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Tag Archives: Cycling

The Garden Route Part I: Wine and Ostrich Country

31 Sunday May 2015

Posted by Anita in Africa, South Africa

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Adventure Sports, Animals, Biking, Caves, Cycling

Heading out on our bike tour of Stellenbosch

Heading out on our bike tour of Stellenbosch

My lovely tent mate, Maud, and I headed out from Cape Town and met up in Stellenbosch for some girl time with wine. I had purchased a Baz Bus ticket that allowed me 14 days of unlimited hop on and off transport between Cape Town and Johannesburg. I had a rough itinerary already planned out ( I know, you’re shocked by that!) but was open and willing to make changes along the way should the mood strike or I received a significant personal recommendation.

I knew I wanted to have at least one day in Stellenbosch as a good starting point for my embarking on independent travel. And I was thrilled that Maud was up to meet me there, and go on a biking wine tour.

We were super lucky in that we were the only two people booked on the tour and it was a beautiful sunny day. We met with our guide and started the tour with a cycle around the main town of Stellenbosch and campus of the large university the town is also famous for. The town is framed by the most stunning countryside and mountains and I was thoroughly enjoying being out of the big city, breathing in the fresh air, and enjoying the exercise.

We visited two wineries, both of which were in stunning settings. The first had such an incredible backdrop of lake and mountains that the photos we shot during our tasting looked artificially superimposed. See for yourself!

Lake and mountain view at the vineyard

Lake and mountain view at the vineyard

Right?

Feeling quite tipsy and thoroughly happy after our ride, Maud and I enjoyed a lovely coffee and Belgian waffle on a trendy café-lined street before both going to get haircuts. Unfortunately, my hairdresser decided to cut an extra inch off the right side of my head vs. the left side, and I only noticed upon our return to our hostel…which ended up being an adventure in and of it!

Thoroughly looking forward to a home-made tuna salad, we asked around as to where we might find a cab to drive us to our hostel. No-one seemed to know where we might be able to locate one and we started to grow slightly nervous. We walked to several in-city hostels and we were told that cabs stopped operating at 5pm! What?!!

Don't I look super-imposed onto a green screen in this picture??!

Don’t I look super-imposed onto a green screen in this picture??!

Eventually, a kind hotel shuttle driver offered to drop us off, and we were saved from our complacent “I’m used to being in Cape Town” attitudes.

We enjoyed a lovely evening’s company with our dorm mates who were Peace Corps volunteers from the States working in Zambia. They told us some fascinating stories about the challenging projects they’d been occupied with in the rural center of that country. One of the more memorable, was the locals’ preference for “dry sex”. What on earth is “dry sex”, I hear you ask.

Maud and I chatting with the Peace Corps Volunteers

Maud and I chatting with the Peace Corps Volunteers

Well, I was fascinated to learn as well. Dry sex is sex where there is no internal lubrication in the woman. In fact, along with ensuring (of course) that the woman is not aroused before intercourse, young women in some Zambian villages are literally taught how to dry out their vaginas using certain leaves/herbs in order to please their husbands – who’s preference is for the sex to be nice and rough…ergo “Dry”. The reason the volunteers even got involved in this discussion is because in their health care education efforts, it is important for locals not to engage in this practice as the resulting abrasions vastly increase the chances of spreading the HIV virus which is rampant in Zambia.

Asking them how their efforts at condom education fared – their response was equally disheartening. They told us that locals would say “Well, when I bake a nice juicy chicken, I don’t put it in a plastic bag before I enjoy eating it…!”

Yeah…it’s like that.

From Stellenbosch I said my farewell to Maud and boarded my Baz Bus to my first stop on the famed Garden Route – Outsdhoorn – world capital of the ostrich!

Ostriches in the Ostrich capital of the world

Ostriches in the Ostrich capital of the world

I stayed at Backpacker’s Paradise and it really was one of the nicest hostels I’ve ever stayed at. And it was a paradise for me when I found out on arrival that one of the manager’s was also a masseuse and was willing to give me a massage that evening. It was not only the best massage I’ve had on this trip so far, it was the best massage of my life!

