Because of the narrow, twisty roads and mountainous terrain, car travel between major cities in Colombia can be challenging. Thus flying has become a popular and relatively inexpensive mode of travel. As long as you avoid the major holidays, it's fairly easy to secure a round trip ticket between Medellín and Bogotá for under $50. The major hassle and/or adventure is getting to and from the airports. But while high in the air, you can miss out on some of the natural beauty and quaint pueblos that Colombia is famous for.
So when our friends Luis and Piedad invited us to take a road trip with them from Medellín to Bogotá, we were in! Ten hours of beautiful scenery. Ten hours of Spanish listening and speaking practice with friends. Ten hours of hairpin turns and interesting driving methods ... well, as the saying goes ... 2 out of 3 ain't bad!
We were ''listo'' for a Colombian Road Trip !
We decided to combine our weekend near Bogotá with a planned trip to another beautiful Colombian destination, Bucaramanga. More on that adventure later, but first a glimpse into the trip that would take us ...
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... across one of Colombia's great rivers, the Magdalena,
... and into Guaduas, another Pueblo Patrimonio (historical colonial town).
Starting out from Medellin around 6 am, we had the chance to see the sun rise as we drove over the mountains that surround the city. We stopped for a typical Colombian arepa and scrambled egg breakfast at one of the open-air restaurants that line the roadways. We passed by Río Claro, a natural river reserve. But unfortunately, the recent rains had made the normally crystal clear river bed dark and silty ... so we ventured on to the historic town of Guaduas with its white and brown colonial homes and narrow cobblestone streets.
The town square was alive with people selling their wares and enjoying another beautiful day in Colombia. We toured a hotel that was built in 1859 and is still treating travelers to ...
exquisite stone and art work
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After some ice cream, we were fueled up for our final assent into Bogotá which lies about 4000 feet higher than the area around Medellin. A weekend of relaxation, good food, and Spanish conversations with the family and friends of our hosts awaited us.
Luis and Piedad's home is a delightful experience of nature both inside and out. Fruit trees provide year-round limones (limes), brevas (figs), and tomates de árbol (tree tomatoes).
The brevas (figs) were cooked in a rich panela (brown sugar) sauce for six hours and transformed into a delicious dessert by their talented friend, Andrés. As is common with most Colombian sweets, it was served up with arequepe and queso (cheese). Muy rico!
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