Cycling adventures around Burgos

Perhaps one might think that Northern Central Spain has less to offer than the coastal regions - this is not the case and I can recommend the area. It is great for its scenic and historical qualities, the quality of the roads and the ease of cycling along quiet lanes and, even in the city where a cycle path follows the river to leave the city in either of two directions. Burgos is in the area of Castilla Leon and is situated on a high plateau. Thus it can be chilly even in summer. There is a local joke about the man from Burgos who went to a nudist camp but always carried a coat just in case!

I was in Spain for about 3 weeks and I managed to fit in a visit to Madrid and met up with friends there over 3 days before moving on to Burgos. This was for my second experience of Vaughantown. This is an immersion English course for Spanish speakers. Their English speaking counterparts or 'Anglos' receive 6 days of 4 star accommodation, food and wine in exchange for talking exclusively in English to a lively group of Spanish speakers, mainly corporate employees. They are improving their English speaking skills through intensive conversation. I reserved the subsequent 5 days for cycling around Burgos and getting to know the Cantabrian countryside.

As luck would have it a cycling group, Cycling-Centuries, an American company passed through the hotel en route with a group of Australians undertaking the Camino de Santiago. They had some spare bikes on board the support vehicle and rented me a pretty good hybrid with aluminum frame, carbon forks and mainly Shimano parts. I also managed a cheap deal with the hotel where I was staying. I can recommend it, a Hilton, Palicio de la Merced

Burgos is a historic city of some 200,000 people. It has a very well known Gothic cathedral and is situated on the Camino de Santigo, thus attracting many Peregrinos and other tourist.

My first day of cycling created some problems. A river runs through the city centre and there is about 5 miles of cycle path by it stretching each West and East to the city limits. Along one part of the path it gave way to an unexpected curb and I came off the bike suffering 4 significant abrasions. By luck there was a first a first aid station by a children's park so, like the children, I put on a brave face, wiped my tears and I was able to receive excellent treatment almost immediately. Riding out of the city a cyclist passed and waved as he went by so I caught on the back of his wheel and he showed me a good circular route out of the City. He was pretty fast but willing to pull me along and shield me from the wind. Rodrigo was a member of the local cycling club and he told me about some races over the weekend. His cycle club is phenomenal by UK standards, situated in a bar called the Burgos Cycle Club it comprises a very large room set out with photos and trophies. That weekend the club had sponsored 2 races at semi-professional level with some local teams and prizes of around £100 for the winners. I watched the start of the first race. There were a disappointing 50 starters considering the escort of 7 motorcycles and 4 or 5 support cars. The motor cyclist shown is in fact Rodrigo!

Cycling around Burgos is demanding. In one direction there are fairly steep climbs while in the other there are long drags. The wind is a constant and strong feature and one is reminded of it by the many wind generators. Spain is further ahead of other European countries in renewable energy but for cyclists these structures usually signify a demanding climb up to a ridge and a fierce chilling wind.

Mostly rides can be punctuated by rests in small villages where there is often a running tap of clean and cool fresh water. There is usually a cafe and opportunities to buy coffee, tapas and other drinks. At one such stop I managed to ride off leaving behind my camera, driving license, money and phone. Realising my mistake after some 15 km so I turned back. After 10 km I was flagged down by the Civil Guard in a squad car! They had been out looking for me to return my possessions after an elderly man who I befriended at lunch reported my error – I was so relieved that I collectively forgave the Civil Guard their history of support for the Franco dictatorship and set off agan to complete my ride. The extra miles gave me a 90 mile day and I was pretty tired at the end.

Cycling in the area is very agreeable; cars pass by carefully and give as much room as possible. On the main roads there is usually a metre wide margin for cyclists and there are plenty of other cyclists at the weekend, always offering a friendly wave. Over the 5 days I covered about 350 miles usually at an average of about 15.5mph which wasn't too bad considering some meandering exploration of villages and the cycle path which was always busy with other cyclists on their way to andd from the town centre. I enjoyed some beautiful scenery, views of lakes, mountains and the expansive sierra. I saw many animals including a stoat, lizards, a snake and butterflies. Bird life included birds of prey circling above reminding me to drink more water in the dry heat of midday.

In all this area offered some great cycling and is well worth a visit. Afterwards I rented a car and headed off for Oviedo in the Asturias, another great part of Spain. We stayed at Hotel de la Reconquista which has 5 stars and is worth every one of them!

There will be a few more photos over at my flickr site and i have added some relevant links to my blog page.

