Bolivia's Fuzzballs and Merry Christmas!

Day 141­

We have hit Bolivia! Not on the top of my list of places to visit, but it has been surprisingly enjoyable. First off, the weather has been spectacular – sunny days and rainy nights. Second, I have come to love the animals of the altiplano.

 

I am not what you would call an animal lover. It is not that I dislike the furry beasts, but I have never owned an animal as an adult (not even a fish!), and sometimes find the notion of beast/man companionship hard to understand.

But in these high lands, the furry fellows bring me such joy. And since we are in the southern hemisphere (summer), they have just reproduced meaning; the landscape is dotted with the sweetest lambs, fuzzy baby alpacas and my favourite – toy-like donkeys!

 

Pictures speak louder than words and because no words can aptly describe my run in with Fuzzball (my name for the baby donkey who practically knocked our camera out of my hand to snuggle into the nape of my neck – what a doll), I will keep the words to a minimum.

 

But, the baby llama needs to be mentioned – how it stands up on those long legs is anybody’s guess.

 

And of course, there are our arch enemies – the vagrant dogs that chase and nip at our ankles when biking, but pull a Jekyll and Hyde when we are in walk mode – whether walking around the block or on a multi-day hike, gringos will be blessed with the presence of a pup - or maybe five trotting along beside.(No pics because they have become a VERY common occurrence.)

It seems like farm animals and Christmas go hand-on-hand – the manger scene, Mary and the donkey etc. So, enjoy the pics and have a very Merry
Christmas! xo

 

Peru, Food and Airplanes

Day 108 

After much deliberation, I am happy to say we have just booked two one-way airline tickets to Cuzco. It was a bit of a discussion as to how we were going to get into the highlands before doing a hike to Machu Picchu. The distance from here is about 2300km and most of it through harsh desert (and then a big ascent into the highlands). All in all, it would take us about 6-8 weeks – a big portion of time we feel we could use more wisely. 

So, what would have taken us weeks will now take about 4 hours!

So far Peru has been quite good. The beaches around Mancora are exceptionally beautiful and I am not sure if my standards have lowered, but the food has dramatically improved.

 

 

An interesting note about cycle touring that I hadn’t realized is how much of my journey is centered on food. We are always assessing our food situation – do we have enough snacks for our ride? Is there a place open early enough for breakfast? There are a lot of flies in this restaurant – maybe we should just have bananas for dinner?  We also splurge from time to time and eat pizza, salad, or most recently an all-American brunch – well, I had waffles with real butter and bacon, but you get the drift.

 

 

 

Maybe because I worked in the food industry for so long or perhaps I am homesick for food, but food is often the focus of my cycling thoughts – and with 6-8 hours a day on the saddle, there are a lot of thoughts. I asked Rob if he thinks about food whilst cycling and (shockingly) he said no. For those that know Rob, he likes food – probably more than me - so naturally, I was surprised. (He thinks about logistics, travelling and history which makes me think I should make better use my time.)

 

 

I also use it psychologically  - I know that is usually frowned upon, but desperate times call for desperate measures! Food gets me through the tough times. I think about at what intervals the four Oreo cookies nesting in my handle bar will be devoured. Usually I reward myself once I climb a hill or reach a certain landmark. I think about cold watermelon when it is hot, I think about lattes (I know not technically food) when it is cold. The waffle I ate a few days ago got about 20 minutes of my time through a rather difficult spot yesterday – head winds and blowing sand were involved.

I now know why cycling through Italy would be (for me) heaven – Ecuador is not known for its food;)

But food wise, Peru has been a bit of a surprise: perfectly prepared civiche (raw fish prepared in lime juice), papa a la huancaina (potato salad with spicy cheese sauce), fried rice with hot chilies, chicha (a black corn drink), and we haven’t into got into Inca territory where potatoes rule and quinoa! Apparently the Incas had something like 15 different types of potatoes and introduced them to the Spanish.

 

So, for now, my Oreos (along with the bikes) are packed and won’t be needed for a few weeks. As for the highland potatoes, I am thinking about them already - YUM!

