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Published: June 11th 2007
We took a minibus from Bogota. He was an hour late then drove like a mad bugger north to Villa de Leyva. It took a while to get out of town. All the streets have been numbered. Carreras (avenues) and Calles (streets). We were staying around Calle 13. We saw signs for Calle 100 and more before we started to hit countryside. It was very pretty with lots of farmland - cows and crops. We stopped at the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá. There was an old one that had to be closed because the water was making it unstable. The new one was built in 1992. Certainly not as good as the one in Poland, much rougher and simpler in construction, still the main cathedral was big with columns and there is a cross carved into the wall which from a distance looks to be free standing and curved. There are 14 stations of the cross that were a little ho hum unless you are a catholic. There is definitely a character about the place but there was irritating, inappropriate music piped throughout.
After another hours drive we stopped in strawberry country for fresas y crema (strawberries and cream). Not
whipped and not sweetened either, the cream smothered a tub full of fresh ripe strawberries. At 2500 pesos it was a pot of ecstasy. Pieter played a pétanque like game with the locals. They were very welcoming.
We drove around Villa de Leyva and up a bumpy narrow road, passed a military base, to our accommodation on the side of a hill. In typical colonial style it had a spanish roof and a veranda covered in flowers. There was a little fijoa tree out front. Oscar was our host and he took us for a walking tour of the town.
After visiting a posh old hotel and a distillery, we visited the Museum of Luis Alberto Acuna. An important local figure, he was a prolific artist creating lots of paintings. The courtyard of the house was full of murals and interesting sculptures.
In the evening there was a bbq. Local artists serenaded us around a fire. They were very good but when the food was served we moved inside to the light and the band left. Bit of a shame. And eating was funny. The meat was so chewy we all sat in silence just chewing.
The next morning we went to see some of the attractions outside of town. We started with the 3 blue lakes. These were dug by farmers for irrigation but the were such a beautiful blue colour with rushes growing around them that were a tourist attraction and you had to pay to swim there. But no one was around to collect when were there so it was free. Pieter went for a walk with Suzy while I jumped in the water. It was very cold but lovely for a swim.
Next stop was El Fossil where a kronosaurus was found in 1977. The building was built around the discovered fossil. Fossils were quite common in the town that used to be under the sea. Quite often fossils are incorporated into walls and paths.
In the afternoon we were dropped in town. We went off to do some sight seeing. Not a huge town so it didn't take long. And the museums were closed because it was the day after a public holiday. Pieter went off with the group horse riding. I didn't go because my back had been playing up. They rode until after sunset in the hills.
They rode past a house made of ceramic which was still be added to. It was or it is already in the Guinness book of world records.
We thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere of this town preserved in colonial style. Sitting on the square, watching people go by. Very relaxed and friendly.
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Salt Cathedral
