Also during the stage San Gil-Barbosa I don't have to complain about interest, and although the image of Colombia is rather negative in many countries (including the Netherlands) I meet here the most nice and hospital people of my entire journey. One person gives me a rolled up banknote. In the evening in my hotel (which costed 7000 pesos = $ 5,=) I see it concerns a 10000 pesos banknote! The 137 km stage Tunja-Bogota, planned to cycle in 1½ day I cover in 1 day... by car! Son and mother of the family-hotel I spend the night in Tunja, a nice colonial town, appear to visit Bogota too and offer me to join their ride. With second thoughts I accept and 3 hours later (2 hours driving and 1 hour in the queue) I am dropped off at the address of my Servas-host Marie Cecilia Barrenche. It is very pleasant to stay once more with people and not in a hotel. Marie Cecilia appears to be very interested in the agricultural sector, especially in ecological agriculture. Together with (a) friend(s) she grows her own vegetables in an ecological way and also the chorizo (of rabbit-meat) appears natural and very good-tasting. She also introduces me to the unrefined sugar (very tasteful and e.g. used for preparing the agua panela, a popular local drink); and... now I also know what those strange brown bricks in the supermarkets are!

Although Bogota covers with a population of 7 a 8 million inhabitants an large area, the historic centre is rather compact. I visit several beautiful buildings, cathedrals, churches and also the two most important museums: the national museum and the gold-museum. One of the masterpieces of the gold-museum concerns a (of course golden) miniature-raft with ceremonial figures and the Chiboche-king (better known as El Dorado, the gilded man). The piece it seems proves that the El Dorado story is true and no fiction! Further I try a Bogotan specialty: ajiaco de pollo, which appears to be a luxury chicken-version (with creme) of the popular, filling sancoche (kind of stew with lots of yuca, papa, vegetables and meat) which is not unknown to me. Actually I had in mind to visit more museums and buildings in the centre of Bogota, but the Rivera-family, my second Servas-host in Bogota, advises me not to visit the centre on my second day in Bogota, because of the big demonstrations and possible irregularities which are expected that day. These demonstrations are the direct result of the murder on an important politician by the FARC. So I limit myself that day to a visit at the nearby (and therefor far out of the centre) situated internet-cafe, and on preparing my next stages.

The Rivera-family is (also to Dutch standards) wealthy family with a lady-housekeeper all day, who cooks, washes and cleans. I am not used to this situation. Usually, as a Servas-traveller, I am used to (or at least ask if I can possibly) do some little house-hold-work, but as these task are all done by the lady-housekeeper, there is little to help for me. Although the family is wealthy and lives in an nice, large house, they are very normal in fellowship and certainly no elitists. Son Mauricio (computer-programmer) and daughter Tita (architect) are very helpful during the preparations of my next stages and both are really very nice persons.

My first stage after Bogota leads me to Melgar, an uninteresting place, but very popular by Bogotans because of its' warm climate, and so very touristic. That night will be one I will remember for the rest of my life, as the thunderstorm of that night was really the most heavy one I ever experienced, and several times I hear and feel lightning striking very close to me. Although hardly slept I leave early the next morning, heading towards the Quindo-pass. In Colombia the Andes divides in two parts. After Pamplona I passed the eastern Cordillera at Berlin (at 3500 metres) and after Bogota follows the Quindo-pass (3150 metres and also called La Linea) over the western Cordillera. Although I divide the ascent in two parts, by spending the night at Cajamarca at an altitude of 1900 metres, again I have to walk a bit to reach the top. Perhaps the worse night before and the heavy ascend towards Cajamarca were together a little too much.

After I have reached the top, totally exhausted, I decide to spend the night in Armenia, a large city 40 km further on the road. These 40 km however I don't have to paddle as it is 40 km descending. The views near the Quindo-pass are excellent, but after a few kilometres it starts to rain heavily, and enjoying is replaced by being chilly and very carefully descending.

