12/1/2009 5:00:00 AM
Chip Albright: Cucuta, Colombia to Medellin, Colombia: 960 km - give or take a few
| |
|
 |
| Chip Albright |
|
BY CHIP ALBRIGHT
With a new back wheel and the wobbles fixed, old Goaso was up and running like new. It was none too soon either as I now faced the challenge of the awe-inspiring Andes Mountains. It took me one hour to get out of the city and find my way west-bound to Bucaramanga.
It was hard going right off the bat climbing up hill pass after hill pass, and I was not even in the heart of the massive Andes yet. I managed to bike 40kms and came to a military check point. The guys stopped me and offered me a cold orange drink and showed me the hot pools that were close to the river. I put my bike down and spent the next two hours soaking in the hot thermal pools. It sure made this tired old body feel rejuvenated.
I met an Argentine couple that have been on the road for 10 years. They made their way from New York to Colombia, taking their time and really seeing each country. They had two boys ages four and two. They were wondering gypsies but rich as could be. They didn't need much money, instead they were rich in life and spirit, and you could hear it in their voice and words.
It sure sent me thinking about where in the heck old Chipper going to end up. Could I keep on traveling like they have year after year? I guess time will answer that question for me, and that's the beauty of this uncertain life I lead. It's full of twists and turns and nothing is ever promised. I just always try to hope for the best and then deal with the rest. Their stories were inspiring though, traveling and making a living from their skills of making arts and crafts. It takes a special kind of person to do that and to live that lifestyle.
As nightfall came, I camped out with the military. They were very friendly and easy going. They asked me all kinds of questions about my life, how many brothers I had and about my mother and father. I had a great talk with the sergeant for two hours about life in Colombia as a military man. They cooked up dinner and also had a plate for me. The dark and rich Colombian coffee was to die for!
As I lay in my tent that night I thought how comfortable I had become being surrounded by eight guys holding machine guns. I didn't even take much notice to the fact that they could blow a person away in a heartbeat. The military in Colombia has made the country much safer in the past four years by cracking down on the guerillas in the Andes Mountains. There are over 25,000 troops in Colombia patrolling the roads and mountains. The sergeant told me he spent 13 years in the military and has only 10 more to go. Then, he can retire and watch his baby girl grow up. He gave me a bag of coffee and powder milk for my journey into the Andes. He told me I will need it for the cold nights that await. He was a good man, and I enjoyed the time we spent together. I could not help but feeling that even though we were from different worlds, we still had much in common. That is becoming a common thread that has woven itself throughout my journey across the Americas.
In the morning, I had hot chocolate with the soldiers and started my three-day climb up the Andes Mountains. At times it felt like I was reaching for the sky. After biking for six straight hours, I reached the town of Pamplona nestled right in the Andes. It was a beautiful city surrounded by these incredibly awesome mountains. I thought it was a sleepy little town until I turned one of the corners and heard cheers and shouts. A man from the radio station stopped me and began interviewing me about my travels. The chanting and screams become louder and louder as he kept on asking me questions about my trip, and then around the bend a group of about 1,000 students emerged. The radio guy took off running down the road and left me standing there looking at this massive group of students heading my way! I didn't know if they were going to run me over or what, so I just started biking up the mountain road. To my surprise, the crowd cheered me, giving me bottles of water and shouting and screaming like wild animals. I had a grin on my face as I biked through them. They encouraged me up the mountain side, and when I reached the top, I looked back and saw that cars were backed up for miles and miles. The students were protesting and blocking the road for what reason I never found out. I couldn't believe that I had just ridden through a roadblock of angry students. They seemed to love the fact that I was riding my bike up the Andes Mountains. Maybe the Legend of the Crazy White Man had preceded me, but I must say it was a very surreal and unique experience.
After lunch I continued climbing up the mountains and the views were breathtaking - sunlit valleys of green grass and flowers, red hot Chile fields and cabbage fields covered the land. People where traveling by horse and the traffic jams were caused by cows crossing the road not cars and trucks. I stopped and asked an old man if I could pitch my tent in his field, and he told me that I should sleep under his shack out back. It was much safer and warmer, he said. He went and got a massive rug to lie under my tent to keep the cold from rising up from the ground. It was the first time in months that I had to climb into my sleeping bag to keep warm. It was a cold night and made for a great night's sleep, free of bugs and the muggy humid air that I had to deal with the last two months.
