Coast to Coast in Spain, April 2022

So, not LJOG but maybe the Iberian equivalent. In this case an unsupported cycle ride, South to North, Malaga to Santander. I have been thinking about this ride since the beginning of the pandemic, perhaps realising that my usual trip to the Americas was a little ambitious. Having researched the route I found it was largely already well travelled, specifically from Sevilla to Santiago. It is one of the many pilgrim routes traversing the Iberian peninsular. The route, or Camino is also known as Via de la Plata and was originally a Roman way.  However, I adjusted and lengthened it with a leg from Malaga to Sevilla, a dog leg into Portugal, a detour North to Gijon and then a ride west to Santander for my ferry home.

Luckily a cycling guide book covering the main part of the route was published 2 weeks prior to my departure and daily plans were largely premised on that guide. (see below) It identifies on and off road routes and is purchased with links to with downloadable gpx files. 

I arrived in Malaga by air but with a ticket to leave a few weeks later by sea. Fortunately I had an old bike bag that had languished in my loft for 10 years. I disposed of on arrival by leaving it by the side the rubbish collection bins outside my Airbnb. I had worried unnecessarily about the transfer from the airport to my city Airbnb but arriving at 11.45 pm a waiting taxi driver dropped down his back seats for the large bag, charged me €20, refused a tip and safely saw me to the door. I returned home with Britanny Ferries from Santander, more costly than airfare but the service is excellent and you get some free food, a talk on marine conservation and time to decompress on this 29 hour crossing. I arrived punctually at Portsmouth at 8pm but leaving the ferry port by cycle is tricky and poorly signposted. I booked a £6.50 ticket to Clapham Junction and was safely home in Croydon by midnight. 

Generally I stayed in small hotels, pensiones or Airbnb, costing between €25 and €60 euros a night. None of these were booked more than 2 days in advance. The whole business of accommodation is worth thinking about. Camping doesn’t really suit me anymore; I’m not set up for it. I have tried albergues I am not up for communal sleeping and in any case they closed during the pandemic and many have yet to reopen. For me, booking ahead a day or 2 gave sufficient certainty and flexibility. There was one exception, Bejar in Castile and Leon which seemed like a pretty nice place but was fully booked over Semana Santa so I had to push on to Salamanca. Otherwise I was never disappointed. Except on one occasion I was allowed to keep my bike close at hand and only had to use a padlock in one location with a particularly strict pension owner who wouldn’t let me guard it in my bedroom.

Few of the rides were particularly difficult but there were some notable exceptions. I did miss my way towards Sevilla and had to take a taxi to get back on track; and, as mentioned above, Easter created accommodation problems meaning I needed to do 2 legs in one day into Salamanca. The ride over the Cantabrian mountains towards Oviedo was the most extreme and I hadn’t anticipated snow, sub zero temperatures and the windchill. Also from Gijon to Llanes I encountered a westerly storm with 40mph winds and constant rain over 60 miles.

The mix of trail and road offered by the guide book rides was pretty good. The guide gave advice on trails, difficult sections and boring stretches. The N630 road is also part of the route and a fairly constant companion. It is almost always empty of traffic since the nearby motorway takes the bulk of traffic; often it has a generous margin for cyclists and walkers. You can also navigate trails by plentiful camino signs with the familia clam shell or yellow arrows.  Occasionally the signpost route parallels a busy roads and alternative routes may offer a better experience if sometimes travelling a little further. Off the guided route I used Komoot and Wikiloc Apps. The former optimises for previously travelled routes and filters between off road, gravel, tour bike and road bike; you need to be careful since it sometimes selects unnecessary detours on steep ascents. To use Komoot in Spain you pay a one off price to give access to the world map, otherwise it is free. Wikiloc is an application favoured by Spanish travellers and is a ride repository by previous travellers, sometimes with photos and descriptions (in Spanish). Both of these apps Bluetooth routes directly from your mobile phone to a Garmin device. I used the Garmin Edge 1030 and since I depended on it so much I sometimes wondered if I should have brought a backup device or mount for my phone.

