                                Colombia has a dark past and it is only in the last 10 years where it has been safe for tourists and locals to travel. Many of the towns we visit here don’t typically receive many foreigners and we are finding Colombianos so thrilled to have us in their country that they will go out of there way to disolve this dangerous image that still lingers. We have met so many generous, kind, thoughtful, inviting people here and now we find our bags are weighed down with treasures to remember our experiences of this beautiful country. David (couchsurfing) seemed to know everyone in the cute town of Chinchinà and although he had a manic schedule with work he was determined to showcase his town. We had a pleasant few hours at a local coffee plantation (Hacienda Guayabal) where we learn about the coffee production process. We took in a lot of interesting things with David but a highlight for us was taking a trip to the market where we marvelled and sampled a range of exotic fruits (see video above). This was so helpful as we often see unusual looking fruit and want to try them but are unsure of how to prepare and eat it. We don’t really want to share this news (but it did happen) that we had our first theft of the trip. Our pump, lock and key, and dog dazzer were taken from us where we had stopped for a break in a bakery. We were literally four metres from our bike but could only see the front half. This could have happened anywhere as we were in a big city and it was a good reminder we need to be more vigilent with Big Bird and valuables. We had hardly had time to feel upset about our loss when we were flagged down by Luis and Aura, two strangers that saw us panting up a hill and wanted to invite us in for lunch. It was very unexpected but perfectly timed. We had an entire conversation in Spanish while feasting on some typical Colombian cuisine, with our favourite being the dessert of sweet baked pumpkin in milk (Ahuyama). In Armenia we were guests of Diego (couchsurfing) and his parents. We were pleasantly surprised when Diego suggested we visit the nearby town of Salento in Valle de Cocora as we had hummed and ha-ed (is that a real word?) about cycling there ourselves. It was a little town surrounded by rolling hillside with all the doors of the buildings painted different colours. It reminded us of the many quaint towns we passed through in Mexico. Two times on this stretch we have been mobbed by curious and friendly locals in the main plazas of Chinachinà and Tuluà. At points we had maybe 100 people around us, studying our bike, asking questions or just simply watching our every move. My sister Emily said we should break out in dance one time and really get them talking! In these smaller towns the local news channels got word of us and wanted to interview us (see video above). We really don’t know how we did at satisfying their questions but we did answer every question! Hopefully we will get the clips put on youtube so you can have a giggle at us stumbling over our Spanish. Just when we thought the terrain of Colombia was all about mountains, we hit our first patch of flat and made exceptional time to Tuluà. Our host here (Elizabeth from couchsurfing) wanted to keep us forever! She and her daughter (Sofia) were such sweethearts and it was difficult to say goodbye. We spent a really chill afternoon at a park with them which has swimming pools, a river, and playing fields. By far the best actiivity was taking a tube ride down the meandering river. We then busted-it to the third biggest city in Colombia, Cali. Typically we struggle with navigating in large cities with our clumsy beast (sorry Big Bird!). The combination of the traffic, multiple lanes, noise and unfamilar surroundings can be stressful. This was not the case here as Claudia and her family (friends of Malo, who we stayed with in Costa Rica) received us at the edge of town and guided us back to their home. We ate so well, trying different typical foods (love the pandebonos)! Eyes were popping watching Roland eat plate after plate, not wanting to waste a morsel! We weren’t allowed to lift a finger to pull our weight but we did sneak in some zuchinni pancakes. We got a complete tour of this sprawling city with the entire family from the comforts of a car and listening to Colombian salsa and Cuban music. Things you may not know….. · Arrepas are to Colombia are what tortillas are to Mexico. Arrepas are made out of corn, are quite thick and complement every meal. Panela, the other Colombian staple is made from sugar cane and comes in large brown blocks. You then dissolve it in water and creeps its way into various drinks (coffee, hot chocolate and juice) and also sweetens desserts aswell. They love cheese here too, they put it in anything: hot chocolate, bread and sweet pastries. It’s actually