Colombian Road Trip to Los Nevados - Day 2

Ibagué – Silencio – El Rancho – Silencio – Juntas

On day 2, we woke early to head to “El Rancho”.  Juan Carlos traveled there maybe 15 years ago.  As he remembered it, there were hot springs and a quaint little building with rooms to stay in.  The other option was to camp.  We reserved a “cabaña” for a bit more comfort.  To get to El Rancho we took a taxi into Ibagué, rented a Jeep to take us to Silencio, where the road ends.  From there we would need to hike in.  On the way to Silencio, the sky was clear and we were able to catch a glimpse of the snowcapped peak of Nevado Tolima.  Gorgeous!  This made me even more excited for our trip – of course. 

When we reached Silencio, Juan Carlos asked me if I wanted to ride a horse to El Rancho, instead of hiking.  I don’t really love horses but Juan Carlos used to play polo, so I agreed.  Small kink in the communication.  Juan Carlos only rented a horse for me!  Being the slightly neurotic, über-independent female that I am I had a minor fit…or maybe not so minor.  I did not discovered this detail until I was already on the horse and the horse was trotting away with me.  Juan Carlos was trying to be kind and I was mad that he thought I was too weak to hike in… poor guy, really.  I realize I can be a bit much to handle and he rolled with it pretty well.  I lasted about 10 minutes on the horse.  I was scared to death that I was going to fall off the horse or that the horse was going to fall off a cliff, and so we switched.  Juan Carlos road the horse, in expert fashion, as I hiked in.  A much better arrangement, if you ask me.  I think Juan Carlos was slightly embarrassed that people were going to think he wasn’t a gentleman because his girlfriend was walking while he had the easy ride into El Rancho.  This is just one of the many “lost in translation” moments we’ve had.  It makes things rocky at times, but they are learning moments and we’re surviving in spite of the craziness.

            By the time we arrived at El Rancho, I was in heaven.  The views were incredible, the air was crisp, and I was working up a bit of a sweat which was lovely because I NEVER workout in Colombia.  It felt wonderful.  Juan Carlos and I were quite surprised when we arrived, however.  There was no longer a quaint little cabin with rooms, only a shack with bunk beds, three outhouses, and a kitchen.  We later found out that this was due to the guerilla that had taken over the area about a decade back (very unfortunate).  We agreed within about ten minutes that we would not be staying here.  This after trying to get down a breakfast with a cow hanging from a peg on one side of use and another cow being butchered 10 feet away from us on the other side.  Not to mention the drips of blood on the bench we were seated upon and the hairy chunk of meat in our caldo.  I’m tough, but I’m not that tough.  After fueling up on as much of the food as we could stomach, we began our trek away from El Rancho sans horse.  The trek back was a bit more work because there is no transportation from Silencio at 9 am…only 4pm…and there is nothing in Silencio but a small store that sells snacks and drinks, two bathrooms, and some horses – seriously, that is it.  The hike to Juntas, where we would find our hotel was expected to be about 3 hours.  It turned out to only be 2 hours because we caught a ride for a short stint with two fellows on dirt bikes.  (In hindsight, getting on two separate bikes with two strangers in the middle of the woods was probably not the brightest idea – but we survived and were thankful for the break).  We also were able to pick up a ride from another Jeep heading back to Ibagué that dropped us off at the hotel.  

 

             The hotel was gorgeous, had HOT water (a luxury in these parts), horses roaming the premises, a river running alongside it, and delicious food.  We showered, had a nice long lunch, and then relaxed the rest of the day.  My body ached – but the good kind of ache – like when you were a kid and played outside all day and then were ready to pass out at 6pm.  That was us and it was certainly not in our plans to wind up at this hotel but it was heavenly.  For those interested in prices, this place was top notch and cost us $50 for the night (including breakfast) and our food including beer was maybe $20.  

A New Year in Colombia

I flew back to Colombia for the New Year because I didn’t want to miss out on too much.   The holiday was spent at a club in Anapoima with my boyfriend and his family.  (Yes, I currently have a boyfriend but I will not be writing about this in my blog.  If you want to be nosey, I understand, just shoot me an e-mail) :-)

Anyhow, the club was beautiful with pools, bar, restaurant, golf course (I don’t play), and comfortable rooms.  The weather in Anapoima is absolutely perfect – minimal humidity, 80s during the day, high 60s at night, a continuous gentle breeze and beautiful scenery.  We arrived in the afternoon of New Year’s Eve, ate some lunch, took a nap, and then festivities began.  It was nothing out of the ordinary but it was wonderful – great food, drinks, and dancing.  The one thing I have to say about Colombian events is that there is always good music and everyone dances – like really dances with real steps and turns, etc.  It is so much fun.  Was nervous to spend so much time with Juan Carlos’ family but they were a hoot – and I some how managed to hold my own with my Spanish.  I think this is a good sign – I’m actually learning Spanish!  Who would have thought?!

