July 16, 2022
July 16: Rioloro to Pitalito
Today was a much nicer day than yesterday, due largely in part to my copious consumption of food throughout the day. Sometimes you think you don't need to eat as much as you truly do, and it comes back to haunt you. I guess when yourr biking 40-60 miles/day in this heat and humidity anything goes. Anyways, on to the day.
We enjoyed a morning cafe tinto and cleaned our chains before departing Rioloro at 7:45. It was a short 18km to Garzón, which passed by in the blink of an eye. There, we stopped for a filling breakfast of rice, plantain, carne, sopa, (more) cafe, and limonada. This breakfast would certainly be the start to the day that I'd need.
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Once we paid up we hit the road, intending on making it to Pitolito some 90km away from our starting point. It was toasty, but the trees offered passing shade that helped to dampen the heat on our steady uphill climbs. Our efforts were gifted with views of a beautiful wide valley before we plunged precipitously into the river valley.
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We stopped for bisochos, oranges, and water before commencing another steady ascent into Timaná. We were both feeling great in spite of the beating sun. Once in Timaná, we got helados de coco and ate them under the shade in the centro. Girish was so content after consuming three helados that he fell asleep for some time, while I watched passing rainshowers pass over our route some 10km away.
Once the last major rainshower dissipated I roused Girish and we continued on along the dampened road. Light showers fell here and there, but we avoided the worst of it during our afternoon siesta. A storm was brewing on the eastern horizon, however, and a warm breeze and dampened claps of thunder signaled a coming storm.
The breeze wafted us to the outskirts of Pitalito, where a passing box truck waved us down and opened their windows. A cheery young man and his wife asked if we'd like an ice cream, to which Girish and I absolutely said yes. He was a delivery driver in the local area and simply felt the desire to help us out and give us some frozen encouragement. That moment alone made our day.
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Riding that high, we cruised into Pitalito, a bustling town om this Saturday evening. We found a very nice hotel on the centro and settled in. I couldn't help but write this blog from the hammock on the balcony. Life's pretty darn good at the moment I must say.
I haven't spoken much of the food on this trip, but it has been a highlight, and I was inspired to bring it up after a delicious patacón that I had while prowling the streets for dinner. Imagine a small hamburger, but in place of the buns there are two circular cuts of fried plantain covered in a spicy salsa. I got it from a nondescript street vendor on a quiet street for the low price of 4,000 pesos (~$1usd). Food like this is everywhere, and you can typically find an extremely filling meal for the equivalent of $3-5usd. Last night my dinner consisted of patacón, a slice of pork on a kebab, two enormous tamales, and fresh mandarin juice for 16,000 pesos, or $4usd. This is certainly another example of the privilege we have on this trip: earning US dollars and spending in Colombian Pesos.
The forecast for the next two days suggests there will be quite a bit of rain and lightning, so we may end up taking a rest day in Pitalito to avoid the worst of it. Another thought we had was to bus up to San Agustín for a day, which is off-route and would offer a number of attractions to enjoy. We'd then bike back to Pitalito and pick up where we left off. That will be a decision for a different day.
Today's ride: 90 km (56 miles)
Total: 1,713 km (1,064 miles)
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