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Day 835 Monday, December 27 Popoyán to Silvia, 52 km Total KM 15366
Min meters 1742 , Max Meters 2605
Total Climb 1422 Total Descent 662
Min Temp 12 Max Temp 33 Ave Temp 19
Making a strong push for Dumbass of the year!
I'd set my alarm for 4:30 for an early start. I wanted to beat the rush hour which my host had told me was hellish. I switched it off, dozed for ten minutes then got up fighting fit and went to make coffee. The Touring Gods were looking out for me with a bright, sunny morning. Wait a minute? At 4:40 am? Nope! 6:10 am. Oooops!
My plan was simple. Out on the PanAmerican, turn off and up to visit Silvia a village reccommended to visit then downhill by a different road back to the PanAmerican and head towards Calí, stopping where I like. I'd a quick look at Osmand which was seriously overstating the climbing required but I'd looked more seriously at hospital availability along the way. I'll be needing a third rabies shot on the 29th.
I'd a cold drink, hit the road and soon came to my turnoff. I did have a quick rethink - straight ahead was easier and quicker but I saw all the traffic continuing to Calí and smiled to myself as I left it all behind.
Then I came to one of the issues of the day - a descent. Pleasant, certainly, but all those meters would need to be regained. I'd reckoned on a 400 meter climb by my own calculations so settled back when the climbing started again.
Colourful, smart but small houses were placed regularly along the road. No villages or even settlements just random houses along the way. This is farming country and that was emphasised that every second or third house had a horse tied up somewhere around.
I stopped, got off the bike and as is so frustrating the dog backed off but continued to bark from a close distance. Eventually he stopped and I headed off again.
I just want to emphasise that these dogs are irritating - nothing more. I'm probably a tad more cautious in terms of stopping than I was two weeks ago but there's no anxiety anything on a par with the U.S.
Up higher I was in pine country. It seems like ages since I saw Pine trees (but in reality not) and there was a wide variety of them dotting the landscape. I like Pine trees.
I came to the edge of the town of Totoro where I needed to turn off. Tempted to stop for a coffee and snack I noticed the time - heading on for 3pm - and figured it wiser to continue. I only had about 20km to go. By now I had realised that maybe Osmand hadn't been so wrong with its calculations. Taking the turn off at Totoro I had climbed 999 meters! It looked like Silvia wouldn't be a diversion but a destination.
The road was excellent! Concrete slabs with narrow grooves and practically no traffic. There was even a descent! Great riding through rich, interesting country. Then, with 13km to go the surface disappeared. Uh oh. Progress wasn't much faster than walking pace so I was delighted to round a bend and see concrete! Unfortunately, that didn't last and with 11 km to go I was back to no surface. The rain which had been on and off now became permanent.
If I thought bouncing around on bare rock was bad I had about 500 meters of fishtailing through pure, deep gravel. The bedrock was gratefully received when it returned!
Taking advantage of drizzle as opposed to rain I stopped for some bread and arequipe - I needed energy.
Setting off again the rough surface distracted me from the gradient but it was slow, tough going. The perfect test for my repaired rack braze on.
I had done no research having not expected to overnight here and Booking had one place that was too expensive. A big hotel almost opposite the Plaza was closed. I headed along the main street checking out the side streets. A large hostel was closed. Two different hospedajes ditto. I found a deceptively large hotel that had a tiny presence on the street but extended hugely at the back. Very pricey for what I got but beggers can't be choosers. I had a hot shower - bliss - and headed out to explore.
Unfortunately it was dark when I got back outside. I paid a visit to the church wanting to see the crib but with a mass going on I grabbed a coffee, sat in the Plaza and wrote up my notes. It was damp and cold. When mass was over and the very few attendees had left I hopped up and headed over only to see the big doors swing shut! The Big Man / Woman wasn't cooperating with my plans!
Unhappy with the price I'd paid for the room I opted to save some money on dinner. I bought an avacado, some bread and chocolate for dessert. Back in the room I ate avacado and tuna sandwiches. Surprisingly strong wifi meant I could enjoy some Youtube and I fell asleep later perhaps than I should have. (I was watching the GCN video of Backpacking in Colombia and thoroughly enjoyed it. I found it very realistic in terms of my experiences and was very satisfied (and a little smug) when they both commented about how slow they were going!)
