San Gil

Saturday 5th February 2011

Nice plums.

We left Villa de Leyva at 10am. We had time for a quick look round the weekly market, buying some plums for our trip to San Gil.

Anyone else for Arcabuco?

Disregarding the guidebook, we took the advice of the locals and got a small bus an hour to Arcabuco and then caught a more national bus for the remaining 4 hrs up to San Gil. This was a great plan except for misinformation from the first company meaning we we stood in the wrong part of town waiting for the bus. Rule no 1: don't believe what the bus driver tells you. The lost hour did at least allow us to meet a nice Colombian family doing a road trip. A half a km walk to the edge of the town later and we were in prime spot for catching the bus.

The ride itself was uneventful, however, just outside Socorro, you had to wonder what caused the left side of the carriageway to disappear down the mountain. This, it seems, is not unusual having seen 2 roads in a similar state the next day!

Unusually an empty bench in the plaza.

San Gil itself is quite a lively little town. In the evening the locals gather in the square in the centre and eat ice cream. We of course watched this from the comfort of 'Donde Betty', a nice little bar/cafe/shop on the corner of the square under our hostel.

Our hostel upstairs, Betty´s Cafe downstairs.

We called it a night early at around 9:30. At least we thought it early. We felt slightly bad when our landlady appeared at the door half asleep. Obviously not someone for a late night.

Sunday 6th February 2011Following more eggs for breakfast, we headed to Barichara, about 45 minutes on the bus from San Gil. From there we undertook a 9km scenic walk through the hills along the Camino Real to the local village of Guane. For us this constituted being in the middle of nowhere.

We're on the road to nowhere...

For the first time on the trip we encountered a restaurant where the request of no meat was met by complete shock. The lady didn't understand, which led to believing that tripe was acceptable for a vegetarian. It goes without saying that James ate well while Emma eventually got a nice plate of salad, yuca and fried banana.

After lunch we acted as locals. This basically involves sitting in the square doing absolutely nothing. It's the UK equivalent of watching a soap opera omnibus. Luckily for us, a bus came along and we were able to work our way back to San Gil.

After a peaceful evening in and around the square, we witnessed our first trouble from the comfort of our room. Some youngsters had obviously drunk too much and took to beating each other with their motorcycle helmets. Considering the number of police you see around, it took a good 15 minutes for one to turn up. We're now convinced that they are mainly for show. Having got over the late excitement, we took ourselves off to bed ready for another early start.

Monday 7th February 2011Today, after yet more eggs for breakfast, we went white water rafting, a first for both of us. Using Colombia Rafting Expeditions, we headed off to the Rio Suarez for some class IV rapids. We had a great afternoon backed up by the constant smile on Emma's face in all the photos.

Can't stop smilling.

No-one fell in, although we did get into the river for a swim a couple of times. We'll definitely be doing this again. As an aside, the guys from the company have been chosen to represent Colombia in an international competition in Costa Rica later in the year. They were a great bunch of guys and we wish them well.

After being out all day and not having lunch, we really looked forward to a big feed in the evening. Sadly Colombians generally eat their main meal at lunch and so in the evenings there's hardly anything available. This is particularly stark in San Gil where a slice of pizza or a street kebab is all that's easily available. So we were glad for the recommendation of Gringo Mike's, a sandwich/Mexican cafe serving well into the evening. Run  by an English girl and American guy, this is highly recommended if you ever find yourself hungry in San Gil. Watch out for a franchise near you soon.

Observations:Ice cream and beer: it is acceptable to eat ice cream and drink beer at any time of day, both have been witnessed soon after breakfast.

Further Study:The 'Camino Real'. We don't really know anything about its history, but it was a nice walk!

And finally, a random sign in Guane gives an alternative to those of you who use Viagra:

Don't take viagra, drink goat's milk!

Villa de Leyva

Thursday 3rd February 2011
An early start, up at 5:30am, saw us heading off to get the bus to Villa de Leyva. With such an early start you really want a nice unbroken night's sleep. Sadly we got an example of the rowdy side of hostel life. A very drunk resident came back at about 3am and for a while it sounded like the place was being turned over. Obviously it was just a problem standing up but it kept us awake nonetheless.
The bus journey took around 4.5 hours taking in several towns and villages, along with some wonderful countryside. We witnessed the obligatory child throwing up. We had some sympathy given the state of the roads and some of the corners.  Luckily we had the constant Latino beats to keep us in the party mood.