 

 

 

Day 70 - Reflection, Bike Helmets and Ecuadorian Cheese

It has been a while since my last entry – mostly because Rob is pretty thorough on the events of our day-to-day lives. But, with a bit of coaxing and an impactful past few weeks – a baby being born, a near death experience, and hours of (rather grey) solitude – reflection seems like as good a topic as any.

The variety of landscapes and people that inhabit this tiny country of Ecuador is impressive. We have seen snow-capped volcanoes, massive canyons, sandy beaches, ripped surfer dudes and tiny little ladies that look more like hobbits than actual people - all having brought smiles to our faces and awe to our spirits.

 

But with all that good, there are still bouts of traveller fatigue – And although I can’t claim, “I need a nap from all this travelling”, I can relate to the notion.

Sometimes when travelling, simple things seem a wee bit harder: shopping, directions, getting on the right bus (or boat), are all exhausting from the manic gestures used in place of verbal communication; no surface is really clean here; bug bites come by the dozen; showers are never hot nor have enough pressure; and it is seriously impossible to find good cheese! Combine that with being around your partner 24/7 and everyone involved seems a tad bit cranky.

 

Last night as I sat in a beach cabana overlooking the stunning ocean drinking strawberry daiquiris, (could it be any more cliché? ), one woman who is desperately missing her home in Australia talked my ear off about the grandson she so misses. Her tale of woe tugged at my heartstring as I thought about a little wee girl recently born to a very good friend - her sweet little pixilated face on Skype no replacement for a good newborn cuddle session.

But sometimes something jolts you from the energy waster of aggravation over low-quality cheese - And for me, that was last week. First, Rob had a spill on a crazy busy highway, with nothing more than a little road rash and two days later I was hit by a pick-up truck on my bike. (Rob left it to me to divulge the accident, so I am.)

I was crossing the highway on my bike about 40km north of Canoa when a truck come over the hill in the wrong lane and hit me – it was instant and I literally did not even see the truck it was that fast. However I do remember being thrown backwards and landing on my head. Miraculously, my helmet took the brunt and I literally sprang up without a scratch. I have never been more thankful for a $40 piece of plastic and actually kissed the mangled lid.

 

Rob and I were shaken up – by both close calls - and after a little pow-wow felt pretty darn lucky to be able to make the decision that we both were getting too comfortable and we need to slow down and be more defensive riders.

After finding a guy in the next town who fixed my tire for $1.50 – I could have kissed him too - we biked into rainy, grey Canoa. It was the most beautiful scene to my eyes and I am so thankful to be here. 

 

 

Now recuperating from very minor whiplash, I can honestly say I have never been more thrilled to take a tepid shower, preach the merits of bike helmets – they really do save lives – or eat Ecuadorian cheese!

 

 

Day 44 – Popayan

A note on wildlife in Colombia: Be forewarned, if you get squirmy about bugs, skip this blog entry.

We made our way out of Cali Thursday morning in what was a rather uneventful departure. We figured we could make it to Popayan in two days but we weren’t sure where we would stop Thursday night. We made it to a town about 60km from Popayan – the perfect distance for a hilly ride the next day.

 

 

 

Once we realized our only option for accommodation was a dilapidated camp-like rancho, we paid our $20 000COP (about $12) and hunkered down. We decided to forgo showering in the rather filthy cob-web latent stall, and instead took a dip in the clean pool. (We knew this because there was a pool guy and the smell of chlorine wafted strongly from the clear aqua water.)

Feeling refreshed, we returned to our room where the first little bugger was sighted scurrying along the floor. Rob handled the situation aptly by squashing it with his shoe. The crunch a cockroach exudes when hammered with a Patagonia approach shoe is so disturbing, it makes me shiver just thinking about it - EEEWWWW!

Although we had already decided to sleep in our sleeping bags, we immediately realized the severity of the bug situation and turned our sights towards our clean roach-free tent. I even mended the tent to ensure our safety. We locked our bikes in our room, got cozy in the tent and slept like babies.

 

 

We awoke at the crack of dawn Friday morning, packed our bags and thanked our wise decision-making skills...

That is until we realized our grave oversight – we did not securely fasten our plethora of bags.

Initially ignorant of our mistake, we made our routine stop for our morning refresco. When Rob opened his handlebar bag, we discovered a family of cockroaches of varying sizes had taken up residence (insert shiver). Here I am checking mine.

