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I can't believe that a month has slipped by so quickly, but already my time in Colombia is up. And it feels like I've barely scratched the surface of all there is to see and do here.
My last two days in Armenia were awesome. Thursday was a walk in the Peñas Blancas, although "walk" was not quite the word for it! Luis and I drove up a very steep, narrow little laneway until we finally reached the ecopark and
Finca Buena Vista . And it certainly does have one of the best views in the region. First up was a 20 minute walk up the hill until we reached the Finca, and then after a refreshing drink of
Agua Panuela , my guide and I set off to the summit, through dense forest, thick with bird life, and at times extremely steep. I wish I could say that the view from the top was worth it, but unfortunately it was pure white as we were amongst the clouds. Me and my guide sat there for about 45 minutes, and she told me stories and legends about the site. Despite the clouds, it was stunning.
Thursday evening it was me and Ruben rattling around
Another nice view!
And the camera doesn't do it justice at all.in the Finca, as the other guests had left. My Bogota family had left for Medellin, to visit their two sons. We had spent a lot of time together, so it was a little sad to see them go. Ruben is the security guard, come everything man at the Finca from what I can gather. He is absolutely lovely, and we spent the evening chatting about Armenia, Colombia, food, family and New Zealand. My Spanish must be improving, even though it doesn't really feel like it most of the time.
The next day I didn't have any activities planned, however Luis offered to come to the Finca in the morning and go with me by bus into
Armenia, as I hadn't spent any time there at all. It turned out to be one of the best days I had. He was absolutely fabulous, and I was very lucky to have him as my personal tour guide and bodyguard for the day. It was all from the heart because he was only being paid to drive me to the airport that afternoon. He took me to the Plaza de Bolivar (every town has one of course), showed me the Catedral,
Finca Buena Vista
in the Eco Parque Penas Blancas. There's a camping site and some modest cabins. surprisingly modern, and to another beautiful old brick church, and then after walking through the town a bit more, to the Museo. He wanted me to see Armenia and how the "real people" lived. I really like the town. The guidebook gives it a bad rap, calling it charmless, as it was almost completely demolished in a devastating earthquake in 1999, and was then rebuilt. Call me shallow, but I liked the new, rebuilt town and its cleanliness.
Luis was fabulous. As we were walking along he would say - don't worry it's completely safe here. In other parts, which were slightly more dodgy he would say, "Don't worry, they think I'm your bodyguard. All the rich people have bodyguards, and everyone knows that the bodyguard will shoot first and ask questions later". Crikey. As I say, legendary hospitality. My time in Quindio and the coffee region was fantastic, and Luis went beyond his brief as my driver to make sure I experienced all the great things the area has to offer, so it was another sad farewell.
For the plane geeks, I travelled to and from Armenia on a
Fokker 50 .
However I was back to the
Lunch at Finca Buena Vista!
Not typical, because it was vegetarian, however delicious. big city, this time in a different hotel, in the North, in order to see a different part of the city.
Charlie's Place is near Usaquen, which was once a small village but has now been swallowed up the city. It's a great hotel, really reasonable given it's in an expensive part of town, with friendly service.
I only had a day left in Bogota and I didn't really feel like doing much. The North part of the city is supposed to be safe however so I spent the day wandering around and popping in and out of shopping malls. The only things I really wanted were English language books and another warm jacket. I bitterly regret not throwing in the new woollen cardigan I bought just before I left NZ, as the trusty fleece really doesn't cut the mustard when you want to go somewhere a bit nicer. It was surprisingly hard to find a nice woollen cardigan here. The only nice warm jacket that I could find I liked was a leather jacket worth and eyepopping $750 US, which not surprisingly is well beyond my budget. When I finally did find something suitable the lovely shop assistant told
I walked up to the top of the cliff face.
Yes, it was a really long way and very hard! 2330 metres high. me to save my receipt as I could get the tax back if I didn't live in Colombia. This is information that would have been extremely useful about four weeks ago.
Colombia is beautiful, intoxicating and magnetic. As I got to know people better I heard some eye popping stories, recounted with a mere shrug. With the brutal history that Colombia has, and the violence so recent in people's memories, it was just part of everyday life. It's a country where your handbag is checked on the way to the supermarket, and armed soldiers and policeman (I could never tell the difference) are on every street corner. "It's for security," the locals would tell me. Maybe it's for the precariousness of life and the history of violence that reason that Colombians are renowned for their love of a good party, for dancing, hospitality and generally enjoying life to the hilt. I hope I get to experience it again soon!
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Heather
non-member comment
My boyfriend told me to check out your blog, and I really enjoyed your Colombia post. That vegetarian lunch looks yummy! We're giving away a free night in Peru or Bolivia right now, if you're headed that way. Continued fun on your travels! Heather :) dirty-hippies.blogspot.com