Donkey Sunrise to City Lights

Days 39 Pines 2 Patagonia log

“Donkey Sunrise” on Valle del Cauca, Colombia

To

Pasto, Colombia

We got up early and were on the road by 7:30. That doesn’t happen very often but we knew it was going to be a long day.

We had read a report on a South America Riders forum that stated a pair of Canadian riders had a run in with the local cartel so we adjusted our route to ensure that didn’t happen to us.

It was a work day to say the least. The P2P crew and Roberto put the hammer down and clicked off 326 miles in just over 7-hours. Now that may not sound like a lot, but the roads we were riding extremely curvy and filled with commercial traffic.

The landscape changed quite dramatically as we climbed and descended a dozen times weaving our way across the most amazing Colombian countryside. The tenacity of the farmers in this region is unmatched. They farm every useable inch of land regardless of how steep it is. Even more mind blowing is that no machines could do it. It is all done by hand.

We stopped a few times for food, water and maybe an adult beverage or 2 but kept rolling and making progress South.

Our lofty goal that morning was Pasto, Colombia. We all knew that was going to be tough but it would help the next leg dramatically if we made it. With a few minutes to spare before dark, we came around a high mountain corner and saw the glistening lights of Pasto below. What a beautiful and rewarding sight after some hard riding.

We got checked into our hotel with very secure underground parking and after getting washed up headed out for a bite to eat. Again we were greeted by lots of fried chicken, pizza and a new twist, Hookers. Lots of Hookers.

We all opted for a burger and passed on the hookers heading back to our rooms for the night. It had been a blue ribbon day of riding through Colombia and we had to rest. We have a border crossing tomorrow and word on the street is it will be interesting.