 

 

When we finally arrived in Popayan - 15km further than the road signs indicated - we knew we/Rob had a difficult job ahead of us/him – going through ALL of our things in search of a cockroach colony.

 

 

 

 

We splayed all our things in the courtyard of a lovely Popayan hostel as Rob frantically hit and swatted ALL of them. We know this for sure, since we went through everything thorough­ly at my insistence. We then did laundry and washed everything until it was gleaming.

In the end, we were transporting approximately 30 roaches that were hiding in everything from our bike tools to our cooking stove.

We even changed hostels in case one got away. (Just kidding)

In the end we did change hostels, not because of bugs, but because of a young group of Colombians who were partying like it was 1999 - Which doesn’t bode well with a 48-year-old who needs his beauty rest;)

On a less squirmy note, we are now in a beautiful (all white) colonial town in the midst of a torrential rain storm. Luckily we have a lovely romantic room overlooking the square, (the view is the second pic below), complete with a chandelier, 12 foot ceilings and a bowl of flowers! Although there is no electricity because of the storm, we have cold beer and...Doritos! Now that my friends is a romantic combination if I have ever heard one.

 

 

 

 

Plus we believe we are cockroach free – which really is the only thing on my mind these days!

 

Day 37 Salento

Blogging whilst in Colombia has been both rewarding – comments from all you lovely people - as well as a burden. Competition for computer time with Rob in a country that sometimes has sketchy internet is at times problematic.  As Rob is a dedicated blogger as well as someone who doesn’t read fiction, (a big filler of time in my day), please see his/our mutual blog for the most up-to-date shenanigans: http://robamysouthamerica.blogspot.com.  He is also more thorough and talks about aspects that I overlook. Here he is researching!

I am pleased to say I am in a happy place right now. At the present moment we are sitting pretty in Salento – a lovely mountain town with a good mix of gringos and Colombians. Our accommodation is fantastic - I say this after a solid eight hour sleep. Inhabiting a century old house, the hostel is a new, clean modern guesthouse with all the frills.

The giant courtyard is overflowing with a tropical garden and our private room is decked with wood finishings, a duvet and reading lights! I have never appreciated reading lights so much in my life. The overhead compact fluorescent bulbs – sans fixture - are blinding and as common in Colombia as mystery meat (and just as harsh).

 

 

We have decided to spend two full rest days here as it is the last of mountain towns for a while. We are going downhill – for like two full days!

The last few weeks have been pretty tiring, but once we finally wrapped our heads around the fact that we physically can’t do the big days we have done in the past, (because of the mountainous terrain), things have dramatically improved.

 

 

We (I) also seem to be dealing better with...Uuummm...digestion. I hate to be blunt here – but how digestion works whilst travelling can make or break the experience. Although our bodies are almost constantly begging for food, consuming it often seems to instigate bowel issues - for me anyway. This has lead to a disturbing amount of Doritos, packaged cookies and French fries – do not fear mother, I also eat a mango every day just to get some vitamins.J

Veggies will be the star performer on my dinner plate tonight – we have access to a kitchen – so finding veggies and a coffee farm are on the agenda for today.

 

Oh, and for soccer fans, Colombia has advanced towards the World Cup – they beat Ecuador 1 nil! It was something like 1998 since they have come this far and boy did Colombians celebrate! Rob was very good at capturing the moments, so I will let him write more about it.

 

On one last note - Happy Birthday Mom! I will eat some packaged cookies in your honour. xo

 

 

Day 27 - Yarumal

At over 2200 metres, I am slightly chilled from the frigid morning air and rather grateful for a day off. The climb from pretty much sea level - a mere two days ago - is telling in terms of steepness. A bicycle was never intended to be pushed, but pushed mine was (for about 20 km or so).

Like any mountain-town resident knows, there is something about living in the clouds that changes the culture and Yarumal seems like a different world from the Caribbean Coast. The colour of the people no longer reflects the ancestry of African slaves. Instead, the angular-featured citizens have a rather fair complexion, no doubt resulting from a mix of Basque traits. There are light-eyed blondies here that have turned my head more than once.

