Tuluá And Highway 25

Tuluá is a city of 180,000 in the Cauca Valley, founded in 1741 and by no means on the tourist circuit. It’s a useful city full of stores and suppliers and a place you might visit in your van if you needed a new electrical plug. 

To get there on our way to Cali we rode Highway 25 a long smooth ribbon of asphalt sometimes four lanes and sometimes two. It’s sugarcane country and we were warned about “sugar cane trains.” 

Sure enough, a giant triple trailer was up ahead of us. I had to wait for a really long straightaway to pass it. 

A busy day roadside. 

Don’t be surprised to find farm animals grazing alongside the freeway. 

There are also lots of Venezuelans walking along the highway. These people are hoping to reach the US and find a new life away from the economic chaos of the oil rich Venezuelan chaos. 

You’ve seen the roads we’ve driven in comfort. These people are walking it with no money and their family members. I couldn’t do it. 

Coming to a border crossing near you. 

They don’t know they aren’t wanted in the US and they have no idea they are a valuable point of discussion in our national politics. They just walk for thousands of miles. 





Be warned as Tuluá isn’t much to look at, especially in the rain. 

The river down the middle of the city is the Rio Tulua. 

There are walking trails on either side, the most touristy spot we came across. 

Rainy season is in full swing. 

I saw a classic Vespa and I barely photographed it. But there it is. 

Rusty is weird and unpredictable. He refused to walk with me. Fine. 

This week we go back to La Bonanza campground in the mountains above Popayán. We’re hoping our oil cooler and brake seals arrive as scheduled so we can get GANNET2 back to 100%. 

There’s a bunch of other stuff on the way, tea, reading glasses, you name it the queen of Amazon ordered it. If we get the spares I’ll be happy. 

Meanwhile we’re checking out every last corner of Colombia. 

Ecuador in June is the plan.