Prison Hooch

Iglesia Santa Ana in barrio Teusaquillo 

A few days after returning to Bogota I received a message from Diego saying the prison hooch was ready. Before leaving for Buga, Diego had shown me the contraption he had constructed for making "pruno", or prison wine, and had lamented I might not be around to drink it, despite his making a batch of 5 liters. If it was any good he and Antoine, who lived in the room beside him at the boarding house, were sure to drink it all before I returned.

Tube releases CO2 so that the container does not swell or explode,

and grounded in water no oxygen is allowed into the container 

But when I arrived at the boarding house in the Teusaquilla neighborhood, I found that Antoine had left for good and Diego had no one to drink it with. Diego had already set out a bottle for me to take home and he served me up a first glass. The hooch was pinkish colored from the cherries and tasted strongly of the apples and oranges he had also used. We each squeezed in a half a lime for flavor. It was certainly drinkable.

But it was a bit too sweet. This signaled that the fermentation process had not been carried out long enough to consume both the sugar he had added to the mixture as well as the natural sugars in the fruits. It just wasn't warm enough in Diego's room or in the kitchen and there was no sunlight to aid in speeding the fermentation. The hooch was more a mildly alcoholic fruit juice, probably on the order of 5% alcohol. Still, it was enjoyable to drink and the rest of the five liter container Diego planned to let further ferment. The total cost of the hootch operation was 5,000 pesos, or about $2.75.

Water + Sugar + Oranges + Apples + Cherries + Yeast

Preparations

With two days of disassembly, repair and cleaning now complete, the Bike Friday has a new rear sprocket set (including a lower low gear than the prior set), new chain, new front brakes, and a new Schwalbe Plus rear tire. Plan to take it out for a ride around Buga tomorrow and make adjustments. Some brake and shifting problems remain.

Buga

Baile

Bogota Bulletproof

Today in Bogota the sun was out and it was blue and warm, the mountains visible high behind the city and I walked up the calle from the hotel. I took a tinto at a café and then continued through Chapinero past the little shops and restaurants and street vendors, and along the route of the Transmilenio, until I reached Miguel Caballero’s bulletproof clothing store on Calle 71, no 15-28. The door is kept locked and an attendant in a black bulletproof vest opened it for me. Inside the clean, bright shop two women at the counter asked what I needed and I explained I was interested in both motorcycle clothing and bulletproof garments.

A small woman guided me to the motorcycle section where I tried on a number of jackets of a durable synthetic material. These jackets were implanted with hard protection on the elbows, shoulders and back. There were various colors other than black and some fit more snugly than others against my body. She showed me to the mirror and we both marveled at how well the jackets looked on me. All were quite affordable at prices around 300,000 COP.

Then we went into the bulletproof section and I tried on the jackets there. There were many wonderfully designed jackets and pants as well as boots and other protective wear and I wondered if this tiny woman who was assisting me had upon acceptance of employment with Miguel Caballero, donned a bulletproof jacket and allowed herself to be shot in the chest with a handgun. I had read that a condition of employment, including that of his lawyers, was a personal trial of the bulletproof qualities of the garments.

I helped the little woman hang the last jacket up on the rack and I thanked her and explained I would most certainly be returning to the shop. I thought the clothing, all from the design of Miguel Caballero himself, was both expertly made and fashionable. She smiled graciously and told me she would be at my orders upon my return.

Update

New tour begins December 2011

Rutz - Film

I met two Portuguese filmmakers in Mendoza, Argentina. They were making a film on travelers in South America. I make an appearance at 1:57 in the trailer.

The film can be seen here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/rutzdoc

Bike maintenance in Mendoza, photo taken by the filmmakers