Left Canada , living (and riding) in Colombia

[cheekeebandito]

Hey everyone, long time, no see ! I sort of disappeared for a while , retired from my full time job, got into a nasty divorce battle , basically lost everything I worked for, for 35 years, and decided to move to Colombia , to start over ..... not exactly what I had in mind for my retirement , but life definitely throws a few curveballs at you in life ! So I met a lovely latina online , after I knew my 27 marriage was kaput , and eventually travelled to Colombia to meet her in person....... we immediately hit it off , and I travelled a few more times to spend time with her and her family .... then covid hit , and we didn't see each other for 12 months ..... Once the grim financial picture started to become clear , I made a tough decision to liquidate my few remaining assets , and make the move to Colombia, where the weather is spectacular (year round) , our money goes a LOT farther , and my lovely lady lives here ...... so within a few weeks of moving here , I picked up a KTM 790 Duke ..... much smaller than the previous litre bikes I've owned over the years , but here in Medellin Colombia , most of the bikes on the road (and there are THOUSANDS) are 100 to 200 cc bikes with drum brakes and skinny tires ....... So the 790 is a HUGE bike here , and I think I'd have a hard time with anything bigger , considering the traffic in this city ...... It's difficult to even describe , as it's completely bonkers ........ I've never done lane splitting before , but it's a way of life here , and you need to get with the program quickly ...... It's pretty wild ! So my lady is an enthusiastic passenger , and with the help of a SENA intercom system , she's very helpful for navigating .... Once you get into the countryside, the riding is spectacular ....... the mountains and twisty roads , just unbelievable .... I'll post some pics and video soon ............. Hope everyone is doing great and staying safe !
Cheers, Les

 

[Wingboy]

Cheers to you Les. Been following my friend Tracey Charles on her travels in Columbia. Looks awesome!

 

[cheekeebandito]

Cheers too you Les. Been following my friend Tracey Charles on her travels in Columbia. Looks awesome!

Thank you so much , appreciate it !

 

[GreyGhost]

Hey everyone, long time, no see ! I sort of disappeared for a while , retired from my full time job, got into a nasty divorce battle , basically lost everything I worked for, for 35 years, and decided to move to Colombia , to start over ..... not exactly what I had in mind for my retirement , but life definitely throws a few curveballs at you in life ! So I met a lovely latina online , after I knew my 27 marriage was kaput , and eventually travelled to Colombia to meet her in person....... we immediately hit it off , and I travelled a few more times to spend time with her and her family .... then covid hit , and we didn't see each other for 12 months ..... Once the grim financial picture started to become clear , I made a tough decision to liquidate my few remaining assets , and make the move to Colombia, where the weather is spectacular (year round) , our money goes a LOT farther , and my lovely lady lives here ...... so within a few weeks of moving here , I picked up a KTM 790 Duke ..... much smaller than the previous litre bikes I've owned over the years , but here in Medellin Colombia , most of the bikes on the road (and there are THOUSANDS) are 100 to 200 cc bikes with drum brakes and skinny tires ....... So the 790 is a HUGE bike here , and I think I'd have a hard time with anything bigger , considering the traffic in this city ...... It's difficult to even describe , as it's completely bonkers ........ I've never done lane splitting before , but it's a way of life here , and you need to get with the program quickly ...... It's pretty wild ! So my lady is an enthusiastic passenger , and with the help of a SENA intercom system , she's very helpful for navigating .... Once you get into the countryside, the riding is spectacular ....... the mountains and twisty roads , just unbelievable .... I'll post some pics and video soon ............. Hope everyone is doing great and staying safe !
Cheers, Les

Wow. Wondered what you were up to. Sorry to hear about the life complications. Glad you are making the best of it and enjoying your new reality.

Lots of people are following you south. I was talking with people in the neighbourhood that liquidated and are moving to costa rica for the kids to go to high school as they don't like what is going on in Ontario.

 

[Wingboy]

https://youtube.com/c/TracyLynnCharles

 

[cheekeebandito]

https://youtube.com/c/TracyLynnCharles

Awesome !! thank you !!!

 

[cheekeebandito]

Wow. Wondered what you were up to. Sorry to hear about the life complications. Glad you are making the best of it and enjoying your new reality.