I am happy if you leave a comment

Qhapaq Ñan, The Grand Route of the Andes

I recently attended a great talk and screening of a very personal journey by Megan Son and Laurent Granier. This posting is a bit of a crib form their website which you can find here

The route is huge and comprises a stone paving up to 20 meters wide, steps climbing heights of over 4500m, walkways over water and suspension bridges. Runners, chasquis, carrying messages on knotted strings called quipus ran in relay from one end of the Inca empire to the other, some 6000 kilometeres.

This royal road joined the cities of Quito, Ecuador to the north and Santiago, Chile in the south permitting the Inca to control his Empire and to send troops as needed from the capital, Cusco. Along the route were warehouses, relay stations, llama corrals, living quarters and military posts spaced intermittently of varying sizes and grandeur.

Much of this route stood at an altitude between 3500 and 5000 meters and with sections reaching 20 meters in width, it connected populated areas, administrative centers, agricultural and mining zones as well as ceremonial centers.

The Qhapaq Ñan unified this immense empire through a well organized political system of power. Today, it has the potential to strengthen the bond between the different peoples of the Andes, who share a longstanding common culture.


Megan and Laurent have have travelled for more than five years together on historic routes utilizing traditional modes of transportation.

Their adventure was of immense proportion and at times dangerous. They have written a beutiful book which is currently in French only but hopefully they will have it translated. In the future they hope that the route will become UNESCO protected and safeguard the habitats and lives of those that live near it.

At the moment I am planning next year's visit to Cajamarca which lies along the route so hope to walk some of it myself.

I have been trying to maintain some contact with Peruvians and other South Americans and have recently begun volunteering with a project called Latin American Disabled Peoples Project.(LADPP) This is based in Kennington, South london and you can see a link to it on the right of this posting. Hopefully I will be helping them put together a summer programme for children and young people. We recently all went to the Natural history museum and the children enjoyed a day of 'monsters'!

I am off to Spain next week, for a 3 week visit to Madrid, Burgos and Olviedo. I have put together an interesting programme of meeting up with buddies in Madrid, then a week doing immersion English with Spanish speakers in Burgos (Vaughantown), then 5 days cycle touring if I can rent a bike, and finally meeting up with my wife and staying a long weekend at a posh hotel in Olviedo.

Other than that I have been searching out contacts in Cajamarca and have made 1 friend on Skype but a nice lady at the Peruvian Embassy is helping me as well - more of this anon.

Finding Peru in London

My last and most recent Peruvian outing was to the Embassy where I enjoyed a talk by Professor Juan Ossio on Peru's most famous chronicler, Guaman Poma de Ayala. His chronical is remarkable in many ways: it melds writing and fine line drawings in a huge volume that seems to explain and explore the relationships between the world of the Inca and the Conquistadores. Afterwards I was treated to Pisco Sours and Peruvian canapes and chatted to some of the other guests. I met a nice man who comes from Cajamarca which is one of the places I hope to visit in the future.

So, in conclusion, you can certainly find El Peru alive and well in London so Arriba Perú

My next outing was to go clubbing in Shoreditch and see an Afro-peruvian group called Novalima. I was at the Cargo club which is very atmospheric and has bars, resuarant and a space for gigs. Drinks wern't too expensive and there was a nice mixed crowd of Engish and Latinos. The group ir very percussive and worth a listen and you can ceck them out on Myspace



Surprising as it may seem one can enjoy Peru in London by engaging in some of its cultural events and occasionally meeting Peruvians.

The other week I enjoyed seeing the film Tinta Roja' (2000) by Francisco Lombardi The story evolves around Alfonso who signs on at a seedy tabloid newspaper, where he is assigned the police round. His initial horror at his colleagues' practices, both professional and personal, diminishes as he discovers their endearing and even admirable qualities. He develops a fondness for his boss which gradually blinds him to the squalor and amorality of tabloid journalism, until events provide a rude reminder.

This film gives you an insight of the real world and journalism in Lima, Peru. The actors are all great in their own ways especially Giovanni Ciccia who plays the lead character of Alfonso. He plays a sensitive young journalist turning more like his boss, Faundez, played by Gianfranco Brero. It is a comic yet tragic film and its setting in Lima brought back many memeories of the bustling city.

Visit to Pachacarmac and signing out from Lima

My last few days involved flying from Tarapoto and from their finding my Hotel in the bohemian district of Baranco, Lima. I had elected to stay in a reasonably plush hotel and even had the benefits of a jacuzzi. The flight to Tarapoto was slighly delayed but we had the benefit of some wonderful cloud formations.