Dinner that night was ostrich meat, roast potatoes and salad.   I ate with a highly immature group of five English girls who giggled hysterically in between their ceaseless chatter about boys they’d hooked up with at last year’s Glastonbury festival. Ahhhh….hostels! Yet again, I discover that I’ve been traveling and staying in hostels since I was 17 alongside the other 18-25 year olds. The only problem is – I’m now 39, but the other backpackers have stayed the same age! What is nice, however, is that with age comes the ability to fend off peer pressure and truly do what one feels is in one’s best interest. For me, it was having my dinner and heading straight to sleep.

Outsdhoorn proved to offer quite an adventurous, strenuous day trip which consisted of being driven to the top of Swartberg Pass (1568 M) and then dropped off with a mountain bike for a 56km (about half downhill) adventure. The weather at the top of the pass was drastically different due to the elevation, and I was glad that I had brought lots of warm layers and my wooly hat! The ride literally started off in the clouds, but it wasn’t too long before I descended below the cloud line and found myself whizzing past green pastures full of ostriches, and rolling hills. It was just lovely.

 

Biking down from Swartberg Pass

Biking down from Swartberg Pass

 

The other main attraction in the area is the Cango Caves. Having visited lots of caves during my trip in South America last summer, I wasn’t too enthused about going – but I decided to at least go check out the visitor center and decide if I wanted to do the full tour or not.

The pictures at the ticket booth were pretty impressive so I signed up for the 90 minutes “adventure” tour – touted as being as close to splunking minus equipment that a person can get.

The cave tour actually far surpassed my expectations – the main caverns were enormous and were beautifully lit to highlight the wonderful stalagmite and stalactite formations. As the guided group continued deeper into the cave, the passages got narrower and trickier to get through. Our guide, Theo (a Xhosa) was hilarious telling us stories of fat tourists who’d gotten themselves stuck in some of the passageways and had to get extricated using copious amounts of grease lubricant. Some of the passageways were rather panic-inducing, but I was proud of myself for getting through it.   Unlike many cave systems I’ve been in, this one has no oxygen supply save for the initial opening, so you could really feel the air getting thinner the further you progressed into the cave.

The wonderful stalagmite and stalactite formations

The wonderful stalagmite and stalactite formations

At the turnaround point, there was a section that you had to slide down, head first on your tummy in order to squeeze your way through. A few of the larger men in the group had to turn around and come back a different way. It was challenging, but I managed to squeeze through feeling like I was re-enacting my entry to this world through the birth canal. We were all reminded of this when someone commented that the tunnel “opening” looked like a woman giving birth, and as the last tourist slid on out, Theo announced “And it’s a boy!” – and we all had a good laugh.

The rest of the ride back to town was actually quite arduous and I was glad for all the water I’d brought. I was eager to get to the farmhouse that had been recommended to us as having wonderful cakes and tea as I was getting hungry – only to discover that they were closed! The last six kilometers back to the hostel were the longest I’d ever ridden and I walked back into the lobby absolutely famished.

I ordered a piece of carrot cake and a coffee and sat relishing both as I rested my weary muscles.

My "French" evening in Outsdhoorn

My “French” evening in Outsdhoorn

That evening turned out to be rather “French”. I had met a French-Canadian on the bus named Lea (who I continually re-met at various stops along the Baz Bus route as the trip continued) and an American named Jake who was rather fluent in French having just lived in La Reunion these past six months.   Then, two guys from Lyon showed up complete in their V-neck sweaters and matching scarves – and we all went out for a meal which turned out to be dominated with French conversation. Despite struggling a little to keep up and understand – I was decidedly happier with the conversation.

 

Finding Heaven in Villa De Leyva – My Favorite Colombian town

02 Tuesday Sep 2014

Posted by Anita in Colombia, South America

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Cycling, Food, Villages

Villa De Leyva's beautiful town square

Villa De Leyva’s beautiful town square

I love Villa de Leyva.  It is a gorgeous small town north east of Bogota, nestled in the desert-like mountains, with an old-world charm still reflected in the enormous main plaza and the streets still covered in huge cobblestones.  It makes getting around by any other method other than strolling rather bumpy, so strolling is the preferred method.  It is a chic destination, and many of Colombia’s elite come here to eat, drink and spend money on their weekends.

