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
I had a wonderful time in Bogotá with my homestay family and studying Spanish at the Whee Institute. The Whee Institute arranged for the homestay and I couldn't have asked for a nicer family to introduce me to the food, culture and enormous city of Bogotá. My room was comfortable and the family was very relaxed. Maritza and Antonio Luis helped me with so many things. They gave me ideas for exploring the city and even helped make medical appointments including with a doctor friend who runs a sleep clinic at a major hospital. This doctor gave me tips to sleep better at night and I haven't been taking any sleeping meds since my 2 appointments with her. They even made suggestions for a pedicure salon and getting my pants taken in. I took care of a lot of things during my month in Bogotá while also studying Spanish 3 hours a day, 5 days a week. I met many people in the family and everyone was very kind and generous.
Super Nico, Karen and Maritza
One of the hardest things about traveling is meeting wonderful people and then having to say goodbye. The morning I started riding it was hard to say goodbye after having such a terrific stay. Many, many thanks to Maritza and Antonio Luis. I will always remember your kindness and generosity.
Ciclovia Route
Colorful building in Bogotá
Leaving the enormous city of Bogotá with a population of probably more than 12 million people was something I've been very nervous about. Over the years of touring, I've come to know that entering and leaving big cities is best on Sunday mornings. And in Bogotá, every Sunday is Ciclovia which shuts down roads all over the city to motor vehicles. I was able to take the Ciclovia route through a good portion of my ride out of Bogotá. Cycling is very popular in Bogotá and seeing bikes on the road is normal so even though I was riding without the safety of the Ciclovia route I still felt safe. The hardest part of cycling in Bogotá isn't the traffic it's the horrible diesel exhaust the cars, busses and trucks emit. Some trucks belch so much pollution it's actually hard to see the vehicle. On Sundays, there is much less commercial traffic. But even still, there was a lot of gross exhaust.
Regal winged horse - Bogotá
Eventually, I made my way out of Bogotá and was riding through rolling hills of pasture land. It felt good to see cows grazing on the bright green grass. Although, I have to say I was surprised to see so much trash. Bogotá may be enormous but it is also a clean city. It's unusual to see mounds of trash in the city.
Leaving Bogotá
YouTube Video - Bogotà to Zipaquirá
Wonderful lunch
I stopped for a fabulous lunch of coffee, choclo and Caldo de Castilla. Yummy! From there, I had to get on busy Hwy 45. This is a major toll road but I saw people jogging, walking with pets and kids, skating, skate boarding and lots of cyclists. I had to go through the toll area and followed the motorcycles through a path that went around the booths. There was a good shoulder which made me feel safer.
The further I got from Bogotá the less traffic there was. The highway went from 3 lanes in each direction to a 2-lane road. I had planned on going through Cajicá but missed the turn and ended up going through Briceno which probably added a few miles. I turned on a road that went passed a huge amusement park that was on both sides of the road called Jaime Duque. It had very interesting buildings and a monorail.
Zipaquirá church
Pretty soon I was in Zipaquirá looking for a hotel. The 1st place I checked had a good rating on Google but there wasn't any place for the trike. The receptionist sent me to a parqueadero to park my trike but they only take cars. Of course, I was already checked in and had my bags in the room when I realized I was going to have to find another hotel. I ended up and the Hotel Estacion close to the train station. It was very beautiful with all the amenities including breakfast for $24 a night. They also have a parking lot with a 24 hour attendant and a dog to watch over the cars and motorcycles. I locked Myrtle to a pole.
Myrtle in the carpark
Zipaquirá church on a plaza
Zipaquirá street
Zipaquirá is a sweet town and known for an abandoned salt mine that has a huge Cathedral in it. The next day I walked to the park paying the hefty foreign tourist entrance fee of $20. It was very interesting. Walking in, I met 3 people from Indiana who were in Bogotá celebrating their grandmothers 106th birthday. We all walked through the cathedral together. The cathedral has all 14 stations of the cross in it as well as a church completely underground. After, I had a fabulous meal of soup, chicken and vegetables. Delicious!
Salt mine entrance
Very nice people from Indiana I met at the entrance of the salt mine. Thanks for including me.
On of the stations of the cross in the salt mine cathedral
YouTube Video - Zipaquirá to Ubaté
With Maricio
The next morning I got packed up and on the road by 7:30 am. The ride to Ubaté was very straight forward although I had a bit of trouble finding my way out of town. I asked a number of people for directions but no one could understand my pronunciation of Ubaté. Sometimes, even though I'm using Googlemaps I still get lost. Finally, someone understood my question and pointed me in the right direction. Today's ride would be my 1st big test as there was one big hill. It went 2,000 ft up and then 2,000 ft down into Ubaté. As I started up the hill a young man passed me and then waited. Maricio was on his to go ride in the mountains. Instead, he rode with me for well over an hour. I am truly one of the world's slowest climbers. How he was able to ride next to me for so long was impressive. For awhile he was riding one legged.He was also very patient with my poor Spanish. Almost everything he said I had to ask him to repeat. A few kilometers from the top we stopped at a cafe and he bought me a coffee and a pastry. He tried out my trike but didn't seem very impressed. Then he went back down the hill and I continued climbing. When I finally crested the hill I was very relieved. I had passed my 1st big test. Colombia is a very mountainous country and I have been very nervous about how I am going to handle all the climbing.
