biker become backpacker

Around 350km southwest of Quito in Ecuador I decided to stop biking.

A truck driver was passing me and saw me struggling up a small hill. He actually stopped his truck some hundreds meter ahead, and was waiting for me because he wanted to know everything was ok. He probably saw my head almost on the bike steer/handlebars. Typically thing I do when I am tired.

He drove me to the next city, a nice man.

At that moment I decided to stop this journey from the bike seat.

My motivation has been very very low the last month of several reason. I have tried and tried to get my motivation back, but it getting almost worse.

I did this trip/journey just for myself, so when I lost my motivation I don´t see any point to continue. Is just wasted of time and money.

7616,1 km from San Francisco to Quito in Ecuador is enough.

I will now be a backpacker and visit some friends from Lima and La Paz, and some Norwegians in Santiago and Buenos Aires, before I take the plane back to Norway.

Bergans of Norway

Ecuador is amazing, the little I have seen so far. Ecuador has the biggest biodiversity per area in the world. Ecuador has 4 diverse and unique regions: the Amazon rain forest, the highland Andes, the coast and the Galapogos Archipelago. So far I have been in the highlands and I will bike to the coast. I also want to go to Galapogos islands, but I don´t have money or time for that.

Right now I am in Quito, a very nice and special city. The elevation of the city is 2800 meter, making the city second highest capitol in the world after La Paz in Bolivia.

I was just passing this bicycle clothes shop and stopped to buy a bike rain-jacket. After discussing the price I surprisingly saw this lady had a Bergans of Norway jacket. I asked her where she has bought that, because is not normal to get this brand outside Europe. Then she said she was a Norwegian and had bought it in Norway. Then I really got surprised. And of course I also said I was from Norway and wear a Bergans of Norway jacket that day too. After that we had a good and long chat. To make the story short, she is from Ecuador but married to a Norwegian man. She is a artist, a painter, but also have this bicycle clothes shop. Good and cheap clothes for biking and training. She invited me to her home in Quito, so I will stay there some days from today. Then she will leave to Norway and to her husband on 23th of December. Then I will continue to hang and celebrate the christmas with her Norwegian son (will soon move back to Norway, and also have Ecuador passport) and with his father and his family here in Quito. Really looking forward to that. Much better than to be alone in a cheap ugly hotel room. I will blog some pictures of Quito and Ecuador later, when I get a faster internet.Until then, stay blessed and feliz Navidad y próspero año nuevo!!!!!!!!!!

transportation

trucks with 4 cargos with sugarcane, shoppingwagon and a horse.

food vendor sellers

it´s lot of them and they sell differents things like grilled meat on a stick, corn, fruits, cocnuts, self-made chips and pasteries.

so good!

the bridge

In Pereira, Colombia

Walking

I met this man when I was biking uphill. He was walking from Manizales to Cali, about 250 km. I don´t know how long that take, but for me it took 2 days to bike. He said he couldn´t take the bus, because he didn´t have money. I felt sorry for him so I gave him bottle of water, bottle of coca cola, bag of food from the bakery and sunglasses I don´t use. I normally never give money to people, because I don´t know they will use the money on the things they should use it on. So I feel better to give food, drinks or something else they need.

hilly, hard to bike, but also beautiful

Colombia has lot of mountains (it will be worse, the Andes is waiting for me). The landscape is beautiful.

To bad, but Colombia have had lot of heavy rainfalls and it still rain a lot. So many people have lost their homes and people have also died.

I have seen some homes that has been destroyed by the water.

Mainstreet view

This is from a veranda from a bad hotel (without a sink and a dirty bed) along the a main road through a small village.

People of Colombia

Colombian people are most friendly, helpful, nice and smiling people I have met so far on my trip.

I have got free help for my bike, good discount on hotels and free fruits and drinks.

Centro historico, Cartagena

The most beautiful "centro historico" I have seen so far on this trip. I really recommend everyone who are in Colombia travel to this city.

In 1984, Cartagena's colonial walled city and fortress were designated in UNESCO World Heritage Site.

El Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, Cartagena

Oldest part is from 1536

A nice man

This is on the airport, waiting for the worse check-in ever (read the blog under). The man in the middle bought me something to drink and a hot dog, a very nice and cool person.

6535,4

Is the km I have biked so far, from San Francisco to Panama City.

