Skedaddlers never stop surprising us with the ways they capture their holidays! Here’s quite a unique one and it’s from Karen who joined us to Colombia recently. Check out what a Skedaddle holiday to South America looks like in numbers…
‘# of riders: 16 (7 from Canada, 4 from the UK, 2 from Trinidad, 2 from Holland and me, the lone American)
# of tour leaders: 1 (Andrew, British)
# of tour guides: 1 (Tomas, Colombian)
# of wives of tour guides who made sure we ate and had a place to sleep: 1 (Juana, Colombian)
# of drivers: 2 (Tito and Oscar, both Colombian)
# of incredible people on the trip: 21 (yes, I included myself!)
% of time I understood the Brits (in English): 80%
% of time I understood the Colombians (in Spanish): 85%
# of days of riding: 10
# of total miles ridden: 615 (approximately)
# of times I laughed nervously when Tomas described the ride for the next day: 17
# of days that I finished the entire ride (generally to my surprise): 10
% of time during the rides that Tito and Oscar offered amazing support (i.e., nutritional, mechanical, emotional and motivational): 100%
# of typical wardrobe changes each day (e.g., arm warmers, rain jacket, vest, etc.): 3
# of times the riders cheered the arrival of fellow riders after a long climb or difficult stage: 5
# of times I pumped my fist and yelled out loud while believing I was the toughest person alive because I had just finished a nearly 1 mile section of a very steep climb: 1
# of times I looked around and saw my fellow riders beaming: 32 (this typically happened after a particularly good descent)
# of times I looked around and saw breathtaking scenery (everything is so green!): 863
# of pictures taken by Christian, a fellow rider: 705 (I only took about 100)
# of miles of the longest climb (Alto de Letras): 52
# of meters climbed: 4,000
# of hours it took me to complete the climb: 10 total hours including lunch and multiple breaks; 8 hours actually riding my bike (very very slowly)
# of times Andrew told me that I was going to finish the climb after I expressed some doubts: 21
# of miles Andrew rode alongside me to make sure I’d finish: 14 (or roughly 3 hours)
# of demonstrations that closed down roads that thankfully we were allowed to ride through: 3 (2 regarding a teachers’ strike and 1 for a community that didn’t have water for 2 weeks)
# of said protests during which two non-Spanish speaking members of our group were given a mic and asked to say a few words: 1
# of impromptu police escorts: 1
# of fantastically unique road signs: 11
# of times people cheered us on as we passed by: 42
# of times I felt so incredibly fortunate to be part of this tour: too many to count
A big thank you to all the Skedaddle staff and my fellow riders. It truly was an incredible and unforgettable trip.’
Feeling inspired? Now is the time to start thinking about visiting Colombia yourself. It’s a very popular destination, so don’t miss out!