Info Race

Day 330. Kilometre 38,825 (Mile 24,125). Latitude 16° 22' South.

A summary of my itinerary since Cuzco, with a bit of anticipation also.

Distance between Cuzco and Uyuni : 4.615 km (2,670 mi)

Left from Cuzco, I went on the shore of Lake Titicaca. Puno and the floating islands were my last step in Peru. I crossed the border: welcome to Bolivia! Then I spent two days on Isla del Sol (Sun island) on the Bolivian side of the Lake.

Then I made La Paz a base camp for my climb of Huayna Potosi and my hike in the Cordillera Apolobamba. Sucre, the “white city” and capital of the country, was the next step. Then I hit the road to reach Santa Cruz from where I am going to spend a week visiting the Jesuit Missions (I am there at present).

Back in Santa Cruz, I'll meet Falko, a German friend who comes spend the end of year in the region. We'll go to the mining city of Potosi, then Uyuni and its famous salar (salt flat), and then the wonderful region of South Lipez. After all that it will be high time to reach Chile!

Cordillera de Apolobamba

Excuse my laziness and/or my lack of time, but I will just post a short report on this hike in the Cordillera de Apolobamba. If you want the full story, you can read the French version of it or copy-paste it in Google Translate.

I went for a five-day hike in the Cordillera Apolobamba, located in the North-West of La Paz, a little above Lake Titicaca. I knew this hike would be challenging since I did it alone (my German friends Henning, Paulo and Lisa left for other adventures) and with very little practical information on the trail. When you had to it days of rain and fog and snow and hail, you understand that I didn't see the magnificent landscapes I came for. But I liked it anyway. Moreover, I met a nice Czech couple and an interesting young gold minor on my way.

Huayna Potosí

In Cuzco, with pictures of his ascent of Huayna Potosí, Antoine made Henning and me dream. Once Paulo and Lisa joined us in Puno, the expedition was in the pipes. After meeting Kati in La Paz, we all five knocked on the door of Altitud 6000, the agency recommended by Antoine. I don't usually make advertising, but the quality of care and professionalism of the guides are noteworthy.

We left from La Paz for three days: one day of preparation at base camp, one day ascent up to the second base camp, a third day to climb the summit and return to La Paz. You have to be ready to confront a peak at 6,088 m (19,975 ft)! Altitude-wise, it's ok, it's been several weeks since we all move around at more than 3,000 m, except Kati freshly returning from a month in the Amazonia. Physically, ascension is not the most complicated for novices like us. Finally, in terms of equipment, the agency lent us all what we needed: jacket and pants, hiking boots, gaiters, crampons, ice ax, harness, helmet, etc..

And here is the dream team: the five of us already excited and amazed by the Cordillera Real which encircles the city of La Paz, accompanied by Juancho (the mountain guide who opened this agency), William and Ismael, the other two guides, and Tofi the cook. Very good atmosphere. The ascent began in La Paz (3,600 m – 11,800 ft), then we crossed the suburb of El Alto (4,100 m – 13,450 ft) on the Altiplano. We arrived at the first base camp (indoor, don't worry!) at 4,850 m (15,900 ft).

There, a little practice was waiting for us: walking with crampons and ice axes. We even ice climbed. My only regret when I left Alaska! On the second day, a small walk to reach the second base camp (indoor as well). We acclimatised, eat well, drink mate de coca, this tea made of coca leaves to help manage the changes in elevation.

Third day, starting at 1am. The objective is clear: to be at the top for sunrise. We started in the snow and wind. Progress is slow. Kati eventually gave up in the middle. Probably not quite acclimated to the altitude. We continued still under the clouds. And suddenly, probably high enough, to 5,700 m (18,700 ft), the sky opened itself and let us see the first light of day, just above the clouds. It is so beautiful that I am really moved!

The following is less funny. I had to stop at 6,000 m (19,685 ft): the headache I'd had in the morning does not pass. It even got worse and kept me from eating and drinking. I think I never had such headache of my life, to smash it against the wall. I felt my strength gradually abandoning me and if I wanted to go down by myself, I had to keep some reserves. I stopped there and let Henning, Lisa and Paulo continue to the top, so close.

