Flat roads

To see details of this section:

https://strava.app.link/8lyo2sTMdKb

When we left Hernando and rolled round the corner to find a hotel we didn't realise we would be staying in one that would be the most expensive one we had stayed in in Colombia so far. We were ready to stop and so just paid the price they asked rather than looking elsewhere (it was still cheap by UK standards). 

It was a lot easier getting the bike down these steps the next morning then it had been dragging it up the afternoon before. 

The first part of our day was on something of a rarity for Colombia: a side road that was not dirt. The main highways are typically tarmac and a lot of the side roads are dirt. Thus to find a side road that was paved was a real treat. It is so much nicer to cycle along without the noise of traffic beside you. 

It really was very relaxing.

The route profile was flat but we didn't initially hold much hope for a big day as Rachel has been under par for a while with the effects of her thumb injury and the antibiotics. However, it seems like she has turned a corner as we realised by second breakfast that we were not far from the end point we had initially earmarked. We studied the map while we ate and picked a point a bit further on.  As it happened we repeated this process once more before the day was out. We were delighted to have done 111km by the end of the day. 

During the day we spotted that we were riding alongside a disused railway line. When we arrived in Bugalagrande we came across this feature celebrating the trail line and all the people who had made journeys on it. 

We then went into the town square for food. It was school finishing time. This always means there is at least one pupil with a bit of English and the confidence to approach us. Here was no exception and I had great fun chatting to Didier, Alan, Sebastian, Dylan and Juan. We used a mix of English and Spanish to communicate. 

Things got even better when they managed to explain to me that they would like a go on the back of the bike. While Rachel was getting supplies I did laps of the square with different stokers. 

We ended up making it as far as Buga which has a huge cathedral. 

The shelter you can see in the foreground is to provide covered seating for when the congregation is too big to fit inside. For several streets around the only shops seemed to be selling religious artifacts or ice creams. It is clearly a bit of a tradition to come for Mass, show your devotion by buying a statue of Jesus on the cross and then having an ice cream. 

Our hotel was built around this courtyard and staffed by the wonderful Isabel. She was incredibly kind, welcoming and friendly. She found us a place to store our bike and made us feel very welcome. Our room had a great tiled floor and coloured glass windows that opened onto the courtyard. It was really relaxing.

The next day was another flat day. Once again we adjusted our end point because of our rate of progress. We were really pleased to have ticked off 117km by the end. The mountains are lovely but the climbing makes big distances out of reach for us. 

We knew that we would be riding along a main road all day and that the landscape would not be great as we were in the central valley going past Cali. Our route options were limited as we were heading into a narrow strip of green in the FCDO map. 

One of the sights of the day was being passed by this bunch of cyclists who were all older than us who were zipping along and every one of them gave us a cheery hello as they passed. 

We occupied our time by having some very entertaining chats. These were all based on rating and ranking things. We had to decide criteria for our selections and how they would be applied. Our discussions were: 

Illnesses and injuries we have had

Cars we have owned

Periods of our life and their respective well-being

Tents we have owned

Holidays we have been on

Bikes we have owned

Carbohydrates and their methods of preparation 

Alcoholic drinks

Nibbles and snacks. 

Towards the end of the day we began to see mountains in the distance.

As we rolled into Santander De Quilichao a vehicle went past and shortly afterwards we noticed a very pleasant smell. Soon after we caught it up and realised that it filled to the brim with fresh coriander which it is was selling it off by the wheelbarrow full. The smell was divine. 

We found a great hotel in the edge of town. There are three reasons it is great: firstly, we could get the bike inside without any steps, secondly our room is at the back so is nice and quiet (looking out over banana plants), and thirdly it serves breakfast. 

Google photos https://photos.app.goo.gl/p8J9ERd7iN2bGiZy9

Email miketoyn@gmail.com if you would like an email update whenever there is a new blog post or if you want to get in touch

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/two.boldlygo/