to Chachagui: cut short by rain

April 11, 2017

When we wake up it is pouring rain outside. It is hard to get motivated and start off on a fairly long day in weather like this. We consider staying another day, we do have some days to spare and still make it to Cartagena in time for our boat. But there is not much more to do for us in Pasto and we want to keep moving.

After waiting a couple of hours we decide to head out and only go as far as Chachagui if the weather stays bad. By the time we shuttle everything down to the lobby and load-up our bikes the rain has softened a bit. We make our way through downtown and back onto the Pan American. There is a 300 meter climb then a long downhill with a couple of "bumps". A couple of kilometers before Chachagui we stop for coffee and decide to not go all the way to El Remolino today. Even though the weather is clearing, Rachel is not feeling well and with our late start today it would be a late arrival. The next day after El Remolino is a tough one, so better to pace ourselves today and tomorrow.

We check-out Hostel Kundur and decide to stay. It is a bit over what we thought to be spending on accommodation in Colombia, 80,000 COP, about $28, but it is a nice place with a garden, pool and kitchen. Plus it is down from the main road and we do not feel like pushing our bikes back up there today.

After lunch of sandwiches, we walk into town to do some grocery shopping and we use the kitchen to cook a nice pasta dinner.

We check out Jeff snd Roz's blog Shift Happens South America and realize we are cycling the same area they did in 2015 during Holy week and Easter. They had cycled through Popayan because of lack of accommodations this weekend. So we used the afternoon to make a reservation. www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/shifthappens

We also like how Jeff and Roz mentioned that crazyguyonabike is being run by Neil Gunton based on donations. If you enjoy reading blogs, as they said, "and find it in your heart to donate, that would be most appreciated".

(Update 2021: Due to Patrick liking a comment on CGOAB that called out Neil for breaking his own rule of talking politics, we were deleted and banned from CGOAB and now here on Cycleblaze. Make your own decision about supporting CGOAB, we encourage reading, supporting and moving your journals to Cycleblaze.)

Patrick discovers he put the front wheel in backwards. The odometer does not work with the magnet on the wrong side. A quick stop on the Plaza Carnival to flip the wheel.

Leaving Pasto in a rainstorm. Not quite as bad as during our arrival, but still wet.

Rachel is not feeling so well and needs to take a breather on the climb we have out of the city. This is where we know for sure we will only go as far as Chachagui today.

Hostel Kundur, a nice place be it at a higher rate than we really wanted to spend in Colombia.

Today's ride: 27 km (17 miles)
Total: 30,234 km (18,775 miles)

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