At the top of the hill, suddenly, I was in coal country. I passed many small mines and the road was dirty with coal. The air was thick with coal particles that I could feel hitting my face. This was a very strange feeling. But I had a heck of a downhill and was soon passed this dirty area. The road was curved and winding and I had to feather my brakes a lot. I got caught behind a truck that was bellowing thick black exhaust and I had to pull over to give him room before I continued. It was really gross riding behind that truck.
Ubaté from the air
At the top of the hill I was feeling weak from the big climb but I recovered by the time I arrived in Ubaté and found a great hotel for $15. This hotel also had a parking lot with a 24 hour attendant where I locked up Myrtle. Like all other towns I've been to in Colombia, cycling is a popular form of transportation. Bikes are left in front of businesses leaning up against the curb. Bikes are everywhere.
Ubaté plaza
Grand church in Ubaté
Bike parked in the curbs all over Ubaté
Ubaté is the milk capital of Colombia. Garbage cans are milk jugs.
On all my previous tours, I've ridden just about everyday and have always felt rushed to see everything in the town and also prepare for the next day's ride, take pictures/video, processing and organizing my pictures/video, do all my computer stuff, eat and clean my clothes. For this tour, I'm going to do it differently. I've got 6 months to explore Colombia and I would like to spend a day in each town to take my time and learn more about the places I'm traveling through. With all the climbing I'm expecting to do, I think my body is going to need the extra day as well.
Studying Spanish is a fascinating journey. The language understanding and improvements happen subtly and seemingly without notice. Most days speaking is a complete struggle and then, one day, the fog starts to lift and concepts start to make sense. Instead of saying 'I don't know' I'm starting to put sentences together. It's as if I'm learning how to think about how to speak Spanish and I'm training my mind to navigate the language. The words have suddenly started to come together easier. I still get letters mixed up and my pronunciation isn't the clearest but I am speaking a bit faster without as much hesitation. I can also understand more of what others are saying to me. The place where I'm at in my Spanish learning is tough and I think I'm going to be here for awhile. I think this is the place where most people quit because it's really hard. I'm just starting to speak, without panic, in complete sentences instead of simply blurting out words. The process is slow and it will be awhile before I have any kind of mastery of past tense verb conjugation but at least I understand how to put together ideas. Speaking in the past tense is very important. It is how we tell stories. I enjoy telling stories and looking forward to getting over this hump.
50-story Colpatria building
Bullfighting ring and city from Colpatria
Bogotá
The language school I am attending, Whee Institute, is very small. My classes have had 3 other students in them and I take classes for 3 hours a day and 5 days a week. We do all kinds of exercises and games in class to stay interested and make the process fun. The people that run the school and my teachers are all very young, enthusiastic and also very sweet. A couple of times a week there are outside activities like learning to salsa dance, visiting local sites, going to the top of Colpatria, cooking classes, going dancing at Teatron (a club with 14 dance floors), learning to play Tejo or seeing a movie together. I've gone to a few of these extracurricular activities and found the students to be absolutely adorable. These are all really good kids.
Video of learning to play the Colombian game Tejo
Language school buddies
My first homestay has also been a fantastic experience. Maritza and Antonio Luiz are lovely and the perfect host couple. Their home is very comfortable in a walkable, safe neighborhood. Whenever I need something they have been very attentive and helping me resolve any problems. With the homestay room I also asked for breakfast every morning which is very nice. They often invite me for dinner as well. Maritza is a wonderful cook and I am enjoying her tasty food. I have met the whole family and been invited to many family events which has made this an even richer experience. They know people all over Colombia and have given me many contacts. I bet we will be stay in touch throughout my travels.
Video of riding Ciclovia
Originally, I had planned to stay in Bogotá and study Spanish for 3 weeks but something came up and I will be here for 4. My host family learned that I have trouble sleeping and didn't like that I take medication every night. They made me an appointment with a Dr. friend, a neurologist, who is head of a sleep clinic at a large hospital. I met with her last week and she gave me all kinds of terrific information to help me fall asleep at night. So far so good, it seems the best piece of advice was to stop using electronics an hour before bed and make sure I am tired. She had me get up an hour earlier than usual and stay up an hour later - until 11 pm. Wow, by 11 pm I am tired and sleep is coming much easier! I will meet with her again tomorrow for a follow up appt but I am happy to say I have been sleeping without meds. I have also gained 2 hours to do stuff during the day.
