We would really like to thank Sophie and Louis for being so accomodating and understanding, especially when Roland and Parker were feeling nil.
In Huaraz, a popular adventure destination situated in some breath taking mountain scenery, we were warmly welcomed by our SERVAS hosts, Sophie and Louis. They are originally from Belguim, but have also lived in Guatamala with their three children Mael, Gabriel and Alban who are five, three and 0.5 years old. Besides sharing some stunning meals together and Roland recovering from some altitude sickness, we were lucky enough to visit Mael and Gabriel at their school in Monterray. Bringing some extra reinforcements, Seth and Parker our cycling companions, we shared a lovely afternoon with the students showing off our unique bicycles, sunglasses with review mirrors, a tent and cooking appiliances to name a few. We even managed to sneek in a few bike rides before departing to a nearby hotsprings.
We would really like to thank Sophie and Louis for being so accomodating and understanding, especially when Roland and Parker were feeling nil.
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Photos from Seth Jumping onto a private road some 80 kilometres down from Trujillo immediately brought our stress levels down a few knotches after cycling on the manic Panamerican Highway. Not only did the traffic subside but the camping spots were plentiful and nothing short of perfect. We haven't had such serene camping since Alaska and Canada. The nearby river provided an opportunity to remove a layer of dust and dirt, revitalise our tired bodies and easy listening music to fall asleep to.
From sea level we had to climb again up to 3000 metres through Canyon Del Pato and 36 tunnels. The only sour note came when Roland decided to take a trip across the Canyon in an unmarked manual cable basket; giving Belinda a few more gray hairs (yes, she already has some)! The entire time Roland was in that basket, he couldn't wipe the smile off his face and fortunately Belinda didn't watch her husband fall dramatically to his death. BOYS! This has been some of our favourite cycling to date and it was further enhanced by the company of Seth and Parker, two brothers also cycling from Alaska to Argentina but stop every once and a while to do some fishing. However, maybe the company went to our heads and we started losing stuff i.e. Roland's toque, Belina's arm warmer's, one of our bike headlights and our change purse. Dude, that's a knarly run of bad luck. Of course, we are entirely blaming this on the two brothers! Roland spent as much time on the bike as off the bike swapping tires back and forth as the road continuously changed from dirt/gravel to pavement. Parker suggested he could have a change of career and work in a Nascar pitstop. He also found the perfect solution to fix a massive tear in the side wall of a tire with a piece of a soccer ball. However, the ride wasn't so smooth once back on pavement again! In the end we got through with no punctures and although the wider tires we purchased secondhand in Trujillo have seen better days, it got us through the tough dirt and gravel sections without too much slipping and sliding about. Interesting point:
Chan ChanWe have just reached the one year milestone on the road and are trying very hard to balance between thoughts of the future (life after cycling) and absorbing where we are, while battling fatigue that accompanies such travels. It's mind blowing to think we have been doing this cycling thing for more than 365 days and almost as long as we've been married. Lately we've been reflecting on our adventure thus far and there has been quite a bit to chew over. What sticks out the most is all the people we have met on this trip and our family and friends back home that have made this experience possible and more wonderful than we could have ever imagined. The best bit is that we still have a few months left before reaching our goal and the opportunity to continue exceeding our expectations.
