After moving to my new neighborhood two weeks ago, I discovered that the climbing gym is only about 12 blocks away, which makes me very happy. However, it's just a little too far to walk regularly (especially at night), but not quite worth taking the bus for. So, I decided it was time to invest in a bicycle! I asked around a bit and found out the best place to get a cheap, second hand bike would be at the Minorista market, so last Saturday, after saying goodbye to some visiting friends, I made my way over to the market and had a look around.
Somehow, I get the feeling that young women don't often show up at this particular local looking for bicycles on their own, and my request made quite an impression. The shopkeepers at all 3 or 4 stalls displaying bikes were exceedingly helpful and in no time at all I'd had a chance to look at pretty much all the girl's bikes they had available. The first one I took for a spin proved to be rather disastrous with a seat the rocked constantly and brakes that barely functioned. Luckily, the second option was way better, and even included working gears! It wasn't perfect, but there happens to be a bike repair shop directly adjacent to the bike sellers, so I managed to negotiate the original price down after determining how much it would cost to change out a brake pad and re-align the back wheel. In the end, I handed over 80,000 COP (~$40) and was pleasantly surprised when they asked if I would like a record of sale to certify the legitimacy of the bike I was purchasing. And here I had been under the impression that there was a good chance most of what I was looking at had been stolen! Well, I still have a feeling many of the parts are, but they re-configure everything well enough that no one would know the difference.
In any case, about 40mins after I arrived, I rode away on my newly refurbished trek mountain bike complete with lock and lights, all for under $50. Now it was time to brave the traffic and meander my way home.
Before I tell you about my ride, I feel like I should provide a better understanding of what the streets are like in the city. First off, the traffic consists of everything from tractor trailers to massive public buses to minivans to private cars to a plethora of small taxis to numerous motorcycles to akward 3-wheel motorized contraptions to bike-powered food carts to bicycles and the occasional wheelchair. As you can imagine, this varied collection of moving vehicles would lead to a rather chaotic experience in the best of times. Add to that a rather loose interpretation of traffic laws, signals and norms and you get a whole different ball game. The most noticeable deviation from North American regulations is that no matter how many lanes there are for cars, there are always at least 2 more for motorcycles (and other small vehicles). This is because motorcyclists ride the line, and both shoulders far more often than they follow the car lanes.
In addition to what makes up the traffic here, there is also the issue of the traffic patterns. I would wager a guess that over half the streets in Medellin are one-way. This includes many of the main thoroughfares, which has the effect of requiring both an intricate understanding of the layout of the city as well as enormous patience for the unending series of circular routes required to navigate to your destination. Luckily, in my neck of the woods, most of the main road are two way, but they all intersect at traffic circles. Now, I'm generally in favor of traffic circles as they seem to keep things moving, but I'm pretty positive that no one had bicyclists in mind when traffic circles were invented. This is particularly true in a country where no one seems to think they need to be in the outside lane to exit the circle, which means that vehicles of all shapes and sizes routinely cut across 3 or 4 lanes of traffic to make their way onto the road of their choice.
Keeping all of these obstacles in mind, I was a little nervous to set out from the market on my new bike and make my way across half the city to my new home. However, as soon as I got across the bridge, I found myself happily cruising along with very little trouble. As far as I can gather, drivers here are so used to looking out for motorcycles zooming up along their sides that they are constantly vigilant for people on the shoulders and between the lanes. On the same note, motorcyclist are so used to looking out for, well, just about everything (cars, buses, potholes, beggars, pedestrians, construction debris, etc), that they are also uniquely aware of their surroundings. As a result, I've found that as long as I keep a steady pace and a straight line, everyone else goes around me. Suddenly having a bike in the city was looking far more appealing!
This feeling was confirmed as I came up to the stadium and discovered a beautiful bike lane paralleling the road. After cruising along that for awhile, I knew I'd have to turn off to get where I was going and on a whim took a road that winds along the edge of a canal. That turned out to be a lovely choice, as the entire canal was lined with trees and a narrow pathway, just wide enough for a bike to pass pedestrians without issue. I tooled along happily enjoying the scenery until I came out to the main traffic circle a few blocks from my house. Steeling myself for some excitement, I pulled out and stayed well to the edge for the three quarters of the circle that I had to make it around before setting off onto my quite side street. Luckily, the same logic prevailed for the traffic circles as had for the main roads, and keeping my speed steady allowed everyone else to judge my course and according work around me.
Since Saturday, I have gone nearly everywhere on my bicycle. I can't possibly describe the wonderful feeling of freedom that this purchase has brought. I no longer have to spend precious time looking up bus routes, fretting about which corner to stand on hoping it stops for me, paying a small fee and then passing by all sorts of interesting places without the ability to stop. On the contrary, I can now step out my front door and head anywhere I want with as many stops as I like along the way. Well, anywhere I want is a little bit of an overstatement. I can go anywhere within the valley portion of the city. The neighborhoods that start up the hills on either side are rather enormously daunting and I have yet to work up the courage to attempt any of those incredibly steep hills.
On the plus side, since Saturday I have discovered that there are a variety of streets in the city that contain well designed bike lanes. These are generally positioned on a wide sidewalk with a buffer of trees between you and the roads. Unfortunately, none of these paths seem to last particularly long and they all terminate rather abruptly at busy streets. I'm pretty sure there's a wider plan to connect them all, and when that day comes I have a feeling bikes will be infinitely more visible throughout the city. In the meantime, I'll have to continue to contend with the traffic, which really wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the large quantity of soot and grim that gets kicked up and comes out of nearly all the vehicles. The first time I got home after a ride, I blew my nose and was shocked to see the snot was nearly all black. Definitely gonna have to learn the back roads so I can keep to the cleaner air and quieter streets. I have also been on the look out for a pair of sunglasses, but may just go in for some safety glasses instead, as that's what I'm really in need of. Either way, this week has brought infinite new discoveries and boosted both my desire and ability to get to know this city more and more each day.
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