel. The food is fantastic but could do with a little more variety.
If you stay in one of the two hotels, you can use facilities of both which is great. The Playa Hotel is better I think, a lot more variety for families with kids with a great pool and slide. The rooms are comfortable and nice and the staff was fantastic! The only two things to improve are variety of food and fix the silly constant logins for WiFi
The Charlee Hotel Medellin, Colombia
The Charlee Hotel, Medellin has a fantastic location, with great views, incredible balconies and overall an interesting and unique hotel experience.
Walking distance to nearly everything, including restaurants, cafes, tourist locations, the hotel has everything you would need for a nice short stay.
They need to improve the buffet breakfast, cheeses, and cold meats aren’t breakfast, just need a lot greater variety, best to head to a cafe for a nice breakfast instead of their fare.
The beds are super comfortable and the bathrooms roomy and excellent!
Wi-Fi is good with 20 Mbps down and 25 Mbps up with each room having their own connection.
Parking is underneath, reasonably cramped but very secure.