My bike is a steel all purpose job made in Colombia and assembled in the UK. It served me well but I had a few ongoing issues around transmission and saddle fixing; however, all problems were kept under control. It also has, and I love Di2 electronic shifting, but it was a faff charging it on such a long journey and I was suffering some accelerated battery drainage that kept me guessing as to whether I would have power. Otherwise no problems;  I had no punctures on my tubeless setup, even though I carried a pot of sealant for all those miles just in case. I also carried a wrench for removing the brake discs since I didn’t want to risk their damage in air transport. 

My luggage was very light with Apidura rear saddle bag, a half frame bag, handlebar stuff sack and top tube small bag. All worked pretty well although stuff sack proved not to be waterproof.

For clothing I had 2 sets of bibs and shirts, 1 each of leg warmers and arm warmers, some fairly impenetrable shoes, 3 jackets and a gillet, 2 x neck ruffs, 2 x socks and 3 pairs of gloves + 1 set of daywear including sandals. All were worn at some point at some point.

A great deal of Central Spain is at around 2500 feet so it can be quite chilly, and my highest mountain pass at 4500 feet was into driving snow that was settling on the roadside. Generally I faced a biting northerly wind except on the penultimate day when I was blown along by a 40 mph Westerly in driving rain.

The terrain and scenery was interesting and ever changing - mostly sandy gravel trails, sometimes rocky, rarely technical. Roads and trails stretch off into the distance with very little traffic. I saw almost no cycling tourist although there were a good number of friendly Spanish road cyclist on the weekends. On the Camino I would generally see 2 or 3 walkers / pilgrims every hour or so but sometimes fewer. The best views and scenery were up on the Dehesa a high pastoral plateau where the flowers were stunning in their seasonal display. The Meseta, equally high was more barren reminiscent of moorland and the Cantabria mountains were splendidly snow covered and craggy.

Visiting towns and cities was always a bit of a tension. I wanted to see something of their sights and study their history yet often I was too tired. My primary objective was  completing the journey in time to comfortably travel home so I mainly concentrated on noticing and enjoying the many sights along the way. Roman bridges were particularly prevalent plus a never ending supply of churches. Some of the areas seemed particularly worthy of revisiting particularly for a cycling holiday for example Bejar and Pola de Lena may be worthy of a return road cycling visit.

Emotionally I almost always felt motivated to ride each day although some of the farm trails were uninteresting and the extent of Spain’s farming industry is huge and to some extent disfiguring.

Feeding myself was always a priority and I preferred when I had access to cooking facilities. I usually made myself a sandwich to travel and ate cheap juice oranges. I treated it more as refuelling and in consequence lost about 4kg along the way.

Overall I would recommend this ride to any moderately experienced cyclist. It has lots to offer and felt very safe. You might easily chose to concentrate more on history or local food or spend longer exploring some of the many side trails.  Costs are fairly reasonable and in an emergency you will find the Spanish very kind and helpful. Traffic wise I had almost no problems; drivers were all too considerate. I covered just over 950 miles and felt a great sense of accomplishment particularly when I reached the Cantabrian sea.

“Buen camino” (as you will hear them say)

https://www.cicerone.co.uk/cycling-the-ruta-via-de-la-plata?utm_campaign=Extra0422&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter

Road Cycling Routes around Medellin, Colombia

Road Cycling Routes around Medellin, Colombia

There are several good road routes mostly with substantial climbs to exit the city although leaving it can be intimidating during rush hour and you are best to do it with locals or wait until Sunday when the roads are considerably quieter.

One of the few routes that begin with a descent goes North West and gradually drops down about 23 miles toward Barbosa - from here there are several good climbs: One climb just before Barbosa heads left and North towards Donna Matias. If however you carry on beyond Barbosa towards Molino Viejo you can turn right and head up towards Santo Domingo with a good climb that has a kick in the tail. Otherwise, travelling past Molino Viejo there is a left turn to a climb towards Gomez Plata or instead you can stay on the road and finish on the climb that gives you a good view of Cisnero; by this time you will have more than 100 miles round trip from Medellin.These are 'out and back' rides although on the return you can make a diversion through Giradot. Sunday is a good day to do these rides because there are road closures on the main route out of town and the traffic is less busy.