After Armenia I enter the next day the prospering, modern Cauca-valley, with Cali as industrial centre. The Cauca-valley has an excellent climate for agriculture and produces lots of sugar)cane), rice, coffee, cotton and meat. The prosperity appears in the form of the many beautiful houses on the many large haciendas and fincas (or are these financed with drugs-money?!). The valley is about 30 km width, 240 km long and... flat. So for two days I don't have to torture my legs. After places as Buga, Palmira and Santader however the ascending and descending start again while heading towards Popayan, where I take a day off to visit the city's rich history and to try several Colombian dishes/drinks. I try e.g. pandebone (delicious cheesebread), canastas de coco (cocos-pastry), tamales (in banana- or maize-leaves steamed maize-pie, available in different variations) and the drinks salpicon, kumas, milo and avela.

After Popayan follows first a day off descending, with a stay at Remolino, a small village on which existence (including hotel) I am pointed by some young militaries (with GPS-equipment, which they love to demonstrate to me). In Remolino I also make use of the possibilty to order a dish called bandeja antiqueno (also called bandeja paisa), which consists a small portions of Colombians' most typical food: pericos (scrambled eggs with tomato and onion), frijoles (beans), patacon (fried platano-cakes), fritado (fried prok), chorizo, fried platano (green banana) all together served with rice, potatoes and salad. Hereafter follows a day nothing seems to go well: the ascending is to heavy, you got soak-wet and your altimeter (which appeared not to be 100 % waterproof) doesn't function anymore (already since Armenia, but this day is the first day I am really missing this very functional cycle-computer). Although exhausted, wet, hungry, cold and desiring a hot shower it takes in Pasto about an hour before I am taking that shower. This because I am accosted by several people (because of Halloween the streets are crowded that evening) and all show interest in my cycle-adventure. All this takes a lot of time, and actually I prefer to cycle on towards my hotel (with the exception of that father and mother with costumed children who offer me a delicious, warm chorizo).

Although the stage does not contain less ascending, the next day everything goes very well, and I cycle, after an hour sightseeing in Pasto and having tried their specialty (arepa de choclo, a delicoious, warm arepa made of fresh ground corn), to the bordertown Ipiales. I pass the night in the closely situated pilgrimage-place Las Lajas, a town that completely is deserted after 8 o'clock. It is famous for its' beautiful, in gothic style, heavily ornamented cathedral and the many claimed miracles (after Lourdes it is number two in the world regarding this).

The next day I enter without problems Ecuador, with of course a new list of local dishes I would like to try. In San Gabriel however these specialties are not available, but I find out that pan dulce is equal to the Dutch 'eierkoek', which I like very much. And this for the price of only 10 dollar-cents I was already used to the cheap Colombian prices, but in Ecuador everything appears even to be more cheaper! For a meal you pay $ 2.50 maximum (but $ 1.00 is also possible, complete with soup and a drink) and for a hotelroom you pay $ 5.00 maximum.

The next day follows a very spectacular descent and luckily a more gradual ascent. In Otavalo, where I stay in a very nice hostel, I am able to cross off half of my dishes-to-try-list, and have I also the possibility to try the specially for Halloween prepared soup 'Champus' (sweet-sour with pinapple). It is mainly potato and maize what appears on the Ecuadorian menu, but in many variations. Especially the grinded and in maize- or banana leaf steamed maize (available in sweet or salty variation) I like very much (resp. humitas (maize leaves) and quibolitos (banana leaf called). Further are locor the papas (potato-cheese-soup), llapingachos (potato-chees-tortillas) and papa frita (fries) very popular with me and the Ecuadorians. Chaulafan appears to be what the Dutch call Nasi- a chinese fried-rice-dish) and tallarin is spaghetti (as well prepared in chinese or italian style).

