Distance: 122.80 km
Ride time: 6:00:42
Average: 20.42 km/h
Max speed: 51.69 km/h
Total: 33312 km
Waking up in my cheap hotel room and packing my cycling bags I felt I had returned to life on the road. A life that I like a whole lot.
The first part of the day was still flat – a fact I was rather happy about considering the fact that my shape might be a little rusty. The kilometers passed quickly as I made my way towards Pereira for the night.
The afternoons get really hot here close to equator. I was looking for some shade to have a bite to eat which I found in a beautiful grave yard next the road.
As I entered Pereira I wrote a message to Denise, an English teacher I had got to know through Neil, another Around the World cyclist I met in Peru (yes, in this little sub culture of ours we like to stay in touch).
I found my way to Denise’ apartment and was welcomed with cold beers from the fridge. Denise had many interesting stories to tell herself as she used to be an English teacher in Kabul before coming to Colombia! Later we went out to eat and shared a few more beers with other teachers from Pereira (Denise if you read this, please send me the photo 🙂 (EDIT: Gracias!)
And this is exactly what I like so much about this nomad life; you never know where you will end up in the evening, and you get to meet so many fantastic people. Thanks for the great but too short stay, Denise!
Thomas,
What makes your journey very rewarding is that there are no two views that are the same as you travel along in your trusty Bianchi (as well as that other mountain bike).
If I could relive my younger and healthier years, I would try to do what you’re doing instead of just getting sucked in the mundane things of daily life.
Never in my life I had been happier than when I was on my road bike and going to places I’ve never been before.
It’s like a perpetual quest for the ‘meaning of life.’
As always, take care.
Thank you for the words of wisdom, Marcos! I appreciate it because… there are days out here on the road when I start to question things. But I always come to the same conclusion; life doesn’t get better than this. Greetings from Colombia, 3 days from Cartagena!