The signature climb out of Medellin is Las Palmas and you can see people riding it from 5am to 11pm. It leaves from the San Diego Centro Comercial which is easily accessible from El Poblado the main tourist residence. The other side of the summit drops down about half a mile to a great ranch style cafe where you may well rest and have and have a great breakfast – many cyclists just turn around here for an exhilarating 40mph 9 mile descent among the buses and trucks but take care as there are green plastic lane dividers to be avoided. Otherwise you can descend with a right turn down the Escobero climb but beware as it is very steep and brings you back to Envigado where there is a busy ride back to Medellin. That said, the climb up Escobero from Envigado is a real test with some 14% ramps and achieving it will earn you respect from local cyclist. Also from Envigado there is an even steeper route, La Catedral, climbing a quiet road to Pablo Escobar's prison and a small pretty church. From Las Palmas you may also carry on either to El Retiro which is the home and workshop of “Tinno” who makes custom built steel frame cycles of the same brand. He is Colombia's only remaining steel bike maker and welcomes your interest. Otherwise aim for La Ceja or on to La Union or even Mesopotamia for longer rides with fantastic countryside.

Another climb, Santa Elena leaves from the Buenos Aires area of Medellin, roughly around the new tram terminal. Once on the climb it is much quieter than Las Palmas ascent but just as steep; it goes east from the city and can either link to Auotopista via Santa Elena pueblo and Parque Arvi or carry on further towards the airport returning again on Auotopista via Guarne or circling back to Las Palmas. The return via Guarne reaches Alto de la Virgen before descending to a short tunnel and back to Medellin. This is also a popular climb out of the city and is less steep than Las Palmas; from it you can continue towards the airport and there are 2 possible routes that loop back to las Palmas, both of them lumpy on good and scenic roads – these rides are known collectively as El Oriente. You may also carry on past Guarne to some further gradual climbs past El Sanctuario.

There is only one climb to the west of the city and it is relatively short exiting at the back of Itagui and by way of San Antonio de Prado. The road is a bit sketchy in places and unmade beyond the summit where there are some good cafes and great views.

Finally you can leave the city by the South towards Caldas – there are 2 parallel routes and they arrive at a junction which goes straight on to Alto de Minas, or right to Las Minitas where it drops down towards some other great climbs. Many people stop and return from Alto de Las Minas but you can go on and down towards La Pintada with some great other options to the left and right. Returning from La Pintada is a tough long climb especially in the afternoon heat. Taking the Las Minitas turning after Caldas most cyclists will drop to the bottom of a long descent and perhaps on to Bolombolo where the river crosses, or you can take an earlier right on a shortish climb to Titiribi. From Bolombolo there there is a great climb to Concordia with great views of its white church across the hills. The ride home from here is long and hard so come prepared.

Within the city there are good training tracks; at the velodrome where they will usually let you on the track with a road bike or El Aeroparque located near the City airport is where there are early birds can be found training from 6am. There is another track at el Parque de los Voledores which is harder to locate and slightly longer and more lumpy circuit than el Aeroparque but generallywith fewer cyclists. Also some cyclists do training reps up Pueblito Paisa which is a tough short climb.

Otherwise there are weekly road closures on one of the main North South highways but you'll find a wide variation in cyclists as well as walkers and people on skates. Once a week there is a city friendly cycle event, 'Ciclovia' usually starting from Estadio and with a nice friendly vibe.

As you can see Medellin has much to offer road cyclists and there is also plenty to for mountain bike and BMX enthusiasts. Don't hesitate to ask me further questions and enjoy the ride.

Alan Malarkey

Over the Hills - Cycling in Medellin, Colombia

Over the Hills - Cycling in Medellin, Colombia

It must be the most cycling friendly city in South America. Medellin is situated at 1600 metres in a deep valley running North and South in the northern Andes and in the green and hilly department of Antioquia. It is surrounded on 3 sides by hills, some occupied by high rise luxury apartments but in greater part by the poorer 'barrios' such as Comuna 13 where once Pablo Escobar once meted out favours and rough justice. His reign was fuelled by the first Colombian multi-national, otherwise known as the drug cartel, Oficina de Envigado. Medellin was once dubbed the murder capital of South America and was fraught with drug gangs and political tensions between rebels and para-military. It is now much improved with a developing infrastructure and commerce, known as a city of innovation and an unparalleled cycling destination.

