Continued… Drained of energy and heavy with rain, we felt as if our shoes and bags were made of lead. It was all we could do to push our bikes upward and pray that the peak would come soon. Fortunately, the series of events that would unravel next would turn this day around. The…

While riding through Punta de Llano, Santa Sofía, Moniquirá, and Barbosa we were warned by locals regarding a potential conflict area and about a section that could present issues for our travels en bici, or on bike. In response, we decided to hop a bus near the base of some of the most considerable mountains…

Paving the way to the center of this enchanting village were roads of large cobblestone distressed to varying shades of mocha over five hundred years of exposure and patronage. With bikes bumping and bags banging we pushed our way to the “largest plaza in Colombia,” Plaza Mayor. Gazing outward from its center felt as if…

After exploring Ráquira (translated city of pots), the terra cotta Capitol of Colombia whose history is depicted with larger than life earthen figures in the town square, we started down a road the same reddish-brown, its potholes leveled with the remains of fractured bowls and vases, toward Villa de Leyva. The route brought us through…

In Ubate we camped, but not in an area designated “Zona de Acampar,” not a farmer’s field, not down a secluded path far from the main road; no, we set up our big yellow tent in the town square right next to a children’s playground within sight of restaurants, a casino, a couple bars, and…

Today I saw life and today I saw death. Day 5 With a wave adios to an industrious milk farmer and his picturesque pasture which we gladly called home for the night, we pushed optimistically northward toward Ubaté. Distancing ourselves from the comfortable plano, our enthusiasm dwindled in conjunction with the bike lane which gave…

Well rested, we packed our things and were treated to a traditional Colombian desayuno at a dive on the outskirts of town. A place bound to satiate; a bit run down, an unpaved lot, open to the environment, racks upon racks of freshly made, sensationally aromatic baked goodness that tested the patience of even the…

  The hurried shuffle, a staple of a lifestyle so familiar, takes a back seat to experience here; a place where time seems to slow to a quiet pace. What begins as a quick morning coffee break with friends often turns to brunch and a stop into the local panadería on the way home just…