Baranco comprises more than I had time to visit but it has some fine and grand older residences, some bars, discos and plenty of restaurants. The area has bags of character and some fantastic views of the Pacific Ocean. You can just about walk from here to Miraflores, and the higher coastal route takes in some very expensive ocean-view apartment blocks. Muchachas (female help for the rich) walk their owner's dogs and entertain their children on the grassy embankments; the cosntrast between rich and poor in Perú are nowhere more obvious than here.

My evening meal in a Baranco restuarant was very tasty. I ordered mixed seafood anticuchos. Generally these consist of small pieces of grilled skewered meat. The meat may be marinated in vinegar and spices (such as cumin, aji pepper and garlic), and while anticuchos can be made of any type of meat, the most popular are made of beef heart (anticuchos de corazon). Anyway, mine were sea bass, octopus and prawns and really good.

The next day I visited Pachamarca. This first entailed a bus to Surco, then another on to the ruins, about an hour in all. Surco is a middle class enclave with lots of large consumer outlets and fast food places. It has a small but quite entertaining park with pedalos and an original narrow gauge railway, Tren del Parque de la Amistad, Surco- Lima. It is well kept and there is an arts comlex where I noticed children practising the famous Marinera dance. If you have young children this park would offer an entertaining respite form more well known tourists attractions.

Pachacarmac is a very extensive Pre-Inca and Inca ruin. I have provided a link to an archaeological project that gives some sense of it. There is a great museum and you can walk or drive to the various parts of the ruins. The scale is impressive offering an idea of the kind of society that existed here before the conquest. I hired a guide. Top tip for language learners is $6 spent on a guide to talk to you in Spanish is a pretty cheap conversation and listening opportunity.

I am afraid that the remainder of my stay in Lima was fairly frivolous. In the evening I met up with my friend Sergi who I had met in Tarapoto. He was bound for a 'hot' month in Brazil and even managed to pick up a girl in the bar where we were. In fact I opened the conversation with her and after some while left them to it. On the way home I was offered sex and drugs but declining both mentally terminated my Peruvian experience for this year.

The journey home to UK was long if uneventful and eventually I was pleased to be standing in the chilly night air of Heathrow Airport. I was collected, by my wife and daughter, Jennie. I was somewhat tired but pleased to be home after what has been an incredible 2 months in Northern Perú.

I doubt that I'll blog for a while now but will continue to write on any interesting London/Perú activities and trips to Spain; and occasionally completely off topic. I am always appreciative of comments and welcome followers here or on Twitter for which there is a link on the blog. I will also upload more photos to Flikr in the next dew days

Many thanks

Alan

Laguna Azul

About 1 1/2 hours from Taropoto, half by road and half by piste you reach the Laguna by crossing Rio Huallaga. The crossing is made by a ferry that carries 4 cars at most. It is an ingenious system powered by the current of the river. By pointing the bow of the ferry up river it gains momentum and is held to the track across by a cable suspended above. It is therefore a very environmentally friendly mode of transport.

The lake was in fact greenish brown but substantial, about 5 x 2 km and 35m deep. The package included a 45 minute launch trip with explanations of some of the essential but not very memorable fact, like who owned what dwellings on the shore. When we landed at a ecology centre on the shore we were able to relax in hammocks or swim before a lunch of comida tipica. I did both and then walked around watching a couple of guys fishing from a hollowed out canoe and checking out the wildlife, including a sloth who seemed friendly enough but had giant claws. There were several types of birds to watch and after a longish afternoon's relax we went to another wildlife centre and watched some playful and distinctive animals which I think they called kuni but I can't identify it on the internet.

This amounted to a pretty good day at a cost of $27 all in. I had the company of 3 others and our driver/guide and was picked up and delivered to my hotel.

Visit to PumaRinri

PumaRinri means the ears of a puma. Today PumaRinri is a lodge set overlooking Rio Huallaga in the sub-tropical selva about 30km drive from Tarapoto. When the river is low it reveals 2 rocks that resemble the cat's ears so hence its name. There are 7 bedrooms overlooking a spectacular view of the now swollen river. The lodges are constructed from local materials of bamboo and palm thatch and inside include all modern necessities including hot water. The view is spectacular and the sound of the river and wildlife provides great accompaniment to the visual scene.