Otavalo is famous for its' enormous artesania-market. The local Indian population wear their black hair long in a braid, mostly under a widly brimmed hat. They wear really beautiful clothes (white blouses, blue ponchos and black trousers or skirts). The market has expanded enormously through the years, and attracts now daily also many other Indian-groups from all over the country, each with their own colorful style of clothing. What also is very striking are the little children, which are always carried on the back in a kind of bag (which appears later to be a in a special way folded cloth).

Although not expected (there follows another spectacular descent and ascent) I reach Quito the next day. For this beautiful capital I reservate two days sightseeing. Two days which turn out to be rainy (excellent for the many museums, less excellent for sightseeing, but even more less excellent for cycling). It almost looks like planned, but when I mount my bike again after two days it stopped raining. Many kilometers however I don't make that day, as my stomach is rumbling heavily (probably tried to many specialties in Quito), and after 45 mainly flat kilometres I decide to stop in Machachi as soon as I see a place to spend the night. With $ 10.= a night it will be my most expensive night in Ecuador, but herefor I get a complete house with six beds and a stereo-installation. Between the available CD's I find a good album of Black Sabbath ('Sabbath Bloody Sabbath' to be specific) which I play with pleasure. Also the next stage to Ambato is unexpected flat, which is very pleasant with a stomach which is not completely recovered yet. From Ambato I cycle via Riobamba to Guamote for which it is again panting and puffing. The volcano Chimborazo (national symbol, appearing on flag and weapon, and 6310 metres high) shows itself for a few minutes, after which it hides again in the clouds.

Via the Altiplanos(+/- 3000 metres), to which only the clothing of the local, agricultural population gives any color, I continue my journey via Chunchi to Ingapirca, a small village close to Ecuadors most important Inca-ruin. This ruin is huge and very impressive. They think its function was, besides that of a temple, also a space-observation centre. from Ingapirca's ruin you also have a splendid view which reaches far into all directions. The road to Ingaprica was, because its' poor condition, very heavy. I expected such road for the branch-off leading to Ingapirca, but I didn't expect 50 km dirt track as part of the pan-american-highway before this branch off. There is also another reason why I will remember this particular day: that day I have been chased by a record number of dogs, sometimes even by 5 at once. Luckily works my Dazzer, a device that a sound produces that only dogs can hear and which scares them, 8 of the 10 times very well.

After Ingapirca the road is paved normally again and without problems I reach Cuenca, the third city of Ecuador (250000 inhabitants), and with many nice colonial buildings and a gigantic cathedral. After a day of rest cq. sightseeing I continue towards the coast, away from the mountainss, away from torturing my legs (when honest the past month was quite heavy!). The road leading towards the coast is in poor condition and it is very misty that day. Both make me descend a bit carefully, but with a descent of 2000 metres I still cover about 150 km that day, a distance I didn't cycle in South-America so far. I spend the night in Pasaje, which is surrounded by huge banana-plantations. The fun however lasts very short, as south of the equator blows a southern wind which is very strong along the coast. Wind is the most important enemy for cyclists, something I know very well, and at this moment also can experience. So no way relaxed cycling on a flat road... the wind is sometimes that strong I have to struggle forward while using my mountain-gears, something I never had done before.

The coastal landscape of Peru, where I arrived meanwhile, consists completely of desert with now and then an oasis, in which usually a village or city is situated. At the border in the customs-building, some persons, who pose themselves as part of the Peruvian customs, try to let me pay 20 sol (= $ 6.50) for the just received entry-stamp. As they make an suspicious impression to me (they are much too helpful!) I answer that I first need to ask something on this matter at the custom-officer who just gave me my entry-stamp. Immediately they withdraw themselves, and without any further problems I leave the customs-building to cycle further.

