Thursday 7 January 2010
More Photos: Days 12, 13, 14 & 15: Road Tripping to the Caribbean
Hipinto - a refreshing drink if you like the taste
of sweet, syrupy medicine.
Patacones and ají - my favourite!
More Photos: Days 9, 10 & 11
Waterfall fun.
The real, FINNISH Papa Noel brought presents on Christmas Eve.
Traditional Christmas delicacies:
Buñuelos and natilla (and a Mexican chili-mango lollipop)
Chess.
Day 8 - Swimming and More Family Time
Chicamocha, Santander
Chicamocha
Fat-ass ants
My lovely travel companions (left and centre) and my
handsome tour guide (right) enjoying a well-deserved
Aguila beer.
From Guane and Barichara our journey continued to Mesa de Los Santos, Santander, where we´d spend Christmas with JP's dad´s side of the family. It was another reasonably lengthy drive, so we decided to treat ourselves to a swim in the river in Pescaderito, in a village called Curití. We rented out some inner tubes and had a relaxing few hours swimming and sunbathing, followed by a hearty meal and Aguila beer (Colombia´s most advertised beer).
Our drive to JP's grandparents' holiday home took us through an impressive canyon called Chicamocha. With the number of trucks and careless drivers along the sinous road, JJ, M and I munched on a Santanderian culinary specialty, hormigas culonas, "fat-ass ants", to calm our nerves while JP mastered the turns and curves of the road. I have to say that, although definitely an acquired taste, this expensive delicacy that was sold on the roadside didn't taste all that bad.
When we finally reached Mesa de Los Santos we were met by JP's grandparents and the rest of the clan, who made sure we were well-fed with the Santander version of tamales, beer, aguardiente, accompanied by lots of hugs, questions, laughter and the joy of reuniting with family.
Wednesday 6 January 2010
Days 6 & 7 - Christmas Carols at 4 am.
Barichara
Años viejos: Alvaro Uribe, Piedad Cordoba, Hugo Chavez.
Changua
Hotel Santa Lucia in Guane
Near Iguaque
Our trip to Guane and Barichara in the department of Santander got a slow start: we got stopped by the police even before we got out of Bogotá because our car wasn´t supposed to be out and about that day until after 8 pm - because of heavy traffic, there are restrictions as to what day you can drive your car at peak time, and, well, that day wasn´t ours. But after a fine and some bickering with the police, we moved on. One of the most spectacular images en route near Tunja just north of Bogotá was a huge Taj Mahal-like building that is used as a concert venue. I couldn't believe my eyes - it was like from a Disney film. It was truly bizarre seeing a building like that in a region where people wear ponchos and hats.
The drive up was lovely and a little bit emotional for me. It was dry season but I was blown away by the greenness of the landscape nevertheless. During rainy season the mountains are, according to my guide, "like emeralds". It was a trip JP and his family have made a million times, but for me the 8-hour drive was a first and I couldn't take in half of what I saw along the way. I kept staring at the humble, multicoloured houses embellishing the emerald and wondering what kind of lives the people living in them lead. It was frustrating not to be able to capture the beauty of those little bright things on film, but more so to realise that the distance between me and them was greater than that from the roadside to the car window I was glued to.
Many of the houses, restaurants and shops we passed along the way had año viejos, "old year-dolls" sitting outside, waiting to be burned in the new year. The figures ranged from Mae West-esque women to political figures, some of whom are featured in the photos I´ve put up in this post.
Another highlight of that day was trying out guanabana juice. I have no idea how to describe this fruit, but it tasted beautiful.
When we reached Guane it was already dark. We had a walk around the square and came to the conclusion that the village consisted of just that: a square, with a church and a tiny museum. In the centre of the square there was a pillar where slaves had once been chained and punished. It was now embellished by a nativity scene.
We stayed as the only guests in a charming guest house in Guane. At 4 am we got woken up by a loud repetoire of "Silent Night". I thought it a little strange but kind of nice, seeing as it was almost Christmas and that particular Christmas carol can be quite soothing. After 3 rounds of "Jingle Bells" and an overly chirpy "Feliz Navidad" it was still quite funny but after that it all got a bit too much. We first thought someone had simply decided to get a little festive in the middle of the night, but it turned out that the blast of Christmas carols was a call to mass that lasted for an hour. "Los curas son unos dictadores!" my grumpy guide cursed, accusing the local priest of being somewhat Hitler-like. Even the stars got a little scared by all the caroling and disappeared and we could see flashes of lightning in the sky as we waited for mass to end so we could get some sleep.
The following morning our distressed and sleepy souls were soothed by a portion of delightful changua, a potato/cheese/egg soup and arepas for breakfast (see photo) - tastes better than it sounds! We then went to the museum where we saw a lot of fossils and found out about Guane´s indigenous people, who were all apparently tall, white, clean and learned Spanish with ease. This description became the answer to even the smallest questions we asked the museum guide, and became something of a joke between us. However, there was a different answer to my question about the number of visitors the Guane museum received annually: a million.
We took a little bus to Barichara, the neighbouring town, and walked around and ate and walked around some more and ate some more as one does in a beautiful but sleepy little town. We then took the Camino de Lenguerke, a road constructed by a German in the 1800s, which took as back to Guane, where we played 20 questions and got woken up again at 4 am, this time by Christmas carols and by fireworks...
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