Today was Sunday and our route took us just south of the city of Cartago,  a city of 170,000 people, with the shrine of the Black Madonna (which we did not visit).  This is a prosperous area and almost everyone from the city seemed to be out on bikes or walking in the sunshine this morning.  We took a short bus ride from our hotel to the village of Muneco and then started a walk which Jairo had warned would be steeply up.  He was not joking – although this was a “road”, there was a warning sign at the bottom advising people in colourful language (and in English) not to use it for vehicles and we soon saw why. 

Large parts were a slope of 30 degrees or more and it was tough going.  The trick to climbing these slopes is to treat the body as if it is a bike, and to stick solidly in bottom gear.  Small steps, lots of breaks and keep looking at the scenery to convince yourself that the effort is worth it – and it was. 

Gradually the valley emerged in its full beauty.  The land is mostly forest but small parts have been cleared for cultivation at various points, with small clusters of cattle or coffee fields co-existing with the jungle. 

David was doing pretty well and making excellent progress, even chatting with fellow trekkers as we climbed.  Eventually we got to the top and started the descent.  Large houses started to appear on both sides of the road.  This is an affluent area with “farms” for the wealthy from Cartago.  We stopped at a cafe for a coffee and then ambled downhill to the guesthouse where we were stopping for the night.  This is a delightful venue, run by some Columbians set in a beautiful garden and surrounded by a forested hillsides. By this stage David’s head was spinning a bit but he revived after lying down.  Then we spent a relaxing afternoon in the garden, watching the birds and reading.