In the end, yes, I am a little disappointed not to have been able to go up there. But happy with my first mountaineering experience. And then I came down with what I was looking for: the sunrise above the clouds!

I know, I'm a little late in blogging and posting pictures. Very soon, the report of the five-day hike in the Cordillera Apolobamba from which I just returned.

On the shores of Lake Titicaca

Titicaca. What a strange name! I remember giggling stupidly at the mention of this name (sounds like “pee-poop” in French) when I was younger. I confess it still makes me laugh. But where does the name? Several hypotheses, but it seems that it is a term in Aymara language that refers to the Rock of the Puma on Isla del Sol (Sun Island), the birthplace of the Inca civilisation.

A bit of geography for those who are fond of it. Lake Titicaca is located on the border between Peru and Bolivia, in this vast region called Altiplano (high plateau) at 3800 meters altitude. The highest navigable lake in the world is as big as three times the Luxembourg (or twice Rhode Island). It is a freshwater lake, half fed by rivers and half fed by the rain that falls on its surface. The lake level remains constant through the flow of the Rio Desaguadero (7.5%), but also to significant evaporation (92.5%) due to the dry climate of the region.

From Cuzco, Henning and I joined Puno, our last stop in Peru, on the shores of the lake. We met Paulo there (he left us in Lima to join Lisa in Arequipa) and Lisa. Not much to do in Puno if it is to visit the floating islands of Uros. The Uros are an indigenous Indian people originally from the lake. Chased by the Incas, they decided to flee on mini-islands they made out of reeds. These islands could be moved like floating barges. Very convenient! Later, they approached the current Puno, less prone to droughts.

These islands are quite staggering: a layer of several meters of submerged earth (which makes it floating) covered with reed, and anchored to the bottom of the shallow waters of the lake. On average, they are 500 m² and are home of five families, living in small huts made of straw. It takes 8 months to make an island, knowing that they have a life expectancy of 40 years. The coating reed is renewed every two weeks by adding new reeds, the old one being incorporated to the topsoil.

You'll be a little disappointed, but no longer Uros Indians inhabit the islands. The last representative of the people died in 1959. But the Aymara Indians are now living on the islands and run the visits. About 2,000 people live there, most men work in Puno and women run the visits and sell their handicraft products. Nowadays it looks like a attraction park, but it's still interesting to understand how the Uros lived at the time and made their islands.

We then continued our journey. Border crossing: we leave Peru. While I really enjoyed all the hiking in the Peruvian Andes, I found the Peruvians very unkind. I don't like making a generality out of a three-week experience without real contact on site. But the fact is that I was surprised to find this trait (unfriendly, unsmiling, no humour) regularly and in all the places I went. To all those who have told me that I would love Peru, tell me what I missed, please!

Bolivian first step: the Island of the Sun. It is the largest island in Lake Titicaca. Some human communities are installed (about 5,000 people), but most of the island is wild. Steppe landscape, rocky, little vegetation, it is very beautiful. We toured over two days, with a night in a tent in the centre of the island, the highest point from which we witnessed sunset and moonrise, and moonset and sunrise the next early morning. On the pictures, you will see the moonrise and sunrise the next day, in front of the lake front and the snowy Cordillera Real in the background. Nature is really beautiful!

Finally, we headed to La Paz. From the lake, we rode on the Altiplano, until we got to El Alto, on the outskirts of La Paz, perched at 4,100 m (13,500 ft) altitude. And from there, we suddenly plunged into the cauldron of La Paz, 500 vertical meters below. I met there my friend Kati (that you begin to identify now) to ascent the five of us the Huayna Potosi (6,088 m – 19,975 ft), the highest peak identifiable on pictures of the Cordillera Real.