pretty good with Roland’s favourite being a cheese and toffee donut. · Bamboo can grow 7cms a day and in optimal conditions up to 10-20cms. We have seem a lot of construction here made out of bamboo so it is put to good use. · Coffee bean workers earn 300 pesos (about 15 cents U.S.) for every kilo of ripe beans picked. The most someone has ever picked (on the plantation we visited) was 400 kilos earning him $60 U.S for a very labour entensive day. · You can’t just slap on a stamp and mail a letter here in Colombia. There must be a return address and you need to fill out a form like you would with a package. It is quite the formality! · Over the weekend was the Presidential Elections and to increase voter turnout all bars, clubs and liquor stores were closed two days prior.               Fernando (SERVAS) has a sweet apartment that is filled with interesting pieces of art, photography, and artifacts. On arriving, his son (Daniel) whipped up a tasty pasta and gave up his room for us during our stay. It must be in the genes as Fernando too has some pretty mean culinary skills to boot. We exchanged recipes as we couldn’t get enough of his eggplant dip. Over the next couple of days we juggled our time between relaxing, necessary chores (i.e. bike maintenance and acquiring a new stove pump), and seeing a sight or two (none of which were in the Lonely Planet!). We can’t thank Fernando enough for all his help with many mundane chores that we won’t bore you with and taking us to some of his favourite places to hang out in Medellin! On one outing we managed to roundup another Panamerican cyclist by the name of Matt Kelly (http://www.pedalpanam.com/) and Fernando girlfriend, Berta Lucia and headed up to the tranquil town of El Retiro. This is a small mountain pueblo with cool old houses and uniquely hand crafted key holes. We had a ginormous meal, icecream cones and a good oldfashioned stroll around the main plaza. It was rather a pleasant outing! To boot, we got to check out the pad where Matt was staying that was set on a mountainside overlooking Medellin. The air was fresh, the coffee delicious and the artwork in the house quite remarkable. We hope to meet up with Matt and his other cycling comrades down the line. In the four days that we stayed in Medellín (the second largest in Colombia) we witnessed numerous accidents. It’s one place we would not like to drive. Infact, the neighbour of Fernando that helped us with finding a good bike mechanic collided with a drunk pedestrian and fortunately due to having his helmet on) he only had superficial scrapes on his face, arms and legs. We left Medellín on a public holiday so there was much less traffic on the road, as well as Fernando following behind us in his car. He also arranged a police escort so we were very well looked after. The fun stuff:
Barrio Moravia: Community built on a landfill.                  Please note: These photos are a mix of ours and Fernandos. Fernando (among many jobs) is currently commissioned by the City Hall to facilitate the compiling of a series of books about Medellín. One afternoon, he needed to take some pictures of a suburb built on and around an old landfill for one of the books. One initiative in Moravia that is seeing great results and cultivating a sense of pride is the community centre that was built about three years in the heart of the neighbour. One of the reasons for its success is that the community had the opportunity to specify what the centre provided, looked like and needed i.e. daycare, internet service, dance and music studios, auditorium for special events and performing arts. The community centre is a beautiful structure and very well maintained but we forgot to capture it on camera! We had three teenagers eager to show us around the neighbour that is slowly shrinking as residents are being relocated to a more healthy environment through a government programme. This neighbourhood had a real flavour about it and although it can be a dangerous place, it was quite invigorating meeting the people and seeing unique, beautiful and not so beautiful sights at every turn. Also, the three boys lived and breathed break dancing and they weren’t shy to display their talents at every chance possible! Just after I had asked Fernando if they were going to remove the hill made of rubbish, one of the boys boasted about how fortunate they were to live in a place that has 360 degree views of the city. Talk about perspectives! 06/06/10 to 09/06/10: Panama City 06/15/2010
