{"id":3819,"date":"2013-06-15T08:58:54","date_gmt":"2013-06-15T15:58:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elpedalero.com\/?p=3819"},"modified":"2014-08-22T09:01:17","modified_gmt":"2014-08-22T16:01:17","slug":"interview-big-sur","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elpedalero.com\/?p=3819","title":{"rendered":"Interview: Big Sur"},"content":{"rendered":"
Big Sur<\/a><\/strong> is the clever name Sarah and James \u2013 a couple of relaxed adventure cyclists from the UK \u2013 have given their ongoing tour of Latin America. With so many bike touring blogs out there nowadays it takes a lot to even catch my eye, let alone hold my attention. But Big Sur<\/i> hooked me at once with excellent photos, then held me with exceptionally well-written posts.<\/address>\n
But mostly, I like the way they tour.<\/address>\n
They’re not doing it for charity, they’re not sponsored by an outdoor gear company, and they’re not trying to break some silly record. They’re simply taking their time, exploring side roads, connecting with people, and having a big adventure in the Big South, the Big Sur<\/em>\u2026 Latin America.<\/address>\n
I caught up with Sarah and James while they were waiting out some wet weather before entering Peru.<\/address>\n

 <\/p>\n

EL PEDALERO: You\u2019re taking a break from the bikes at the moment to wait out the wet season before entering Peru. Is this the first break you\u2019ve taken on this trip?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Pushing-in-Guatemala\"<\/a>

Pushing in Guatemala.<\/p><\/div>\n

SARAH:<\/strong> No, I think we calculated recently that we have almost as much time off the bikes than on them in the last two years! We have unintentionally taken a number of breaks on the trip due to illness\u00a0\u2013 suffering from parasites along the way has forced us to stop and recuperate. This time we stopped to time our entry for Peru\u2019s dry season and we chose to volunteer.<\/p>\n

JAMES:<\/strong> No, our trip has turned into much more of a stop-start affair than we ever thought it would be. This is the main reason it has turned from the 18 months we originally anticipated into what will probably be three years by the time we get home! Most of our long breaks have been for pleasure \u2013 visiting family and friends in the US and Cuba, studying Spanish in Guatemala, volunteering in Colombia, and most recently working on a farm in Ecuador. Others have been enforced\u00a0\u2013 trying to rid ourselves of parasites in Mexico, and waiting for kit in Colombia.<\/p>\n

\"big-sur-pull-quote1\"<\/p>\n

EP: How important do you think it is \u2013 physically, mentally, financially \u2013 to take a break during a long cycling adventure like the one you two are on?<\/strong><\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> In order to keep appreciating the new things we are seeing, to approach each experience with fresh eyes and enthusiasm, for me it\u2019s been vital to stop and take a break. It\u2019s easy to become jaded with travelling which then defeats the whole object! The times we have set off again after an extended break, the energy and excitement I feel at getting back on my bike makes me realise we have done the right thing in taking time off. Physically it\u2019s actually pretty hard to get going again. After more than three weeks off the bike, my legs always feel really old and heavy for the first week or so but you soon find your rhythm again.<\/p>\n

\"Chatting-with-kids-in-Ecuador\"<\/a>

Chatting with kids in Ecuador.<\/p><\/div>\n

J:<\/strong> I think it\u2019s vital. As stimulating as seeing new places and meeting new people every day is, even that can become tiring and repetitive. I find that after a while my enthusiasm and curiosity starts to fade, I stop interacting and begin to retreat into my own cycle-touring bubble. I\u2019ve found that taking time off the bike not only gives you time to rest physically, but also re-awakens that sense of excitement and discovery that you have when you set off on the very first morning of your trip. When we left, I thought this trip was all about the cycling, but what we have done off the bike has often turned out to be just as stimulating and rewarding as what we have done on it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

EP:\u00a0You\u2019ve been on the road for almost two years now. Has this trip changed you? If so, in what ways have you changed?<\/strong><\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> It\u2019s hard to believe we have been travelling for two years; we have become so accustomed to being on the road this now just feels like normal life. I have learned many things about myself and my habits \u2013 I never realised how impatient I was before we left and I am trying hard to bring that under control; Latin America is a good training ground for this as there\u2019s a different pace of life here so it\u2019s teaching me patience, tolerance and good humour! Inspired by the hard work of the people we meet in the countryside and also by the alternative lifestyles of other cyclists and travellers we have met, I realise that when the trip is over, I am not obliged to go back to a desk job, I can do something completely different! Physically I have changed very little, really \u2013 my legs are stronger, obviously (my calf muscles look somewhat out of proportion), but my body shape and weight are pretty much the same. We make an effort to load up on calories on our rest days and so eating double quantities of everything and maintaining the same weight must mean I am burning off quite a bit on the bike!<\/p>\n

