Januar 2020 - Seite 3 von 3 - Lococoupleonabike

Januar 5, 2020Januar 8, 2020

Medellin – Santa Rosa de Osos: Riding through poor neighborhoods until I reached the main road

Sunday 05 , January 2020 76 km – Total so far: 567,9 km

I started to pedal at 7 o’clock. Already after 2 km the hills started and the road was climbing up. I took it easy, everything was fine until google maps recommended to take a short cut.This was the start of a night mare…..

The short cut went through very, very poor neighborhoods. All people had pitbulls, stafford terriers, dogos and rottweilers. I felt like in a movie.

Everybody was watching me and sometimes made some comments – but never agressive thanks god. When I was going up a very steep climb a guy asked me where I was going. He said „are you sure you want to go this way?“ „Yes, to Picacho Mountain“ I said „why not?“ He said the climbs are extremly steep. „This is going to be very though“ He thought I’d better had chosen the other way….. ‚Well, now it’s too late“ I said.

The following 12 km took me 3,5 hours then. This guy had been so f…ing right!! It was impossible to pedal. The climb was so steep like 17%. Too hard to cycle. I had to push the bike most of the time. It really killed me.

The landscape at least was epic. Amazing mountain views but I was almost too tired to enjoy them. This 12km really fucked me up and I lost so much time. I went on climbing up and when I reached the higher altitudes the temprature dropped. 10°C at 2800m – I was freezing my ass.

It was getting late. I knew I would have to cycle in the dark. There were no hotels- not even villages. Nothing where you could stop to sleep, so I prepared my lights.

While I was riding through the darkness suddenly a german sheppard jumped out of a fence along the roadside and ran after me. I got off the bike and the dog went to the other side of the road. There he followed me for about 100m. He looked dangerous but I was not scared at all. I could interpretate his behaviour and ‚body language“. I knew he was not willing to attac me, he just protected his territories. Anyway. My machete was already in my hand.

I kept climbing and climbing. When I got to this small village of Santa Rosa de Osos I already had been cycling for a while in the dark. I could find a hotel, did the check in and took a shower. Thanks god they had hotshower. Felt so good.

After I went to eat. Like always: chicken, rice and beens. When I came back to my room I went to sleep immediately. Tough ride today!

Januar 4, 2020Januar 4, 2020

Medellin: Visiting Comuna 13 and Plaza Botero

Saturday 04 , January 2020 – Total so far: 491,9 km

I woke up early today at 7:30. I went to have breakfast already at 8:15.

Today the breakfast was much better than yesterday. Maybe yesterday I went down too late and the best things were finished already. Could be.

My plan was to do the guided sight seeing tour. I wanted to avoid walking around and wasting time with looking how to get to each sight. In the hotel they offered tours but they were all booked so in the end I went to Comuna 13 on my own and got me a guide there.

Comuna 13, also known as San Javier, has the most tumultuous history of the city. Once even labeled as the most dangerous community due to its astronomical homicide rates and its forced displacement of thousands of residents.

Comuna 13 Medellin is an over-populated and low socio-economic zone that crawls up along the west hills of the city with thousands of brick and cement homes stacked close one to another. It was a pivotal center for paramilitary, guerrilla- and gang activity. The location offers ideal conditions for crime, as it leads directly to the main highway (San Juan Highway), providing easy transportation of guns, drugs, and money.

Today it’s a an absolute tourist attraction. The young ones do a lot of graffity art here, you can see breakdance performers on the street and all kind of things that belong to a so called subcultural area. A must see if you visit Medellin. You don’t need a guide if you don’t want to. Only if you are interested in the meanings of the graffities it makes sense. I found it interesting, you can learn something and you help the people to make a living, too. It’s not easy here….

From Comuna 13 I took a taxi to Plaza Botero then.

Plaza Botero or Plaza de Las Esculturas (Sculpture Plaza) is 80.729 square feet of public space that occupies the area in front of the Museum of Antioquia and also surrounds the Uribe Palace of Culture .

In this space exists a perfect mix of art, culture and nature in which 23 of Botero’s bronze sculptures are on permanent display and exhibit. Donated by Medellin’s own Fernando Botero years ago and put into place during 2002, they adorn the surrounding area and create an amazing outdoor exhibit. Among the pieces worth admiring are “The Hand”, “Eve”, “Maternity”, “Man on horseback”, and “Roman Soldier” to name a few.

Visitors of this part of the city need to be alert. Like in all the big cities there are many junkies, pick-a-pockets and it is very crowded.

I left and went to eat in a Vegetarian vegan restaurant . It was nice because I could enjoy some vegetables that I had missed long time now and I ate some salad.

After I just strolled along a little bit and about 4pm I decided to go back to the hotel.