                    The final 50km stretch into Panama City was intense. We both had to stay very focused and aware of the traffic that was speeding by us as the shoulder was non existent or had debris and broken glass on it. We cycled over The Bridge of Americans that spans the Panama Canal but unfortunately we couldn't stop to take in the view. Two days prior to arriving in the Capital we meet a friendly lady while at a truck stop trying our first Pastellitos (effectively corn fritters) and playing some cards. She invited us to stay at her house and gave us her address and contact numbers. We were feeling pretty stoked as we didn't have a confirmed place to stay in Panama City. We arrived to her house to find no one home so while Roland stayed with the bike I went to find a phone. I had no luck with getting through and on returning Roland said we weren't welcome here. I thought he was kidding but as it turns out the lady's husband came home and politely asked us to leave. This was rather confusing for us as the lady we had meet had been so nice but I guess her husband didn't know about us. At a bit of a loss we cycled aimlessly and found ourselves in front of an Office Depot. We decided to call a SERVAS member that we had emailed but had not heard back from. This turned out to be the right thing to do. Turns out she had received our email a month prior but was not able to reply due to computer problems. She had infact already spoken to her brother about us staying and so when I called she was like "oh great, you are the tandem couple and I've already asked if you can stay with my brother". This was music to our ears and within half an hour we were meeting Geovanna's nephew, Omar who led us back to their house which was close to where we were already. Omar and his Dad, Carlos are pilots and live in the old American military base for the Panama Canal. Their house is set up for leisure and we enjoyed chilling out watching movies in a theatre type atmosphere and lazyboy chairs. They treated us as family and even gave us the use of one of their cars. IWe got to have a typical breakfast with Carlos's inlaws, which we discovered his father-in-law was a famous sport's commentator here in Panama, who had met Muhummad Ali, Farrah Fawcett, Sugar Ray Leonard and many famous Latin American boxers to name a few. Omar took us out on a day trip to see the Panama Canal. It is so cool. The canal connects the Altantic and Pacific Ocean and was completed back in 1914. We went to one of the three 'locks' (Miraflores) where the level of water is controlled as the oceans are 85 meters lower than the man-made lake in the centre of the country. It takes a ship about 8 hours to pass through the entire canal but is a real time saver not having to sail around the tip of Patagonia. Right now they are constructing an additional lock to cater to larger vessels and a larger volume of traffic. Since 1999, the Panama Canal is entirely owned and operated by Panama after the US relinguished control after 85 years. It is the main source of income for the country and an engineering feat they feel very proud of. They are also trying to increase water efficiency and preserve the surrounding environment that is the home to 16,000 types of butterflies and 6,000 types of cicadas, amongst other wildlife. The canal also creates electric power and drinking water for the surrounding district. We shared a couple of meals with Geovanna and her husband Gustavo and two children, one at an italian restaurant that is very popular on Sunday nights with the locals and one at home where we cooked lasanga (thanks to Muriel's (Roland's Mum) delicious recipe). Geovanna gave us a driving tour of the downtown area, which has many interesting and grand towers. Currently, one is being built by Mr Trump that will set you back at least half a million for an apartment. I think we will pass for now thanks. At present there is no official road that connects Panama to Colombia. So we opted for the plane option over the Darien Gap. There was many nervous moments as we had heard from other cyclists that getting bikes and trailors on the plane could be tricky and expensive. Additionally, a tandem bike can only be dissembled so much but Roland did a wonderful job packing it down to 265 linear cms. When all was said and done, checking in went very smoothly, without hassle and cheap. They didn't even measure the bike box! The advice from a couple of tandem cyclists ahead of us (http://www.ericandchristie.blogspot.com/), to leave the handles out on the Bob bag was invaluable. We got a ride out to the airport from our host's friend, Herman, who happens to be a famous Comedian in Panama. Sadly, we couldn't understand his jokes but apparently he is very funny. He does have a great laugh though! It was cool when we stopped at toll booths, people would recognise him. Maybe of interest: *While packing up the bicycle, Roland got stormed by about 50 Gato Solo creatures (see video). Which translates to 'only cats' but we still don't really know what this means! They came right out of the blue (Roland got quite a fright), are apparently endangered, quite tame, and only move in packs. It was obvious