These Incas are fascinating

The Inca people is really amazing. At the mere mention of their name, are popping up images of the Andes, Machu Picchu, mummies and rich gold ornaments, etc.. But there are also many mysteries behind it. The word Inca denoting the Emperor above all, we speak of the people of the Inca. But it is also used as an adjective to describe the people and the empire, for example.

The Inca Empire extended from just south of today's Colombia to northern Chile, including Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru. Cusco, the "navel [of the Inca world]" in Quechua, was its capital, founded in the eleventh century. Born on the shore of Lake Titicaca, the empire was gradually formed by assimilation of different civilisations surrounding, more or less by force.

The Incas lived mainly in the mountainous region of the Andes, perched at an average altitude of 3,000 m (10,000 ft). But these geographical constraints and conditions were far from discouraging them. Instead, it is their ability to adapt to this environment which has been their strength.

To meet their needs, they cultivated terraces perched on steep cliffs. They used the slopes of the mountain as huge recovery of rainwater and ingeniously irrigated their crops. It seems that the Incas knew socialism before it even was theorised: a system of redistribution of production was organised. Valleys which missed herds were provided with meat and wool and conversely highlands whose crops were insufficient were provided with agricultural products. To do this, they developed an extensive road network that the first Europeans who arrived on the continent even compared with what had undertaken the Romans in their time.

Also surprising, studies have shown that the architecture responded perfectly to the anti-seismic standards (we are still on the Pacific Ring of Fire!). A mix of solid construction and fine settings: small stones able to move in foundations, on top of which megaliths of several tons fit perfectly without cement. It's almost comical to see the disproportion with the straw that covered the whole house and served as roof. It is for this reason that in the ruins, only the walls remain today.

The Incas had an acute knowledge of astronomy. They used solar calendars for dates, based on the same principle as the solar quadrants that give time. Thus, they knew precisely the seasons and the days of solstice and equinox. 21 or 22 June, they celebrated the winter solstice during the Festival of the Sun. In the southern hemisphere, this is the time of year when the sun is the farthest from the Earth. Therefore they worshiped him to make it coming back closer quickly.

Arrived in Cuzco on 15 November with Henning (one of two Germans with whom I travel since my return from the Galapagos), I met again with Antoine, a French guy met on a summit in Costa Rica. He goes up South American from Argentina to Colombia (with an interesting blog to follow). We agreed on a four-day trek to Machu Picchu little brother: Choquequirao. The pretentiously underestimated hike tired us a lot. The accumulation of fatigue from the last busy weeks (lots of buses and hikes), the heat and the altitude made us doubt for a moment. But we had good laugh and hiked in a stunning scenery.

On our return to Cuzco, Henning and I had always in mind to visit Machu Picchu. With the advice of fellow travelers, we were able to enjoy the site in the early morning, before the arrival of hordes of tourists. I was a little embarrassed to taking pictures, first in the fog, then under a blazing sun. But the site is magical. Perched on a hill, it is very well preserved and faithfully reproduces the atmosphere that could reign there 500 years ago.

A little history quickly. It will be short because the village of Machu Picchu has been inhabited a tiny hundred years. Its construction reportedly began in the 1440s. We still do not know now if it was a secondary residence of the Inca, a kind of Versailles of the Inca empire, outside the central government of Cuzco, where the Emperor could withdraw a portion of its court.

The fact is that the Incas deserted the site by 1538. Following the capture of Cuzco by the Spanish, the site was abandoned, lest he too falls into the hands of the Spaniards. The Inca and some of his people took refuge farther to Choquequirao in particular. 100 years of existence, but the Spaniards have never discovered a priori the two sites (Machu Picchu and Choquequirao), the Inca destroying paths behind them. It was only in the 1910s they were rediscovered and remains gradually excavated from lush vegetation.

Despite that, the empire fell to the Spaniards in the course of the sixteenth century. They then plundered everything that could be. The Kingdom of Spain has never been as rich as this time. Conquistadors took advantage also to evangelise the region. One can easily imagine that the Incas and their descendants have had difficulties to embrace this religion that advocates love and forgiveness on one side but tolerates on the other that his followers kill, loot massively, sack cities and villages, or extort vast natural resources.

