Up up up...

Well, up, up, and up are all these mountains seem to do these days! It's been challenging to say the least, but I've been loving every minute of it. The scenery is breathtaking down here! It's so green and lush. Our daily rides are filled with rivers, streams, waterfalls, crazy colored birds, and of course I can't forget our consistent friend...the stray dog!

Our first day out of Medellian took us 50 miles south west to La Pintara. Joost lost his tent poles somewhere along the way so we decided to scratch the camping idea and stay at one of the two hotels in town. A bit tired from our ride, we leerily left our bikes with a night guard and lugged the essentials up several flights of stairs; only to be greeted by two hornet nests already occupying our room! After the very memorable bee attacks Ryan and I had already gone through in panama, I let Michiel do the dirty work. We slept undisturbed save the three discotechs just across the street and woke early for our next ride.

40 more miles, a few more hills, and we found ourselves tired and hungry in a small town called Irra. Reenergizing with a beer or two we found a great hotel right by the river for 5k pesos per person! I think the tile floors
were more comfortable than the beds but it had a huge pool (totally out of character for a place like this) which had redemtive value.

The accommodations weren't great and they were made even worse by the bugs that kept bitting all night long, but we were tired so sleeping came easy...well, until Joost woke up freaked out by a cat that had jumped on him through the window lol! A little later that night, well maybe I should say early that morning, Michiel woke everyone by frantically searching through all our gear for some aspirin to lower his fever. Poor guy :/ Anyhow, the guys were feeling sick and nobody really felt like moving in the morning so we took the day off.

The place was peaceful, which probably aided us in sleeping in the next morning. We only got up to eat and then right back to bed...what a lazy day! I guess I should probably mention that both Joost and Michiel are still fighting off being sick. These guys are animals!!! Towing huge bob-trailers, sick as dogs, snot running down their face, coughing, sneezing, up these huge mountains, and never complaining once!!! I'm impressed for sure. Siska and I are doing our best to stay away from the germs but my throat is starting to feel scratchy...where's the vitamin C?!

The next morning we got up early anticipating the difficult ride to Periera ahead of us. 50 miles of thigh busting hills totaling over six and a half thousand feet of climbing and horrible weather to boot! It poured hippopotamuses and giraffes which only made the huge river we had been following even bigger!

Crazy things happen with crazy weather down here! Michiel saw a dead guy under a semi truck who was hit during the downpour...as if traffic isn't bad enough down here when the weather is gracious, all hell breaks loose when the weather turns for the worse. I was again reminded of just how fragile life is. Just another reason to make the one we have count for something worth while!

Being that I have half as much gear as the other three, I made it to Periera first. I waited for awhile for the others to catch up, but not knowing if they were going to hide from the weather in a previous town; I decided to try and find a place to stay for the night.

I happened to run into a gentleman and his wife that had spent sometime in the states and after a bit of conversation was graciously invited to dinner that evening! Yes please!!! Yet another generous group of loving people. Drug capital of the world?! No, Columbia is more like the hospitality capital of the world! Rene and Diana, you and your family are awesome!

I met back up with the group in the morning; just in time to catch the bus to the wild life preserve. We spent a little time walking around the jungle before getting soaked by the afternoon drizle and headed back to town for food and sleep. There really wasnt much to speak of there. We saw a bird and heard some monkeys...nothing out of the usual for a typical day on the bike.

Tomorrow should be comparatively flat as we head to Tulua, but now it's time for bed so I'm ending this post here. Please consider donating to givecleanwater.org when you can. You are saving lives!

Passing the torch...Section 3: South America!!!

Crickets... Yep, its been awhile since the last post and some of you
have long been wondering what's been going on with those crazy cats
cycling the world in the name of clean water.

Since Ryan's last update and return to the states, I have been giving
a lot of thought about what was going to happen to ride4water. I knew
I didn't want to travel alone and certainly didn't want to see the
ride come to an end, but I wasnt exactly sure how things would
proceed. I decided the best option was to wait for three other
cyclists (Joost Notenboom, Siska Kockelbergh, and Michiel Roodenburg)
and continue the ride south with them. I plan on keeping everyone
up-to-date with the blog, images, videos, etc once I start riding
again...which should be tomorrow if everything goes to plan!