Over the weekend I had a bit of a set back when I got food poisoning from restaurant food. I was very sick for 12 hours and it has taken a few days to recover. My host family was extremely concerned. I'm sure it was hard for them to hear me be sick all night as well. Yesterday, Wednesday, I finally felt like I was back to normal.
Colorful neighborhood
I've taken care of some lab blood work here in Bogotá as well. The healthcare system in the US is so expensive that I like to do my lab work while traveling. Complete labs to check my blood levels to make sure my hypothyroid meds are the right dose was $40. I also got a 2-month prescription filled for $30. In the US I have to pay $70 just to make an appt to see a dr plus the $600/mo for the insurance.
Surprisingly, I've also been losing weight which is great news. At first, the 9,000 ft elevation was keeping my appetite suppressed but now, I think the bus/car/truck exhaust from this city of 10 million people is making me feel somewhat nauseous all the time. The thick, black diesel smoke that comes from vehicles is truly shocking. I've actually had both pair of pants taken in ($5) which feels really good. I'd like to lighten my load by another 10 lbs and I hope to keep this weight loss happening.
Christmas Lights
Street food
Street art
Speaking of lightening my load, I'm also thinking to send home a box of gear. It's been interesting to see how different Colombia is to what I read before coming here. For instance, I had heard that Bogotá is cold at night. It isn't. Everyday, the temperature is the same - high 60's during the day and 50's at night. I brought a 2nd sleeping bag rated to 20 degrees that I don't think I'll be needing. I had also read the food isn't very good and meat centric. I like meat but my body doesn't and I need to be conscious of how much meat I eat. Every restaurant I've been to has a good selection of healthier options. Plates with fruit, vegetables and also many soups are listed on every menu. So far, I really like the food in Colombia. There isn't nearly as much meat in the meals as there is in México. I love the food in Mexico but it has much more meat than my body likes. I brought cooking gear thinking I would start my mornings with a healthy breakfast of fruit, oatmeal and coffee. I'm finding that it's easy to find healthy food for breakfast and don't think I'll need my cooking gear. I also read that, outside of the big cities, there isn't much. I was under the impression that hotels are harder to find than in México but this isn't true either. I really like to stay at cheaper hotels in towns. I only need a safe place for the night, the accommodation doesn't need to be fancy. For me, towns are much more convenient than camping. They have everything that I need. I carry a significant amount of electronics that need charging every day, I also really like having a shower after cycling as well as hotel wifi to upload photos, video and work on my blog. It's nice to walk around and explore a town after cycling all day and have conversations with locals. My host family assures me that there are hotels and restaurants everywhere. I've already got a good mound of gear set aside to ship home. I'm still not sure if I should ship home my tent. We'll see .... It's Thursday and I'll make a decision by tomorrow when I'll find a Fedex office.
Monserrate high above Bogotá
Droneshot
Bogotá from the viewpoint
I've also done some sightseeing on my own going to museums, historic sights, gardens and Monserrate high in the mountain above Bogotá. I flew my drone a bit over the city from a viewpoint on the road not far from the entrance to Monserrate. Security is always a concern in this enormous city but I didn't have any problems. It was a very nice day and seeing the city from above is really impressive.
Botero
Botero horse
Alrighty then - Sunday is the day I'll cycle out of Bogotá and make my way to the mining town of Zipaqauirá to start my tour. This town is famous for an huge cathedral underground in a salt mine. My 1st route in Colombia will go through the mountains making my way to Santa Marta on the Caribbean coast closest to Venezuela. This leg of the trip will go through lots of sweet touristic towns rich in history with fabulous scenery. From using Googlemaps, it is about 850 miles to the coast with 40,000 ft of climbing. Since I'm starting at 9,000 ft there should be a lot of down as well. As I descend, the temperature is going to soar and the climate will be much more humid than here in Bogotá. Probably similar to what I experienced on my last tour in México. I'm ready to get out of the big city and explore Colombia.
Route to the coast and Santa Marta
My plan for the blog is to update it once a week with photos, videos and links to Garmin GPS ride data. I would also like to do YouTube videos of my rides twice a week. This ride to the coast is going to be very relaxed. After riding to the coast I will follow the Caribbean to Barranquilla, Cartegena, inland to Medellin and then to Cali. I will be doing fairly short mile days so that I can take the time I need for photos, video, drone shots and to really explore Colombia. I also might stop in Medellin for a longer period to study more Spanish. Once I reach Cali, I'm not sure if I will continue south to Ecuador or fly to Panama and ride to San Jose in Costa Rica. If I do this ride as slowly as I'm hoping to, maybe I won't even make it out of Colombia. Vamos a ver!