When asked, as I often am, what is the security like cycling in Colombia, I can truthfully report that it isn't or hasn't really been a problem. Cyclists here have reached a critical mass and are revered locally and nationally, probably only second to football; that said it is probably prudent to keep to the better known cycling routes that are generally populated by many fully Lycra-clad enthusiasts mostly with high end American bikes bought from the Brand shops of Specialized and Trek. You will see pro and semi-pro teams out on the hills and people of all ages. I usually cycle with friends, Los Marielas a groups of around 40 cyclists sponsored by a local school of beauty. For me at least there have been no incidents during nearly 6 month's on the roads and I would suggest that it is probably more dangerous to go night clubbing in the Zona Rosa Parque de Lleras than to go cycling in the hills.

The other voiced concern is about safety on the road given different traffic and driving conditions. I would describe cycling here as benignly challenging. The roads are generally in good condition and drivers bear no grudges, and unlike some UK motorists have few prejudices towards cyclist. However they drive fast and quite assertively and use their horns a lot. Motorbikes 'motos' are more of a problem and they sometimes make risky right turn departures from main roads cutting in front of the flow of traffic - this requires attention and defensive signalling to prevent their bad behaviour. On the plus side I have not had one shouting match with a driver and other cyclists are friendly and welcoming.

The overriding cycling experience in Medellin is one of hills. If you don't like climbing this isn't for you. There are 5 main exits from the city and all but one of them necessitates a climb of 9 miles, typically at an average of 6-8% but in one case, Escobero much steeper. The most popular ride is to Alto de Las Palmas, a well ridden route, for me a demanding 1hour 20 to the top. Just over the brow one is rewarded by one of the best local restaurants where breakfast is served from open wood fired grills on bare wooden tables hewn from huge tree trunks. I would usually have a modest pan de queso and cafe con leche, baked cheese rolls with milky coffee from a wood-burning oven but locals might opt for the Colombian equivalent of a full English breakfast called 'Bandeja Paisa' comprising meaty blood sausage, crispy belly of pork, egg and rice accompanied by agua panela a drink made from sugar cane.

As well as road cycling there is a lot of mountain biking, an accessible to all open air velodrome and a 1.5km cycle practice track, the latter comprising of daily training from 6am and weekly league races. Stunt cycling and BMX is also a speciality and the facilities for this are excellent. On Sunday mornings and Thursday evenings the city has road closures for cyclists opening 11 miles of highway and some inner-city roads to car free access for all.

It is clear that cycling is becoming evermore popular in a city that has been home of some of the defining stages of the South American tour circuit. Current local heroes include Rigoberto Uran of Sky and Mariana Pajon, world champion BMX. Back in the day it was Martin 'Conchise' Rodriguez who broke the Hour Record in Mexico in 1970 and was and accomplished stage racer.

Further afield from Medellin are some iconic rides and climbs, the longest climb of 90km La Linea dwarfs the great climbs of Europe and the punishing Las Letras, 28 km with some 14% sections, each ride taking you up to an oxygen starved 3000 meters plus. One can easily see why Quintana did so well in the tour and why Colombian cycling is in the ascendancy in more senses than one.

Cycling in Colombia is worthy of serious consideration – for the road and club cyclists seeking new challenges and with a head for heights and spirit of adventure it can be a demanding but rewarding cultural and sporting experience. As yet, as far as I know, there are no cycling holidays in Colombia but it can only be a matter of time. I'll be back in the country between and February and the end of April, avoiding the UK winter and on my bike - I would be happy to assist any lone travellers or groups that feel attracted to this excellent destination – It is so good I can't really keep it to myself can I?

