Eco-Lodges, Empanadas, Goats, and Tuk-Tuks - Another Rough Sketch from the Colombian Countryside
The view from our tuk-tuk, heading into San Rafael.
A Brief Excursion Into San Rafael, Colombia
This past weekend @wolfcat and I meandered into the town of San Rafael, which sits deep down in a valley and is generally much warmer than nearby Guatapé where we've been staying at the Spanish school.
Outside of San Rafael is a sprawling tangle of rocky roads trafficked by tuk-tuks, motorcycles, horses, and the occasional car or truck. Wild rivers run through deep valleys where farms, eco-hostels, little homesteads, and restaurants dot the landscape.
It wasn't always this way though. Not too long ago this region of Colombia was a very dangerous place to be; a battleground between FARC rebels, right-wing paramilitaries, and Colombian security forces, it was a flashpoint of civil war in a country which has known tremendous violence and suffering since the mid-1960's.
As a student of politics, it's impossible to lounge at a new eco-hostel in the hills of San Rafael without being acutely aware of this history. Nevertheless, there we were, it was beautiful and serene.
In the past ten years as a peace of some kind has returned to the land, this previously unknown paradise is being given another look by many people, and land prices are on the rise.
I hope to explore this region a bit more as I am able. @wolfcat and I were able to get a really great taste of this region, but there is so much more to see and do near San Rafael, that it really deserves another excursion.
Image Credit: Ritmo Del Rio
One of the places we were fortunate enough to visit, far outside of San Rafael, is called Ritmo Del Rio Eco-Lodge.
I was way too absorbed in the good company and the tremendously beautiful environment to do much taking photos, but if you follow the link to their website I'm sure you will be delighted by what you discover there.
Of course you can be sure that I invited the folks there to join us on Steemit, and I sure hope they will!
@wolfcat enjoying an empanada in San Rafael
A Final Taste Of Guatapé, Colombia.
Of course we had to climb to the top of La Piedra in Guatapé, and take in the views... :)
And of course we had to get involved in some card games at the charming Bar El Martín Muñeco.
This was quite a Spanish lesson in and if itself. One game was called La Punta, and the other name I cannot for the life of me remember! It was like Rummy 500 with betting.
@wolfcat made some time to commune with the goats. :)
We got to swim in some beautiful waterfalls near the Spanish school.
And yesterday morning, we said goodbye to all our wonderful new friends at the school, and caught a flight to Bogota.
As I write, we're about to take off from Atlanta headed back to Minneapolis. :)
So for now, I hope you've enjoyed this rough sketch from the Colombian countryside!
What a trip. So glad you didn't pass up this opportunity @lovejoy. Rest up for a day or two, then lets get together. I'm going to let my voting power recharge so I can hit this with a worthy 100%!
Thanks amigo, yeah... it was a great journey! I'm back in the 'ol wintery Minnesota now, wondering how it is that I was in Bogota yesterday morning... I'm feeling slightly under the weather, just resting up and drinking tea, but yeah... let's catch up in a few days! :)
Hi! @relativityboy recommended reading your blog. He had an awesome time experiencing Steemfest and exploring Portugal with you and @wolfcat. Perhaps we'll meet in Minneapolis. Until then, I'll be following your adventures on Steemit. I joined this evening and posted my #introduceyourself blog. Looking forward to connecting with the community.
Thanks for posting. Growing up in Aruba I've been to Colombia many times in the 70's. Warm people, beautiful jungle and excellent Doctors were offset by desperate poverty in those days. Good to see Colombia getting out of it's decades long turmoil. Greetings!
Oh cool, I can't even begin to imagine what Colombia was like in the 70's, amazing... maybe you have some photos from those days? Well, It was a real eye-opening trip and I hope to return! Thanks for stopping by my blog and saying hello. Cheers!
Actually there are pictures of me in a hospital called Clinica Barraquer so I assume there are more pictures, but they are of low quality by today's standards and I'd have to scan them first. Colombia was very poor in those days and you couldn't wear a watch or jewelry as these items would disappear fast. It was best to travel with a local and most of the larger Hotels had a list of trusted Cab drivers that you could hire for the day at a flat rate. In the 70's most Cabs were older Cars like the ones you still see ride around in Havana today and even airplanes were often the old DC-3 and DC-4 propjets. Yep, I flew in those a couple of times. I've also been to places like Riohacha, a town that in those days was relatively isolated and not really safe. I hope to go back and visit again some day since I hear things are improving.
That's really great. If you find any photos they'd totally be worth scanning in! Along with what probably amount to some pretty amazing stories. :) I love old photos and I know a lot of others do as well. I've been kicking around the idea of digging some up for a post or two myself. It sounds like Colombia really was another world in those days. In March, I plan to return to Colombia, and I think I'll be in or very near Riohacha for at least part of the journey. I've never been.
I'll see if I can dig some up, could be fun! At the time it wasn't possible to fly to Riohacha so we had to take a bus that got stuck. A bottle of whiskey that someone had, arranged for a Bulldozer to pull the Bus free. I hear that the border regions with Venezuela are still a risky proposition so be careful. Used to be that Venezuela was relatively safe and Colombia wasn't; now it's the other way around, but borders remain troublesome.
I'm glad you stopped by my blog and left me comment. You're talented blogger, definitely following you now @lovejoy.
Thanks mate! Glad to discover your work as well! See you around the blockchain. :)