Just a bit a food for thought: If we have travelled over 20,000 km at an average speed of 20km/hr, how many hours/days have our bums been glued to our bike seats? a) 1000 hrs b) about 40 days c) far to long d) all of the above How many different Salvation Army sites have we volunteered at? a) 29 b) 3 c) 18 d) 63 Buen Provecho! We eat about 250g of porridgel for breakfast almost every day. How many kilograms of porridge have we consumed during the course of our trip so far? a) no idea, i don't have a calculator b) oh gees, maths is not my strong subject c) about the weight of a photocopier d) about 100kgs Cycling to Pacasmayo was bleak and barren and ordinarily we would have used our rocket boosters and flown through, but the afternoon head winds thwarted our plans. It did make us appreciate the mountain scenery that much more though. This was also our first real introduction to the fast and aggressive drivers in Peru. They don't want to stop for nothing and drive you to near insanity with their incessant beeping. Beeping for Peruvians has a smorgasboard of functions; to indicate that they are a bus/taxi and want to pick up customers, to say hi, to be used instead of braking and signalling, for going around corners and through tunnels, overtaking, get out of my way, to scare the crap out of cyclists and just because they can. Our night in Pacasmayo couldn't have been more relaxing as we were in the company of Warmshower host, Jose Luis and his family. We weren't allowed to help with any of the fun stuff like doing dishes and setting the table. We also didn't go hungry and ate like a King and Queen thanks to Brenda's (Jose Luis's wife) hearty meals she skillfully prepared. This town also has a great surf beach and was our first time seeing the ocean in South America. The stretch of highway between Pacasmayo and Trujillo had been on our minds for many weeks. We have been told numerous times by locals and cyclists that the area around Paijan is extremely dangerous. There is a group that seem to target touring cyclists and we have heard of at least seven accounts of theft at knife and gun point this year alone. We made the decision to bus it to Trujillo which was 100kms away and Jose Luis helped with the arrangements. This decision was bang on as two days later we met two brothers (also cycling from Alaska) that passed through Paijan and almost got robbed. If it wasn't for their quick thinking and skillful maneuvering they could have lost everything. You can read their accounts on their website at: http://pebblepedalers.com/pedalers This brings us to Trujillo and the world famous (in the cycle touring world) Casa de Ciclistas del Peru. This free hostel for cycle tourists has been open to all since 1985 and is managed by Lucho, who has bikes coming out of his pores. We got sucked into the vortex and stayed a total of five days after planning to be there for three. Reading the guestbooks from the other 1360 cyclists that had passed through there was fascinating, as many of their thoughts, insights and experiences are similar to ours. We were number 1361 and 1362. Lucho was always on the go and often you could hear him tinkering around in his workshop at all hours of the night. He is a wanted man so this was the best time for him to work solidly. We really appreciated him working on Big Bird but couldn't believe his discovery of both front and rear rims being cracked. Number four and five! Once again we have bought a second hand wheel for the front while we wait for two new rims to arrive in Cusco, a city further down the line. Another aspect that makes this place so special is the opportunity to meet other cyclists. We bumped into Byron again (see last blog); two Colombians, two Argentinians and one Spaniard (all going North); and Seth and Parker (the fishing brothers who in the next blog you will learn much more about as we are currently cycling together...yay!). Lucho's place is like "Marching of the Penguins" as many cyclists accumulate and wait for one cyclist to initiate a leaving date and then the rest seem to follow suit. Lucho's wife, Aracelly is also famous in her own right as an accomplished baker. We got to taste some of her renowned chocolate cake and "three milk" cake.... oh so good! While on the topic of food, the area around Casa del Cyclistas was a cyclists heaven with street food vendors and a fresh food market half a stones throw away. You could literally eat yourself down the street with hamburgers, plantain chips, all sorts of fried sweet pasry goodness, tamales, fresh juices and not to forget SUBLIMES! In between sampling Trujillo's vast menu we in fact found time to volunteer! You can click here to see what we got up to. Through The Salvation Army we met David Navarro (no, not the singer) who is originally from Peru but also has Canadian citizenship. We are glad to have made a new friend and are incredibly grateful for his time and computer knowledge to help rid our many USB bugs. Resolving this was a huge weight off our mind as our photos are very precious to us. But it's not all about chores! We also enjoyed an afternoon with David visiting the "largest mud city in the world"! Chan Chan is a archaeological site that is still being uncovered and restored to this day. It was built by the Chimu people that were eventually conquered by the Incas. It was literally a maze of mud walls with some neat carvings that supposedly were once painted. At one of the sites they even had some ancient hairless Inca dogs that have a skin temperature of 40 degrees. No offense, but they were pretty darn ugly! Thank you to David for our unexpected time together. Everything always seems to work out in the wash as if we had left when originally planned we wouldn't have fixed our gadgets, seen the ruins, made a new friend, tasted delicious cake, fix our tent zipper and meet other cyclists to cycle to Huaraz with. Interesting point: The photo you see of the dessert with shacks and a mountain backdrop illustrates a new community on the outskirts of Trujillo. Apparently, the land is free and you can move out there and as long as you can prove you live there. Then you can get the deed to the land; any takers? **** Oh no, we have got a virus (we think) on our camera memory card so can't access our most current photos. So we think there are a few missing that should be on this blog. Hopefully we will met someone that can help us rectify this problem... and can also speak English!