It's blatantly obvious now that constant pedalling will stretch the area where the bite is and a gentler, flatter day would have been smarter. But where's the adventure in that?
Chat? Yes Please!
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-zone-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/
Min meters 1742 , Max Meters 2605
Total Climb 1422 Total Descent 662
Min Temp 12 Max Temp 33 Ave Temp 19
Making a strong push for Dumbass of the year!
I'd set my alarm for 4:30 for an early start. I wanted to beat the rush hour which my host had told me was hellish. I switched it off, dozed for ten minutes then got up fighting fit and went to make coffee. The Touring Gods were looking out for me with a bright, sunny morning. Wait a minute? At 4:40 am? Nope! 6:10 am. Oooops!
Leaving Popoyán the road was decent and I had an excellent shoulder .......... most of the time. That hole is so deep that I could jump into it and my head would be under the surface of the road. Never a dull moment!
I had my big breakfast and chatted to a friendly French couple who had just arrived and slowly got organised to leave. Having missed the rush hour (just not the way I intended) I made it out of town fairly easily. This was my first time seeing the place in sunshine and it really does improve things. Don't let my negative impression put you off.
My plan was simple. Out on the PanAmerican, turn off and up to visit Silvia a village reccommended to visit then downhill by a different road back to the PanAmerican and head towards Calí, stopping where I like. I'd a quick look at Osmand which was seriously overstating the climbing required but I'd looked more seriously at hospital availability along the way. I'll be needing a third rabies shot on the 29th.
Off the PanAmerican I was back into quiet countryside. I've been spoilt lately with epic views but this was a very pleasant reintroduction to the road. The contrast from hectic to tranquil was instantaneous.
Out of Popoyán the road improved and gave me a usable shoulder. Not exactly bliss but not bad since traffic was fairly consistent. There were a lot of rolling hills, lots of ups and downs and views were limited but the sun was shining and all was good. There's something about being back on the road.
A whingey, moany climber I did little today
I pulled in for a cold drink and to get some phone credit and experienced one of the problems of using a touchscreen phone with sweaty fingers. Opening my notes app to get my number I accidentally deleted the last three digits! Uh oh! That's the only place I have it written down. I tried calling customer service but that's all automated and there is no option for "I need to find out my own number" 😊. I tried to "recharge" online (they give internet for that) but they won't accept my credit card. Frustrated and about to give up I noticed my number displayed at the top of the page of the website!
I'd a cold drink, hit the road and soon came to my turnoff. I did have a quick rethink - straight ahead was easier and quicker but I saw all the traffic continuing to Calí and smiled to myself as I left it all behind.
Getting some height and looking back on Popoyán
Pretty much straight away I started climbing and the countryside changed. There was landscape with a small "l" all around. There were hills, big hills admittedly, not mountains. There were trees, shrubs and bushes different to previous days and pretty to make up for a lack of scale. The landscape was not huge, not distant, not epic but extremely pleasant to cycle through especially in the sun.
Then I came to one of the issues of the day - a descent. Pleasant, certainly, but all those meters would need to be regained. I'd reckoned on a 400 meter climb by my own calculations so settled back when the climbing started again.
Colourful, smart but small houses were placed regularly along the road. No villages or even settlements just random houses along the way. This is farming country and that was emphasised that every second or third house had a horse tied up somewhere around.
Now this is how to announce your town! You can see that it is still being created but that rain has caused the artists / workers to down tools. They're out of shot sheltering under big sheets of plastic over a simple wooden frame. In typical Colombian fashion the town is a few kms away
Dogs were a nuisance today. Lots of little feckers yapping and chasing. They look at me going past and then set off in pursuit. Their yapping sets off the dogs in the next house. It's just annoying. The worst example was a shock because it was so unexpected. A woman sitting on a high embankment was chatting to another at road level, her hand gently resting on a fine looking shepherd/retriever cross. The scene looked so peaceful I even smiled at the sight. Until I passed. Then the dog took off in the same direction as me, got ahead, turned around and came straight for me. A frontal attack is pretty rare. I looked behind but the woman was studiously ignoring the situation.