In the morning, I thanked the man for the shelter and night's sleep. I was back to climbing up the mountains once again and by now I was in and out of the clouds. I made my way to a small mountain village and knew that I was close to a big downhill ride that I have been looking forward to. I had to put on my jacket to stay warm while cooking up my lunch of pasta, onion, red pepper, and eggs.
The fresh mountain air was crisp and clean. I once again climbed up into the clouds and finally hit the peak. I couldn't believe my eyes when I reached the top. It was another biker! What were the odds of meeting up at the peak of a mountain pass that took me three days to reach? We stopped and chatted for at least an hour. He was from Switzerland and his wife left him after 23 years of marriage. So he said if she leaves, so do I, and he has spent the last eight months biking around South America at the age 52. He was a very relaxed and cool guy. He had some great stories and was enjoying the mountains as much as I was.
The thrill of the downhill was just up ahead, so we parted ways and wished each other luck. I let out one big "YAHOOOOO!" and off I went flying down the mountain side. It was 50kms of nothing but downhill speed, brother, FUN AS HECK and a buzz that makes you feel alive inside. I passed trucks and cars and got funny looks from the folks inside on the way down. It was a beautiful feeling with beautiful views of the Andes Mountains.
I reached Bucaramanga and finally found a map of Colombia, which is something I have been looking for. I like to pen out my route on the map and to see how many kms I do in a day since I don't have a speed counter anymore. The thing broke and I didn't bother to get a new one. Where I end up in a day is where I start the next day. I was starting to get back into my old way of biking when I first did a trip in New Zealand a year ago of 5,000 kms, just going with the flow and enjoying each day and living for the moment, to soak it all in. The buzz of freedom of the open road was making the hair rise on the back of my neck. I love the mountains and I was in the longest range in the world.
Heading out of the large city of Bucaramanga, I had another climb of nothing but uphill, sweating in the heat of the day and grinding away on the mountainside, pushing on and on and up and up. As I reached the top, a man pulled over infront of me in a car and had an ice-cold Coke in his hand. He gave it to me and chatted about biking as he himself loves to road bike. I finished the Coke in a few swigs and said thanks. I made my way out of the Andes middle mountain range and soon I would have to cross the west to get to Medellin. Just around 4 or so, something hit me like a ton of bricks. I am talking the kind of stomach pain that feels like a person took your stomach and twisted a knot in it, making it tighter and tighter by the minute. For 30 minutes, I laid in the road with the sun baking me in the heat of the day. The sweat from my body was making a puddle underneath me, but I couldn't even manage to muster enough energy to move. I had terrible diarrhea. I started feeling a little better and managed to get to my feet. Could it have been the water I got from the butcher? Note to self on that one: never again take water from a butcher shop. I thought I was going to die in those 30 minutes on the side of the road and people probably thought I was one crazy white man on a bike.
After getting myself back together, I made the turn on the pan American highway, something I didn't want to do but only had to bike 70kms or so to the turn off west to Medellin. I camped out next to a couple's shack that night. They offered me dinner of yucca, fish, beef and rice washed down with cold Malta flavored water. They had no electricity, cooked over a wood stove, and had 28 cows that they were very proud of. The couple was in love, and I could see it in their actions. It was a great night's sleep as the rain cooled the night right down. I was wasted after what my body had gone through today. Honestly, I thought I was going to die on the side of the road all alone. It was one of the defining moments of this trip. When it's all said and done you just sit back and laugh as its all part of the journey, but defiantly a part I could have done without.
|
Posted: Thursday, December 03, 2009
Article comment by:
Pat Fellers
Sorry to hear you were ill on your travels. Happy to hear people were kind to you in your travels. I enjoy your colum keep up the good work. stay safe.
Posted: Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Article comment by:
Ambrose Santiago
Great article! Good to hear you had a great time in Colombia!! To learn more about the transformation of Medellin http://www.medellintraveler.com
|
Article Comment Submission Form
|
|