they had been fed before and enjoyed a meal of mangos. *Panama has butterflies that have patterns on their wings that look like an owl's face and insects that have heads in the shape of peanuts! *Speed bumps are called dormir policia in Panama and policia muerto in Costa Rica which translates to dead policeman and sleeping sleeping policeman. *See the Salvation Army page for our volunteer work here in Panama or click here. Honest thoughts by Belinda: The last few weeks I've been feeling a strong need to hiberate or live in a hobbit hole for a week or two. I keep having overwhelming urges to be alone or being magically teleported to New Zealand to get an injection of comfort in people and surroundings I know. Right now I wouldn't describe what we are doing as a 'holiday'. It has definately become a mental challenge. While cycling my thoughts stray more and more to life after the trip. Getting a dog, buying a house, having babies, doing a photography course, volunteering with The Salvation Army, dreaming up ideas about different businesses I could have AND hanging out with family and friends (which consumes most of my thinking time). It's strange because if we had to pull the plug on our trip right now I would be truly gutted and yet at the same time the thought of still needing to get through the entire length of South America (which is huge) seems like a really big drag. I've been told this is normal, particularly at this point of the trip where we have reached a milestone but it still makes me question my mental strength and resilence. Physically I see my body changing, becoming more toned and muscular and yet even going up some of the smallest hills sometimes feels like we are climbing Everest. I still don't consider myself a 'cyclist', even after 10 months on a bike. I'm not naturally atheletic. Just the simple action of getting a good peadalling technique has taken months. I think that's why my neck was so messed up in Alaska and Canada. There are times when I feel so inferior to Roland and a weak link as he can always keep going. He may look exhausted and be grumpy but he can still push through it and keep going. He is quite a marvel but also at times makes me feel inadequate. Please note: these are feelings I have created, not something Roland has done to put me down. I also wonder if I could do this if we were on single bikes? I hear about women that are cycle touring on their own and have the greatest respect for them and maybe in part because I'm unsure if I could handle it on my own. In saying that, I am very proud of my achievements. It's something quite surreal to look at a map and know I have gone that distance with my own power. Also, it's something quite special travelling by bicycle; it's very intimate. A unique experience I am so stoked be having and sharing with my husband. It's not about jumping from destination to destination. A lot of our most memorable experiences have been inbetween, passing through the small villages and towns or things we have seen on the road. So many things we haven't captured on film but are very vivid in our minds. One of the hardest parts of this mode of transport is that we are always on display. White, blue eyes, blonde hair, cycling, on a tandem, with a trailor, with dreads, with a beard, with no car and only a tent is a combination that generally creates a jaw-dropping moment for many people in this neck of the woods. It is so lovely to get waves, smiling faces, words of encouragement, thumbs up etc but at times I just want to get on with the business of cycling and observing, without having to interact or being the topic of conversation after we have passed by. Sometimes I just want to be invisible. After thinking all of this I generally end up feeling very selfish as we have choosen to do this trip the way we are doing it. It is not forced upon me and I can stop or change how we are doing it at any time. We wanted a challenge and we've got it. So we go on, feeling very blessed for all the generous people we continue to meet that help us on our journey; continuing to grow in our faith in God and be thankful that we have this wonderful opportunity to explore and experience new cultures and countries; continuing to learn about the value of giving, holding nothing back and expecting nothing in return; continuing to grow in our marriage and understanding of one another and finally continuing to learn more about ourselves and our possibilities. 28/05/10 to 05/06/10: Pura Vida! 06/10/2010