Kwame and I got a bus leaving San Gil for Tunja and then hopped onto a small transfer shuttle to Villa De Leyva.  We arrived just around dusk to see a small preview of the core part of town before we managed to find a cab to take us to the hostel we’d been recommended to stay at: Colombian Highlands Renacer Hostel.

Chillin' in the hammock

Chillin’ in the hammock

Our room and patio at Colombian Highlands

Our room and patio at Colombian Highlands

As the cab drove farther and farther out of town up very steep streets, we began to question our choice about staying so far away.  That fear soon dissipated when we saw the hostel itself.  It was simply beautiful.  Simple brick building nestled in the hills, surrounded with gardens, outdoor seating, verandas and open community spaces that let the breeze run through them.  There was a clear view of the surrounding mountains and each night, the sky would light up with lightning storms from places far enough away that we didn’t hear the thunder.  The best part was the sound – nothing.  We quickly realized once we were settled in our darling room, complete with its own private patio and hammock, vaulted ceiling covered in wood vines and hanging candled lighting, that San Gil had been very noisy.  Here, you could only hear the wind blowing outside and the sound of our own voices which we felt compelled to use in a whispered hush.

It was ridiculously romantic.

Our plan had been to head back to town for dinner, but we soon discovered that the restaurant at the hostel had sushi which we couldn’t believe, and decent wine for sale!  So we ordered our food and had a very peaceful and cozy evening enjoying and sharing the serenity of the space.

Strolling down the cobblestone streets

Strolling down the cobblestone streets

The following day, we enjoyed our eggs and coffee/hot chocolate (typical Colombian breakfast) outside in the courtyard café, though we had to bundle up in sweaters to stay warm in the morning mountain air.  We spent the day wandering around the city – doing a little bit of shopping because I really needed a warmer outer layer, having left my one warm fleece in the bag my friends took to Bogota for me! And, of course, our other favorite activity – eating.  We had the most incredible Thai steak and Fish ceviche at Zarina – a gorgeous little eatery with outdoor seating next to small waterfall.  We then strolled to the main square where the kite festival was still in full swing – there’s even specialized hardware in the stone work of the main square where people can anchor their kites!  We took photos and watched the colors change as the sun began to set.  We took dessert at a lovely little café and ordered tres leches cake, a chocolate caramel mousse and cappuccinos.

I reveled in having Kwame with me to share this all with.  Villa De Leyva is most definitely not a town to come explore on one’s own.  It begs to be experienced with someone.

IMG_0903

More evening scenes from the center of town

More evening scenes from the center of town

Catching a cab back, we noticed yet another massive storm brewing – so we grabbed blankets from our room and the rest of the wine we hadn’t finished the night before, and set up lawn chairs around the fire pit to watch the show in the night sky.

On our last day in Villa De Leyva, we wanted to get out and do some hiking/biking.  We ended up deciding to do a combination of the two and rented two (rather shitty) bikes from the hostel which we planned to ride to Santa Sofia on, do a hike called Angel’s rest, and then ride back, stopping at the famed “El Fossil” – a fossil of an aquatic dinosaur – before riding home.

IMG_0931

Gleeful at Pasterleria Francesa

Gleeful at Pasterleria Francesa

Since it was an ambitious itinerary – we decided to first stop at a French bakery that we’d been told was excellent for a combination breakfast/lunch.  We had to be determined as we soon found that riding the bikes over the cobblestones was practically impossible without causing oneself serious injury to an area God only meant to be treated nicely.  We finally found it – Pasteleria Francesa.

Oh. My. God.  Words cannot describe the sheer gastronomic delight this place delivered. Never in all my trips to France have I ever tasted pastry this fluffy, almond croissants this gooey in the center, and béchamel sauce this rich and flavorful.  Kwame and I sat, speechless, stuffing our faces with sweet and savory delicacies for well over an hour until we could barely breathe and reached a jitters-inducing sugar coma.

In a sugar coma

In a sugar coma

Pure heaven.

We decided to take a taxi/truck to the trailhead as it was going to be too much to bike both directions (we asked some locals who explained that it was quite an uphill slog to get to Santa Sofia.)  Every time the truck headed downhill, Kwame and I looked at each other with dread, knowing the challenge that awaited us on the return.