I stayed in the lodge one night along with a Peruvian couple who were celebrating the Valentine's weekend and were in consequence non-communicative. No matter, we were well looked after by a team of 5 covering cleaning, cooking, maintenance and guide duties from Miguel and engaging and very helpful companion. Food was good and mainly cooked over a wood fired hob. The rest of the time was shared between bathing in the small dipping pools by the lodges, watching the wildlife and 2 local visits to waterfalls and some rapids.

Within a short while of being there I saw several different birds and later numerous moths, butterflies, lizards, frogs, a coupe of small monkeys and very large spider.
On the first day we went to the rapids which admittedly weren't that spectacular but included a walk along the river's edge to look at the fishing lodges. During the dry season when the river reduces in volume the fish swim up river and are caught in nets by the people that occupy these river dwellings.

At night the stars were fantastic and the sounds of the selva and the river were at their most prominent. Whilst the rooms were more or less bug-tight I did spend some time hunting down anything that I thought would cause me problems. I woke to a disappointingly cloudy dawn but the day picked up and after breakfast we visited some local waterfalls, Cataratas de Pucayacquillo within a 30 minute hike along a steepish jungle path. The falls were very nice, not spectacular in size but the setting was great and I was able to both bathe and shower.

Overall this was a very worthwhile and enjoyable excursion and easily organised via my hotel

Around Tarapoto

The weather has been somewhat changeable and we have had rain on and off the last few days. I have been ticking off my list of places to see around Tarapoto and the day before yesterday Marcelino took me to Lamas. He is 70 but quite fit and a real character, engaging in conversations with everyone and commenting on everything.
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We hopped a motor taxi to the place from where cars leave for the town of Lamas 14 miles northwest of Tarapoto. This visit was a little disappointing as it is advertised as founded in 1656 and one of the oldest towns in the Peruvian jungle. It is about 1000 metres high so somewhat fresher in climate and there are some good views from the top of the hill. There are 2 museums and the more modern one is quite interesting although don't expect the guides to speak any English. The new museum is well presented with quite a few artifacts connected to local customs and nature. Please don't go to the second, older museum. The guide smelt of alcohol, stumbled through a presentation. Most of the rooms comprised models of local people/life which were disintegrating with age and lack of care.

Walking around, and from observation, it wasn't totally clear how the town differed from others and, although the square had some models of people in local costume I only saw one old lady wearing anything like it. There were a couple of shops selling locally made jewelery and cotton goods and I bought a couple of items which were reasonably priced. Further into town we saw a castle being constructed, maybe as a hotel or house. It looked out of character with the rest of the town and nobody seemed to know why was being built; it seemingly belonged to an American.

The next morning it was raining again and I chatted with Sergi and Daniel who work for an NGO connected to the hotel. It is dedicated to Re-forestation projects and has funding from the Balearic Islands in Spain. Sergi is from Barcelona and is working on a marketing strategy whilst Daniel is on a University placement and knows about forests and trees. They invited me to visit a remote community with whom they are contracting services to plant 30 acres of new trees. The path which is a 2,400 feet climb to and altitude of almost 3,000 feet begins a Pumarinri, which is a of lodge owned by the hotel where I am staying. It is set in a stunning location by Rio Huallga.

We traveled the 30 or so Km in a van and the journey was difficult owing to the recent rain. I thought that a 4 wheel drive would be more suitable as we got stuck and had to push the van to get back onto a more even and less muddy surface. On arrival at the Lodge we were greeted by others and provided with a meal. I have decided to stay at the lodge for a couple of days so will write about it further in due course.

After lunch were Joined by Miguel a technical assistant and began our climb. It was steep and muddy and thus quite arduous, but the effort was well worth it owing to the excellent views of the river and mountains and the enjoyment of passing through the forest. In places one could see tracts of hillside where, after deforestation the quality of the soil had been exhausted by 2 seasons of crop growth and then left infertile. It was in places like this that the reforestation is planned.

On reaching the community we were warmly greeted by the villagers. It is a community of about 80 people called Nueva Lamas and their thatched dwellings were dispersed around the hillside. Unexpectedly they had arranged a meeting for our arrival and we gathered in a wooden hut where the the locals asked questions to satisfy themselves about the viability of the project and its benefits. It was quite a complicated discussion and we were offered chincha locally produced from maize with one bowl and a plastic bucket for all to share. The meeting was made more interesting by the occasional entry of tiny chicks, the pigs grunting outside and children playing; but by the conclusion all was well and Sergi and myself descended the mountain leaving the other 2 to progress the planting of seeds.

After showering we returned to the hotel in the dark – this was a brilliant and informative experience and although I ached a bit the following day a really memorable trip.