Aztec or Mayan civilisations of today Mexico disappeared with the arrival of Spaniards. Despite many resistance movements active until independence, the Incas managed to accommodate themselves to the invader. Particularly from a religious point of view, they have cleverly managed to match Christian celebrations and rites with their own festivals. For example, they continued to celebrate the sun, but at the time of the feast of St. John (June 24), without anybody noticing! A mixture of "pagan" and Christian beliefs still present today.

So an exciting week in the heart of the Inca Empire, a week to learn a little more about this fascinating people living in an particularly hostile but beautiful Andean environment. And now there are still ruins, haloed by mystery, in which one walks to try to imagine the magnificence of this incredible civilisation.

From Cuenca to Cuzco

Day 300. Kilometre 34,780 (Mile 21,610). Latitude 13° 31' south.

Two weeks between Cuenca, Ecuador and Cuzco, Peru. Two weeks when the rhythm has increased. Two weeks during which I rode more than 3,400 km in bus. Two weeks during which I hiked a lot.

Distance between Cuenca and Cuzco : 3,400 km (2,110 mi)

On my way, I crossed the border with my friend Kati, who I've regularly met since Costa Rica. Then I also spent a lot of time with Henning and Paulo, two German. Among others, we hiked in Huascarán National Park. Wonderful trekking at more than 4,000 meters (13,000 ft) and a maximum at 4,750 m (15,580 ft). Technically accessible even if altitude makes it more challenging! Some pictures here.

Then, very short visit of Lima, between two night buses. I tend to avoid major cities in this moment, prefering hiking in the wild. On the bus from Lima to Cuzco, I met Nicolás, from Colombia, y Olivier y Magalie, a French couple from Normandy. Now that I arrived in Cuzco, I'll go for a 5-day hike with Henning and Antoine (a French guy I met in Costa Rica). And I'll finish with the visit of famous Machu Picchu.

The Galapagos Islands

Galapagos ... an archipelago that has often made me dream since my childhood. But it seemed so far from my route. And then arriving in Ecuador, I realized that I will probably never be as close. And I listened to the advice of a friend of mine: "Do not pass up the opportunity, you will not regret it!”

And actually, I did not regret it. Arrived in Quito, I toured the travel agencies to see available cruises. And I opted for a 8-day tour in the Northern and South-Eastern Islands, the richest in the wildlife that interested me. On the boat, we were 14 passengers and 7 crew members plus the guide. A very good group: long-distance solo travelers and a group of retired Texan birders. A very enriching mix!

The Galapagos Islands are a world in itself. First, its location, right in the Pacific Ocean, more than 1,000 kilometers of coastline. Then, it is one of the few places in the world to have never been attached to a continent. The archipelago is located on a hot spot, volcanoes are erupting regularly, and over 10 million years, have given rise to (and still do) these islands in the middle of the ocean.

It is a universe in itself for its percentage (probably the highest in the world) of endemic species, that is to say that they exist nowhere else. And that is as true for flora and fauna. For some species, one wonders how they could "land" here, especially mammals or reptiles.

But this world is a fragile world. It's a World Heritage Site, but Unesco even registered it on the list of endangered sites between 2007 and 2011. It is a delicate balance that exists on site. The presence of man is not trivial: it is the one who is best placed to make efforts in conservation, but paradoxically human activities also contribute most to the deterioration of areas (pollution, introduced species: cats, dogs, rats, goats, etc.., which are all predators to animals or plants).

Other factors contribute to the fragility of the site. El Niño, a climate phenomenon more or less cyclical, warms Pacific waters and leads to a decrease of fish stocks, staple diet of many other species. Volcanic islands implies that there is little soil for plants to grow. Thus each species, whether plant or animal, has learned over thousands of years to adapt to this environment so special. A single grain of sand in the gears causes disturbances that can move quickly to the extinction of a species.

