Guest post: Friendship

There are few pleasures in life as nice as seeing someone you care about in their element. Ryan is living a complete life and those who know him are all the better for it. He’s an inspiration and he makes me want to just leave my job and get out there and live life. Who the hell does something like this? Who jumps on a bike to see the world for several years? It was so interesting to see the facial expressions of the many people we met who were astonished about what he was doing. I’m rather surprised that there aren’t more of us who embark on this type of journey. It clearly pays huge dividends as evidenced by my time with Ryan.

I met RyRy in Cartagena and splurged for a night at the Intercontinental because I was coming off a red-eye from the states and wanted a nice hotel. He had dropped Surly off at the Airbnb place where he would return to after our time together and I was amazed at how little stuff he had with him. Every pound matters when you’re riding your bike across the world and so you have minimal clothing and a bar of soap to wash your clothes daily. Ryan, and his $30 per day budget, LOVED the hotel. A gym? An infinity pool overlooking the ocean? Score!

Cartagena was charming and we got to explore a bit of the city on our way to dinner. I treated Ryan to a nice place that I’d read about and we dug into catching up with a vengeance. There was so much to catch up on when you haven’t seen your amigo in five months and it’s during this dinner where I was so struck by how much Ryan has changed on his journey. Calm. Peaceful. Happy. And still curious. The trip was off to a good start.

We left Cartagena the next day and watched three episodes of season three of Narcos on the bus to Santa Marta (because watching a show set in Colombia while in Colombia is pretty bad ass) and met up with my friend David who is living in Medellin for a few months to learn Spanish. And then we embarked upon the hike of all hikes, the trail of no tomorrow, the bain of my existence: La Ciudad Perdida. What an adventure.

The four-day hike must be done with a local tour company and so we were paired with another 15 or so people from all over the world and met the loveliest gay guy from New Zealand who we became inseparable with (more on him later). And some really great people from all over who we bonded with over many bottles of rum and shared woes along the trails. I understand that many people would rather do this type of traveling alone but I must say that it really was one of the best aspects of my overall trip: meeting new people, sharing a common experience with them and then Facebooking or WhatsApping them once you conclude. I know I’ll see many of them somewhere down the road. The wonders of traveling.

The hike was brutal…and incredible. It was the thing I was dreading the most about our planned itinerary and ended up being the best thing. Long hours of chatting with one of your besties while looking at an amazing canopy of trees covering massive mountains that you’re conquering. River swimming breaks. Laughter. Developing and deepening friendships. Too often we plop ourselves on a beach towel and tune out as part of our vacation. This was adventure travel and I think I’m hooked.

Not that there weren’t some downsides….Ryan caught onto it first but it was rather sad how we were traipsed past the local Wiwa people and shown their villages like they were part of a zoo attraction. I know they probably get a good part of the $290 fee for the four-day hike but it still felt a little icky. And then there was a dude with a drone who decided to get a better view of the village. David rightfully mooned him as he flew his little machine by us. And yet it foretells the coming wave of obnoxious tourists. You’ll be wishing for more selfie sticks by next year, trust me.

And then the bugs ate all of us up, particularly on our legs. We all looked like chicken pox victims by the end of the four days. But the reward was the Lost City itself, an ancient ruins site that was abandoned and then “rediscovered” in 1972. Not as grandiose as Machu Picchu, according to those on the trip who have done both but still stunning. Check out the pictures.

And all good things came to an end for the hike and thankfully for my tired and wet ass, there were motorcycle hotties just waiting to rescue this damsel in distress (no, not Ryan. Me). Sooo worth the $6. No shame in my game. And then we were off to Tayrona National Park to ring in the new year. We were pleased to extend an invitation to that lovely Kiwi I mentioned earlier, Andrew, and the four of us had a rip-roaring time at a hotel on the beach for the next two days (just don’t ask me about the dreadful food–ugh. The worst). We made new friends along the way. Rang in the new year with much laughter. Soaked up the sun.

And then we said our goodbyes. My journey with these goons was coming to a close as I headed to Medellin and then Bogota before heading home. And in those final moments of goodbye, Ryan and I realized that our trip brought us closer together. And I told him that I’d always be grateful for getting to take part in just a sliver of his journey. I’m a better man for it. Thanks, Ryan!