Sunday, November 22, 2009

Relaxing in the Boyaca Region

I have spent the last few weeks in the Santander and Boyaca regions of Colombian. These regions are considered some of the most beautiful of Colombia, where people go to relax and get back in touch with nature. They also provide the gateways to access the tallest mountains of the country, those in El Cocuy National Park. It is a little off the beaten tourist track, as there are not many large cities in the region and transportation is a little tricky sometimes. It is a very beautiful region, with decent size mountains everywhere you look, and then small colonial villages and towns settled down into the valleys.



From Bogota, I stopped in Zipaquira for a few hours to see the famous salt cathedral. I saw a salt cathedral in Poland, near Krakow in a little town called Wieliczka, and that was one of the most impressive things I have seen, so I was not expecting this salt cathedral to measure up. Anyway, the salt cathedral was incredible, and much larger than I expected. It is larger than the salt cathedral in Wieliczka, but lacked the detailed sculptures, pews, altar, and other ¨church-like¨ things that you find in churches. The Zipaquira salt cathedral had the stations of the cross in salt and huge shafts where crosses out of salt were displayed, along with kneeling pews for praying. However, I never really felt like I was in a holy place, or even a church. It was definitely impressive, especially the size of this place (you could easily get lost in there), but the intricate, detailed pieces and the powerful emotion I felt while standing in the Wieliczka cathedral was lacking.



I can say that the tiny town of Zipaquira has another cathedral in its little town square that really impressed me. It was just a simple cathedral, nothing special to the naked eye, but it was one of those places that you walk into a just get hit with some sort of feeling. It doesn´t happen to me very often, so I take notice when it does. This cathedral was something special, and much more impressive to me than the salt cathedral. The shame is that probably an incredibly small percentage of tourists that visit Zipaquira actually even see the cathedral from a distance. Or, maybe that is a good thing too, and part of the reason it does provide a special sensation to the person that does take the time to witness its grandness.














After Zipaquira, I continued on to the little city of Tunja. Tunja is the capital of the department of Boyaca and is the highest departmental capital in Colombia, located at an elevation of almost 8,500 feet. At this elevation, the city is significantly colder than any other city I have visited on my trip thus far. Days are nice and cool, and nights are colder, probably in the low 40s. Tunja is a university town, with something like 5 or 6 universities calling the city home. Therefore, most of the people walking the streets are young people. Unfortunately, I was not able to experience a weekend there, as I spent two days there, just to sample the city and see the colonial churches that the city is famous for. Well, just as my luck would have it, I chose the week during which all the priests were on retreat, and only 2 of the dozen churches were open. I was not able to see the interior of the grand cathedral, which I was a little upset about, but I did see the insides of the San Franciscan Church and the Church of Santo Domingo, which were both decorated in the Baroque style, with lots of gold and elaborate statues. While this is cool in one way, I prefer the simple churches. Call me a simpleton. I know. I can´t help it. When I think of God, the last thing I think about is gold and showy, gaudy decorations. To each his own (or her own) I guess.






After Tunja, I spent 4 days in a colonial town called Villa de Leyva. This charming little city is very peaceful and laid back. The roads in the main part of the town are all cobblestone, and there are very few cars driving the streets. It has one of the largest main town plazas in all of South America, and is the place to hang out at night, when all the little tiendas and restaurants are playing music at night and the square (called Plaza Mayor) transforms itself into the gathering place for old and young alike. I spent a few nights hanging out on the steps of the cathedral at night, watching over the square, talking to random people, and even listening to a few student bands play their rattles and other instruments as the town fountain in the middle of the square drew the young crowd into dancing and singing.



While in Villa de Leyva, I was able to visit some of the sights around the town. One really cool place I was lucky enough to visit was El Fosil. This place is the original site of an archaeological dig that uncovered the largest intact fossil of a prehistoric marine animal. The kronosaurus measures around 30 feet long and looks like a giant crocodile with huge, wing-like fins that propelled it forward. It must have been quite a sight for anything else in the sea. It was really, really cool to see, and just to imagine something that is 120 million years old is crazy!! 120 million years ago? Wow, I would give anything to see what this world looked like back then and what strange, awesome creatures were roaming about the earth before the mighty hand of Homo sapiens got hold of it. It is definitely fun to think about.







While at the fossil site, I met a young Colombian couple, who I began talking to. It turned out that we were heading to the same place, and since they had a car, they offered to give me a ride. They were very nice and we got along very well. We visited a site called El Infiernito, which is a sacred, Stonehenge-like site for the Muisca people (think Incas, but of Colombia). In this site, the Muiscas erected these tall structures with which they used, along with the projection of their shadows at different times of the year, to determine the seasons of the year and the best times to plant their crops. There were also some tall structures shaped in the form of a male penis. Yes, I am not making this up! These structures symbolized male fertility, and since they were protruding from Mother Earth, also represented the partnership between mankind and nature. Hmm, interesting, and not exactly what I was expecting. In fact, when I first saw those large stones, I definitely thought to myself how much they resembled penises. I guess I have an eye for detail, because I was right!


