July 9, 2022
July 9: rest day in Salento
Today's plan was to rest up in preparation for our push over the Cordillera Central to Ibagué and points further south. We also wanted to check out the famed Valle de Cocora, with its enormous wax palms.
We dropped off our clothes to get cleaned at a local lavandería, grabbed some arepas and coffee, and mounted the back of a Jeep that took us to the valle. It was a spectacular 10km drive hanging on to dear life as the driver flung the Jeep around corners and along the narrow roadway into the valle.
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Valle de Cocora was as spectacular as the photos would lead you to believe, although it was quite crowded. The route we would be taking tomorrow to Toche is said to be just as spectacular but with way fewer people. It got all of us excited for the next leg of this insane adventure we have been on. The wax palms are an incredible sight, stretching high into the sky and peppering the horizon.
We spent several hours meandering the valle and taking photos before hitching a return ride to town on a Jeep. Once in town, we rested up for several hours before enjoying an extraordinary vegetarian meal, our first vegetable-heavy dinner since starting this trip. To say we felt great afterwards would be an understatement. The food has been an absolute highlight on this journey, but certainly different from what we typically eat back home.
We also ran into two Canadian cyclists who recently completed the ride from Ibagué and Toche in the opposite direction we would be going. They shared that the climb is long but relatively consistent, followed by a precipitous downhill and several washouts from recent landslides. Certainly sounds like we'll be getting more of our adventure fix!
Our route since leaving Medellín has been nothing short of spectacular. Endless backcountry dirt roads interspersed with thigh-busting climbs and roaring descents into steamy river valleys. Days have been much cooler and cloudier, making every moment in the saddle a real treat. We've been fueled by handmade arepas con queso campesino, locally-grown coffee, maracuya, and more peanut butter than I'd care to admit. Colombia's zona cafetera is a truly special region indeed, and as our route takes us over the Cordillera Central and south towards the Ecuadorian border I'm sure we will look back fondly on the time we've spent in these mountains. Through it all, the kindness, goodwill, and curiosity of locals has been overwhelming. It's time to put your preconceptions of Colombia in the past and embrace this country for the extraordinary place that it is.
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