life @ 13
Friday, December 19, 2008
stymied
so here i am, back in medellin. maybe i just really like this city, or the hostel and the people it contains, but the decision to turn back was not entirely difficult.
since the last post, there was some really good cycling on good roads for about 40k, but then things took a turn for the worse. i came to a T in the road...in one direction it was a good road that was a dead end, and in the other direction i would have had to cycle or walk 34k over some really, really nasty dirt track. there was a guy with a little store at the T and he laid out all the options, most of which involved going back through medellin. i figured i would average 3-4 km/hr over the dirt -- not appealing to me. it's probably going to be a good long trip, and i'm not quite ready to push myself like that. not to mention i was having some issues with a bike 1-2 sizes too small and am starting to feel the effects of living in a part of the world where hygiene is definitely not king. this is most definitely not a race
So with the help of the very helpful and hospitable guy (he gave me advice and coffee and showed me his handbuilt welder and i promised him a postcard from the US) at the T, i flagged down a bus, threw the bike in, and backtracked to the city.
that's the bad news
the good news is, i'm having a good time at the hostel, relaxing, hanging out, enjoying the international company and friendly city. the other good news is that, come monday, i will be cycling with not one but two companions (maybe more...i'm getting better at converting backpackers to bikepackers). one french chap who has cycled down from mexico city and a high-spirited quixotic german who will be testing the cross-country cycling waters. just as i like to spend quiet weekends at home, i've been spending the last couple days fixing up everyone's bike for the trek down carratera 25 and a side highway to Cali.
no pictures at the moment, but tomorrow i'm going to ride into the center of town in search of bike parts and post cards. if you guys play your cards right, i'll slap the video-capable camera to my handlebars and give you a glimpse of how positively insane it is cycling down the streets here. i'm fairly sure your reactions will run the gamut. will take some pretty church photos to balance things out. and some good pics of my john mcenroe hair, too
i'm thinking about ditching the machete too. in the heat of excitement at the home-depot-like store here, i ditched the much cheaper and effective dog-repelling wooden stick in favor of the shiny bush clearing weapon. but my better judgement is telling me it's more of a liability than anything else.
so here i am, back in medellin. maybe i just really like this city, or the hostel and the people it contains, but the decision to turn back was not entirely difficult.
since the last post, there was some really good cycling on good roads for about 40k, but then things took a turn for the worse. i came to a T in the road...in one direction it was a good road that was a dead end, and in the other direction i would have had to cycle or walk 34k over some really, really nasty dirt track. there was a guy with a little store at the T and he laid out all the options, most of which involved going back through medellin. i figured i would average 3-4 km/hr over the dirt -- not appealing to me. it's probably going to be a good long trip, and i'm not quite ready to push myself like that. not to mention i was having some issues with a bike 1-2 sizes too small and am starting to feel the effects of living in a part of the world where hygiene is definitely not king. this is most definitely not a race
So with the help of the very helpful and hospitable guy (he gave me advice and coffee and showed me his handbuilt welder and i promised him a postcard from the US) at the T, i flagged down a bus, threw the bike in, and backtracked to the city.
that's the bad news
the good news is, i'm having a good time at the hostel, relaxing, hanging out, enjoying the international company and friendly city. the other good news is that, come monday, i will be cycling with not one but two companions (maybe more...i'm getting better at converting backpackers to bikepackers). one french chap who has cycled down from mexico city and a high-spirited quixotic german who will be testing the cross-country cycling waters. just as i like to spend quiet weekends at home, i've been spending the last couple days fixing up everyone's bike for the trek down carratera 25 and a side highway to Cali.
no pictures at the moment, but tomorrow i'm going to ride into the center of town in search of bike parts and post cards. if you guys play your cards right, i'll slap the video-capable camera to my handlebars and give you a glimpse of how positively insane it is cycling down the streets here. i'm fairly sure your reactions will run the gamut. will take some pretty church photos to balance things out. and some good pics of my john mcenroe hair, too
i'm thinking about ditching the machete too. in the heat of excitement at the home-depot-like store here, i ditched the much cheaper and effective dog-repelling wooden stick in favor of the shiny bush clearing weapon. but my better judgement is telling me it's more of a liability than anything else.
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