Medellín to Popayán
Last week, I got my first taste of bike touring in Colombia. After sitting in Medellín looking at the mountains and elevation, I set out on a route that a friend helped plan. Even with short distances, the climbing made the journey take all day. I also chose to use some dirt roads that were wonderful but slower. For the first few nights, I was fortunate to have hotels in beautiful rural villages: Fredonia, Caramanta, and Filandia.
I also stayed at a coffee farm and took a tour. Here are some photos of the process.
One philosophy of my tour is to enjoy the journey and spend time in places, not just pedal all day. Thus, I have already taken two buses (to avoid heat and hills). I am really impressed by the rural service, and the drivers have always been willing to stow my bike somewhere. I also passed through some mid-sized cities, and they had dedicated bus lanes, cycletracks, and even another cable system in Pereira. It just opened, and people were lined up to try it.
In a future post, I will share some thoughts on the riding conditions on the rural highways. So far, so good! Here is a video of the last 5km into Popayán.
Link to my route: https://maps.findmespot.com/s/H7W6