Alan Malarkey, Addiscombe Cycling Club, malarkey@tiscali.co.uk

Bogotá

Bogotá was better than I thought it might be. Mostly it was made enjoyable by meeting up and sharing meals with some nice people. I am becoming more used to navigating Couchsurfers and before coming to Bogotá I had posted my interest in meeting people for language/cultural exchange.To be honest the couchsurfer website is mega clunky and I have been unable to become a 'verified member' not withstanding that I paid for this status - no one takes responsibility for sorting out problems and it feels like virtual anarchy. Well anyway, I now have several good notes on my profile and in the end I received 4 offers for meetups but only had time to meet up with Myriam an  HR manager at a university department offering degrees for doctors and musicians. As a  cyclist and salsa fan, so she seemed like a good bet for a nice conversation. She was very kind in picking me up from the hotel in her car and we went to the unimaginetavely named Zona G which is mostly bars and restaurants where we had a nice dinner of pasta and later checked out a salsa venue, Bar Cubano  but it was pretty empty so we had one dance and left it at that. 

During the day I headed for the Candalaria district in the old part of central Bogota. Basically it comprises a mixture of well maintained and refurbished colonial buildings and others less tidy or in the process of gentrification. There are some nice looking restaurants and coffee bars and the area sits alongside the main State buildings, Presidential Palace and Plaza Bolivar the seat of Colombia's independence. It all has a relaxed feel and the area contains a number of universities and therefore a many young people hanging out between lectures. I walked up through the pretty gardens of one University to get a good view of the city. I was surprised by how quickly the cityscape gives way to small holdings and farms stretching up and beyond the its limits.

The next day I made visiting the national museum the main focus. It was rather disappointing and apart from its setting, an old prison it seemed poorly archived and failed to tell a coherent historical story of Colombia's development. That evening I met up with Ana who had been a member of the Croydon-Spanish group. She took me to a nice part of town and we had a Cauca Valley style meal, a sort of pizza but on a base of Platano

Probably I didn't do Bogota justice - I noticed some quite cool areas and felt that it would be a city worth exploring further - maybe I'll spend a few more days there when I leave.

.

Medellin - getting there again

Don't you love travelling? On balance I love it but there are some minor annoyances like the man sitting at the next table at Pret a Manger in Madrid airport, sipping San Miguel whilst playing loudly local news on his portable radio. 

Erring on the side of caution I arrived somewhat early at Heathrow airport. Have you noticed the flawed advice to arrive at least 3 hours prior to international flights but bag drop-off only commences 2 hours before at 5 am. I had a pretty clear taxi run to the airport, the M25 as one might hopefully imagine it. my driver, a Romanian from Transylvania offered me a lesson in Balkan history and Dacian culture and then complained that his profession is unregulated with his cab company owner/boss selling unlimited £200/week contracts to drivers willing to work unspecified hours - no onerous EU regulation or lack of business freedom there then.

Ah well, finding a perch I zoned out and fiddled with modern challenges like pairing my iPhone and Mini iPad and settling to listen to a podcast of the sexiest voice on radio, Kirsty Young interviewing Aung San Suu Kyii on Desert Island Disc. The music selection was uninspired but the resilience of her subject was impressive.

Anyway, I manage to sleep for an hour on an uneventful journey to Madrid. On disembarking passengers were divided and I left with the back exit cohort feeling sorry for an elderly South American grandmother who couldn't work out the ebb and flow and was patiently tolerated by most but scolded by her husband. Once off the plane we boarded a bendy bus, no doubt donated by the London mayor and we skirted the runways with unnecessary urgency fighting centrifugal forces to remain upright. 

Paying €7 for coffee and orange juice staved my hunger until we boarded our Iberia flight. It was so sparsely populated that I am unsurprised that the ex national carrier is the loss making component of BA. At the last minute we were joined by 2 police escorted Colombians presumably being repatriated and who were sat at the back of the plane where I suppose there is little chance of them mounting a realistic challenge to land elsewhere. Lunch was served, overly salty moussaka with 37cl of 14% Tempranillo - this is the Iberia way of applying sufficient tranquilliser to guarantee a quiet ship until dinner - so compliantly I submitted to siesta - when in Rome (or in this case mid Atlantic) .........

Arriving on time we disembarked and went quickly and without problem through customs and immigration. I west to the cash machine then caught a cab to the hotel about 20 minutes away.  I tried to stave off sleep for a while but succumbed around 9 and slept through until 4am waking with a travel and altitude headache but ready to explore.

