It seems like touring cyclists have a special radar always on alert for the potential to see other fellow cyclists. We were happily strolling down the street in Popayán contemplating the day’s activities when an Argentinean guy (Ramiro) asked us if we were ‘the tandem cyclists’. It’s not like we were still in our spandex or anything! Ramiro and his cycling buddy (Jeremy) have a cool story. Jeremy flew to Colombia from France to embark on his cycling adventure through South American to have his bike stolen early on in the piece. He happened to bump into Ramiro and his girlfriend who had started their travels in Cuba. Ramiro’s girlfriend (who may be the smartest of all) wanted to take a break from cycling and escape some of the mountain climbs in the Andes. By a stroke of luck Ramiro had a free bike and Jeremy needed a bike so now they are happily pedaling together. We have enjoyed seeing them on the road from time to time and hope to see them again in Ecuador.
We were totally wowed by the scenery between Popayán and Pasto. We spent these three cycling days ducking and diving, up and down and around mountains, farmland, and desert. At the end of our first day, it seemed as if simultaneously as we were asking for permission to pitch our tent on a farmer’s property, we were being warmly greeted and ushered in the gate. Alberto didn’t only give us a place to pop our tent, but the use of his kitchen, a cooking class on how make fried plantano (which Belinda adores), showers and a covered area for our tent and even a table, chairs and a fan! This is what luxury camping is all about baby! Our next night, proved to be more challenging to find a camp spot (maybe it had something to do with the sheer cliff face that hugged the roadside for kilometer after kilometer ). This was our first true night of cowboy camping as we didn’t use our tent but rather used caribenas and a harness hammock and clung to the rugged mountain outcrop until first light*.
In Pasto we were further treated to some amazing Colombian generosity and hospitality. We rolled up to an internet café to contact our couchsurfing host Alfredo and soon found ourselves on the receiving end of some free internet use thanks to the owner of Full Net. We spent two tranquil nights with Alfredo in his quiet home and visited Laguna de la Cocha 12kms from the town. The lake is one of Colombian’s largest and is surrounded by wooden houses with colourful flowerpots decorating the facades. It was a lovely way to spend a lazy afternoon and get another taste of the plentiful Mora (blackberry) that grows abundantly in these parts. Thank you Alfredo for giving us full range of your home and giving Roland a run for his money at chess.
Onward to Ipiales, the border town of Colombia and Ecuador…… the middle of the earth!
*Okay, okay for those of you that were on the edge of your seats hearing about our adrenaline camping rush…. we don’t actually carry climbing gear and slept (without our tent) under a rocky outcrop, out of view from traffic but man those engine retarders make a racket! Also, you’ll be pleased to know Belinda didn’t get eaten by snakes , spiders or the goblin that lived beneath the bridge.
Tid bits about Colombia:
· Every day at 6am and 6pm every radio station (by law) must play the Colombian National Anthem.
· Almost every second shop you go by in Colombia sells ‘minutos’. Meaning they have a cell phone you can use for between 5 and 10 cents a minute. This works out to be very economical for locals so if they need to make a call they pop into a shop and make the call (even though everyone carries their own cell phones too).
· In the big cities of Colombia they have driving restrictions to reduce traffic congestion. It is organised by the last digit of your license plate. One day of the week you are not allowed to drive between peak hour traffic in both the morning and afternoon. This concept is very well supported by the locals as it has noticeably freed up traffic.