The hike itself was short but spectacular.  It followed the spine ridge of a mountain and you could look far down into both valleys either side.  Streams were running but they were very low due to the dry season.  We hiked as far as a waterfall and then realized we could go no further as we were at the top of the falls themselves and anything further would require a rappel.  We sat and ate a snack and took in the views before turning around to face our long bike ride home.

Heading out on Angel's ridge

Heading out on Angel’s ridge

At the top of the waterfall

At the top of the waterfall

It was certainly tough over those first initial hills (all of which I’m proud to say I was able to complete without dismounting!) but then we reached an incredible stretch of downhill and it was pure joy whizzing past each corner, feeling the warm air hit our tired bodies and taking in the surrounding countryside.

We stopped for a water break at this gas station and as I treated our two liters, Kwame had a few bags of his favorite snack – Platanos Verdes chips.  I will always associate him with those chips…oh lord.  We sat inside what was a nice little bar/restaurant in the gas station and watched some very funny Colombian daytime TV.  It’s funny the things you plan the least sometimes turn out to be the most memorable part of the day.  I will always remember the fun we had at that gas station.

Kwame: fashion conscious for cycling in his Duke sweat pants ;-)

Kwame: fashion conscious for cycling in his Duke sweat pants 😉

We made it as far as El Fossil on bikes and found we were completely spent.  The museum was well worth the visit and had numerous examples of the paleontological wealth this area contained.  The main fossil is almost completely intact and was discovered in 1977, the museum later build literally on top of it.

El Fossil

El Fossil

Villa De Leyva evening

Villa De Leyva evening

We grabbed some Colombian Red beer and ordered another “truck taxi” to take us back to the hostel from the museum.  After a hot shower, we ordered Greek Souvlaki from our hostel restaurant and excitedly sat down in the community room’s theatre to watch Avatar.  Unfortunately, the DVD player was so bad it kept skipping every few seconds making the movie impossible to watch…which is funny now, in retrospect.  Exhausted, we headed to sleep early as we were facing another travel day tomorrow.

We were heading (back, for Kwame) to Sogamoso in the morning.

San Gil – Learning to take things easy in the Adrenaline Capital of Colombia

01 Monday Sep 2014

Posted by Anita in Colombia, South America

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Adventure Sports, Cycling

Day Trip with Colombian Bike Junkies

Day Trip with Colombian Bike Junkies

I spent three more days in San Gil after my day hike to Guane with Kwame.  Unfortunately, whatever had plagued me on day 3 of my hike to the Lost City also returned and my symptoms were very strange.  Mostly I was exhausted, but I’d developed a fever one evening and almost fainted at a bus stop from dizziness and nausea.

It wasn’t until just over a week later, on my way to the Choco (Pacific Coast of Colombia) with Kwame that we both realized I must have Dengue Fever.  That third episode was the most severe by far.

I awoke that Monday intending to go on a downhill mountain biking day tour with Colombian Bike Junkies, but I was just not feeling up to it.  After a pancake breakfast with Kwame at Mike’s, we decided we’d have a relaxing day down at Parque Gallineral – a park by the river that was famed for it’s trees that were covered in a hanging moss that resembled an aging man’s beard.

IMG_0820

Beautiful Parque Gallineral

Beautiful Parque Gallineral

We packed a blanket, a mango to share, some sunscreen, books to read and walked down there.  We had a blissfully relaxing and lovely morning/afternoon napping in the sun, talking, and enjoying each other’s company.  We had the kind of day when you haven’t a care in the world, no time schedule to keep, and you can let yourself be fully in the moment and share a perfect day with someone.

We had fruit smoothies at a café on the way back to the hostel, and since I was really starting to develop a fever, opted for a movie and a couch for our evening.  We watched one of my favorite films – The Untouchables – and I had as much fun watching Kwame laugh hysterically as I had watching the movie for myself the first time.  If you haven’t seen it – do yourself a favor and rent this movie today!

Taking things easy

Taking things easy

Kwame - so tall he has to bend over to get through a vine-covered walkway

Kwame – so tall he has to bend over to get through a vine-covered walkway

Determined to feel better and do the bike ride the following day – I went to bed and fell fast asleep at only 8pm.  Unfortunately, I still felt strange and weak the following morning and had to cancel again.  After a very lazy morning, Kwame and I headed to the bus stop to catch a ride out to the local waterfall.  Unfortunately, I started feeling dizzy and nauseous, so we took a cab back to the hostel and elected to rest by the pool and take it easy.

