(written 3/22) I was at another Cuerpo de Bomberos (firestation) last night and they'd given me a room with a bunk, so there was no tent hassel this time and so i was rolling early. but i went out via the plaza (every town has a plaza as its heart with church and jardin) to see this giant tree, la ciedra, which the fireman raved about, and so i got stuck at a cafe just enjoying. another late start afterall.
by the way, I was informed by some traveling friends who've spent literally years in south america that they stayed with bomberos while in colombia (pierre and janick, google "ring of fire, cycling tour"), and so i first gave it a try in Girardot but they denied me because i wasn't a fireman (but neither are p&j so i kept at it), but it worked out because i stayed in the home of some locals that night and had a neat experience.
back to the day: i decided to take an alternate route because i know i'd be two more days to San Agustine anyway, and thought i should get back off the main road for another day. no one tried to shy me away from this route as they would if it were remotely steep, so i thought it might just dip into the hills and traverse. oh no! i went straight up for 15-kms, and then when i got to my destination town and had eaten my pastiles (amazing things, huge fried momo-like things with everything in them:rice potato meat and hard boiled egg) the road continued up even more, above 5200' from Gigante at 3200'. ouch. then the pavement ended and i had 20km on tough but sweet dirt tracks for another 20km through some insane jungle and remote pueblos. i was an alien, and one kid i chatted with for some time said that no american nor european has ever been to his town. i doubt that, but probably not too many. this little detour completely worked me over but i made up for it with a huge lunch and some great chillaxin in an intermediate town.
i'm sure it seems as though i've just been riding, moving all the time, but i'll fill you in on something: this traveling stuff isn't ALL work. its possible for chillaxin to coexist with adventure even though the best adventure generally involves a bit of suffering. there is so much silence and space out here on the road. i'm a cowboy riding along with the locusts and the pajarros as my song, vultures floating lazy on the hot air, and i taking long midday siestas for beers on the porches of small town haciendas with rough, machette totin, hard drinking colombianos or on the verandas of cafes being served by latino beauties the fresh blended smoothies that i order one after the other which are made from fruits you've never heard of and couldn't pronounce anyway. its a good life out here: hard work to keep pushing on, but it beats the seat of a bus.
Ride Stats: 108-kms, 6:20 hours. Gigante 3200', Tres Esquinas 5200', Timana 3400'.
Trivia: did you know Shakira is from Colombia. Barranquilla.
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