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. 

Ready for our hike - Dad and me

Baby Bubba and his big sister.

My adorable parents

Our Saving Grace: The woman from this house brought us hot coffee to keep us going

Our lunch spot.

View of the reservoir of Tolimé

Guatavita Lake

Cold and wet, but still a happy family with these views

The sun came out and the countryside was gorgeous!

Interested in a trip this awesome? Check out www.colombiantravels.com for help with the planning.

Sharing Colombia with the Family - Part 1: Bogotá

So yesterday my family - mom, dad, and brother - got up and left at 6 am for their flight home, after 10 days of great family time and traveling around Colombia.  It was certainly a whirlwind of a trip but they got to see a lot of the country and hopefully left with a better idea of why I love Colombia so much and am not sure if I will be leaving after my second year... the future is very uncertain, as my next steps in terms of my career are still taking shape.  Anyhow, we did a LOT but here is an overview of what we did:

Friday:

The family arrived at the airport.  We headed to our hotel, Hotel Casa Paquin.  It is in the neighborhood called El Polo. I'd never been and it seems like a strange location but just across the footbridge crossing the highway (la Autopista) is Zona Rosa and Parque 93...so in the end the location was great.  We headed out for a celebratory drink at the Bogotá Beer Company and then crashed.

Saturday:

The day began with a city tour.  Our guide, Rene, was amazing.  He really knows the country and the people and the history, so  even though I've taken a city tour and lived in this city a nearly a year, I learned a ton!  He totally inspired me as well to be more conscientious about living sustainably.  Incredible right, that in just a few hours a person could have this big of an effect!?  If you're looking for a guide for a city tour in Bogotá, let me know and I'll connect you to him.  Anyhow, we began by heading up to the mountain to see Monserrate.

My family loved it, I was wishing for a little less rain and clouds.  Still, the views are spectacular and they got to see a market with all the typical foods.  We then headed down to el centro to see La Candelaria (one of my absolute favorite places in Bogotá, see La Candelaria or More Exploring for additional info on the area).  We mostly just walked around for my family to see it all and get an idea of what was there.  We stopped in La Plaza de Bolivar and then continued onto el Museo del Oro.  This museum is excellent and Rene really helped to make the time there even more valuable with all his explanations of the symbolism and the history.  Very cool...but we were exhausted and HUNGRY.  We spent only an hour and then headed to lunch.  We invited Rene along because he is awesome and he had a great suggestion.  A place called Minimal, which I will certainly return to, located in Chapinero Alto.  (I have no pictures of any of this, hoping dad sends me some.  I think I was just so excited to be learning the history and talking with Rene, that I forgot about the pics!)

After a few hours to relax in the hotel, we went to Yanuba for traditional onces (kind of a like a late afternoon "snack" although it can be a lot of food) with the director of my school and the director of bilingual education as well.  My parents loved meeting folks from the school and trying this new meal or at least the concept was interesting.  Additionally, the conversation was great.

In the evening we split a bottle of wine, relaxed, and again, crashed early.

Sunday:

Sunday was a bit less programmed but still wonderful.  We woke up and enjoyed breakfast in the hotel, as we did every day because it was included.  We then hopped in a taxi for my parents to visit my neighborhood, see where I live and see where I'm going to live (I found an apartment and I'm moving on August 1!).  We stopped to have an empanada from el Kiosco (my favorite empanadas in all of Bogotá) and then walked to catch the bus to Usaquén.  The buses are safe here in Bogotá but it's always better to not draw too much attention to yourself if you are 1) gringo and 2) don't speak Spanish.  I suggested that my family try to just quietly get on the bus, find a seat and follow my lead  i.e. not talk.  I got on and paid for everyone and then my mom attempted to get on the bus but had trouble with the turnstile.  She decided that shouting "I can't get on, I can't get on!" was the best way to handle this.  Oh dear.  Of course the passengers and driver just looked at her like she was crazy (fair assessment), we helped her get through the turnstile and once we arrived to Usaquén the family was in tears from laughter.

Usaquén is bustling with outdoor markets on Sunday, so we spent an hour or so walking through the markets and then stopped for coffee.  My mom at the end of the trip commented that there wasn't enough coffee on the trip.  Again, uncontrollable laughter.  You can't make this stuff up!!  We are in COLOMBIA, the home of some of the best coffee in the WORLD.  I mean, seriously?

Anyhow, I hired a driver to take us to lunch outside of the city.  This is the norm in Bogotá.  Families on the weekend, drive out of the city to have big lunches together.  We went to a place in Chia called Entre Pues.  Everyone had Bandeja Paisa and we shared a few pitchers of refajo (a mixture of beer and a soda called Colombiana).  We were STUFFED.

In the evening, we wanted to just grab a drink and maybe dessert but it was Sunday so my favorite places were closed.  I settled for Crepes & Waffles in the zona T.  We were joined by a friend and had a lovely evening.

Again, no pics.  Sorry!  Hoping that my dad will help me some to spice this post up a bit.  I was just living in the moment and forgot about recording it!

Interested in a trip this awesome? Check out www.colombiantravels.com for help with the planning.

God Bless America!!!

Happy 4th of July to everyone!!!  There was not a whole lot of celebrating over here - mostly packing for my vacation with family (they arrive on Friday!) and apartment hunting (I move into my own place August 1!) - but I did squeeze in a lunch with two fellow Texans (I realize I'm not really Texan...but sometimes I feel I can claim it) for Mexican food and margaritas and mojitos.  I also wore red, white, and blue.  It was the best I could do.

Vacation is here!!!!

So, when I accepted the job at Gimnasio La Montaña I thought that the vacation time was the same as the average school.  Not so.  We have 1 month... the teachers that is.  The students get the standard 2+ months of "summer" vacation (although when I say that here people give me a weird look...there is no summer!)  Anyhow, while I'm still not completely over the fact that my vacation time is shorter this year than what feels like ever before, I'm working on making the most of the time I have.

I began the vacation with a happy hour and dinner with friends on Friday night (hooray, school is out!).

One of my besties and me.

These two are troopers.  So many folks were too tired to come out -  but these two made it out because I was so excited about celebrating the end of my first year teaching in Colombian.

I then took a road trip and rented a house (20 minutes from Melgar) with friends.  Melgar is about about 6 hours away.  Well, I think maybe 3 or 4 hours normally but on a long weekend when everyone and their entire extended family leaves the city the trip doubles (yes, there was another Colombia holiday.  What was it?  I have no idea!).  The trip was amazing!  Great food and beverage, great conversations and bonding, tons of laughing, dancing, and ridiculousness, lots of sun and pool time and it was suuuuuuper relaxing.  Maybe only having a month makes every moment that much more delicious.   Here are some pics:

View from the car during the drive

Pit stop upon reaching Melgar!

The view from my towel when I was sunbathing next to the pool.

We played Rana and Tejo...I'm so Colombian! ;-)

Beauty stars, posing by the pool.

Where I spent my last 48 hours. Heaven!

**Note:  As my readership has increased and has included co-workers and well, strangers, I've needed to be more careful about what I post.  Hoping to offer some more reflections on this in the future (it's on my summer fun list!) but for now, know that I was not alone in Melgar, I'm just doing my best to share my adventures without sharing too much about the lives of others.  Again, sorry if this is note is cryptic.  Would love to be able to write a reflection on Colombian "politics" soon.