                       How are we doing? PURA VIDA! Cause that´s what you say when you’re in Costa Rica. You can use it as an exclaimation, a reply to how you are feeling or just to fill in a blank space. It translates into ‘Pure Life’ in English and only became cool and a definitive part of Costa Rican culture after the President said it on television. One would think at about 1500 meters it would be a free ride to the Pacific coast. But our route had much more in store for us! However, after climbing out of the valley from Alajuela we stopped for a well deserved coffee break at a restaurant perfectly positioned to appreciate the spectacular views of the farmland leading to the Pacific. After briefly taking in the resort beach town of Jaco we quickly left (as it’s not particularly our scene) and found a sweet campsite with our very own personal security guard and illumination. Truth be told, we had pitched our tent next to a radio tower and so the guard also had to keep his eye on the tower too. The coastal highway not only gave us teasing peeks of the ocean but two places to stay through Warm Showers. 14kms from Quepos we stayed at Elena’s Finca where she also runs a Bed and Breakfast. We didn’t get to meet Elena but enjoyed a quiet evening to ourselves with the company of her dogs, with Shadow favouring our tent as an excellent sleeping spot. A few days later and just for fun, we decided to cycle up a stupid steep hill for 20kms that didn’t help us in our endevour to go south. However, the views from the top were amazing and also the road lead us to Scott, a fellow touring cyclist who had just completed a tour from Seattle to his home here. It was interesting to check out his Finca and marvel at how he manages to live off the land and only spend 30 cents in a month and a half. We were smoking hot on the way up and Big Bird was smoking hot on the way down (as you can see by the above video). Next thing you know we are in Panama; our 10th country on this trip and the last before hitting South America. From everything we had heard, the roads where flat with generous shoulders and in better condition than Costa Rica. Yes, in parts and then a big FAT no in heaps of other parts. To enhance team moral we splurged and stayed at the Purple Hostel. It’s probably the cleanest and best managed hostel we have ever encountered. Big Ups to Andrea who runs the joint, which is true to its name and is saturated in everything purple from mops to clocks to kitchen appliances and even the washing machine. From prior success staying next to radio towers, another night we found one just as it was getting dark and starting to rain. However, this one turned out to be on the property of a lovely poor farming family. They were very surprised to see us first off and then very inquisitive with our tent, stove, bike and Roland’s hairy face. We felt like fish in a fish bowl but were very grateful to again have a safe place to rest our heads for the night. The following morning they gifted us a flag of Panama to add to our collection. We cycled nine days straight to Panama City from Alajeula and two of the days where we had shelter above our tent it didn’t rain! Go figure! Our last night before reaching Panama City was spent on the front lawn of a eldery couple as the closer we got to Panama the more populated the highway became. On checking with them if it was safe to be camping in the open; they quickly assured us as their son lived to the left of them, another son to the right and directly across the road was their daughter. It was like the mafia. They were super cute and gave us a table and two chairs to use, allowed us to use their bathroom and primed us with coffee in the morning. Interesting stuff: · Costa Rica uses a wooden filter apparatus to prepare coffee. They look pretty fun and simple to make so that’s on the list of things to do when we get back home. · It costs to go to the beach in Costa Rica, like $6. We managed to get in for five minutes for a quick dip and a friendly chat with the security guard. However, we found the rivers a better bet: they were free, cool, fresh, and close to the road. · The conditions for growing are so exceptional that farmers ‘plant’ their fences, literally using trees that continue growing up and around the wires. · Roland has sunk to an all time low with his coffee addiction. He drank coffee out of a cup that had been used to make tuna, mayonnaise and corn filling for our sandwiches. I still can’t believe he even asked me if I wanted some. I may have hairy underarms but I won’t sink that low…….. not yet. · We met some north bound recumbent cyclists from France (Antoine and Hoelig) and we lost track of time inquiring about the road that lies ahead and swapping stories. This is their website: www.velos-andins.com · We have a confession. We are guilty of stopping into McDonalds for a cool treat or two, the occasional beef injection and the sweet sweet air conditioning. In reality this was all of three times in Panama but we went into everyone we saw!! · We saw an abandoned cement truck’s mixing unit on the side of the road. |  Roland and Belinda
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