When you think of Colombia, no doubt words like dangerous, jungles, and drugs come to mind.
Well, make room for images of cobble-stoned streets and pristine mountain vistas. Colombia's got more than enough charm to make up for it's remaining rough edges. Here's a peak:
Kyle and I have spent the last week taking in the tranquility and beauty that Colombia has to offer. 3-6 hours north of Bogota, Colombia is filled with what seems feels like endless rolling hills in bold greens and oranges and small colonial towns that continue this color theme. Here's our trip through a few of these towns.
Barichara, Colombia
A mini-bus ride through the green hills of Colombia brings you to a the idyllic town of Barichara. It's a place many Colombians visit on the weekends to take in the fresh-air and calm, close to nature way of life. The buildings, plazas, roads, everything, are built from clay or stone from the surrounding mountains, and everything about it is charming. It's the sort of place you just wander around smiling to yourself.
door & truck grill; brick repairman; door detail
Walking around we thought to ourselves, man this would be the place for a destination wedding! We're not nuts, it's just that of all the colonial towns that claim romance and charm, this one like hits you over the head with it. Low and behold, a couple from Bogota had the same thought as us.
Folling the goat path
Traveling between the tiny towns of Barichara and Guane is a winding two lane road, and more scenic, a rock trail a few hundred years old. It's a goat path, cow path perhaps, either way plenty of feet have walked its route, and in the last 10+ years with a surge in safety and tourism, it's being well taken care of. Here's some of the walk along the 5k trail.
one of three goats on the wall; clay trail that matches many nearby walls
Guane, Colombia
After a nearly two hour hike, we arrive in a town even more quaint than the town before. Guane is the sort of town where not only does everyone know everyone, they know everyone else's kids' middle names. Even on a "bustling" holiday weekend, we had most streets to ourselves.
road through town; bird's eye view; humble door
church off Central Park; confession booth & holy water fountain
We were so taken aback by the tranquility and sights in Guane, we made this video so you can see and hear it all.
All I have to saw after all that, is that if you're coming to Colombia, you best not miss this central area of Colombia. It's like heaven on earth.
We're silly and adventurous, computer geeks and yoga peeps.
November 04, 2008
DADDIO
November 06, 2008
Kristine
I'll have to agree with Kyle that the hat was a little feminine, but I'm totally diggin the pancho. All you need to go with that is a donkey to ride on and you'd look like the depiction of Colombia we get here in the states -- the guys in the coffee commercials.
Thanks for the advice on the "corn whiskey" too... guess I'll cross that off the list for the wedding... (sigh)
November 06, 2008
Bessie
Yeah, Kyle hid it well, but the drink tasted like corn bread + vinegar. Ick.
November 07, 2008
Linda
November 08, 2008
Bessie