It's sad but it's not dramatic, say the skeptics. After all, what are the Galapagos compared to the rest of the planet? Well, this is just the perfect sample of what happens in a larger (and scarier) scale on other continents and seas. But political leaders don't seem to really realize that, or at least don't have the political will to act and prevent the consequences (of global warming, among others) before they eventually become irreversible.

On my side too, I wondered about my stay there. For the reasons I have already stated: I took a fly again, I would contribute to human activities that can be harmful to the environment, etc. At the same time, I knew it would feed my thinking on these issues of biodiversity or environmental protection.

And I confess that I really enjoyed myself in the middle of these animals so special, so unusual in our latitudes. This was so fascinating that these animals are fearless. For them, in the worst case, we men are just annoying paparazzi, but never perceived as predators. Birds do not fly at our approach, reptiles do not take refuge under a rock and sea lions continue their nap quietly.

So much for those few unforgettable days. Here are the photos now. And I take this opportunity to thank Ryan for his underwater pictures.

Race Info

Day 291. Kilometer 32,925 (Mile 20,460). Latitude 9° 31' South.

Pictures and article are about to be published. Just to make you wait a bit, here is a sum-up of my stay in Ecuador.

Distance on land in Ecuador then

on boat in the Galapagos: 2,285 km (1,420 mi)

I arrived on October 19 in Ecuador with Dušan, a Slovak met in Popayán (my last step in Colombia). The next day we spent time in the colorful market of Otavalo. See pictures in article “Market day in Otavalo”.

Then we moved to Quito and the famous equator line. It was obviously a symbolic landmark in this travel from North to South of the Americas. But crossing the Panama canal will remain an even stronger moment. Anyway, I am now, so to speak, on the other side of the planet for the first time of my life.

I visited Quito. For sure it will not remain as a highlight of my journey: huge city, not really attractive, despite the magnificent church San Francisco. Some pictures in “The equator in Quito”.

Then I quickly went through Baños, little village laying in a valley of the Cordillera. I left Dušan. Night bus until Guayaquil and early flight led me the next morning to the Galapagos. I swear! Pictures are coming soon. Just be patient, I don't have an easy access to the Internet and I have some work to do on my numerous pictures.

Back on mainland, I directly went to Cuenca from where I hiked in El Cajas National Park with Christina, Henning and Paul, three Germans. Passing from sea level to more than 4,000 m (13,000 ft) in a few hours is a real challenge! But I liked it and I will do it again with Henning and Paul in a few days in Northern Peru. This time at 5,000 m (16,500 ft).

Last step: Vilcabamba. I met again Kati. I knew her in Costa Rica, then we traveled in Panama, we also visited the region of San Agustin in Colombia and I briefly met her in the Galapagos (I was arriving while she was leaving). This time we crossed the Ecuador-Peru frontier, after an endless trip in the mountains, in the middle of no-where, with Solène and François, from Quebec.

That's it for now. But I'll be back very soon with pictures from the Galapagos!

The equator in Quito

9 months, 275 days, 30,000 km (18,640 mi) and 1 equator: that doesn't happen every day. So, to change a bit, here is a video message.

Then, the traditional album of the surroundings of Quito, some views from the Volcán Pichincha above the Ecuadorian capital and the city center (incl. the presidential palace and the magnificent San Francisco church) listed as Unesco World Heritage site... another one that I can check!

From Quito, I'm heading South to Guayaquil where I am supposed to be on Friday to... to... to... to take a flight to the Galapagos Islands, that I will explore for a week! I'll be back with lots of photos :)

Market day in Otavalo

Images tell more than a long article, so here is now: Otavalo market. I've enjoyed lots of markets so far, but I really appreciated this one, very authentic. Besides that, this little Andean village between the Colombian border and Quito was my first step in Ecuador but more importantly my last step in the northern hemisphere.

Race Info

Day 269. Kilometre 29,150 (Mile 18,113). Latitude 03° 27′ N.

Two days ago was the last day of my stay in Colombia. During one and a half month, I could see very various places, meet a lot of people, experience Colombia in its diversity.

