Saturday, December 15, 2018

Colombia Trike Tour - Ubaté to Barbosa

Garmin Data and Ride Maps

The little town of Ubaté was very sweet. Since it is the milk capital of Colombia all the trash cans are milk jugs. Nice touch! I took some time to walk around and talk to people. I flew the drone by the main church and that always gets people interested. I probably get a chance to practice my Spanish flying my drone more than anywhere else. Especially with the kids, they absolutely love the drone.

Beautiful church on a hill

From Ubaté I had a lovely ride through lush green pasture lands to Chiquinquirá. Lots of cows and horses. The grass is a vibrant green. The road wasn't as crowded and I really enjoyed the ride. Every town I've come to, so far, has been bigger than I expected. The towns have had full services and a few hotel choices. Mostly, I'm using Google Maps to search for hotels. I typically look for the nicest place in town which is based solely on reviews. The hotels have been mostly $15/night or less. I'm sure I could find cheaper places but I really like being in the center of town where I can walk to the highlights, find a grocery store and simple restaurants. All the hotels have had hot water showers and fairly decent wifi. Sometimes the beds are quite hard but I haven't pulled out my air mattress, yet. I really enjoyed walking around the historic area with 2 big plazas and streets that were pedestrian only. The Basilica de Chiquinquirá houses the image of the Virgen de Chiquinquirá which is the patroness saint of Colombia. Chiquinquirá is a major point of religious pilgrimage.




Video of Chiquinquirá to Villa de Leyva


Pedestrian street

Basilica de Chiquinquirá

Lady with her cows on the road to Villa de Leyva

Warning of danger

Pastoral scene

Climbing above a canyon
The ride to Villa de Leyva was gorgeous. There were bigger climbs than yesterday especially at the end of the day.

Colombia is made up of 32 departments which are like the states of the country. I was riding in the Boyacá department which is famous for it's beauty. The terrain went from pasture land to forest to areas known for olives, pigs and peaches. I missed a turn which probably added a few miles and significantly more climbing into Villa de Leyva. 

I had been looking forward to coming to this town. This is a famous touristic town. I would almost call it a boutique town. It is very popular as a weekend get away for people in Bogotá. The drive isn't much more than 1 1/2 hours. All the buildings are painted white with red tile roofs and the roads are cobblestone. The cobbles are big and you really need to be careful how you walk as they are very uneven. There are a ton of hotels and hostels. I picked one based on reviews that was highly rated and most of the comments said it was good value. Being Saturday, the hotels were busy. This one, Villa del Angel, had only one room left. It was huge. I probably could have found something less expensive but I liked the room and was able to keep Myrtle inside. $40 a night is a lot in Colombia but this room was actually a suite with 2 rooms and 3 beds. The hotel was a little bit away from the center of town and it was quieter which also appealed to me. After being on the road with traffic it's nice to find a quiet place to spend the night.  The hotel price also included a terrific full service breakfast. This hotel was 1st class and I was happy to stay.

My hotel, Villa del Angel

Main plaza in Villa de Leyva

The next day, I explored the town, rested and worked on a video. I am really enjoying the slower pace of this tour. Spending a day in each town has been lovely. Villa de Leyva is delightful.

Villa de Leyva from above

Flying, seriously

Rooftops, Villa de Leyva

Street scene, Villa de Leyva

Video of Villa de Leyva to Barbosa

Myrtle loaded and ready to roll
The ride to Barbosa started a little bit later than usual as the hotel didn't serve breakfast until 7:30. I was probably on the road by 8:30.  Today I was taking a smaller road. Mostly the road was paved and very smooth. Mostly. There were a few low places where it looked like the rains had washed away the asphalt. At first, the pavement was washed away for a very short distance. But then the pavement was washed away more and more. There was one big climb and before I crested the road was completely washed away. On the way down, not only had the pavement been washed away but the road. This was quite treacherous! I had to navigate around rocks jutting sharply out of the road, potholes and loose gravel. The way down was also very steep. This required focused concentration. Even with both hands on the brakes the trike would slide on the road. The brakes would stop the wheels but the trike didn't stop. I had to go extra slow to stay in control. And this was a road with car and bus traffic too. It was really crazy for probably a mile when the pavement returned. That was a harrowing experience but I made it. Getting back to pavement was a huge relief. 

Climbing in Boyacá

Santa Sofia

I stopped in the very small town of Santa Sofia for lunch. I ordered a ham and cheese toasted panini, a large glass of fresh squeezed mandarin juice, 2 cookies and a delicious cup of coffee for $2.25.  What a bargain. The rest of the way into Barbosa was, luckily, easy. Again, I found a nice hotel for $14. This town is known for a particular candy called bacadillo. The candy is soft, colorful and made from local fruits. The air actually smelled sweet with the smell from the factories. Otherwise, Barbosa was a gritty, noisy and dusty place. Walking was difficult because the sidewalks were very narrow, uneven and often broken. The sidewalks were also high off the street so when I needed to pass someone or the sidewalk simply ended I had to take a big, big step down to the street. Walking in Barbosa was quite an adventure in itself. That aside, I enjoyed the town. It felt authentic. There was a lot of hustle and bustle of people just trying to make a living.

Myrtle locked to the stairs next to reception in Barbosa

Bocadillo

Fancy bocadillo




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