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A Tour De force Through Bogota’s Hostels

By on 24. July 2009 in Colombia
Like most backpackers, we stayed in La Candelaria, the partially preserved colonial centre. Doing so over a weekend, you either need to be a party animal or bring good ear plugs! Our search for a comfortable place took on epic dimensions

Like most backpackers, we stayed in La Candelaria, the partially preserved colonial centre. Doing so over a weekend, you either need to be a party animal or bring good ear plugs! Our search for a comfortable place took on epic dimensions

Everyone we met before arriving in Bogota had a very clear opinion of the very capital – so we were curious which side we would end up taking, especially since we never really enjoy huge cities, with a few exceptions, like Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, or … Hong Kong. Our first steps made us rather lean on the negative side. But all is not lost! Continue Reading →

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Desierto de Tatacoa – Petrified Phantoms

By on 23. July 2009 in Colombia
A short walk from the Observatory takes you into amidst incredible rock formation of different reddish colours, the ?Laberintos de Cusco? (Cusco Labyrinths), dotted with different cactuses. The little towers, cliff and ravines were sculptured by the wind and infrequent rain

A short walk from the Observatory takes you into amidst incredible rock formation of different reddish colours, the ?Laberintos de Cusco? (Cusco Labyrinths), dotted with different cactuses. The little towers, cliff and ravines were sculptured by the wind and infrequent rain

Some travellers we met along the way raved about this place and since it meant a nice break in the 9 hour bus ride from San Agustin to Bogota, we decided to check it out and we LOVED it. Located in the valley between the Cordillera Oriental & the Cordillera Central, it gets relatively little rain and being situated only 441 meters above sea level, means it is warm, really warm. What a nice change after the rather chilly evenings in San Agustin, Tierradentro and Salento.

Continue Reading →

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Still Far From The “Gringo Trail”

By on 21. July 2009 in Colombia
Faces are carved into the rocks, La Chaquira, above the Rio Magdalena, San Agustin, Huila, Colombia, South America

Faces are carved into the rocks, La Chaquira, above the Rio Magdalena, San Agustin, Huila, Colombia, South America

Tourism in Columbia, apart from Cartagena, has been picking up slowly over the last few years, with the vast majority being domestic tourists finally daring to leave their cities and venture into rural areas. Continue Reading →

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Checking Out San Agustin’s Hostel Scene

By on 19. July 2009 in Colombia

 

One of the 130, 5000 year old scultures, in San Agustin, in the archaeological park, Huila, Colombia, South America

One of the 130, 5000 year old scultures, in San Agustin, in the archaeological park, Huila, Colombia

Yeap we did it, arriving in San Agustin not knowing it was Columbia’s Independence Day! Naturally, any half way decent room was gone, considering that this is one of Columbia’s major tourist attractions. No, there are plenty of hostels, but very few meet the expectations of foreigners: access to reliable information on onward transport / sights / tours, Internet, laundry service and most important exchange of current information with other travelers. The use of a kitchen is a great plus, since “frijoles, arroz y pollo” gets a bit boring. This is not a joke, that is the never ending diet in cheap restaurants! Continue Reading →

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Travel In The Far South

By on 18. July 2009 in Colombia
Swaying footbridge, above the Rio Cauca, between Tierradentro, Cauca & San Agustin, Huila, Colombia, South America

Swaying footbridge, above the Rio Cauca, between Tierradentro, Cauca & San Agustin, Huila, Colombia

 “Death Road” Meets Indiana Jones

Until we reached Popayan, the roads we travelled were excellent. These conditions changed rapidly when we travelled from Popayan to Tierradentro and further on to San Agustin. These two trips, a few times, reminded us of the notorious “Death Road” in Bolivia. The main difference is that there is very little traffic here. The cliff is also “only” a few hundred meters deep, not one thousand. Continue Reading →

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Market Day In Inza – A Chiva Is Never Full

By on 17. July 2009 in Colombia
Market day in Inza, with full Chiva buses, old Dodge buses, Tierradentro, Cauca, Colombia, South America

Market day in Inza, with full Chiva buses, old Dodge buses, Tierradentro, Cauca, Colombia, South America

Chivas are old Dodge busses used for local transport in rural areas and look quite intriguing: the cab is painted in wild colors and so is the interior, which consists of five wide rows of painted wooden benches each sitting six people. Continue Reading →

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Tierradentro – The Perfect Name

By on 16. July 2009 in Colombia
Tombs dug out of soft volcanic rock to place urns filled with bones, Segovia site, Tierradentro, Cauca, Colombia, South America

Tombs dug out of soft volcanic rock to place urns filled with bones, Segovia site, Tierradentro, Cauca, Colombia, South America

The name Tierradentro says it all – amazing underground tombs are scattered around the slopes of this most scenic valley. Scientists believe that between the 7th and 9th Century these tombs, the only ones of this kind in the Americas, were dug out of soft volcanic rock to place urns filled with bones. Thus these tombs are secondary burial sites, which means the dead were initially first buried in tiny stone chambers and later moved to here. Continue Reading →

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Silvia – Guambiano Indigenous Market

By on 15. July 2009 in Colombia
Blue skirts, thin hand-woven ponchos and a bowler hat, Guambiano Indigenous Market, Silvia, near Popayan, Cauca, Colombia, South America

Blue skirts, thin hand-woven ponchos and a bowler hat, Guambiano Indigenous Market, Silvia, near Popayan, Cauca, Colombia

Silvia, a village situated at 2.650 meters, about an hour drive from Popayan, is the centre of the Guambiano region, one of Columbia’s most traditional indigenous groups. The Guambiano still use their language and dress in colourful clothes, especially for market day. Then the men wear blue skirts, wrapped around their waste, thin hand-woven ponchos and a bowler hat. The women sport voluminous black skirts, large blue shawls around their shoulder held together by safety pins. Continue Reading →

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