Were we out of our minds? Why on earth did we think that it would be a good idea to take a bus from Bogota to Medellin? It only costs 50 dollars to fly there and takes an hour. By bus it costs 30 dollars and is supposed to take 8-9 hours. Obviously we got there in one piece or I wouldn't be writing this blog entry, but there were times on that hellish journey that I thought we wouldn't make it. Let me back up and explain why we decided to take a bus...
When we travelled in Argentina, Mexico and Brazil, we mainly travelled by bus. It was a fantastic way to see the countryside and, because of the huge distances involved, we frequently spent 24-30 hours on a bus. The buses were very safe and comfortable. The drivers drove carefully, there was entertainment and regular stops. We'd forgotten the nightmarish bus trips in Peru and Bolivia. The human mind is very selective and tends to blot out the less positive memories when making decisions. Predictably, we remembered our experiences in Argentina fondly and decided to get the bus.
The receptionist at our hotel in Bogota, Paola, called us a taxi and asked us what our plans were.
Us: We are taking a bus to Medellin
Paola: Por que? (Why?)
That should have given us a clue...
We bought tickets at the bus terminal, grabbed some water and a couple of chocolate bars, went through security and got ready to board the 9am SuperExpress to Medellin. The bus came in at 9 and on we got. There was plenty of legroom and the bus was clean. So far so good. One of the staff members from the bus company, Bolivariano, got on once we were boarded and explained the rules. She then took out a camcorder and recorded all of the passengers "for your own protection". I'm still not sure why they do that. We had to show ID to buy bus tickets and they had our names. David had some theories which did not reassure me. There was also a camera on the bus recording everything. They never did that in Argentina...
The first part of our journey was on a dual carriageway and I relaxed, read my book enjoying the scenery and the Colombian fiesta music. I stopped reading once we got to the Andes as the road became very windy and it made me feel a bit sick. I guess I should have looked at the route more closely before deciding to take a bus. The entire journey is through mountainous areas. There is only one lane in each direction and the road is full of massive trucks and big buses. We wove up and up and the road became more and more windy. This is fine, but I can't believe the speed we travelled at for the rest of the journey. Each time we came up behind a truck (mostly enormous gas ones with PELIGRO (danger) written on it), we'd put our foot down and overtake. This meant going onto the other side of the road. At top speed. On bends. Agghhhh!!! Absolutely terrifying! Other buses and trucks coming the other way were doing the same thing of course. In order not to die of fear, we rationalised this practice. Thousands of vehicles make this journey everyday, but we didn't see any evidence of accidents and we hadn't been warned of the danger. Presumably there is a system whereby you expect to meet another vehicle coming the other way and are ready to break / let someone in / swerve so that there isn't an accident.
The journey took 12 hours in the end with only one 20 minute stop to shovel down some chicken-rice.
Any positives? Gorgeous scenery. Mountains. Villages. Rivers. Farms. Oh, and we didn't die. Also, we have a sense of smug satisfaction that we roughed it and live to tell the tale. As someone on Radio 3 said last week you don't feel that you have travelled properly if you just teleport in. We are still flying around Colombia from now on, mind.
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