The trip almost stopped at the airport in Panama. I went early to the airport to be one of the first in the line, because I had a bad feeling something would happen. And I got right. When I checked in, the lady behind the check-in desk told me that the flight company has a policy not to carry big things and packages from 1. December to 1. January. I didn´t know that and the date was 2. December. So she (she was the manager/boss) told me it was impossible to bring my bicycle with me. I tried to explain my bike trip and convince her to take my bike in a nice way. But she still said it was impossible. Then I started to beg and asked it was possible to broke the rules just one time and if she could call her boss, but she still said no. We discussed maybe in 15-20 minutes. Then I went out of the check-in and started to think what I should do now. There I talked to security guard of the air company and explain the situation. He understood me, so I asked him he could maybe convince the manager. But he said if the boss says no, it is impossible. So I was standing there and started to think I maybe just should stop my bike trip here in Panama. A new ticket would probably cost me 400-500 USD, plus 110-150 USD for the bicycle. To much money for me. But then I started to pray to God, after a while the manager came to me and said it was still impossible to bring my bike. When I was talking and tried to explain my situation, the security guard came to us and said something to her. I don`t know what he said, but after that she told me she would check out what she could do to bring the bike on board. But she could not promise me anything. So I was standing there and waited and waited and praying. After a while, she came back to me, and said they will take the bike on board. I was really happy then. Thanks God, He is good. Everything is possible with Him.

After some minutes, she told me that I couldn´t bring my luggage, I could only bring the bike, because the rules was just only one luggage per person . And I had 2 bike bags with me. Then I told her that I have to bring the bags with me, because I have so much equipment for the trip. She got almost angry at me, then she said that I could take a plastic around it and twist it together to a one item. But of course I have to find the plastic by myself and that very fast. Then I got even more stressed, I was looking for someone who could help me to find the plastic, but no one could help, it was middle of the night at 2 am. Then I started to find another way to fasten the two bags, I tried 2 different ways. She told me it was impossible to bring the bags like that. Then I asked her, it was possible to bring one of the bags. Surprisingly she said yes. So then, when I was very stressed, I have to find out what things I really needed and what I have to throw away. In one of the bags I had two extra tires that took much space, so I throw they away and some other small stuff. I actually got much more in my rucksack, but it was now heavy packed. Finally now was everything ok. But then, the one bike bag I should check-in, I have to bring with me on board she suddenly said. That was no problem, I was just glad that everything was now ok.

So then I went for the security check. I didn´t thought about that, but in my bike bag had 1 big knife, 1 leatherman, some tools for the bike, a bag full of strips, big bottle of anti mosquito, big bottle of aloe vera for after mosquito bite, pepperspray for protection, and in my rucksack I had my tent and my tent is made of the same material as parachutes.

So the security guards looked really strange at me when they was checking my belongings. They thought maybe I would hijacking the flight and fasten the passangers with the strips and then maybe jump out of the plain with my parachutes. But I explained them my bike trip, but they took all of my things except from the tent. But the things they took, I can buy new in Colombia, it´s no problem I think.

So what did I learn from this?

I got confirmed that God can do everything, and I will never fly with Spirit Airlines again.

But now I am in Colombia, in a city called Cartagena.

Tomorrow I will start the journey in South America.

Stay blessed!

Panama Canal

old vs. new in Panama

This picture is taken from Casco Viejo and in behind we can see the new modern buildings in Panama.

Casco Viejo

Built and settled in 1671 after the destruction of Panama Viejo (the original location of the City of Panama) by the privateer Henry Morgan, Casco Viejo de Panama (also known as Casco Antiguo and San Felipe) was constructed as a walled city on a peninsula 8 kilometers away from Panama Viejo to protect its settlers against future pirate attacks. Casco Antiguo was designated a World Heritage Site in 2003.

Skyscrapers

Some pictures of the city center and the skyscrapers in Panama.

Later when I am in Colombia I will blog some pictures of Casco Viejo and Panama Canal.

Street life in Panama City

My night at the 5 star hotel

In Panama, is a distance about 200km between two cities without no hotel/motel. I didn´t knew that before later that day. When the evening and the rain was coming, I didn´t know where to sleep, but I find this sales-stand along the road. So I just slept there. Actually I got better night than expected.

In Costa Rica and Panama it has rained every day, lot of rain. It is rain season, and because of that the biking getting more difficult.

To bad, the video is vertical, I will try to turn around later.

Some pictures as well.