In the eveneing I went to eat at an Italian restaurant. I ordered some spagetthis to get carbohydrates for tomorrow.

I want to go to Santa Rosa de Osos tomorrow. It will be a tough ride because I have to climb up to 2600m ….Well, we’ll see.

Botero statue "Hombre caminante" — Botero statue „Hombre caminante“

Botero statue "Esfinge" — Botero statue „Esfinge“

The Rafael Uribe Uribe Palace of Culture

Januar 3, 2020Januar 4, 2020

Medellin: Taking it easy today

I went to have breakfast at 9:30. Some eggs, cheese and some toast. Nothing special.

After I walked to a mall not far away from the hotel to change some money. I decided to get up early tomorrow and maybe do a guided tour to take me to all the main sights of the city.Today it is definitely too hot to do it. It’s noon time, about 30°C and I don’t feel very much like walking around a lot now.

I went to the botanic garden to escape from the city’s heat a little bit. Hmm… It was a little bit disappointing – maybe because I had bigger expectationes, but anyway it was ok.

On my way back to the hotel I took a taxi and the driver began to talk to me. Like many people here he talked about the dark days of the past. I think that people maybe still suffer from their individual, partly traumatic experiences back in these days.

I got the impression that here in a big city like Medellin you see more homeless and drug addicted people then in the countryside.But to be honest I think everywhere it’s like this – very sad what the big cities produce.

Finally I enjoyed it very much just to hang out and to watch some UFC on TV. Power chilling.

Friday 03 , January 2020 – Total so far: 491,9 km

Turtles sunbathing — Turtles taking a sunbath

Januar 2, 2020Januar 3, 2020

El Santuario – Medellin : fast ride with a fast downhill

Thursady 02 , January 2020 71 km – Total so far: 491,9 km

Today I got up at 6 o clock. The night was not very good. It was hard to find some sleep. These hotel walls are cheap paper walls and a couple next door was going at it all night long. In another room there was really loud music with laughter and the usual party sounds. It was like the choice between discovery channel and MTV…..

At 7am I was already pedaling getting out of El Santuario.

Temperature was a little bit chilly-15°C. The road like usual was going up and down and I already guessed that because I saw a lot of guys on their racing bikes.

l thought about stopping to have breakfast but in the end I was going so fast that I decided to eat some cookies and some chocolats on the road.

The highway was filling with more and more traffic. I arrived at the top of the hill at 2284m and from there it was a nice downhill all the way to Medellin which lies at 1495m.

I was in Medellin at 10:45am already. Really fast.

My wife had checked out some hotel options for me because yesterday’s internet was a desaster and she texted it to me.

I started to check them out but some of them were booked already and finally I found one called “El Porton de San Joaquin” but the biggest room wasn’t ready yet. So I needed to wait until 3pm. Whatever, this time I was determined to get myself a real spacey and comfortable room.

I had to wait anyway and so I looked around meanwhile to see if there maybe was another good hotel. I checked out some others but many had big stairs and I didn’t feel like carrying everything up. In the end I came back and lucky me they had just finished the room and it was waiting for me to move in.

This is the best Hotel so far. A big room, A/C, a small fridge and hot water. Nice.

I did the check in, took a shower and I ordered some sandwich. Heavenly. With stomach full I took a nap and then went to a supermarket.

Later on I did the blog. Here the internet is ok. What else do I need?

I decided to take 2 days off from biking. Enough time to have a good look around.

I watched some TV and I went to sleep late.

Leaving ,the guy wanted to be on the picture — Leaving El Santuario, the guy wanted to be on the picture

Milking in the morning — Milking a cow in the morning

On the top, from here start the downhill — I reached the top , from here starts the downhill

Going down passing a truck — Passing a truck a downhill

Children please don t try this at 70km/h

Januar 1, 2020Januar 3, 2020

El Santuario: Recovery day

Wednesday 01 , January 2020 – Total so far: 418,9 km

I woke up at 8 already. „No way“ !! I turned to the other side once again and I kept on sleeping until 11:30.

First thing when I got up finalIy I washed my clothes from the bucket and then went to the main square. Here I met Gabriel again. He was charging his phone and told me that he was feeling sick. He has very little money and cannot afford to buy some medicine. So I bought some for him.

I went to have lunch at the same place like yesterday evening: restaurant El Palermo, but it was full, no table. I strolled a little bit around and when I went back I could get a free table. No illusions about the menu…. Yes, 10 points ! Chicken rice and beans.

Back in my room I took a nap. I wrote the daily reports for the blog and edited some images. No chance to upload anything – the internet connection in Colombia sucks.

In the evening I went out again to eat, then came back and packed my panniers.

Hope tomorrow in Medellin I manage to get a nice place to stay with good internet.

Referring the internet connection I’m not very optimistic but miracles happen