to Rosas: and up again to cooler temps - Racpat RTW 2015-2017 - CycleBlaze

April 14, 2017

to Rosas: and up again to cooler temps

Some days you expect easy cycling and it's hard. Some days you expect hard cycling and it's easy. Some days you expect hard cycling and it's hard. Today was the latter: we had one great 3km downhill, the rest was constant climbing with occasionally short reprieves.

Another early start to beat the heat. As we are carrying gear down, the reception guy asks if we would like some coffee. The hostel has a sitting area with a table. On our way out of town we notice a nice looking Hotel Euros on the north side of town, there is also a Mexican-looking restaurant. If we had known this we would have tackled the final hill through town.....

Today is Good Friday, so we don't know what to expect with the traffic. As we cycle, we see many people walking along the road, then we pass an area with many cars parked and people selling slices of watermelon. As we pass and look back on the hillside, we see that many people are walking to a building on that hill and we think this must be some kind of pilgrimage.

Our first food break is at Porky's, a nice place to stop. And yes, there are pork rinds and pork being cooked over a fire. It's a bit disconcerting to hear the pigs oinking at the building across the street. We've also started seeing sugar cane and roadside stalls selling pure sugar cane. Patrick bought a snack package of peanut bars that looked like paydays. This was so very sugary we ended up giving some away. One to a guy on a motorcycle from Ecuador. We were stopped taking a break and he turned his bike around to come talk with us. Another, we gave to a family walking by carrying a small child and when we stopped for our last break before Rosas, the last one to a girl that came up to the shop. We are given treats too; a group of pilgrims hands us some fruits about as large as a golf ball. The outside tastes a little like a pear, while the inside is full of edible seeds like a passion fruit.

As we climb, we are rewarded with great views and no rain until we are almost to Rosas. Then a gentle sprinkle starts just as we stop at a tienda for a coke and peanut butter and jelly, and cheese and jelly sandwiches. Traffic increased during the day, usually in spurts as cars backed up behind big trucks. The shoulder comes and goes.

The rain continued as we entered Rosas. The German cyclist yesterday had stayed at a hotel that was further up the road and hill. We park the bikes at the pedestrian bridge and Patrick walks into the town to look at other hotels. He comes back with news of a very nice place but up a hill, past the plaza and down behind the Church. The Hotel Casa Grande for 30,000 COP ($11), a nice room, WiFi and... brrrr... a cold shower. Some day soon, we will arrive in the heat of the day and a cold shower will feel great...just not today.

We decide to walk back to the junction to a very nice bakery and restaurant for a bigger midday meal, and eat lighter tonight. People are milling around the plaza. We notice a Free WiFi sign in the plaza. And later we hear singing from the church, celebrating Good Friday. We go out for a light dinner and find across from the street a hamburger place, a very good hamburger.

Much later, Patrick watching a football game, Rachel reading, we hear the beat of drums. We go out to see the procession. In the lead is the band, mostly drums. The there are statues on platforms surrounded by flowers and carried on the shoulders of men dressed in long black robes, a white sash at the waist and a long black stocking cap with a white pom on the end. People carrying candles are walking on both sides of the street along with the statues of Jesus and Mary. Then another band, with women twirling batons, playing xylophones,followed by men playing drums, sax and trombone and the tune "Blowing in the wind".

Tomorrow Popayan and a couple of rest days.

Morning clouds over the valley as we leave El Bordo.
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Pack horse.
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We reach a ridge and have views in all directions.
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The road is mostly narrow with no shoulder. But traffic in Colombia is used to cyclists and treat us courteous.
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Porky's restaurant. Reminds me of the movie.
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Short break before the storm hits. It was hot down below, but with the altitude gain the temperatures and humidity get better. The rain is actually refreshing.
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A motorcyclist from Ecuador turns around when he see us sitting by the road side. We take some photos.
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Four guys come walking down the road. They all pose for a photo.
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Four amigos.
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Four amigos.
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Four amigos.
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We see many soldiers and police armed with automatic weapons. At this check-point, they have a nice selection of armored vehicles.
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Final climb to Rosas.
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Nice garden
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Rosas is a nice litte town with a city park and a good hotel just behind the church.
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Even though the Pan American is only a two lane road here they have build a massive pedestrian overpass that includes stairs and also a ramp. The thing ended up being a massive steel structure that looks like it landed from out-of-space.
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Today's ride: 42 km (26 miles)
Total: 30,417 km (18,889 miles)

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