Bike Tour La Calera

We met these newlyweds, Colombian Lisandro and his American-Cypriot wife Daniela, on one of the tours organised by Internations in February. Since we met, we have been keeping contact and hanging out on a weekly basis. In many ways, they're very much like minded; outdoorsy and sporty but like also the occational night out.

Lisandro is an enthusiastic mountain biker, so it was only a matter of time that also we start going on off-road bike tours with them. Lukas tried out the new bike with Lisandro already earlier, but last Sunday was the first time for me. It was my second time so far - once before, last summer in Austria I did mountain biking.

Made by Lisandro Benavides

So Daniela, Lukas and I cycled up the paved road to La Calera, where was our first pit stop. The Colombian roads are generally steep: there is no beginner's level, just straight to advanced.

Fueling up with breakfast!

This is yellow arepa, a typical Colombian substitute for bread. I would describe it as slightly bigger, thicker and softer nacho. There are pretty much all the colours of rainbow available, and many different kinds of toppings. Mine was served with avocado and cheese. Side dish: scrambled eggs with tomato and onion. Drink: hot chocolate.

Lukas opted for manlier breakfast, caldo de castillo. It is tasty, quite clear soup with chunks of meat and potatoes in it. After the breakfast, our journey continued. We were invited to a friend of Lisandro's, who had birthday. The plan was to make another off-road tour and afterwards go to Leonardo's for barbecue.

We drove up; Lukas cycled.

Casa de Leonardo.

At Leonardo's we got geared up again and headed for the second part of the trip - the harder part!

On the way we saw this gorgeous lady. I fell in love - she was beautiful and nice. I was joking to the guys that next time they'll go cycling I will come on horseback.

Stylish, eh? ;) Half marathon is a piece of cake in comparison to this! My bum was bruised and burning. Where's my lady saddle??

Yey, we reached the top! The view from the top reaches over whole Bogotá. Normally it would be a relief but this time... it was not all downhill from here on.

Made by Lisandro Benavides

Who designed hand brakes?? I want my old 3-gear Nopsa Boulevard with a lady saddle and leg brake back, please. :D



Back at the house! Now beer and barbecue.

It turned out to be a beautiful afternoon! After the lunch I had time to get to know the surroundings and concentrate on my passion, taking pictures.

Living in the countryside has definitely its sides. It's peaceful and calm; here you can recharge your batteries well.

Made by Lisandro Benavides