Our next stop was at a vineyard to sample some of the Colombian wine produced in the region. While nothing special, it was a cool experience and something that I never thought I would do while in Colombia. Plus, it was a great way to sample several wines without paying too much. After a quick stop at an Ostrich Farm (kind of weird but definitely interesting- I got to pet an ostrich and let it peck at my hand (they wouldn´t let me try to ride him), we returned to Villa de Leyva, where I relaxed in a hammock for the rest of the day, before visiting the square again at night.




A short drive from Villa de Leyva takes you to the awesome little town of Chiquinquira, the most Catholic place in Colombia, where many Catholics from around the country and even the surrounding countries make a pilgrimage. There is a legend that a miracle occurred here a few centuries ago. There was a painting of Mary that had been painted by the famous Spanish artist Alonso de Narvaez. The painting was stored in a church that was basically falling apart, and the result was that the painting was damaged and the images started to fade. The image was finally taken to Chiquinquira and stored there in a chapel in 1577. Several years later, a lady from Seville rediscovered the painting, and although the images were very faint at this point, she loved to pray in front of it. One day, the lady came to pray at the painting when she discovered that the painting had been miraculously restored to its original condition overnight. Word spread of the miracle, and in 1829, Pope Pius VII declared the Virgin of Chiquinquira patroness of Colombia.



The church is elegantly simple and the painting is displayed behind a glass case, to prevent pilgrims from damaging it. The church itself is marvelous and one of the most impressive ones I have seen. Although it isn`t particularly old like many of the cathedrals in Europe, and definitely not as elaborately decorated as others, this impressive cathedral standing over this little town is quite a sight.





After Villa de Leyva, I traveled to the adventure town of San Gil. San Gil is one of the outdoor meccas of Colombia, offering plenty of activities for extreme sports athletes. By far the coolest thing I did in San Gil, and one thing that I will always remember, is a hike to the magnificent Cascadas de Juan Curi. This hike went up a small river for about 1 hour, through the dense cloud forest. Most of this time was spent hiking in the river, crossing the shallow areas where the river ran over hard bedrock. In the distance, I could see this amazing, enormous waterfall crashing down from the top of the mountain above. Passing numerous cascades and swimming pools (I jumped in most of them), the trek continued until I reached a huge waterfall towering over a cliff, into a deep, dark pool below. It was absolutely breathtaking, and one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I jumped in the pool, but there was a pretty wicked current, and after discovering that there was an undercut bank, was a little weery of being swept under and trapped, so I had to cut my time in that freezing pool short. After continuing on a faint trail through the jungle even higher, I came across an even more massive waterfall, tumbling over the true top of the mountain. This waterfall was almost 500 feet high, and crashed into a pool just above a giant boulder field. Just a few hundred feet downriver was the top of the last waterfall I had just seen, so I was able to crawl to the edge and peer down, with my chest hovering just above the water that was about to take a serious fall. Peering down, I could really see how high this waterfall was (probably 400 feet or so). I really, really wanted to try to climb to the top of the largest waterfall, but a thunder clap and some rain turned me back. However, this series of waterfalls was undoubtedly the most impressive waterfall I have ever seen, and one of the most impressive things I have seen period. I felt a little like Indiana Jones!



I spent another day in the little colonial town of Barichara. The town was almost completely empty because it was in the middle of the week, but that definitely gave it more of its charm. The church was amazing, just like the ones in San Gil and Chiquinquira. The only person I saw was a man sweeping the streets. It was really nice to find myself in such a quiet place. I decided to go for a little walk, so took a cobblestone trail down the mountain for a few hours to another even smaller colonial village named Guane. The trail passed mountain pastures and incredible landscapes for the duration, and was very relaxing and nice, almost like I was doing some sort of pilgrimage. When I reached the little village of Guane, people were very surprised to see me. Nearly all of the little tiendas were closed, but there were a few small groups of people hanging out in the main square. After seeing another amazing church, I visited with a few of the locals, and one lady took me into her home and showed me around. It was really cool and I thought to myself that I could easily spend a week in this charming little village, away from all the worries of the world.
One interesting note-- I tried hormigas (ants) for the first time. Although a little too crunchy for myself, they definitely have a distinct taste. However, I wouldn`t exactly sign up to have them with every meal, and you DEFINITELY need a drink with them, as they leave a fairly bad aftertaste!



So now, I am getting ready to leave Boyaca and head to the Caribbean Coast for some fun in the sun and a change of scenery. I´ll be sure to wear my sunscreen, and I guess I should start preparing for the heat. Ciao everyone, and I hope you are enjoying the snow back home!





Photos of Zipaquira: http://www.photoworks.com/slideshow/album/ACB9873386B5?source=pw980



Photos of Tunja and Villa de Leyva: http://www.photoworks.com/slideshow/album/AA417C2386B3?source=pw980



Photos of Chiquinquira: www.photoworks.com/slideshow/album/A4B9AD2389F3?source=pw980




Photos of San Gil: http://www.photoworks.com/slideshow/album/A3662E3389F1?source=pw980




Photos of Barichara: http://www.photoworks.com/slideshow/album/AA9FC53389F2?source=pw980

1 comment:

Melody said...

Wow, Nate. Those are some amazing pictures. You're getting to be a skilled photographer! And you're right, those waterfalls are absolutely amazing. I can't imagine how incredible they must have been up close like that. I'm glad you're doing well, it's always great to read your posts!
Take care!