Distance betwwen Cartagena and Quito : 3,855 km (2,395 mi)

Here are the different places I visited:

• Cartagena de Indias, on the Caribbean coast, beautiful but very hot;
• Medellín, the city of the sculptor Botero and Formula One pilot Juan-Pablo Montoya, surrounded by mountains, the perfect climate;
• Bogotá, the capital city, the megapolis, still humanized thanks to the people I met there;
• Castilla la Nueva, few days in the vast flats of Eastern Colombia;
• back to Bogotá;
• San Agustín, Edimer and his family's coffee farm where I worked for two weeks, a region I discovered with Kati with whom I visited Panama early September and the first earthquake I ever experienced;
• Manizales, another farm experience with Cecilia, based on planting and harvesting (corn, bananas, beans, etc.);
• Salento, colorful little village in the heart of the central Cordillera;
• Cali, where I met Diego who I knew from Cartagena;
• Popayán, the “white city”, with its well-preserved historical center, where I met Dušan from Slovakia with whom I traveled to Quito;
• Ipiales, border town, where I saw an impressive church hang on the cliff of a gorge;

I am now in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, for my first step in the Southern hemisphere. I really liked my stay in Colombia: no security problem, really friendly people, yummy and diverse food, great natural features, including the Andes. With all that, I am already thinking of coming back after the end of my trip...

Life in San Agustín

… usually begins quite early. Wake up at 6am, with the sun. While breakfast simmering on the stove, everyone goes about his/her first occupations of the day. Some will cut long grass to feed the cow and milk it at the same time. Others will fill water tanks to clean the coffee harvested the previous days. Others will feed the pigs, chickens, turkey, rabbits or guinea pigs. The last ones will quickly shower before going to school.

I landed in a finca (farm). In the main house are living the father, the mother, the son, one of the seven daughters and three grandchildren (whose parents live in Cali). Three other girls are living with husband and children in other houses nearby. And all these people are working more or less together on family plantations.

At breakfast, usually a caldo (soup with pieces of plantain, potato, yuca and of arracacha – both tubers) accompanies a plate of rice and beans and patacones (unripe plantains fried and then crushed). A good way to start a long laborious day, isn't it? And it would be unthinkable not to have coffee to go with that. At work now!

The main activity of the farm is the cultivation of coffee. Most days are occupied with the harvest. And this is no small matter. We are here in the mountains and the Andes. Steep slopes make it difficult. We are here with our coco (plastic baskets) hanging at the waist, carefully detaching the ripe grain (red or orange) of the coffee tree branches, leaving the green beans. On the same branch, all the grains are not ripening at the same pace. In the season, several passages on the same plot are needed. Nature is not always so well done...

A good cafetero can collect more than 100 kilos (220 pounds) of coffee every 7-hour working day. An apprentice like me... a little less! But I think at least the equivalent of my modest weight in coffee beans. It requires both experience and attention to identify red grains (colour-blind, abstain) in particular leafy shrub of this tropical tree, to snatch quickly while leaving small brothers, and move to next branch without losing balance on these steep slopes. And even if the coco is not filling as fast as we want, we have the pleasure of seeing the red gradually disappear from the 2-meter high tree. And of course, given the topography and uneven ripening coffee beans, it is impossible to entrust the job to a machine.

And I thought naively that what I mentioned above was the only difficulties ... Nay! I must add mosquitoes and other creatures that bite hard and hurt. Every day they seem to taste human flesh with the same appetite and even sadistic love. So we work in trousers and long-sleeve t-shirt. And we have to pass our head out of the neck of another t-shirt to protect neck and lower face. It's hot under this. Especially as the sun hits hard and early morning, consequence of being near the equator. I've never liked that much to see the approaching rain. At 20°C (70°F) regardless of the weather or season, it is not difficult to imagine that I prefer the rain to sun to work. Locals are less fan of humidity: they are cold.

