Buenavista

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Staying in hotels as a cycle tourist is not glamorous. We regularly share our room with the bike and set up impromptu clothes lines to dry clothes that have been washed by hand in the bathroom sink.

We have had a series of short days as the combined effect of Rachel's injury, the strong painkillers and antibiotics meant she was feeling way less than 100%

On the way out of El Playon we stopped for food and asked what juices they had. We were offered passion fruit and could not believe our luck when two huge glasses were delivered to our table. This has become quite regular and they are as great way to keep hydrated.

We noticed that Komoot had routed us off the main road and decided to see what the back roads of Colombia are like. Sure enough they turned to dirt within a few hundred metres. Despite her thumb injury Rachel was keen to carry on. We were glad we had as the road was good quality (on the whole) and really quiet. By that I mean there was barely any traffic. The noise from birds was incredible. There were thousands of parakeets. Interestingly, scrambled eggs with onions and tomatoes is called huevos pericos, or parakeet eggs.

Our destination for the day was Tolú on the coast. We splashed out a whole £23 to stay in the Royal Caribe hotel right on the seafront. I had a swim in the sea followed by a wallow in the pool just because I could. Another interesting fact: Colombia is the only state in South America that has an Atlantic and Pacific coastline.

The hotel also had a rooftop terrace where we ate our dinner while the sun set. It really felt like luxury. 

We had planned another short day so we had no need to hurry off in the morning. We began our day with a swim in the sea which was flat as a pancake. Then we had second breakfast in town before even having done any riding. Even though it had a pale yellow colour scheme, the food was delicious. 

The cafe was right on the main plaza and a perfect spot to watch the world go by. We were particularly amused by folk cycling while holding an umbrella to provide shade. 

One of the things we are really loving about Colombia is that everyone seems to have a smile on their face and is always ready for a chat. These four guys were all Moto-taxi drivers and wanted to know all about it trip. They were delighted when I asked if I could get a photo with them. 

We stayed the night in Sincelejo with two brilliant hosts: Jorge and Carlina. They are originally from Venezuela and have been in Colombia for three years. I bonded with Jorge in broken Spanish over our shared love of pro-cycle racing. Carlina works online for an American company and has excellent English. It was a delight to get an insight into life in Colombia. They were so kind and generous we loved our stay with them. We especially loved Carolina's cooking!

Our next day was slightly longer as Rachel was beginning to feel stronger. We stopped for watermelon juice which was incredibly refreshing (and all the better for being given free refills). We passed through miles of shops and stalls selling woven hats, handbags, rugs etc and well as miles selling really creative and well-made wooden furniture. 

We passed though the cultural city of Sahagún but didn't stop as rain was threatening. It had been cloudy all day which kept the temperature down but the humidity up. 

When I spotted a roadside bakery I just had to stop. Yummy sweet rolls filled with cheese. There are lots of cattle farms in the area and a corresponding amount of local cheeses that are really tasty. 

Our destination for the day was La Ye (what a great name). We found a nice hotel in the centre just as it began raining. Perfect timing. It rained heavily all night as well.

By morning it had dried up but was still cloudy. Once more making for pleasant temperatures. I found it hard to get going in the morning as the day's stage of the Giro D'Italia was on the telly as we left.

It was another day of lovely interactions. Sara and Luz served us a great breakfast with 'agua panela' which is a drink made from hardened sugar cane juice. We had it again later in the day. It can be served hot or cold and is really tasty.

While Rachel shopped for some fruit I got chatting to two guys about our trip. I took a photo of them and looked round to see the fruit shop owners looking a bit left out as they clearly wanted a photo with us. The women quickly removed their aprons, tidied up their hair and joined us for a photo. The man then ran inside and gifted us an extra five bananas. What sweeties. 

As the temperature was cooler and because we had arrived in good time we had time for a walk round the town of Buenavista. It has an interesting church but we found the ice cream shop to be far more interesting (especially as it was less than £1 for two double-scoop cones of delicious vanilla ice cream).

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