27.02.11
I convinced two canadian chpas fronm the hostel that Villa de Leyva was worth a visit. So I hopped on a bus as they left. Was nice to travel with a bot of company: but this was only a two day trip and we weren't goign any where else. In such conditions, any friendly company is fine.
Weather said it was meant to rain. it did poor the night we got there and the night we left. ITs a four hour bus trip out of Bogota and you get to see beautiful scenery all along the way.
Villa de LEyva is this old colonial city in the region of Boyaca. All the houses are white, and here too there's that weirs feeling of being in a Zorro film/ People here are very different from Bogota. To start with, we're in the middle of nowhere, so peope still wear ponchos. Actually here, they're made of wool and they're much thicker than the basic poncho. These are calles Ruanas. I bought two very pretty and unusual ones. HEre in colombia, they make me look like a local. Anywhere in europe, they would make me look like a tramp/
People visit Villa de LEyva for different reasons. The main one os probably for the village its self. But paleonthologists would probably find intereting to vist the fossil museum. there's this big huge dinosaur skeleton there. Something between a croc and a whale. very impressive. As a student in social sciences, i also found something for me. There's a place here with stone alignments. Somewhat like stone henge. They think it dates back from the same period. Third thing we saw was this strange house that shockingly resembles the one in the Flinstones. These are spread out in the country side. We rented bikes to get there: 4000pesos/hour. I'll let you look at the pictures...
The Plaza Mayor is meant to be one of the biggets of the country despite the village being so small
Arrggh!!! Gringos!!! Ahiii nooo! Son un Gringo y un Chino!!!
Country side around villa de LEyva. Locals are all selling their pieces of land to foreigners. landscape is similar to south of spain's, and its warm all year round, perfect place to retire. i reckon that it will be crouded with retired foreigners within 10 years, and the perfect place for tourists to have a quite stay inthe country.
This is the Flinstone house, two pics down, you're probably wonderring what i'm doing. well I thought since it was the Flinstone's house, that i'd be breaking stones. But you can't really tell since my arm disapears behind me...
The beast. It doesn;t look like much on this pictures, but I took some measurements: I could fit in its mouth, and it could swallow me without even biting me into pieces!!
This place is called the "Infernito" = the small hell/. It's an archeological site that - from what I understand - was used by women for some sort of fertility ceremony. Very interesing anthropological reference. Surprised its so unknown. Very impressive... I mean teh stones.
So I thought I'd have a go,.. just to pretend!
even bigger!
In the end, we stayed two days here. I went back to Bogota and got back just in time for my shift. The guyes went up to San Gil which will probably be on my itinerary on my next trip out of Bogota. For future reference: there are waterfalls in the area of Villa de LEyva. They're meant to be nteresting not only for the sightm but especially for the vegetation, and for the sorts of mushrooms that grow there... Something to try the next time!
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22.01.11 Bogota: the salt mines, but not just any!...
First visit around Bogota. I was with rwo couples fromn the hostel, and we went out for a day all together. Two americans and two autralians: we took the Transmilenio which is sort ofthe local tram system. Coz theres' no metro in this huge city. wonder if that isn't due to the place's topography. Tranmilenio is really nmodern: it feels like steping into a regional train cos it makes you go through a sort of sation galery first ; thats where you buy your ticket ; then you go and queue behid transparent doors in front of which those of the bus open when it arrives. So was 2 hours of that and it got us to a city called Zipaquira. It was a shiny old colonuial village where the Christmas tree was still up on the plazza mayor. 25 degrees. There, we asked our way around to get to the salt mines.
These aren't just any salt mines: they were already in use before the arrival of the first europeans. Its in the 50s that were perated major transformations: they turned the salt ines into a cathedral called "la catedral de sal" dedicated to la Senora del Rosario, patron of mine woorkers. The place is monumental: it takes you through hundreds of shiny tunnels in which crosses and alters were carved out of the rock and salt. It was full of tourists. The athmosphere was definitely noit suited to feel the mysticism this place must generate when visited alone and in silence. Also, I didn't feel like this place was built with as much devotion as might have been the old 16th century churches of Bogota city center. Anyway, it was certainly a must see, but I was more fascinated by the the visual effects of the salt than by the religious artefacts. I wonder if the Cathedral de Sal organises mass?!