We rolled into Cuenca on a Saturday night and made a beeline for the cheapest accommodation on offer, Hostal Majestic. We had a crazy and wild one...... going to bed early! Over the past few days we had accumulated a long list of chores which needed to be attended to; like laundry, waterproofing our tent and jackets, finding white gas for our stove and lots of other little niggly repairs. We were quite surprised to discover that most shops in this large modern and most beautiful colonial city in Ecuador were closed on Sunday including restaurants, and in the end only managed to hand wash our clothes. Instead we spent a rather tranquil day wandering the streets and strolling alongside the river which runs through the city centre. However we did have a bit of a mission looking for a place to grab a bite to eat that didn't include the ¨Gringo Tax¨ (a term given to items with an overinflated price for foreigners). After some time and thought we finally discovered where all the locals were hiding, at the indoor market, where one can buy fruit, vegetables, meat, etc and a quick meal for a couple of dollars. We particularly liked the juice stands that prepared a variety of refreshing smoothies right in front of you and only cost 50 cents, blackberry was the best - so good! When cycling in Ecuador all you really need is one gear, "the granny gear" as the road onto Loja continued in an Ecuadorian fashion, hours of 'up' with a few minutes of 'down' that overheated our breaks on many occasions. This was perfect camping territory and we enjoyed many secluded nights with breath taking mountain views and a full complement of stars. The illumination from the moon was so bright we hardly needed to use our head torches to prepare dinner and set up camp. The night before arriving in Loja, our perfect stealth camp spot had an intruder. A beautiful and very affectionate golden retriever popped by for dinner and a cuddle before making his way home to an unknown location. It was a really lovely surprise encounter. In Loja we stayed with couchsurfing host, Marcelo who had another couple of guests arrive at the same time as us. Fortunately, he had a massive house so it wasn't a squeeze. We had a shared meal that night with Bato (a Chilean guy) making pasta, us making a salad and the French couple (Caroline and Pascal) making a yummy apple crumble for dessert. At first, we thought they were making Creme Brulee maybe due to our sleepy ears after a physically demanding few days or maybe because of their wonderfully thick French accents ( they say "cromble") which sounded very gourmet! We were fascinated to learn how they were going to make this flamboyant dessert with only a few basic kitchen utensils until they started peeling the apples and preparing the top we were like hold on a minute! Reaching Macará (the Peru border) we were in for a bit of a shock, as after enjoying weeks of the cool, green, mountainous landscapes; we had to quickly adjust to the brown, flat, dusty, windy, rubbish-laiden and hot low land areas that harboured only a few unwelcoming thorny bushes and shrubs.... we've had a few flats since coming into Peru! Roland found it particularly fascinating that we had to wait to be processed at the border due to a power outage. However, while we waited we scored free tangelos from the police that were the most juicy and sweet we have ever tried. Probably, the nicest border control people we've come across this whole trip too as our usual experience is quite gruff and staunch. The miles started to click by quickly again as we entered the Sechura Desert and with the shortcut on a dirt road to the 1B meant we made it to Chiclayo after three nights of camping. We found the early morning the best time to cycle when it was overcast and reasonably fresh. It's currently the dry, winter season here but we found the sun still to be pretty scorching between about 12 and 4pm. In Chiclayo we stayed two nights as we had an opportunity to volunteer with The Salvation Army (click here to find out more about our visit). We stayed in Hospedaje San Lucas which was a bargain and conveniently three blocks from the main plaza that was the centre of many festivities, due to Peru's national celebration of Independence. Chiclayo had a beautiful downtown area with modern shops and amenities; with locals wearing fashionable clothing and expensive brands, while eating lunch in a ritzy café. Quite a stark contrast to the past few days of riding, in which we passed shack after shack made from corrugated iron, mud or weaved plant material (much like massive flax mats) and people working the land with not much else to their name but the clothes on their back. Constantly we are faced with this harsh reality as we cycle through a country but it doesn't get any easier to digest. Now onto Trujillo where the famous "La Casa de Cyclistas" can be found.... but more on that next entry.... ooooo, have we got you hooked? Lovin' the.....
Cycling towards Ambato we passed two day cyclists. We waved at each other and called out friendly greetings. This happens often and we thought nothing of it. About 20 minutes later we came across the town of Salcedo that sells delicious and unusual flavoured ice cream. While sucking on avacado ice creams and playing a round of crib, the same two cyclists stopped by. After some time chatting, Leonardo invited us to stay with him and his family in Ambato. We were takenaback by this generous offer and were quick to take it up. We cycled with them the rest of the way. Although we were complete strangers, Leonardo and Daniela settled us in and gave us full use of the house. We lost track of time, enjoying a meal Leonardo kindly gave us and realised we almost missed the worldcup soccer final. We were instructed by the bus driver to go to the mall just outside of town. We were starting to doubt his advice as the bus continued further and further away from town. However, we reached the mall and was in time to watch the second half of the match in the supermarket along with 100 others. It was quite a sight watching people drop their groceries to run to a TV when they heard cheers coming from the electronics section.