At 4pm on the dot, it's time to definitely drop the coco until the next day. Then comes the moment when we pour bags of 50 kg in a giant funnel. A tonne of grain will soon pass mill. Purpose of the operation: separate two small white sticky beans from their red bug. The small mill is brave, it will be difficult to swallow everything before nightfall at 6pm whatever the season: we are almost at the equator. The next morning, we plunge the beans in a water tank. After several successive baths and a permanent mixing, they will lose their viscous appearance. During the operation, anything that floats will happily join the red bugs on the compost heap.

In a final attempt to eliminate small junk floating, it will all sieve. Then comes the time to move the coffee beans (which then have no taste, I tested for you!) to the secadero, a greenhouse that will help dry the beans into five or six days. Then the beans will join the cooperative in 50 kg bags. We will set aside for the personal use of the farm. These little beans are snow bound to spend fifteen to thirty minutes in a large pot on the fire. Last operation before tasting: the mill. Out of it results the powder deliciously fragrant inseparable from our sleepy mornings. In Colombia, once in the cup, the coffee is called tinto.

But as we do not need to be there for all these operations regarding café, the other will share the care of the different farm animals: the cow which gave birth to a little bull and that we teats manually, hens and their chicks, turkey, pigs – one just had a litter of piglets thirteen (nine survived), rabbits with birth again, guinea pigs, dogs, cats and little parrots.

Then it will be up to us to sit at the table! In the kitchen, the clock rings 6pm. It is almost time for supper. As well as lunch, dinner often consists of rice, beans, a small piece of boiled meat. A small soup can arise at any time without really being anticipated and a good piece of fried yuca can also bring a broad smile on the face of the humble writer of this blog. Apart from avocados which fall from the trees faster than we can eat, we eat very little greenery. It's still a luxury product. On the opposite, tropical fruits who blow the carbon footprint of the West are very commonplace here. It's raining guavas and bananas (plantain or normal). There are also tomatoes in tree, limas, lulos, cholupas, granadillas, many tropical fruits very difficult to describe, but believe me, this is a treat! It makes delicious juice or they are eaten throughout the day whenever found. In fact, the coffee plantations are full of other cultures to allow the soil to maintain proper acidity. To make a good break during the day, we will find a sugar cane. With a machete we cut it to keep the stick. After peeling, it is cut into small pieces to chew: a delicious sweet juice then spreads in the mouth.

Finally, on top of these two weeks, an earthquake. Sunday afternoon, at the hour of the Mass in the commercial centre of Bogotá (see previous article), I was quietly installed in the sofa where I finished watching a documentary on the panda in China with the two youngest boys of the family. I was reading El Principito (The Little Prince in Spanish) when the couch started to shake. To be more precise, it was the floor and the wall at the origin of this move. Without realising what was going on, and as no one at home seems to panic, the idea of an earthquake came to my mind bur stupidly I prefer the explanation that someone was walking upstairs, thus making the walls move. An hour passes (lunch included) before one of the girls who lives in Cali successful call to care for our state. It is then that we all realised what we all felt individually without admitting it. We switched on the television: an earthquake of 7.1 on the Richter scale and an epicentre in the valley on the other side of the mountain (the first two hours the media even announced the epicentre in San Agustín!). Despite the strength of seismic motion, miraculously little damage are seen in the region. And we returned to work as if nothing had happened.

To conclude, the day (and this long article!) ends at 9pm, after watching the news and a few episodes of Dragon Ball which the family is particularly fan of. Thus ends a fortnight in a coffee plantation. I have had the opportunity to still get a day off to visit a bit around with Kati (met in Costa Rica, we traveled together in Panama). I left San Agustín and went North, towards the region of Manizales where I had another WWOOF experience for a week.

Race Info

Day 259. Kilometre 28,205 (Mile 17,525). Latitude 1°51' Nord.

From the beginning of September, I crossed Colombia from North to South : a week spent in Cartagena, a couple of days in Medellín, again a week between Bogotá and Castilla la Nueva, before my stay in San Agustín, Huila, in the south of the country.