The first thing that struck us on arrival was the change in climate, with it being hotter than Bogota.  Also dominating the area were the hills on almost every side, offering a stunning backdrop to the town.

Great Eggs.

Our accommodation (again recommended by our scouts) was the lovely Posada de Los Angeles. A nice place with big rooms and a chilled out feel.

The place to hang out.

The Plaza Mayor here is said to be one of the biggest in the Americas and it certainly didn't disappoint. By both day and night it's a focal point of the town, and a useful point of reference for getting your bearings.  The now customary 'Menu del dia' was consumed. This is definitely the way to eat when on a budget, this time with a 3 course meal and drink coming in at under £3.
An afternoon of general sightseeing and a pizza for dinner sent us to our beds for an early night.

Friday 4th February 2011
This area is famous for its fossils, mainly from the prehistoric era over 100 million years ago. First up we headed 4km out of town to see a fossil found around 40 years ago. It was so big and impressive, that they built a museum around it so they didn't have to move it.

Very old.

Lunch involved a first for us, fried Yuca. We're not sure if this is exactly the same as the plant in our living room, but is a tasty alternative to potato or banana chips.
After lunch we headed to the edge of town to the paleontological museum to learn more about the area, before heading to the house of Antonio Narino. He was recently voted the best figure to represent   Colombians ever despite living nearly two centuries ago.
We're sad to leave Villa de Leyva. After the hustle and bustle of the big city, this was a lovely town and allowed us to chill out, read our books and generally get to know Colombia a bit better.
Next up we head further north for 3 nights in San Gil.

Cheapest beer so far, 50p a bottle!

Observations:
Dogs: there are loads of them here. Some are owned, others just seem to roam the streets as strays. The RSPCA would certainly not approve of this or the number of dogs limping.
The Police: there are police stationed on almost every corner day and night around the centre. They mainly seem to be about 18 (probably doing their military service) and on the phone. We can only assume that their presence acts as a deterrent and our experience so far would suggest this to be true.
Bugs: it would seem that mosquitoes are not our greatest foe. Instead we (well mainly James) were subjected to a vicious black bug that literally leaves a small bleeding hole in your skin. On top of this rude intrusion, James has as ever reacted ridiculously badly to the bites (all 26 of them) so the back of his legs are an array of red swollen lumps. This 'look' is obviously helping us to blend in with the locals. We did think about uploading a photo but wouldn't want to put you off your dinner.

Bogota Part 3

Wednesday 2nd February 2011

An early start saw us heading to the central bus station to get up to Zipaquira, or 'Zipa' to us locals. The 40km or so would take us nearly 2 hours and give us a fascinating view of buses in the capital. The mentality here is very different to back home. Speed is not important, getting as many people on the bus as possible is. For the first few miles the driver curb crawls while the 'conductor' runs up and down the street trying to chivy everyone onto the bus. Eventually the bus hits 100km/hr only to slam on the breaks for another in the middle of nowhere.

The biggest cross in the world?

Our reason for visiting Zipa was to see the salt mine and more importantly the salt cathedral that it holds. If you've never visited a salt cathedral, we're not surprised. It was a unique and highly memorable experience for us. As with most cathedrals you can hire it for christenings and weddings. It also contains what they claim to be the biggest cross in the world and the salty air is so good for people with asthma, they're looking at setting up a hospital in the mine, or so the guide said.

What a lovely town.

Zipa is a quaint little town, with a beautiful plaza. Lunch was the cheapest yet at less than £2 each for soup, main course and homemade lemonade.

Cracking value.

Tomorrow we wave goodbye to Bogota and head north to a small town called Villa de Leyva. Our adventure continues.

Bogota Part 2

Tuesday 1st February 2011
Today we headed for the 'Museo del Oro', or gold museum to the non-linguists. They do a free tour in English at 11am and this was well worth it, providing detailed information that just wouldn't have been available elsewhere.

A 'potero' found in perfect condition.

It turns out the federal reserve of Colombia was selling off all the gold (no doubt to the British museum!), until they found the artefact in the picture in perfect condition. From that point on they realised the importance of these pieces to Colombian heritage and hence a museum was born.