A day off the bike is always welcomed and we jumped at the chance for a soak in the nearby town of Baños, well known for it's thermal hot springs. This was quite the tourist attraction, which sported more hostels and hippie cafes (complete with museli, yoghurt and fruit concoctions and lentil burgers) than we had seen in who knows how long. Reeling at the prices and the cliche backpacker scene, we were much more content at a local joint that served full breakfasts for a buck fifty. This brings us to a good point. We are having a few thoughts with where we fit in with the whole tourist thing and really if tourism is such a good thing. We have to say, on this trip we have had far more enjoyment in the places less travelled and not on the "must see" list of things to do. However, this is still rather hypocritical because at the end of the day we are still tourists and people need to earn a living. Can you blame people for catering to the "gringo" market who think in "gringo" dollars and charging what they are happy to pay? It's clever really. But the point is, the local farmer doesn't go into town to spend $3 on a coffee, heck you can get two full meals for that price. Also, there are times when we have craved home comforts but again it's the different cultural experiences that hold firm in our minds. Furthermore, generally tourists only have a finite amout of time so can't always clue into the acceptable going rates and tourists visit a country for different reasons and will travel in different ways. A concern for us is that with mass tourism, a town is prone to losing it's identity or charm. But if a good spot is found, can you deny certain people the opportunity to experience that too? This is just another one of our many thoughts in motion and not a criticism on how any one person chooses to travel or the local neighbourhood catering to foriegn capital. ANYWAY! That night, Leonardo learned of our pizza making skills from sharing photos and stories the previous night. However, the whole truth is that it was our first time making pizzas from scratch in El Salvador but Leonardo was convinced we were experts and wanted to learn how to make them. So being true Kiwis we gave it a go! We found a non-yeast recipe on the net (as we didn't have a lot of time) and kept our fingers crossed. In Ecuador to buy a pizza costs about $10 which is super expensive (even though the large pizzas here aren't shrinking like other places in the world), so Leonardo hopes to make pizzas at home in the future and save some dosh. The night was a success, with them sharing a traditional evening meal and us with our pizza (that was cooked on an upturned cake tin!). It was a pretty good recipe so we will share it with you if you are tight for cash, time and need to make your family's tummies happy in a rush. No yeast pizza dough 2 cups of flour 1 tbsp. of baking powder 1/4 tspn of salt 2/3 cup of water 1 tbsp. of cooking oil Set the oven at 400 degrees F, add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, knead for three to four minutes, roll thinly and bake for 15 to 25 minutes with toppings of your choice. Roland's Dad will be very pleased to know his daughter-in-law not only had a relaxing day in a hot pool but also got pampered that night with a manicure (complete with flowers painted on her nails) by Leonardo's talented sister. It was tough saying goodbye the next day after we had sweated and huffed and puffed our way up to the mountain pass where Leonardo left us. We had half views (due to the cloud) of Volcano Chimborazo, which is the highest mountain in Ecuador and the furtherest point from the centre of the earth. Just after we had packed up our campsite and got back on the road for the day we bumped into two cyclists. Arnold and Marieke are originally from Holland but call New Zealand home now and live in Albany, Auckland which is pretty close to home considering we are in Ecuador! Every year they go away for four months and cycle which we thought was pretty cool. They were heading for the coast but maybe we will see each other again in Peru somewhere? Right now Ecuador is supposedly in their dry season i.e. no rain but since leaving Quito we have had day after day of rain. In fact one day we were cycling through such heavy mist we could barely see 20 metres ahead. Maybe this was a good thing as not only did it feel very mystical but we couldn't see the ginormous climbs we were about to go up! Being in The Andes it's pretty typical to climb up to about 3000 or more meters and then whiz down again to about 1800-2000 meters. Belinda thought she was going to really struggle with the terrain but has actually been enjoying the cycling much more with the combination of spectacular scenery. And well, Roland is simply in his element! Already feeling pretty stoked to have just bumped into some fellow cycling tourists, the very next day we met Sean, Ingrid and Kate (who is an amazing 10 years old!). They are a family from Scotland who also started in Alaska and are slowly making their way to Argentina. Sean and Kate are on a tandem bike and so we had much to talk about and compare notes. It was hard to say