Christmas, Machu Picchu, and More Adventure Buddies!

Christmas was a bit different this year, but we did our very best to make it as special as possible. Realizing our culinary limitations both in terms of ability and kitchen accessibility, we opted out of a traditional Christmas Eve dinner in favor of American comfort food. Feasting on mac and cheese as well as pancakes, we had just enough energy to check out the downtown scene, but not enough to stay in the square too long. People were widely out and about, but traveling got the best of us and we decided it would be easier just to let Santa show up by calling it a night. And show up he did!

Riding Through Peru!!!

Leaving Ayacucho was not quite as smooth as we had hoped. As soon as we were all packed, Kai realized his debit card was missing which meant he suddenly had a to do list of canceling and ordering a new one. Really not the end of the world, but when you've sat on a bus for 36 hours and the time finally comes to get leaving again, sitting in the hotel room is not an ideal way to spend the morning.

The Journey to Peru

Leaving Cuenca, I was caught in a bit of a debate. I could bike all the way to Loja and potentially have Kai and Jon waiting for me, or I could try to hitch and save some time and energy. Opting for a bit of both, I rode about 60 miles and found a truck to bring me the rest of the way. Grabbing a hostal near the bus terminal, I waited for my friends and picked up a couple treats to make their arrival more fun, including a new holiday themed bike towel. There may not be snow this year, but there will be Christmas.

Ben's Solo Adventures

For the first time in over 2 months, I was left alone. Sure we'd spent an occasional day or afternoon apart, but this time Jon and Kai were headed a different direction for over a week. Crazy to think this should be our longest time apart over a 6 month span. Probably a good thing to finally have the opportunity to miss one another.

South America!

Our last few days in Panama City were almost like we were just students again. We woke up, ate breakfast, headed to class, combined learning with joking around, scrounged up a cheap lunch, did some sort of hike or activity, went home for dinner, completed our homework, and went to bed. Jonathan even had a migraine one morning so I got to re-live him skipping class, even if it was a legitimate excuse. Since Jon felt so miserable, I took it upon myself to relax for the both of us by investing in a roll of cookies, carton of milk, and settled into my book.

Adventures in Panama City

Leaving David, we put in some decent miles and ended up sleeping behind the police station of a small town. That night, we looked at the rest of the map and realized we could either dramatically draw out the next few days before catching a flight on November 23rd, or we could make a huge push for Panama City and try to find something fun to do. Opting for the latter, I decided to make the push official and see if I could pull off a century ride (100 miles). Believe it or not, Kai and Jon were not as convinced 100 miles in Panamanian humidity was a good idea, so the next morning I took off alone.

Costa Rica and Panama

Waking up to an early morning filled with oats and chai tea, we were ready to seize the day. Cruising to the nearest town on the coast called Jaco, we stopped in a coffee shop to indulge in some WiFi and feel like less than super dirty travelers in desperate need of laundry. Jon went off to find a bike shop to see if he could find a way to remove a grinding sound, and by the time he was back we were all in a similar mood. Entranced by the calm beach life, word of a 3 day mountain bike race leaving in the morning, and the possibility of an air conditioned room, we decided to stay for the night. Fully relaxed, we kept VH1 playing old songs in the background all night, thoroughly entertained by the strangeness of early music videos.