Cartagena – Cruz de Viso - 51 km
Upon departing busy Cartagena, the traffic was bumper to bumper, and it was past
11 a.m. before we cleared the city limits. The weather was sweltering and sweat
ran down my body like a tap left open.
Even after clearing the city limits, the traffic was backed up for kilometres. An
overturned truck blocked the entire oncoming lane. The outgoing lane was blocked
due to an oversized vehicle that jumped the queue – what a mess!
Biking we, mercifully, had a free run but 50 kilometres further the heavens opened
and heavy rain, thunder and lightning forced us to take shelter. The traffic jam had
freed up by the time the storm was over, and the blocked-up traffic came
thundering past.
Taking a room in the next village and continuing in the morning when the traffic
had returned to normal made sense. The abode was excellent and sported cable TV
and air-con; a good thing, as by then, I had a severe heat rash.
Cruz de Viso – Toluviejo - 81 km
The oppressing heat and terrible road conditions made cycling a slow process. The
ride was, nonetheless, scenic past vast cattle ranches. Reaching Toluviejo, I was
happy to find this tiny village sported accommodation and we stayed the night.