I stopped, got off the bike and as is so frustrating the dog backed off but continued to bark from a close distance. Eventually he stopped and I headed off again.
I just want to emphasise that these dogs are irritating - nothing more. I'm probably a tad more cautious in terms of stopping than I was two weeks ago but there's no anxiety anything on a par with the U.S.
Up higher I was in pine country. It seems like ages since I saw Pine trees (but in reality not) and there was a wide variety of them dotting the landscape. I like Pine trees.
I came to the edge of the town of Totoro where I needed to turn off. Tempted to stop for a coffee and snack I noticed the time - heading on for 3pm - and figured it wiser to continue. I only had about 20km to go. By now I had realised that maybe Osmand hadn't been so wrong with its calculations. Taking the turn off at Totoro I had climbed 999 meters! It looked like Silvia wouldn't be a diversion but a destination.
The road was excellent! Concrete slabs with narrow grooves and practically no traffic. There was even a descent! Great riding through rich, interesting country. Then, with 13km to go the surface disappeared. Uh oh. Progress wasn't much faster than walking pace so I was delighted to round a bend and see concrete! Unfortunately, that didn't last and with 11 km to go I was back to no surface. The rain which had been on and off now became permanent.
Uh oh!
I had thought that when I skipped a snack in Totoro that I had maybe an hour to go. Now half way there it looked like at least another hour. In the rain. Uphill.
If I thought bouncing around on bare rock was bad I had about 500 meters of fishtailing through pure, deep gravel. The bedrock was gratefully received when it returned!
Taking advantage of drizzle as opposed to rain I stopped for some bread and arequipe - I needed energy.
Setting off again the rough surface distracted me from the gradient but it was slow, tough going. The perfect test for my repaired rack braze on.
An interesting bridge on the edge of Silvia. The white pillar at the back lists the (three) visits of the "Liberator", Simón Bolívar. Every town records proudly any visit. Ironic given that I've read that at the time if his death he wasn't exactly popular.
It was with huge relief I arrived in the little town of Silvia and headed for the Plaza and church.
Today's Río was intriguing. The muddy water wasn't brown, it wasn't yellow. A matt golden colour is the best way I have of describing it. I found it captivating, a golden río flowing easily through rich, green, sparkling vegetation.
I was the centre of attention in this very indigenous town. I grabbed a coffee and congratulated myself on actually making it here before darkness fell. That road in the dark?? Not worth thinking about. Then I set off to find some accommodation.
I had done no research having not expected to overnight here and Booking had one place that was too expensive. A big hotel almost opposite the Plaza was closed. I headed along the main street checking out the side streets. A large hostel was closed. Two different hospedajes ditto. I found a deceptively large hotel that had a tiny presence on the street but extended hugely at the back. Very pricey for what I got but beggers can't be choosers. I had a hot shower - bliss - and headed out to explore.
Unhappy with the price I'd paid for the room I opted to save some money on dinner. I bought an avacado, some bread and chocolate for dessert. Back in the room I ate avacado and tuna sandwiches. Surprisingly strong wifi meant I could enjoy some Youtube and I fell asleep later perhaps than I should have. (I was watching the GCN video of Backpacking in Colombia and thoroughly enjoyed it. I found it very realistic in terms of my experiences and was very satisfied (and a little smug) when they both commented about how slow they were going!)
There's always a splash of colour. Going uphill the rain is fine since I'm not cold and it brings a wonderful, vital sheen to everything - except me! I tend to become bedraggled
So, after oversleeping, underestimating the climbing on a grand scale, not bothering to check the road in advance and deleting my own phone number the last bit of a push for Dumbass of the year was that all the cycling had aggravated the dogbite on the back of my knee.
It's blatantly obvious now that constant pedalling will stretch the area where the bite is and a gentler, flatter day would have been smarter. But where's the adventure in that?
Chat? Yes Please!
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-zone-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/
