Leaving the hostel - Writing

Day 5: 10am

We were planning on leaving the hostel yesterday morning, but we just weren´t quite ready. Ryan has been fighting a cold since we arrived, and we just couldn´t get our stuff together without feeling rushed. What hurry are we really in? With one more day, taking our time to pack and run some errands yesterday, we are finally ready to go. We will be leaving here in an hour or two.

For those who are curious about how we got our bikes here: After we ordered our bikes last year, we decided to ship them to Philadelphia where they saw bikes in half, 2 parts of the frame. 2 metal pieces are put on either side allowing us to basically screw them back together. This allows us much more flexibility on this trip because the bikes pack so small, and we don´t have to pay the ridiculous airline fees to fly with bikes. Ryan packed each bike in one box that we checked on the plane as a piece of luggage. Pretty fantastic. We each have 4 paniers and one handlebar bag to store our stuff: tent, sleeping bag, clothes, shoes, cooking gear, etc.

Yesterday morning (well technically afternoon as we didn´t roll out of bed until noon. This 7 hour time change is tough!) while Ryan was getting our fenders and bike racks on, I headed out for some coffee. There are cafeteria´s everywhere! Probably 2 to each block. They serve either espresso or capucinno´s and fresh breads. Delicious! But me being me, I of course want something just slightly different than what they normally serve to bring back to our room. People don´t get things to go here. I walk in with my 2 to go cups, try to the best of my ability to order not 1 espresso but 2 (which is not common either) with just a touch of hot water. Twice now has ended with a nice customer translating to help. Again, thank goodness for such kind people here! On my walk back, I realized this was the first time I had been alone in awhile, truly alone. No cellphone. The slighest chance in my life of randomly running into someone on the street. Amongst a culture and language so foreign. Old woman banging out carpets on their terraces while chatting with their neighbors. Trees just starting to bud. Blue skis. Handmade sidewalks. Extremely old, beautiful buildings. It felt so surreal for some reason. Simply perfect. I hope that imagine stays embedded in my memory for a long time.

Ryan and I went for another fantastic 3 hour walk yesterday around the city. We headed to a map store and to change our dollars into euros. We happened to ask someone how safe the city was, and his response was, ´´Pretty safe. But there, don´t go there. Over there, that is fine.´´ Of course, Ryan and I had spent our 2 walks in the bad area of town. Ha! We felt a little nervous at one point, but mostly we felt safe. There are always people out, and we made sure to be back in our room by dark. Overall we find this city safe and friendly. Always great to expereince something new in life.

Last night we decided to head south from here. We will ride to the beaches and set up camp for a night or two, continuing this trend down the coast. Who knows, maybe we will just stay in one spot for a few weeks? These campsites aren´t typical. Pools. Tennis courts. Showers. Laundry. Front door oceanic views. I can´t wait! Hopefully we will pull out the camera more too. We have only taken 2 pictures. Pathetic!