Adventures on two wheels
Probably not the best combination really! So far we’ve cycled through three South American countries, Colombia, Ecuador and now Peru, and they’re all non-vegetarian friendly and pro-sugar friendly! It was quite a novelty in the beginning being laughed at when I said ‘soy vegetariano’ in a restaurant or asked for ‘sin azucar’ in our coffee. …
After three days of relaxation, coffee and cake in Banos we once again packed our bags onto our bicycles and headed east, dropping down into the Amazon. It’s mainly downhill to start with as we cycle down the ‘Ruta de Cascadas’ with apparently seven huge waterfalls. In the heavy rain there are far more than …
After 10 days rest and recovery, we finally pack our bags and bicycles and once again head off south. Our route will take us up and into Cotopaxi National Park, where we’ll hopefully catch a glimpse of the majestic Cotopaxi volcano. At 5,897m high it’s glaciated cone shaped peak is highly active and looks beautiful …
The last two days before crossing the border into Ecuador turn out to be fairly tough, both mentally and physically. There’s been a huge landslide on the smaller road we wanted to take to the border and so we have to stay on the main road. It’s uphill for almost 25 miles! But we eventually …
We left our peaceful log cabin in San Augustin and headed back down the valley, reversing our route for 13 miles before heading south. It was a beautiful morning and it was hard to leave, I could have easily stayed another day, but it was time to go. We cycled through a stunning valley which …
From Ibague we descend from 1300m all the way back down to 350m, and back into the heat! It’s a beautiful descent and for about 15 miles I barely touch the pedals. It’s great to have some ‘easy’ cycling for a change, and although we’re on main roads, they’re not busy at all. We’re heading …
While hundreds of tourists pile into various coloured jeeps and head off into the Valle de Cocora to see the famous wax palms, we head off in a slightly different direction, and it makes all the difference. This three day route has to be the highlight of the whole trip for me so far. Sixty …
We’re heading into the coffee axis and I’m excited! I’d been wanting to get to this part of Colombia for ages, this is the area where most of Colombias coffee comes from, and I was excited to explore it. The first part of the day was tough, we had to cycle from 2100m up to …
In the end we only spend two nights in Medellin before once again our friend Luis comes to our rescue, picking us up from our hotel with our bikes and all our bags, and escaping the busy city to stay a few days with his sister-in-law in their Finca in El Retiro, a beautiful region …
The first thing I notice is the weight of the bike, it’s so heavy it’s wobbling, and I’m struggling to stay upright! The next thing is the intense heat, it’s only 9am and already I can feel myself starting to sweat! And then there’s the noise, the city is bustling. Cars, buses and motorbikes beep …