Continents

Day number five of our trip across southern Belgium to Rochefort would provide the ying to my yang. This would be the antithesis of the first day from Bomal to La Chouffe.

Back in June 2018, I was in communication with Jules from One Bag Vagabond. He was looking for a guest post revolving around the theme of “Travel far and light for minimalism”. I had traveled on both sides of the minimalist aisle.

Panama was a nice starter, but I was ready for Colombia. I was in the heart of the Cartagena Bocagrande neighborhood, just mere steps from the north facing Playa Bocagrande. There I met Scuba Steve.

I entered the nearby Casa Sucre café, and slid past a mature French couple and even older wooden chairs to order a coffee in Panama at the wooden counter.

Eventually, the essence of the man who was my father sticks with me. He was a fiercely loyal, loving, and proud father, overlooking imperfections of his kids.

Even the best laid plans change. Bastogne did. The previous day, our first of six cycling days and on paper, the most strenuous with a bountiful number of miles of elevation gain

As quickly as we touched down in Bomal, extolling the qualities of Bressene and Orval, time and distance mandated we cycle on. Cycling Belgium preparations

Marie-France furnished advice about cycling, beer, and chocolate in Belgian at which point, in a moment of weakness mixed with genuine hospitality, as could be read on her face, she shared a single piece of chocolate from her personal stash.