In the vast majority of the country there is a very real police and state military presence. Whether you see groups patrolling the city streets, or whizzing by you on their motorbikes, they are generally pleasant-regardless of the M-16’s strapped to their back or draped across their laps. On all of the drives we have taken since crossing into Colombia, there have always been at least half a dozen police roadblocks/checkpoints. Most of the time, they wave you right through, but the trucks also have a tendency to catch their attention. First they will inquire about our destination before checking over some of the truck’s documents. Several of those occasions have led to all of us getting out of the trucks, shaking their hands and re-tracing the route on the back of the Sequoia for our latest audience. This time, the muchachos de la carretera weren’t getting away without answering some of our questions…most importantly: Can you take a picture with us?