Lots of people are following you south. I was talking with people in the neighbourhood that liquidated and are moving to costa rica for the kids to go to high school as they don't like what is going on in Ontario

Yeah , I get it ....... between our ridiculously unfair family court system (don't get me started !) , and the cost of living in Canada , I simply cannot afford to start over with almost nothing in Canada , at this point in life ........ leaving family and friends (and my pets) was really difficult , and I have some tough days now and then ....... upside, they can come to visit anytime , and I'll return to visit as well ....... seeing lots of Expats down here too ......... gotta keep working on my Espanol though ! Cheers, Les

 

[PaisaMed]

Well, cheekee, my name and avatar give away my Colombian history. I lived in Medellin for 4 years and it was great. That's a good bike choice for down there. My buddy has a 1290 SuperDuke GT and I think it's a big bike within the city and even outside in the countryside you're never going to exploit its power. Have a great time and you must pick up a Colombian rain suit as I'm modelling in my avatar picture for those torrential downpours!!

 

[J_F]

neat story, glad it worked out for you
I've spent 2 winters in Ecuador and would often see Colombian tourists or KTM's
the brand must do well there
and always figured the best way to improve your Espanol would be have a lovely Latina in your life!

 

[bigpoppa]

what, I thought canada was the land of milk and honey and rainbows?

Happy for ya though

 

[Lightcycle]

Nice! We lived in Medellin for a while and loved it. We had an apartment in a neighbourhood called El Poblado. Spent five months total in Colombia riding all over the country - it is beautiful. Medellin was one of the places on our shortlist to move to. You made a very good choice!

We also stayed for a month on the Caribbean coast, a seaside resort town called Taganga, if you ever get a chance to visit, you should!

Enjoy!

 

[Jayv]

Man I was just talking about you yesterday, how weird. Buddy of mine was looking for some plastic repair and your name came up, I did some googling and noticed you had moved to Medellin on your GTAM signature. Nice to see you are alive and kicking.

 

[shanekingsley]

Great to read that you are there and enjoying life Les.
When you met her was that your first time going to Colombia?
Are you working out there?
Doing bodywork stuff at all?

Must be a good market for your talents with that many bikes!

 

[cheekeebandito]

Man I was just talking about you yesterday, how weird. Buddy of mine was looking for some plastic repair and your name came up, I did some googling and noticed you had moved to Medellin on your GTAM signature. Nice to see you are alive and kicking.

Thanks Jay , appreciate it !

 

[cheekeebandito]

Great to read that you are there and enjoying life Les.
When you met her was that your first time going to Colombia?
Are you working out there?
Doing bodywork stuff at all?

Must be a good market for your talents with that many bikes!

Thanks Shane , I had been to Mexico and Costa Rica , but never Colombia , never even considered it ..... I travelled down about 5 months after meeting her online ....... knew absolutely nothing about it , other than Narcos ..... a complete eye-opener for me ....... the people are nice , food is good , surprisingly modern in many ways , although poverty is definitely evident in some areas ....... still waiting for a visa so that I can do some sort of part time work ....... won't be doing any bodywork though , as I'd have to build another booth , and buy all new supplies and tools....... I'm definitely in semi-retirement mode here ....... what's left of my pension , is enough to live comfortably on here ........ my girlfriend works full time (a bit younger ) ....... I'd have to live in a dump and work full time for the rest of my life in Canada , so that helped me to decide to come here ........ I've always had a soft spot for Latin America , and the weather here .......... never thought I'd be calling it "home" though ! But here I am !
Stay safe Shane , Cheers

 

[regder]

Congrats on the move, wishing you the best! I have visited some of the main spots in Colombia and absolutely adore it, one of my favourite countries. The drivers are thoroughly nuts, stay safe!

 

[cheekeebandito]

Congrats on the move, wishing you the best! I have visited some of the main spots in Colombia and absolutely adore it, one of my favourite countries. The drivers are thoroughly nuts, stay safe!

confirmed on the drivers !! Cheers !!

 

[ifiddles]

@cheekeebandito great to hear first hand from someone who has moved south (and not the US south) and is enjoying it...I've been scoping out retirement areas and would've never thought of Colombia...found this write up on one of those retiring abroad websites...

Medellín, Colombia: Your In-Depth Travel Guide to The City of Flowers

Located in the middle of Colombia, tucked into a valley surrounded by the Andes Mountains is Medellín, Colombia´s second largest city.

internationalliving.com

enjoy your new adventure and keep safe!

 

[cheekeebandito]

@cheekeebandito great to hear first hand from someone who has moved south (and not the US south) and is enjoying it...I've been scoping out retirement areas and would've never thought of Colombia...found this write up on one of those retiring abroad websites...

Medellín, Colombia: Your In-Depth Travel Guide to The City of Flowers

Located in the middle of Colombia, tucked into a valley surrounded by the Andes Mountains is Medellín, Colombia´s second largest city.

internationalliving.com

enjoy your new adventure and keep safe!

Thanks so much ! I never really considered it either ..... until I experienced it myself .... definitely worth a look !
Be safe as well , Cheers

 

[sburns]

Sounds like you are living the dream, glad to hear and sounds like a second chance at life again. Enjoy!