Antioquia


Tuesday 10 December 2019.

After a few weeks off the bike, it’s finally time to get back on the road with our new bikes. We received them a couple of days ago from the warranty as our previous frames sadly broke in Bolivia. Grey is the new black, we left our tinsel red bikes for the antharcite grey version. Freshly built, fully loaded, let’s hope those ones last longer than the previous ones…

Going out of the metropole of Medellin wasn’t an easy thing. We quickly faced steep roads to start climbing one of the 1000m up mountains surrounding the city, which is the only way out possible. The more we climb the coldest it gets, and the poorest, until the beautiful asphalt road turns into a dirt track in a popular neighbourhood. One final turn and we’re out of the city, without transition.

The Department of Antioquia is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the central northwestern part of Colombia with a narrow section that borders the Caribbean Sea. Most of its territory is mountainous with some valleys, much of which is part of the Andes mountain range. We quickly realised that nothing is flat in this country. Whenever you go down, be sure to go up 100m later.

One of the most impressive site of the region is the famous Piedra del PeƱol, a strange rock formation, that formed along the Antioquia Rock Base, 70 million years ago. It now became a big tourist attraction, and you can climb at its summit to view the lake from above. This lake isn’t natural, it’s a reservoir that was created for a hydroelectric dam built in the 1970s.

In Antioquia every meter of land is private. Either to grow fruits or vegetable, or to raise cows, which makes it really hard for us to find bivouac spot at night. So we ask farmers if we can put the tent or the tent, or connect with Colombians cyclists through the website warmshower and meet incredible people.

Weather is changing during the “dry season” in this region

Steep descent and menacing sky over the village

Never look back ! ( except when you hear a bus coming… )


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