We spent another two days in Anapoima sleeping lots, eating well, and enjoying the sun.  It was an excellent way to kick off 2012.

Happy New Year to all.  Let’s make it the best year yet…seeing that according to the Mayans it’s our last. ;-)

Juan Carlos and I at the New Year's Eve celebration

With Juan Carlos' family

Suesca: A weekend getaway

This weekend was another long weekend – or puente (bridge) as the Colombians say.  I had another chance to get out of the city with friends.  My friend Liliana’s brother, Willy, owns a bike shop and on the weekends runs bike tours in a small town called Suesca known for mountain biking and rock climbing.  In the town he owns a small hostel as well.

On Saturday, a friend of Willy’s, Juan Carlos, picked up Liliana, her son, and me – and we headed to Suesca for the weekend.  The town is about an hour away but within 15 minutes of leaving the city the air is clean and fresh.  We drove the whole way with the windows down, playing great music and laughing.  We also stopped at this amazing little restaurant that served the typical Colombian foods – meat, potatoes, plantains, and yucca – and drank Refajo, a refreshing beverage made by mixing beer with a typical soda (kind of like cream soda) called Colombiana. 

We arrived to Suesca around 4 pm and spent the entire afternoon and evening relaxing at a little restaurant in the center of town.  It is impossible to visit this town and not be relaxed.  Everything slows down the minute you get there.  Everyone in town knows each other and so we hung out at this restaurant like it was our own home.  We played music, ate empanadas and pizza and soup.  We also drank Canelazo - basically Christmas in a cup – it’s a hot beverage with cinnamon, lime and aguardiente – and in the crisp evening air of Suesca it is the perfect thing to sip to stay toasty.  

Around 8 pm, what felt like the entire town met up to play basketball.  Basketball is not quite as popular in the Colombian as in the United States.  Generally, I find that in the U.S. most guys can pick up a basketball and have a decent game.  In Colombia, no.  It was SO much fun, but we played 8 on 8, which is kind of ridiculous and the players were not good at all – traveling, shooting the ball over the backboard (repeatedly), etc.  I looked like an all-star and I haven’t played basketball in ages!

We ended the evening by heading to the hostel and enjoying a good night’s rest. 

Early the next morning, we woke up around 7:30 in the morning to head into town for breakfast – eggs, empanadas, and coffee.  Again, this town is very relaxed.  We took our time, enjoyed each other’s company, and eventually headed back up the hill to the hostal to get ready for our bike trip.  Things were not quite as organized as I expected.  The bikes didn’t have toe clips (I’m used to riding with clip-in shoes…I realize this sound pretentious but once you’ve used them it’s very difficult to enjoy riding a bike any other way).  I also had no water, a helmet that was extremely tight, and was scared to death that I wouldn’t be able to keep up.  I had decided that I wasn’t going to bike.  Liliana was going to follow behind in her car anyway because she had her 4-year-old son Marco with her anyway, and just wanted to enjoy the beautiful scenery.  Juan Carlos said that he would like to bike ride and so Liliana, Marco, and I began to follow him in the car.  After about 5 minutes up a very steep hill, Juan Carlos stopped and said he needed a break and that I should ride for a bit.  They totally tricked me into riding! :-)  But I was so thankful.  For about 2 hours, Juan Carlos and I took turns riding.  When one of us needed a breather, the other would hop on the bike for a bit.  The views were breath-taking, there wasn’t a single other car on the road, and the weather was overcast and cool – perfect for the strenuous work.  After the two hours, we finally reached the downhill and I flew down the hill for a good 10 minutes or so.  Absolutely awesome!  When the car caught up with me – the roads were extremely rocky so going downhill is easier on a bike – Liliana decided she was going to give it a try.  She was feeling out-of-shape and weak but she missed biking so she got on.  

This may have been the second highlight of the week because I got to drive!  As some of you may know, I LOVE driving and I have not been able to drive since I got to Bogotá because I, 1) Don’t have a car and 2) Can’t drive a stick-shift, which all the cars in Bogotá are (for the most part).  Juan Carlos’ car is also a stick-shift but he knew that I wanted to learn and told me this was the best place to do it.  I "learned" pretty quickly.  I spent the next 30 minutes driving down the road practicing going from parked, to first, to second, and back down.  I probably sounds silly but I was in heaven!  I am not quite ready to cross off “Learn to drive a stick-shift” from my bucket list – I still need to learn how to reverse and practice with the other gears – but I am off to a great start and am SO happy about it.

We returned to the city on Sunday evening but it was a perfect getaway for the long weekend and I hope to return often!