\"Baja-Mexico\"<\/a>

Baja, Mexico.<\/p><\/div>\n

J:<\/strong> I guess superficially I\u2019ve changed in the ways you might expect: terrible hair, awful beard, raging appetite, a profound appreciation of food, shelter and water, and a desire to lead a more minimal life. More than anything though, I think this experience has given me increased confidence and spontaneity. For example, before this trip I would always want to plan things in meticulous detail\u00a0\u2013 kit, route, stopovers. Now I would have the confidence to pick a start point and just go, and be confident that things will work themselves out along the way. In our experience, it\u2019s this flexibility and lack of planning that usually lead to the most memorable travelling experiences.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

EP:\u00a0Latin Americans are famous for their generosity and hospitality. What have been your top experiences with this side of the culture?<\/strong><\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> The three months we spent resting and exploring Medellin and surrounding Antioquia in Colombia were incredible. We made contact with a few people involved in the local bike scene to help us find our feet there, and before we knew it we were welcomed into a network of friends and family that was beyond the realms of hospitality; people who we truly hope we will see and spend time with again. Experiencing spontaneous and immediate hospitality has also been amazing\u00a0\u2013 the guy who stopped his truck in the middle of the road to hand us fruit out of the window or the families who allow us to camp in their yards and who, although they have little or nothing, insist on sharing everything with us.<\/p>\n

\"Cotopaxi-Camping\"<\/a>

Cotopaxi, camping.<\/p><\/div>\n

J:<\/strong> It\u2019s hard to pick \u2013 every day we are amazed by the kindness and generosity of people towards two rich gringos<\/i> who have been riding round for two years just for fun. I think the three months we spent living in Medell\u00edn, Colombia will always stand out for me. We were quickly adopted by the local bike community, invited out on local rides, celebrated Christmas with new friends, were fed like kings, and spent more time laughing than we probably had in the last year put together. By the time we left, it really felt like we were leaving family all over again.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

EP:\u00a0One of my favourite things about your approach to adventure cycling is your slow pace. How important is it for travelling cyclists to slow down on a tour? And what’s an example of something you would’ve missed if you\u2019d been in more of a hurry?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Santiaguito-eruption\"<\/a>

Santiaguito eruption.<\/p><\/div>\n

S:<\/strong> It\u2019s safe to say we are not going to break any speed records on this trip and we are fortunate to have the time and cash to stretch it out to nearly three years. I can\u2019t imagine doing Alaska to Patagonia and only riding on the Pan American Highway every day \u2013 sharing the road with heavy traffic, churning out 150km per day, only stopping to sleep and eat. We have met cyclists who do this and to me they never seem like they are enjoying it. When I think back to the memorable experiences we have had over the last two years, the majority have been when we have stopped early or taken a detour to explore something off the bike. The best example I can think of was a 20km detour to a quiet little village called Los Angeles in Mexico. It was at the end of a road and there was no real reason to go there but we just decided to take the road and see what happened. The road itself was incredibly pretty and we ended up meeting the mayor of the town, eating tacos in his yard and swimming in the beautiful river nearby \u2013 a classic memory of Mexico for me that wouldn\u2019t have happened if we had our heads down on the main road.<\/p>\n

\"big-sur-pull-quote2\"J:<\/strong> I guess there are as many different touring styles as touring bikes, but we\u2019ve definitely found that slowing down gives us our richest travelling experiences. For us the great advantage of travelling by bike is the freedom to stop whenever and wherever you like. If you\u2019re flying down main roads in an effort to hit your 120km per day target, I can\u2019t help thinking you\u2019re missing the point. Going slow gives you the chance to break out of your cycle-touring bubble, take minor roads, and start to interact with the people you meet. It\u2019s not normally the stuff you\u2019ll find in guide books, it\u2019s usually just the small, everyday encounters. Some of my strongest memories are what Sarah calls my \u201cold man chats\u201d\u00a0\u2013 my habit of stopping randomly to talk to people (often old men) about anything and everything, from the weather to politics. For example, the other day I spotted a guy wheeling a beautiful old bike into his front gate. I stopped to chat, and he spent half an hour showing us a lifetime\u2019s worth of things he\u2019d collected in his house, from Inca urns to empty coffins. He then explained that he was old and looking for someone to leave his house and collection to, and he\u2019d like to leave it to us. It was just one of those humbling insights into normal daily life, but the perfect example of what I love most about travelling. If we were on a tight schedule, we probably wouldn\u2019t have even been on that slow road, let alone have taken the time to stop and talk.<\/p>\n

