What's Cottrell up to?: Sharing Colombia with the Family Part 2: Guatavita

During their visit my family and I visited 4 different locations in Colombia. The second was Guatavita. Guatavita is still in Cundinamarca, the same departamento as Bogotá but it is about 1.5 hours outside of the city and it is rural. I was trying to make sure my family got to see some city, some countryside, and as you'll see later some beach.

Monday:

On Monday, a driver from our next location picked us up. We made a quick stop at my school for the family to see where I work and then continued our journey to Guatavita. We stayed a farm (finca) called La Juanita, run by a guy named Felipe Spath. The farm has only been opened to visitors for about 9 months so it's not well-known. We were soooo lucky to have found the place because it was an absolute gem. (The farm also is a part of WWOOF, so if you're interested in volunteering for a month here, check out the site!) The atmosphere was very relaxed, still, we were not at a loss for entertainment. When we arrived, we found out that Sundance Film Festival was visiting that day (and thus the U.S. Embassy as well) and that there would be a movie screening in town. We met a ton of interesting people because of this event and I will for sure be returning in August for the first rural Tedx event in Colombia, which Felipe is planning and hosting. So cool! I need to say, also, that the food was incredible. Lunch: Rice and beans but with the works! Avocado, plantains, cheese, etc. SO GOOD! Onces: This custard made of passion fruit (maracuyá) and Dinner: Soup and rice...simple but delicious and it inspired me to make more soup in my own kitchen.

Family bonding time - we all shared one room. But the beds were clean and comfortable.

Mother/daughter time, visiting a horse farm before the screening of "Buck" - excellent film.

Guatavita


Guatavita


La Juanita

Tuesday:

La Juanita overlooks the reservoir of Tolimé but over the ridge behind the house is the legendary, Guatavita Lake. On Tuesday we had a delicious breakfast and then hit the trail around 10 am. The beginning of the hike was not easy, it was a pretty steep climb. The views and the surroundings, however, were breath-taking. I think we probably climbed for 2 or more hours before we stopped for snacks: bocadillo (guava candy), peanuts, cookies, and hot tea.

We then continued through the páramo where it began to pour. Oof. The views were still stunning but we were cold in wet. This was not my favorite part, but my family still talks about how great this hike was. After about 1 - 2 hours we stopped for lunch. We were soaked to the bone and cold but were nursed back to life with an amazing feast of homemade bread, hummus, tabouli salad and cheese put together by Felipe and the volunteers. Additionally, we were seated outside of a house and the woman who lives there turned on some vallenato for us and then brought us hot, sweet coffee! It was exactly what I needed in order to be able to continue the journey to the lake.

We relaxed for quite a bit and then a van took us to the entrance of the park. I'm not sure if the original plan was to walk and Felipe changed it due to the weather, or if this was part of the original plan. I was not complaining. I wanted to see the lake but I was coooold! We walked another 15 minutes or so from the entrance to reach a series of lookouts of the lake. This lake, along with several others, were used in worship rituals among the Muisca people, indigenous people that lived here long before the Spaniards arrived. They would travel from lake to lake and would give thanks for all they had. The ritual included throwing gold into the lake. Because of this, Guatavita Lake is still considered a sacred place. The water level is much lower than it had been because years and years ago, the British (I think) blew up one side of the lake in order to drain it and collect the gold at the bottom (lovely). After some photo ops and reflection time, we headed home.

Again, we were greeted with endless hot coffee and herbal tea, onces: banana bread made by the gods (aka Felipe), and later dinner: another soup and rice. YUM! We were all exhausted and relaxed around the fire, reading and journaling, and protecting my mom from the ferocious kitten that lives in the house.