Capurgana

Day 1

I have been lucky so far – no health problems to speak of but following my trip to Cali I have caught my teacher's cold. Worse, I have a nagging cough and visits to successive chemists seemed to have yielded opposite ends of the spectrum – herbal remedies or self administered injections. I really need an decongestant because the flight to Capurgana turned me deaf and created real pain.

Otherwise it was an uneventful and fun flight. The girl climbing aboard ahead of me sported and inflated tyre-tube to cushion her recently enhance bum and she smiled at me slightly sheepishly. 

benefits of surgery

The landing was more abrupt than I expected and onto no more than a gravel embedded dirt runway.

Sea Otter 15 seater

 Two soldiers failed to greet us with any enthusiasm but scrutinised our documentation noting it slowly and meticulously in a book. I was left aside until last and asked where I was from and how long I would be staying, the former a bit oddly since he had my passport I his hand – maybe a trick question? There is actually quite a lot of army presence here and later I noticed a small bivouac encampment under the trees where automatic rifles had been left carelessly unattended – then I came across two soldiers sharing a joint. Generally the soldiers are young, quiet and amble around in small groups and look pretty unmenacing – but they do go out into the jungle on night patrol and can be seen returning purposefully with full kit in the morning.

ready for action?

I was met by Juan Andres and we walked to the hotel where I was greeted with a cold drink. Capurganar has no cars or trucks and is peaceful except for the occasional motorbike – other forms of transport are walk, bike and horse. I actually think I may be the only guest! - no there are two others but they only stayed one night – it is the 'low season' they explained – this is not entirely bad because I feel I need to be in clinical isolation. Tacacuna Lodge is located alongside what passes for the village green and was the first holiday hotel here established 35 years ago. This is both good and bad – it has now been superseded by some more upmarket competitors nearer the beach but it seems to be an accepted part of the fabric of the place. By contrast to Medallin where locals are inquisitive about foreigners here people treat me with polite indifference – which is fine.

Following a power nap in the hammock on my cabin terrace I dined on a too salty lunch of soup and fried fish and then headed off to explore. Turning right at the Caribbean sea I headed away from Panama and I enjoyed a scenic walk along the coast until I could go no further, saw leaf-cutting ants, lizards crabs and fish in pools and I took some snaps of the views.

leaf cutting ants

Returning to the village – it really needs a deep clean and make over. There are plenty of good parts but also piles of rubble, glass in the park and just untidiness. After a throat soothing ice cream I enjoyed a dip in blood warm sea and happily bobbed and floated to adjacent sounds of bachata and regaton from a nearby cafe.

Day 2

OK, so it is nearly 7pm in the evening and the electricity has knocked out for the third time. I have used plenty of repellent but I think I'm being bitten anyway. Last night was not the best - I slept fitfully and surfaced a 5.30am. Bouts of uncontrollable coughing are sapping at my motivation to do stuff but after breakfast I bought £10 worth of decent medicine and resolved to get on with the day.

Taking my face mask and video camera I headed to the beach and was pleasantly surprised at the number of small fish I could see even quite close to the shore. I played Jacques Cousteau for more than an hour and then tried filming the fish since I had recently realized that my cycling video camera is actually waterproof. This worked out quite well but I tired quickly and headed back for the sanctuary of my hammock.

In the afternoon I walked the coat in the other direction and after a couple of miles came across a wacky house mostly fabricated from driftwood where the owner offered reasonably priced coffee or lemonade, a quiet place to sit and access to a cool fresh water pool. It was worth the walk.

The combined effects of illness and medicine zapped me completely and the rest of the afternoon was spent suspended from 2 posts on my porch, swaying gently in the non existent breeze I resumed the prone state after dinner and that was that.

Days 3 and 4

In the morning I took the launch to Sapzurro, a smaller prettier town set in a bay and about 20 minutes away. From there you can head for La Miel which is in Panama. It is about a 2 mile walk climbing steps to cross the frontier at the top – It is guarded by the Panamanians and they simply take note of your passport details – crossing back isn't a problem. La Miel has a good number of soldiers, probably as many as the towns people which number about 150. There is a small primary school but older children of whom I saw 5 cross the border to school Colombia each day. I would love to see their admissions policy!

La Miel has very nice beaches with white sand I shared a quite large bay with only maybe 5 others eventually returning to Sapzurro where I had hoped for a pizza lunch but due to power cuts settled for el Menu which was surprisingly a nice curry.

