Day 661
Into the Andes
We are nearly in Medellin. To get here we have ridden along a flat(ish) highway from Cartagena. As it has been Holy Week the roads were pretty much free of traffic apart from ever present small motorbikes which serve as the family car and even van, often loaded up with pigs, people, furniture and even bicycles! The road was in great condition so that meant we could concentrate on enjoying the views, riding through small villages and towns where each café had music blearing out at full blast. We drank freshly squeezed juices, stayed in small hotels for around £6 a night. I’m loving the food in Colombia, we’ve left the tacos behind in Mexico and here it’s rice, beans and scrambled eggs for breakfast then no eggs but rice, beans and meat for lunch and dinner. If there is too much food there is always a very friendly dog sat besides us happy to receive any left overs.
As we rode, the clouds started to arrive cooling the ever-present sun, one day we were rewarded with a terrific downpour. The motorcyclists stopped to take shelter, and hundreds of them stared at us crazy cyclists as we happily blasted on by, wet through but still warm.
Then as we rode by the vast fast flowing Cauca River, we spotted something big looming ahead of us, the Andes mountains! They are the longest mountain range in the world, and are going to be our close companion during the coming months. To get to Medellin we needed to climb into them. Both of us were excited by the challenge. The first part of the climb was 24 miles long and 7,000 feet of climbing. We would then be rewarded with a 2 mile downhill followed by 1,500 feet of climbing and then, well you get the gist of what was to come! We took our time, the views were at first hidden by a deep mist but as it cleared the stunning scenery was mind blowing. We took the opportunity to walk over a wooden suspension bridge to get a better view of the river. Not big enough for vehicles, so horses are used to transport goods into the hills on the other side.
So just one more sleep then Medellin and though technically we are at the top we still have 4,000 feet of climbing to do. You gotta love the Andes!
