Bucaramanga
The following morning I arrive in Bucaramanga, the capital of this state with 600,000 people. For me this city is only a one night stop to visit the nearby colonial town Giron. I drop my luggage off at the hotel and directly take a bus to Giron. Lars, a colleague from IBM, has given me a perfect route though Colombia which I try to follow as good as possible and Giron is his favourite colonial town in Colombia. But when I get there I quickly see that we have not the same taste. I find the white colour in which all the houses are painted quite boring and the surrounding mountains not inspiring like the volcanoes around Antigua. Nevertheless, I enjoy my half day in this pretty and touristic town. Get two students as tourist guides who show me around and eat a typical meat platter which is extremely delicious and way to big so that I take half of the plate back to the hotel for dinner. On the way back I get out of the bus a bit earlier since I need cash and also want to see a bit of Bucaramanga. I am the only foreigner in this city just like I was in Giron. But what I really enjoy about being in Colombia is that nobody cares. For 3 hours I am walking through this city realizing that its a nice and safe place to live but certainly not for me. It is way too ordinary and offers nothing, absolutely nothing inspiring. When I am walking back towards the hotel I suddenly realize that I have passed my street and have to go back. This is where my odyssey begins. For 1 hour I am running around trying to find the hotel, which name I don’t know, and its address neither. When it is getting darker I decide to go to an internet cafe where I get the information that I need and 15 minutes later I am finally there.
I leave the next morning for the “Parque Nacional de Chicamocha” – one of the tips from my old colleague Lars. Its one of those spectacular places in this world and definitely one that you should visit when you are in Colombia!! I get there just before 12am – right in time to take the cable lift to the other side where the actual park is located. I get my own lift and spend the following 30 minutes watching, taking pictures and inhaling the magic of this place. The park on the other side is rather sterile for my taste and doesn’t really belong there. Modern buildings filled with cafe´s, restaurants and souvenir shops. I have a cappuccino and look around before I leave. The security guard tells me that I should wait at the road outside the park for a shuttle which apparently comes every 15 minutes. Not so today. I wait over an hour in the burning sun 3000m above sea level until a shuttle finally stops and brings me to my next destination – San Gil.
San Gil and surroundings
I check into the hostel Sam´s VIP right at the central park and who do I meet, my dorm mate Michael from Taganga. Even though we didn’t talk much with each other he seemed like a nice guy and I am glad to see a familiar face. The hostel itself is top notch, the best I have ever been in my life I would say. Helpful and friendly staff, modern dorms even with a bathtub in the bathroom and HOT water!!! The first time since I left Europe I would get a hot shower...I am telling you, its the little things that you get to appreciate when you are travelling for a long time far away from home J The guy at the reception gives me a map of San Gil and explains to me all the things I should do or see. Even though I am not into the activities like rafting or paragliding there is plenty to see for me around San Gil. The following day, my 33rd birthday, I visit a park in San Gil and get more information from a woman in a coffee shop. She tells me about a waterfall in San Juan as well as the best chorizo from San Jose, which is a village on the way to the waterfall. I am very busy that day since I have to make some calls with my friends and family but still I manage to leave San Gil in the afternoon and do the trip to the waterfall which is 45 minutes outside of town. When I get there I have to hike for another 30 minutes up the hill which is not that easy with flip flops. The waterfall is nice but nothing really spectacular and I don’t take a bath in the freezing water as recommended at the entrance. I leave that up to the locals and walk back after taking a few pictures. At the entrance I talk to the restaurant owner about how I can get to San Jose. He tells me its 7kms away from here and that I should wait for the next bus. I say thank you and start walking....a little 7km hike along the road is nothing for me I think. I move on pretty well always in mind that I need to get to San Jose early enough that I can eat and still get the last bus back to San Gil. Luckily for the last few kms a bus picks me up and gives me a lift so that I reach the famous place of Doña Eustaquia (while writing just joined the group on FB “Yo tambien comì chorizos donde Doña Eustaquia!). The chorizo comes with yucca - a root vegetable similar to potato – and an absolutely delicious slightly sweet sauce. Very simple but mouth-watering!!! Remarkable end to a perfect day!
The following day I go with Michael to Barichara, a small but famous and very touristic colonial village close to San Gil. We get there very early and spend an hour or so walking around taking pictures. Barichara is very similar to Giron only smaller but in perfect shape and ready for mass tourism with its hotels, restaurants and bars. On that day the village gets ready for the festival on the weekend and we can see many builders repairing the streets or painting the front of the houses. On our to-do-list this day is also a 1 ½ hike Guane which leads us crossways through the beautiful countryside. We reach Guane just in time to get the 12am bus back to San Gil. Michael tells me how glad he is that I motivated to do this trip since he was not doing anything for quite a long time. On my first day in San Gil we got to know each other better over a bottle of red wine. He is a lawyer who quit his job, sold his chamber and went on to travel the world in 16 months without using the plane once. He has a very good sense of humour and its entertaining listening to his stories. Right now he is trying to write a book about his adventure but is struggling to find the time or the mood to write every day.
As a last stop before Bogota I visit another famous colonial village called Villa de Leyva. To get there I take an early bus to Chiquinquira on the 21.10.10. This turns out to be the worst bus drive so far in Latin America. Normally, the road to Tunja would be the preferred choice but due to a rock slide the road is closed and during the 7 hours on the bus I find out why the other road is better. The medium sized bus I am on is pretty old, the seats are uncomfortable and the worst, the suspension is sooo hard that you can feel every single hole or hump – and the road is full of them!!! On top, the driver has a very aggressive driving style so that once I almost hit with my head on the ceiling. Somehow I still survive this ride unscratched and change the bus for Villa de Leyva. The village is located in the mountains 2144m above sea level and is said to be one of the most attractive colonial places in Colombia. After checking in I go for a walk. Quickly I realize that the climate here is much cooler than in San Gil and that I am totally underdressed with my shorts and T-shirt. Almost everyone here is wearing jackets or warm sweater. The village reminds me of Barichara, very touristic with lots of restaurants, bars, hotels and souvenir shops. The most beautiful part for me is the scenery – the little village surrounded by the mountains. The next morning I take a 2 hour walk which takes me past a clay house – Casa de Barro – and a famous vineyard before I leave at 1pm to Bogota.
As a last stop before Bogota I visit another famous colonial village called Villa de Leyva. To get there I take an early bus to Chiquinquira on the 21.10.10. This turns out to be the worst bus drive so far in Latin America. Normally, the road to Tunja would be the preferred choice but due to a rock slide the road is closed and during the 7 hours on the bus I find out why the other road is better. The medium sized bus I am on is pretty old, the seats are uncomfortable and the worst, the suspension is sooo hard that you can feel every single hole or hump – and the road is full of them!!! On top, the driver has a very aggressive driving style so that once I almost hit with my head on the ceiling. Somehow I still survive this ride unscratched and change the bus for Villa de Leyva. The village is located in the mountains 2144m above sea level and is said to be one of the most attractive colonial places in Colombia. After checking in I go for a walk. Quickly I realize that the climate here is much cooler than in San Gil and that I am totally underdressed with my shorts and T-shirt. Almost everyone here is wearing jackets or warm sweater. The village reminds me of Barichara, very touristic with lots of restaurants, bars, hotels and souvenir shops. The most beautiful part for me is the scenery – the little village surrounded by the mountains. The next morning I take a 2 hour walk which takes me past a clay house – Casa de Barro – and a famous vineyard before I leave at 1pm to Bogota.
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