The day after our hike, we rented mountain bikes and proceeded to follow the directions given to visit the Ecce Homo Monastery. Well, afer an hour of literally pedaling uphill, a lady told us we were heading in the oppostite direction of our destination. Of course, I was laughing gleefully to myself because we had just gotten an awesome workout, but I don't think Becky was quite as happy. Heehee! (We stopped frequently after that to make sure we were on the right path, and everyone was extremely helpful.)
Along the thirteen-kilometer route, we stopped on the top of a very large hill (most of the route was at a steep incline) to walk around Pozos Azules, a scenic area with pine trees and artificial pools made torquoise by salt and minerals in the land.
The various colors and scent of the pine trees were well worth the layover.
For about five whole minutes, we sped down the road, reveling in the ease of just cruising on our bikes and trying not to think about the return journey. At the bottom, we dined at a roadside restaurant that served gigantic portions.
Upon reaching the monastery about an hour later, a moment of deja vu flashed at me: I had been to this place before with Kerri. For the life of me, I cannot recall how we arrived, but I am pretty sure I would've remembered if we had biked.
The Ecce Homo Monastery no longer functions as a convent, but is more of a museum. The tranquility of walking around and stretching our legs was more than welcome.
Amazingly enough, it only took us an hour (total trip: seven hours) to bike home, and that included some uphill walking. It had been a wonderful and challenging day spent outdoors. What better way to celebrate than to go out for dinner?
We met Cordula (the lady we met at the vineyard and later went to the observatory with) at La Arcadia Restaurant in the plaza where my pasta dinner hit the spot. The best part? Toasting with canelazos as our after-dinner drink. Canelazo: a hot drink with Aguardiente (Colombia's hard liquor), cinnamon and brown sugar water....all rimmed with sugar. Absolutely amazing!
So I see there are no bike lanes on the road. Were you nervous about getting hit by a car or all those buses that go by, or are the drivers on the lookout for bicyclists?
ReplyDeleteActually, there weren't many buses, and people seemed used to having bicyclists, horse riders, and ATVs on the road with them. It was very tranquilo.
DeleteI love that you get to eat just whatever you desire after all the working out. Win-win!
ReplyDelete