 

 

The rolling hills outside town are lush and are covered with grazing cattle, small dishevelled houses and manicured flower gardens that waft a pleasant perfume often mixed with the smell of burning wood. The pace is slow and mostly the Campisenos load their donkeys, work their land or in the case of yesterday, wave at the gringo idiots pushing their loaded bikes up the hill.

 

 

They are a friendly bunch, but have a major beef with the Colombian government – I am looking into it, but can’t seem to get a straight answer with my non-existent Spanish. Sunday was the day of protest across the country and we were delayed for a couple of hours atop a hill along with a few buses and a dozen or so motorbikes because the protests were getting heated and it wasn’t safe to cross. All seemed fine when we were finally let through.

The area – isolated and high - was once a Mecca for guerillas and is still rumoured to have cocaine-processing laboratories near-by. Now it is famous for the largest population of early onset Alzheimer’s and those affected by the mutated gene are part of a major international study.

The town itself is quirky and chugs along - the citizens filling the central square and carrying on day-to-day business along the steep streets that hug the hillside.

­

As for the two idiot bikers - we are soaking up the fresh air, the deep-fried donuts and what seems like 24 hour reruns of CSI – not a bad way to spend a day off.



For Rob's take or a link to the route thus far visit: http://robamysouthamerica.blogspot.ca/

Taganga to Palamino

Day 8 – 16

The ride out of Taganga was grimy and crowded, but as we started ascending into Park Tayrona, flower farms and gurgling rivers quickly replaced the filth. It truly was a beautiful ride. When we hit the coast again, we were greeted with turquoise water beneath huge jungle cliffs – how turquoise water always sets my heart a flutter!

I was quite enthralled and although we underestimated the distance (again), I didn’t mind the extra 20km or so on the saddle.

When we finally arrived at Palamino, we realized that the good ol’ Lonely Planet was a bit dated and both prices and new hostels had risen. But, that is why we have a tent and all the fixings that go with.  So, for the five nights we called our little tent home. We were pitched at FincaEscondida – a very worthy hostel destination with a water-front bar and restaurant, white sand and enough grassy spots to accommodate a few tents. The sound of crashing waves wasn't bad either.

As Rob was aptly nick-named by our new-found Uruguayan friend Emilio, “Happy Hour” was quite a hit – especially with Rob – and we met some fun travellers to waste away the evening hours. 

Days passed without much excitement. Books, walks along the beach, and dips into the surf to cool off followed by long afternoon naps was the itinerary most days. We broke things up by walking 15 minutes from the beach into town to eat cheap food  - the price of food at the hostel was not within budget, so plato tipico - meat, rice, fried plantains and a few slices of tomatoes -  was our big meal at lunch and then we subsidize with fruit and popsicles (for me). Frozen treats in Colombia are exceptional and for about 50 cents, they are within budget!

It was also a fun place to see local children living their everyday lives on the beach; 6-year-old surfers, soccer everywhere and kids just being kids.

 

To get back towards Cartagena we cheated a bit with a bus ride back to Cartagena – we figured since we biked one way, we might as well save four days of travel time and catch the bus. It was a bit of a shit show and Rob had a freak out, but we made it.

We then biked to Playa Blanco; an absolutely stunning beach with calm turquoise water. Bets are that big hotels will soon take over the cabanas where locals live a hard existence with no water or electricity.

I won't lie to ya - I was ready to get outta there. My bike was not happy living in sand and salt and considering I was violently ill last night - our first night back in Cartagena, I was glad to have a flush toilet. 

Unfortunately my illness means we will have to stay one more day in Cartagena because at the moment, my stomach can't handle any food and riding into the unknown tomorrow seems like a BAD idea. I am blaming Rob - his words of wisdom, "It is fine to drink the water here - look at me I am fine." 

I didn't heed his advice when we first arrived, but he seemed fine, so I went for it. 5 hours in the bathroom last night while he slept soundly is fact that yes, Rob's stomach can take much more than mine.

Notes to self...

Bring multi-vitamins to Latin American countries. They don't really do veggies.

WD40 is the most useful product on earth. If cleans sand off bikes and oil off clothes - seriously!

Rob's take: http://robamysouthamerica.blogspot.ca/