As I waited for their arrival in Medellian, Columbia, I thought I
would be a great idea to take advantage of my situation by stowing my
bicycle at a hostel and backpacking around Columbia! Things have been
quite different toting my gear on my back instead of the bike. I keep
saying to myself, "are you sure you don't want to leave some of this
behind?" But, when it comes down to it, there really isn't much else
to leave... I could list the few essentials and the luxury item or two
but I'll cut it short and say its been a transition to say the least.

My first tangent destination was Cartagena, Columbia. My new friend
Pablo and I hopped on an overnight bus and arrived a little more tired
than we thought we would be. We met up with two other friends from the
boat ride I took from Panama to Columbia and hit the town. The city
was a piece of history forsure! This is basically where good ol'
Captain Jack Sparrow got his start. Pirates, cannons, sunken ships,
gold, not to mention music, art, food, architecture, and so much
more...this place rocks! We spent a few days chillin out there before
heading to Barranquilla for carnival. There were people dancing for
days ... shoulder to shoulder, shouting, laughing, having what seemed
like endless fun. Honestly I don't know how they keep going...I was
pooped after 6 hours of that nonsense!!!

Just as I started to get used to my tangent adventure, a long time
friend suggested that a true traveler would jump on a plane and meet
him in Istanbul for a week. So, naturally I complied because I
couldn't bare to live down a dare and enjoyed every minute of it. I
guess you could say it was a tangent of the tangent lol.

Istanbul is amazing! There is endless history there and I can't wait
to go back! I've walked through the same corridors and sauntered down
the same streets as those famous biblical characters: Paul, Peter,
John, Mary, and so many others. The amphitheatres, walls and statutes
of marble... I even snuck into a private unveiling of recently
excavated palace formally covered by centuries of dirt. I've seen an
obelisk that Moses looked at every day of his life in Egypt and
writings dating back to 3000 BC. I walked by the same mosaic lions
Daniel walked by before being thrown in the lion's den. I've seen
beautiful Muslim mosques, enjoyed the country side, bays, rivers,
mountains, castles, pools, springs, architecture, and more! Its an
amazing place!!!!

Soon after my return to South America I found myself on a bus to
Quito, Ecuador. Quito is another beautiful city filled with generous,
hospitable, loving people. After steping off the bus I ran into a
pastor of a local church who felt obligated to show me to one of the
cheapest and nicest hostels in town. Six dollars a night for a private
room with a bathroom and hot water, what a steal!!!! What a great
place to visit...full of culture and architecture!

After hiking a local volcano (Pichincha 4700 meters) in Quito, I made
my way to Banos to do some whitewater rafting, bungee jumping, off
roading, and I even got to crawl into a cave that opened up behind an
enormous waterfall called the Devil's Porch! I met so many wonderful
people. I was again humbled by everyone's generosity and kindness.

At this point time was now growing short as I knew the other cyclist
would be arriving in Columbia shortly. I had time for just one more
short adventure before getting back on the bike so I headed to Machu
Pichu in Peru. Due to time constraints, I decided to do the six hour
hike from Santa Theresa to Aguas Calientes. I was blown away but the
beauty there! Huge trees, animals, mountains, and rivers. I crossed a
rope bridge (very scketchy) that looked as if it was a thousand years
old, followed train tracks like the guys in the movie "Stand By Me,"
and walked into Aguas Calientes with the same amazment as Bilbo
Baggins walking into Rivendell. Machu Pichu was breathtaking! To think
of such a large group of people living on top of a huge and incredibly
steep mountain...the same engineering standards used to accomplish
such a feat are still practiced today which is incredible considering
how long ago the city was built!

As I left the amazing historical city and returned to Columbia, I was
overwhelmed with how blessed I was to be able to go on this trip.
Immediately following that thought, my mind fell on those less
fortunate. I thought of the families torn apart from the recent events
in Japan, the families struggling in central and south America, the
poverty I saw in the slums of Turkey and Central America, and of
course the thousands of people in Fiji dying to get clean water. The
world is a hurting place and having so much I can't help but to want
to give more, but how?

For now I think it best to focus on the task at hand...clean water.
Fijians need it and you can get it to them. Please visit this link and
consider helping a family desperately in need.