goodbye to this family as it seemed like we could have talked for hours but Ingrid was recovering from one of those nasty tummy bugs and we found our cycling schedule to be a little different. We truly hope our paths cross again as we believe they too are card fanatics and to have some playmates would be nice for a change! After treating ourselves to a night in a hostel and some cable TV (as we needed to dry out a little bit) we checked out our first Inca ruins, Ingapirca. Unfortunately, the museum had all the explanations in Spanish or maybe more rightly, unfortunately our Spanish wasn't up to scratch and so we didn't get much out of it. Then we walked around the ruins but the combination of the rain, cold, being ripped off in the cafe close by and our comparisions to the grand Mayan ruins we saw in Mexico and Central America, left us feeling a tad underwhelmed. The good thing of seeing the ruins in the morning, it that the rained peatered out and meant our afternoon of cycling to Cuenca was pretty much a dry affair. To find out more about our volunteer work in Guamote and Roland's birthday, click here. Five things more....... What is an "Almuerzo"? a) A fried pastry typical in Ecuador. b) A shoe cleaner that you commonly see in the main plazas of towns ready for business. c) A set lunch menu that comprizes of soup, rice, meat (usually chicken or beef), salad and fresh juice for $1.50 to $2.50. * No matter how busy a business might be, you'll always be hard pressed to get change for a bil greater than $5 unless you go to a bank or a big supermarket (which you'll only find in the big cities). At times it will make absolutely no sense because you'll be in a restaurant full of people and many people before you pay and yet still no change? Where does it go? This is a phenomenon that has happened through all the spanish speaking countries we have passed through to date. * Did you know Panama hats are actually hand made in Ecuador? * Toffee is a speciality in Ambato and Baños and you can watch people making it from their doorways! * And no, we are not champion cyclists that have won medals but we know someone who has and that's Leonardo. As a parting gift he wanted to give us something to remember him by and that was the medals. We felt very priviledged to receive these from him as they are some of his most prized posessions and winning competitions are his livelihood. * What is an "Almuerzo"? Answer: c) QuitoBy the time we arrived into Quito, Ecuador and met Luis (aka monkey), we felt like we were meeting a long lost friend. We had already swapped a bunch of emails with him updating our progress, co-ordinating some volunteer work and suggesting attractions to take in Quito and the surrounding area. We were made to feel right at home with him and his beautiful family, Gabriel, Martin and Margarita who are just as wild about cycling as Luis. Our time in Quito was divided up by volunteer work, taking in some of the beautiful colonial buildings of the old town with fellow cyclist Byron (www.byrongoessouth.com), getting firmly acquainted with the bus system, Belinda getting over the flu, resting, watching soccer on t.v. in every shop, utilizing a fully equipped kitchen to prepare a few meals and a prison visit. Roland was a bit undecided and uneasy with the idea of a prison visit in Quito, when our host Luis first suggested it. After reading several blogs on the internet, he found myself wondering whom the visit was meant to benefit. It came across as either an exhilarating experience like that of sky diving or bungy jumping, or as a compassionate gesture that might break from the routine of prison life. As you can imagine, this prison are not an inviting place and once inside your free to roam around with all the inmates. The only thing that disguishes you from the prisoners are a series of stamps issued at various security check points. Lugging around a few grocery bags of food and toiletry items Roland went about searching for a Canadian inmate. Without going into too much detail, a scared Roland was impressed at the courage and mental toughness it takes to survive in a place like this, particularly when your a foreigner. Everything and anything is possible if the price is right. Roland still has mixed feelings on the experience. When it finally came time to leave Quito, we thoroughly enjoyed our ride out of the city with Luis and the Ciclopolis crew (a cycling organization that promotes cycling and organizes a weekly ride through the city with roads cordoned off from traffic) escorting us to the city limits and beyond. The Quilotoa LoopThe Quilotoa Loop was a much welcomed detour off the Pan American Highway and although the road was not favourable at times it provided some of the most spectacular scenery of our entire trip. The mountain ranges, the Andean highland villages, the crater lake of Laguna Quilotoa, the llamas and particularly the very friendly and excited children made the tough climbs, the cold wet days and unpaved rocky roads worth it. By far one of the best experience in Ecuador, even if Roland got it wrong and spent our last 5 dollars on a pair of warm alpaca wool socks.