FISHY VIDEO

Sabzurro

La Miel

For my last day I resolved to take the line of least resistance and just hung out at the hotel and on the beach returning Friday morning on a plane somewhat delayed by a storm. Overall it would have been a great trip but I just wasn't in a good shape to enjoy it succumbing to illness, heat and humidity.

A few days in Cali, city of salsa

It was super convenient leaving Medellin for Cali I by way of Juan Pablo II airport. It is close to my apartment - indeed planes fly over it with alarming proximity. My Dornier 328 left promptly and the flight of 45 minutes passed uneventfully.

Arriving at Cali I quickly found shuttle the bus to the bus terminal and then caught a taxi to Hostel Jovita in the bohemian district of San Antonio. The Hostel, themed for salsa and yoga offers free group classes in both, private dance lessons with about 4 different instructors and cycling tours. Perfect! My room, in close by and quiet annex offered me en suite simple accommodation at only £12 a night.

San Antonio looks as if it was the older part of town and seems to be undergoing some regeneration as a fashionably gentrified zone, mainly residential but increasingly focused on the chic restaurants, coffee bars and boutique hotels. There is a nearby park, a few galleries, the usual corner shops. The climate in Cali is such that you can take a few beers and empanadas on the street or eat al fresco on the veranda of small cafes in the balmy evening air.

San Antonio

I have tried group salsa and Yoga and have enjoyed my first Salsa Caleña lesson with Francy a lively and fun teacher who I also found on the Cali Couch-surfers forum. She is very detailed in her expectations pulling all sorts of faces at my native English lack of rhythm and style but a good partner and a fantastic dancer. So I've booked a block of 5 lessons.

Francy, dance teacher

By the second evening all was well with my classes and in the evening I knocked back a couple of beers, the flavourful dark Apóstol Blocs, in a super chilled and lovely bar called Toasky.

I began my third day in Cali with a city cycle tour with Carlos who runs a small tour business from Jovita's hostal. In truth I'm not sure there is a great deal to see in Cali. It is a little grimy, quit busy with traffic. Carlos pointed out various discos - there are loads but only a few dedicated to salsa. There are a few green parts and a nice park by the river with statues of cats themed on real women, the girlfriends of a grand Tom sitting imperiously above his harem.

City cycle tour

park of cats

The rest of my short break passed pretty well. Francy continued to insist on perfection which I was unable to muster and for the evening group session the male instructor schooled us in crossover styles with big movements and lots of arm and body waving. I probably need to work on suspending my inhibitions!

Later I had an overpriced salad and too sweet chocolate cake in a trendy cafe but the next day a nice crepes breakfast back in Toask cafe which I found out is also a B@B. Later I visited Ceramics el Palmomar a wonderful ceramics shop, cafe and garden that is really beautiful and definitely worth a visit. I bought some nice souvenirs and I hope they will survive my journey home.

garden of ceramics

I continued to consolidate my salsa culminating in a group outing to Tin Tin Deo a lively and fun salsa club with reasonable space in which to dance. Francy danced with me a couple of times making me look better than I really am and I performed adequately with other partners - following a few beers and a margarita all I felt well into it and the club atmosphere was really great and there were some talented and fast dancers. But then the club unexpectedly closed at 1am - most of the rest went on to another club but I folded and shared a taxi back to the Hostal with 3 others.

The next morning, nursing a slight headache I decided to walk up the local big hill. It sports 3 large crosses and an assortment of aerials. 

Even at 8.30 it was getting uncomfortably hot - I trusted to luck that I would be able to buy a drink en route but it was half way up before the first walker's rest where an enterprising man had set up shop with a cold box of gatorade other drinks and fresh fruit. The climb up isn't very pretty but the views are ok and there was a police presence to add to the feeling of security for the morning walkers. Although never dangerous the climb is somewhat arduous with some scrambling over rocks. At the top there is a small police station, more vendors and a group of mainly young and buff men working out on weights and benches provided for public use. 

View of Cali from hill of 3 crosses

The descent was quite straightforward and I arrived back for a late breakfast and a snooze before checking out in time for my flight back to Medellin