Distance Cartagena - San Agustín : 1,990 km (1,235 mi)

Bogotá

In the series “I continue to be delighted by Colombia”, here is the episode Bogotá. The scenario was not written in advance. The only actors I was sure to meet were Diana, a friend of my friend Maïwenn, who had offered to host me during my stay and Julien a French volunteer of the Catholic Delegation for Cooperation (DCC) with whom I was in contact.

I would say that the episode even started from leaving Medellín. Already at 1600 – 1700 m. above sea level (5,300 – 5,500 ft.), the road rises rapidly and winds on the hillside on the heights of the Central Cordillera. The Andes are covered by a dense green tropical vegetation. The breathtaking mountain scenery offers its first chills to the traveler. Then it goes down to the Magdalena River, the largest river that runs through Colombia from South to North. Once on the other hand, it slowly up the slope to reach the plateau of Bogota to 2,650 m (8,700 ft). We can then applaud this first scene that still lasted ten hours but without dramatic incident, which is a miracle given the narrowness of the road and the intense traffic of impressive semi-trailers and other trucks.

At the bus station, Diana came to greet me warmly but that did not stop my second thrill of the day: it is 12°C (53°F)! The contrast in a few days between Cartagena, Medellín and Bogotá is striking. I was hosted in the family apartment where I met Diana's parents. The next day, I take the opportunity of her father's birthday to cook a chocolate cake. In North America I already had occasion to note that the cooking took longer at altitude, where oxygen is scarce. But at this point!... Instead of the conventional quarter of an hour, the suspense lasted over an hour, knowing that at half-time I had to resign myself to also increase the temperature from 200°C (390°F) to 300°C (570°F). The family recipe has to be updated with these new elements!

In Bogotá, I met Julien. He's been working for almost a year and has renewed his contract for another year. He works in a popular area in the south of the capital for the association Projecting Without Borders, a development NGO which participatory projects aimed at combating poverty, social exclusion and threats against the environment and culture of local populations . Very interesting exchange of experiences over a cappuccino and then a walk through the historic district of La Candelaria. One of the hundred enriching encounters that make the beauty of traveling.

The next scene takes place over two days. Radical change of scenery. Here is the script. Diana's father has a finca (farm) in Castilla la Nueva, 180 km (110 mi) from Bogotá, where he's used to spend five days a week, his wife accompanying him usually once a month. When I heard that they would go there the next day, I asked to accompany them. The three of us hit the road the next morning, passing from 3,000 m (9,850 ft) on the heights of Bogotá to almost sea level in the vast plains of eastern Colombia. Transition between the fresh Andes to warm Amazonian plain is sudden.

So I spend two days to see this farm with his herd of dairy cows and bulls, with its fish ponds (very good fresh fish!), with fields of corn, with its chickens, horses, and even monkeys. This region, known as los Llanos (plain grassland), extends over half the country, to the borders of Venezuela and Brazil. The smaller western half of Colombia consists of three parallel mountain ranges: the Western Cordillera, the Central Cordillera and the Eastern Cordillera. This is the northern end of the Andes.

The last days in Bogotá, I could ascend Monserrate to admire the view of the city, and visit the Simon Bolivar's house (the Libertador was the great architect of independence of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru and Venezuela) and the renowned Gold Museum. Bogotá is the former capital of the kingdom of New Granada (current Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela), has a historic downtown, popular neighborhoods, business districts, traffic jams, a public transportation system way below the needs of a capital. The city is sprawling, more than 9 million people (one fifth of the country's population). But you get mark rather easily with its grid plan.

Before ending, I have to underline culinary qualities of the different cookers I met in Bogotá and Castilla la Nueva, the bogotanas evenings in the company of Diana, Claudio and Paula, and the Palme d'Or for what I saw on the last day, Sunday at noon. I was buying new shoes at the mall when I saw chairs in the middle of a shopping aisles, in front of the escalators, all facing a table that will quickly turn to an altar for the mass about to start. Mass in a temple of consumption, it is a concept!

Near San Agustín, Huila (in southern Colombia), in the coffee plantation where I will stay for two weeks, I am now far from Bogotá. But this story is for another day…