The first city I pass is Tumbes, a pretty town with a nice plaza with a beautiful mosaic-work, which is at night adorned by a lightened rainbow. Also on other spots throughout the city you can find fine mosaics of the same artist. In Tumbes I also experience two less nice sides of Peru, which seem to return over and over in all larger cities: 1) the (mostly) children who come begging for money, even in restaurants at your table while you are eating and 2) the very pushing 'guides', who present themselves as interested citizens who like to show you something of their city (or help you otherwise, sometimes completely useless, and always without asking you first), for which they charge you money afterwards. There are even persons who, when you for e.g. ask the direction of the hotel you are looking for and it appears just around the corner, like to have money for this little information cq. help.

After Tumbes I continue cycling along the Peruan coast via Mancora and Sullana to Piura, where I try again two delicius dishes: majado de yuca (marrioc root with prok) and seco de chavelo (beef and plantain stew). But the sudado (kind of thick fishsoup), which I tried in Tumbes stays my favourite dish). South of Piura lies 200 km of desert without any oasis, which my travel-guide advises strongly in fat lettertype not to cross by cycle. I follow their advice and take a bus to Chiclayo to cross this huge desert, which turned into an inland-sea last years after heavy rainfall, and continue cycling in Chiclayo. But not before first visited the Tucume-ruines and the very good museum in Lambayeque. Last mentioned town is also place of origin of the famous, and nowadays even in Lima sold, King-Kong-sweet. It is indeed named after that famouse ape acting in that similar famous movie dating from the years '20/'30. The sweet was created and introduced by a baker shortly after the (first, original, black-and-white) King-Kong-movie, and consists of layers of diferent, traditional sweets, including the delicious manjar blanco. As to be expected,King-Kong-sweets are gigantic in size and form a meal itself if eaten completely by one person. Luckily they sell this sweet also in pieces!

The famous Chan-Chan-ruines, close to Peru's third citie Trujillo, are my next archelogical site I visit. This from the Moche-culture dating city, was once the largest in South-America, and although the remains are in poor condition and very fragile it gives a good impression and is very interesting. In Trujillo I try another two local dishes: parihuela (a fish-soup) and jalea de pescado (a dish containing diferent fried seafruits combined with vegetables and yuca). But again, for the third time in two monthes I have to pay off my food-experiences with a day of diarrheoa. However, I manage to use this obligated day of rest in a worthful way, by planning my further trip, and especially by reflecting on it, something not unuseful after 6 months and over 10000 km. That the cycling gives me less joy in the last week is certainly also due to the boring desert-landscape which forms the Peruvian coast, and also because of the strong headwind I have day after day. But this is not the only reason, as also the museums, archelogical sites, etc. arise, due to the overflow of them, less interest as earlier. Helped by the climate and a (when looking back) poor planning, I decide to erase the south of Chile in my travelplans, to create hereby more time for Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay. The south of Chile, before I started my cycle-adventure expected to be the highlight of it, is namely, because of weather-conditions, only cyclable from December to March. This would mean making many kilometres in little time. Something I am not looking forward to and try to avoid. Perhaps, in the future, I will devote a holiday especially to Chile. But for now I inform friend Erik van Nostrum, who had planned to join me in Chile, about this decision.

After Trujillo I try once more a stage through the desert with strong headwind. I end up in Chimbote where I spend the night in a hotel run by a very friendly Japanese. He seems to consider his hotel more as a mission post. Although he charges only 10 sol ($ 3.25) a night (with this rate it will be my most cheap hotel in Peru) and I spend just one night in his hotel, he presents me a free spanish-english bible and a nice Peruan keyhanger. First I think the bible needs to be placed on the table next to the bed (I have seen more bibles besides the bed in Peruvian hotels), but when I see the personal note on the innercover I realize it is a gift to me, just as the keyhanger. The next day I take the bus from Chimbote to Lima, as the stage Trujillo-Chimbote really was exhausting, and absolutely not enjoyable. In Lima I have a few days rest and after a long period I am able again to stay with Servas-hosts, something certainly more enjoyable than staying in hotels. The continuing story will be published in my next travel-report, which will be published in the new year (probably in January). Therefore I wish all of you a Merry christmas and I hope you keep on reading also in 1999.