Yesterday's push into Pereira took a toll on us, so we planned on taking a shorter ride to Salento and resting up for a day. However, what our day lacked in distance it made up for in climbing. It was a steady push the whole way to Salento under beautifully cloudy skies. 

Our ride out of the city was unremarkable, and we soon found ourselves in the countryside on a beautiful paved road. What stood out to us most was the number of signs promoting cycling safety and awareness.  

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We were again entering the heartland of the zona cafetera, as demonstrated by the number of cafes and signs for coffee fincas. 

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We eventually turned off the main road and rode towards Salento, where we would be taking a rest day. After one final punchy climb into town we headed towards the bike shop. I needed new brake pads as the combination of roaring descents and dirt had absolutely obliterated mine since starting in Panama. We happened to run into the owner of the shop, Willie, as we were walking our bikes up the block. Willie immediately became our best frient, inviting us to lunch and coffee and promising to have all of our bikes repaired that evening. He also would be sending us GPS files for dirt routes heading from town towards Toche and towards the Tatacoa Desert. 

Willie also introduced us to another bikepacker, a solo female traveler from Colombia taking a few weeks to ride around her country. We shared route suggestions and agreed to meet up on our day off. 

As the day concluded, Girish, Brian, and I filled up on arepas with queso from a delightful street vendor. She was extremely excited to hear that we would be heading towards Toche, and shared that it was an incredibly grand valley with camping and hot springs. I was sold.