By this point, I was staying in San Gil longer than I’d originally anticipated, but having met Kwame was definitely a welcome change to my plans.  I was still determined to do the mountain biking before heading to Villa De Leyva.  Then I got the idea that Kwame and I should just make the most of having met one another and I suggested we take a trip to the Pacific Coast of Colombia.  It is an extremely remote part of the country with Afro-Colombian culture, humpback whales, long stretches of wide black sand, with about as laid back of a vibe as a place can have.  I figured, after spending time in a part of the country where everyone stared at Kwame for being such a tall black man, that it would be funny to visit a part of the country where he’d look like the local and I’d be the odd one out.  Well, that, and I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to him in five days.

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Downhill bike adventures in Barichara

Downhill bike adventures in Barichara

After a long chat, and working through logistics of flight changes (thank you to my sister, Monica for her help!), charter flights out of Medellin to Bahia Solano, a return flight for me from Bogota to Medellin and agreeing that we’d take a week or so to visit Villa De Leyva, then back to Sogamoso (where Kwame had done a month long yoga retreat back in March) where I’d site-see during the day while Kwame worked (he works remotely while traveling) we made all the arrangements together giggling away with our laptops and feeling like silly sixteen year olds.

It’s not like this was the first time I was doing something crazy and irresponsible!

IMG_0850The following day, still a little weak and wobbly, I left Kwame working and finally joined a tour group going downhill mountain biking outside of Barichara (which I’d briefly visited with Kwame when we hiked the El Camino Real) with Colombian Bike Junkies.  I love their tag line which is “Put a little fun between your legs.”  Though still physically weak, I couldn’t turn down the challenge of not needing to get off the bike when we came across steep uphill sections, and only dismounted from the end-of-day cross country section when the rain was coming down so heavily that a river had been created under my bike tires, making it hard not to slide and crash.  We had some incredible vistas to enjoy, the downhill sections were long and quite challenging, but the quality of the bikes themselves made it an altogether fantastic experience.

Afternoon at the pool of our hostel

Afternoon at the pool of our hostel

I almost lost a limb when I crashed into a bridge post when failing to dismount in time for what ended up being a complete “break” in the path coming around the end of a pedestrian bridge that looked like it was one complete track.  Somehow the bike got caught between my legs and I was pinned between the bridge and a tree, with a six or seven foot drop below me.  I screamed and screamed for assistance, imagining that I was re-tearing my now almost healed hip flexor tendon.  Luckily, once they pulled the bike off me and I regained a normal pulse, I found that I’d escaped injury.  In retrospect, it was quite funny, but I did make the leader promise to warn cyclists to dismount at the end of that bridge in the future!

I will never forget the end to that day as we were covering the cross country section of trail.  The sky darkened and the thunder began to rumble.  When the rain came it was just a surreal experience to be cycling through this beautiful countryside, the sky so dark it felt like night, with lightning striking all around me and the thunder roaring as I continued to try and keep up the energy it was taking to ride the hills and maintain control on the way down.  Getting in the jeep that had been following us just seemed silly after I was soaked to the skin after only a few minutes of rain.  I luckily had brought a change of clothes with me in my daypack which was dry and in the truck.

Band parade at 7 in the morning!

Band parade at 7 in the morning!

Bike race underway!

Bike race underway!

The following day, on our last morning in San Gil, we were awoken at 5am by the sound of construction and a constant banging right outside our balcony window.  That was annoying enough, but then at 7am – we had a live marching band blaring its music right at us from the streets below where a parade/festival was in full swing!  We opened the windows, bleary eyed in disbelief at the commotion and noise going on so early in the day.

Saying our goodbyes to the lovely Joanna who worked at our hostel

Saying our goodbyes to the lovely Joanna who worked at our hostel

It was hard to be annoyed by our sleep deprivation when we literally had the best view of the festivities in the city.

Starting to pack and get dressed, we got another surprise when we witnessed literally hundreds of pro cyclists gather outside on the parade route, which was now clearly the starting line for a bike race.  We cheered and watched as the gun was shot and the cyclists sped off in a large group.  What an ending to our stay!

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