Roland wanted his last day in Colombia to be memorable. While speeding down a hill, an insect decided that he wanted a closer inspection of Roland’s eye. After repeated washouts with water Roland still had a lot of discomfort and so on arriving into Ipiales he paid a visit to an eye doctor. Turns out he still had a little bit of the insect’s leg in his eye and for the rest of the evening was sporting a sexy eye bandage.
Here we stayed with Paola and her family through Couchsurfing. They own and live above a bakery/restaurant. It was heavenly waking up in the morning with the delicious smells of baking wafting up the stairs. Paola also wouldn’t have it any other way and we sampled both dinner and breakfast in their restaurant which was hearty and tasty. Paola’s brother had just spent a year living in New Zealand and Paola is in the throws of planning her holiday to Canada so we had a lot to talk about. Before cycling to the border we wanted to take in the Church built on the side of a canyon called Las Lajas. Apparently many pilgrams come here expecting miracles after a local (hundreds of years ago) claimed to have seen the Virgin appear. The church is very striking with elaborate finishings against the rock face alter at the front. Ecuador is our 12th country and yet every time we cross a border it continues to be a surprise how dramatically different the next country is when nothing physical is actually dividing the two countries. Our third day in Ecuador we arrived into Cotacachi also known as the ‘City of Peace’. We were captivated by the explosion of colour and excitement in the streets. There was a special celebration for Santa Lucia on and everyone came to town to be apart of the day. This was a day for woman to dance with their communities in the streets and the main plaza. There were several groups and they took turns at moving to the corners of the plaza where they shuffled along to music in a circular fashion. Everyone was decked out in their traditional clothing and there was no end of delicious and interesting typical food to taste….. ice cream; plates of food for $1 brimming with rice, noodles, eggs, potatoe tortillas, chicken; empanadas with a banana and cheese filling; fruity spicy drink concoctions hot and cold; guinea pig; snails; and other deep fried bread goodies to name just a few. Marcelo (from couchsurfing) lives right in the centre of Cotacachi and made for a great base to wander around the town and soak up the event. He is friendly with two German guys (Franz and Johannes) volunteering here too so all together we enjoyed the festivities. We also took advantage of some home comforts here and watched a couple of movies (our favourite being ‘Were the Wild Things are’) and sampling some of Marcelo’s excellent home cooking. We ended up staying two nights here because we were told the Otavalo market (one of South America’s biggest open-air markets) is a must- see on a Saturday morning and there was also a lake (Laguna Cuicocha) close by that is worth a peek too. Now onto Quito which is the Capital of Ecuador sitting up at almost 3000 metres………. but first… a happy snap at the official centre of the world is necessary. As you can tell by looking at the photo, Roland can barely contain his excitement! Crib Score North America Roland 163 Belinda 95 South America Roland 12 Belinda 4 (Belinda is beginning to think she needs to go back to that church in the canyon and continue to pray for a miracle…..) This precious drawing was done by Sofia in Tuluá. We met her and her mum, Elizabeth while staying with them through Couchsurfing. We spent an afternoon tubing down a river in a local park. Apparently on her return to school, when asked about her holidays she talked about this time with us. It was a very memorable afternoon for us too! Why do it in two when you can do it in one? We originally planned to camp between Cali and Popayán (approximately 130 ‘stairmaster’ kilometers). However, late in the afternoon and 40kms away a friendly motorcyclist stopped for a chat and to invite us to stay with him in Popayán. This sounded all too wonderful to wait a day and so we put ‘the pedal to the metal’ and made it to the ‘City of White’ just before dark. Feeling a little tender we had a walking tour of this historical colonial city, with its abundance of churches, museums, pretty courtyards and cobblestone streets. Fabio was a real sweetie and wanted to ensure our time in Popayán was memorable and we had our own personal guide the following day, thanks to his young friend Miller. We visited Museo Arguidiocesano de Arte Religioso which holds statues that are used in Holy Week (Easter), which Popayán has the most elaborate celebrations and processions in all of Colombia. You know you are in pretty special company when the person you are staying with apologies for not having more money to provide more living comforts. We were so humbled by staying with Fabio and his family and will remember our time with them fondly.
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. Thanks to a techno savy fellow touring cyclist (Matt Kelly) we have learnt about what the RSS Feed does. If you scroll down on this page on the right hand side you will see "RSS Feed" (Below Archives). Click on the link and you will go into another page where you can choose to subscribe to pages on our website. This way you will be notified of when we have updated our blog via email. Thought this would be handy for our most avid viewers (our parents!).
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Roland and Belinda
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