\"Cemita-in-Puebla,-Mexico\"<\/a>

Cemita, in Puebla, Mexico.<\/p><\/div>\n

EP:\u00a0When I tour, I find I spend a lot of time thinking about food; my cravings, my diet, where to find food, how to carry it. Do you think about food often as you ride? <\/strong>Describe your relationship with food. <\/strong><\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> All the time!\u00a0 Food is a vital part of the trip for me \u2013 entering a new country or region and learning about the local dishes, being introduced to new flavours, styles of cooking and traditions enhances the places we go through. Generally, we cook for ourselves but we always try to keep variety and interest by eating locally now and again and then of course there\u2019s the eternal pizza cravings; they never go away and sometimes you just have to give into them! The logistics of finding and carrying food are definitely a big aspect of this trip and finding good nutritious food can sometimes be a challenge\u00a0\u2013 even the tiniest of places in Latin America will have a local shop but often you\u2019ll only find packets of crackers, boiled sweets and fizzy drinks. When we are craving carbohydrates, fresh vegetables and something with flavour and you\u2019ve spent all day pedalling dreaming about what lovely things you can cook when you stop riding and set up camp, finding one of these shops can sometimes be a let-down.<\/p>\n

J:<\/strong> Verging on the obsessive. I\u2019m not sure there is a moment in the day when I\u2019m not<\/i> thinking about food. I go to sleep dreaming of pizza toppings, and wake up excited about breakfast. This trip has given me some of my best food experiences (crispy chicharr\u00f3n<\/i> and mouth watering frijoles in Colombia spring to mind) and some of my worst\u00a0\u2013 tedious porridge\/pasta\/bread combinations become depressing after a couple of years. More than just satisfying the basic need for calories though, I\u2019ve found that food is a great conversation starter, and the perfect way to start understanding national and regional identity. Mexico has been the undisputed food king of the trip so far\u00a0\u2013 each region was a new culinary adventure, and we\u2019ve been craving food with Mexican flavour ever since.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"San-Blas-Panama\"<\/a>

San Blas, Panama.<\/p><\/div>\n

EP:\u00a0What has been your best off-bike adventure on the trip?<\/strong><\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> You can\u2019t travel over land through the Darien Gap between Panama and Colombia so we decided to take a sail boat\u00a0\u2013 a bit of luxury but it was well worth it. Sailing through the San Blas islands of Panama was like something out of a dream\u00a0\u2013 palm trees, white sand, turquoise seas. I never imagined we\u2019d visit such a place on this trip; it was a real highlight for me.<\/p>\n

J:<\/strong> Climbing Santiaguito, an active volcano in Guatemala. We camped close to the summit in the fog, and about every half an hour throughout the night, the ground would begin to rumble and the volcano would unleash a roar and a covering of ash onto the tent. Needless to say, I didn\u2019t get much sleep. The next morning we climbed up to the crater rim for sunrise \u2013 a magical experience.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

EP:\u00a0What single piece of advice would you give to cyclists planning their first big Latin American bike tour?<\/strong><\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> Learn Spanish! It\u2019s absolutely vital for contact with the environment you\u2019re travelling through. Without it you would miss so much\u00a0\u2013 interacting with people has by far been the most enjoyable, exciting and challenging part of this trip for me and it would have been impossible if I didn\u2019t understand a little of their language.<\/p>\n

J:<\/strong> Stop reading cycling blogs, stop agonising over bottom brackets, stop planning your route in minute detail, and start learning Spanish! It is by far the most useful and versatile tool you will take with you. Latin America is unique in that with just one language you can experience so many different countries and cultures, so make the most of it! You\u2019ll find that with just a little Spanish opportunities will open up for you: hospitality, adventures, and friendships. It will transform you from a bumbling, gesticulating gringo<\/i> on a bike into an interesting, real life person with your own story to tell. Learn as much as you can before you go, then budget to take a Spanish course early on in your trip for at least a few weeks. It\u2019s relatively cheap in countries like Guatemala or Mexico, and you\u2019ll make massive improvements. I had a head start in Spanish as I studied languages and lived in Guatemala for a year, but Sarah had zero Spanish when we crossed into Mexico, and is now really confident and fluent. Don\u2019t be put off by your memories of school \u2013 learning and using a language on the road is fun, and it will pay back many times over in the richness of your experiences.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Quilotoa-Ecuador\"<\/a>

Quilotoa, Ecuador.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/address>\n
Visit Big Sur<\/a> and follow Sarah and James’ adventure as it unfolds!<\/address>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a9 El Pedalero, 2013.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Big Sur is the clever name Sarah and James \u2013 a couple of relaxed adventure cyclists from the UK \u2013 have given their ongoing tour of Latin America. With so many bike touring blogs out there nowadays it takes a lot to even catch my eye, let alone hold my attention. But Big Sur hooked […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3836,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[113,123,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-articles","category-latest-articles","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/elpedalero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Velez-Colombia1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/elpedalero.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/elpedalero.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/elpedalero.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elpedalero.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elpedalero.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3819"}],"version-history":[{"count":62,"href":"https:\/\/elpedalero.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3819\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4418,"href":"https:\/\/elpedalero.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3819\/revisions\/4418"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elpedalero.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/elpedalero.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elpedalero.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elpedalero.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}