For lunch we headed to a Lebanese restaurant. It's not that we're bored of the local cuisine, but being here for weeks makes us feel branching out is allowed.

After lunch we headed to the main food market, Paloquemao. As it turned out, this was quite a walk through some interesting areas and after the tranquility of the gold museum, quite a contrast. We've noticed that shop types in Bogota are grouped together. This walk took us past opticians, refrigerator shops and the odd brothel. Definitely worth getting your eyes tested first!

The market was towards the end of its day, but we managed to secure some more granadillas for tomorrow. We saw fruit and veg that we'd never seen before, and the fully stocked stalls put Tesco's to shame.



More fruit than you can shake a stick at.

Observations:

 

We've concluded that that one of the most dangerous things about Bogota is its pavements. The potholes are enormous and you really need to be careful not to fall down them.



It´s a potential death trap.

Bogota Part 1

Saturday 29th January 2011
Walking out of Bogota airport was a lot like being in Trivandrum. Hoards of people waiting for loved ones. No-one waiting for us though so we quickly made our way through the crowds and taxi'd to the Cranky Croc, our home for 5 nights.


Patio in the Cranky Croc.

A beautifully converted colonial house, it's now run by an Aussie chap.
We're based in La Candeleria, the old part of town. It's recommended not to walk about at night as muggings and robberies can be quite common. Obviously we're being very sensible.

Sunday 30th January 2011
Our first full day here and it's fair to say we did far more than we planned to. Sunday in Bogota is full of life. The streets are closed to traffic and the locals all make use of this by coming out in numbers on their bikes.

Our guide Kevin and a torture hat so heavy it breaks your neck.

Our first stop was the police museum. We were guided by Kevin, serving his 1 year military service in the police. As free attractions go, this is well worth a visit with tales of Pablo Escobar aplenty, the most notorious criminal of his generation. An amazing view of the city from the roof, Kevin helpfully pointed out the area to buy drugs and meet an early death. Not planning to head there.
We visited the cathedral and two other churches. We witnessed a rather shambolic changing of the guard at the presidential palace. The queen would not be amused. Cyclists were heading through the middle and the guards didn't know which way to turn.

A hazy view from Montserrate.

The day was rounded off with a trip to Monserrate, 600m above the city. The green hills dominate this city, providing a permanent reference point. We took the cable car up and the funicular down. Emma was scared but managed to get through it. Despite being a little hazy, the views were spectacular. Along with a church and some restaurants, there was also the obligatory 'tat' market, selling hundreds of items that had no use whatsoever.

Monday 31st January 2011
Monday was more relaxing, starting the day with Granadilla for breakfast. This is a like a passion fruit, recommended by our scouts (Stella and Paul). After discovering that most museums are closed on Monday, we headed to the Botero museum which was open. We spent a decent couple of hours there which included a guided tour in Spanish. This tested our language skills. Botero's version of the Mona Lisa was particularly good.

James excited by the prospect of beer.

The remainder of the day was spent in 'La Zona Rosa', a modern and trendy part of Bogota.  A 30 minute taxi costs about £3 here, so getting up to the north of the city is fairly inexpensive. We tried the range of beers brewed by the Bogota Beer Company. Very nice, all of English influence and somewhat nearer English prices. Lovely area, but there's something appealing to us about the edgier old town.
Two more days ahead in Bogota, lots more to do and see.

Points for further investigation:
Pablo Escobar
Fernando Botero
Interesting facts:
You can get your yellow fever jab done here at over half the price of the UK. Wish we'd known earlier...
Bogota is the 3rd highest city in the world, standing at over 2600m above sea level.  You can find yourself getting really breathless.

Barajas Airport, Madrid

We´re on our way to Colombia but have managed to squeeze in a couple of cheeky cervezas and tapas in Barajas. It´s been very strange to arrive in Madrid and not leave the airport!

Yesterday was certainly eventful. All was on track with our packing done when after trying to deposit some money into our account, the cashpoint decided to shut down and swallow the card. Oh dear. No cashcard for the trip. Luckily we had more than one card to fall back on so still able to access cash. Phew.

Now preparing ourselves for 11 hours on the plane and an evening arrival in Bogota. First destination is the Cranky Croc Hostel, obviously very much influenced by Latin culture.