La Leyenda del Dorado

As I’m sitting in my bedroom, listening to the soft putter of the rain hitting against the roof, I stop to reflect on my weekend… but more than that, I think about the people that I have met on this journey in Colombia and how truly happy I feel no matter where I am. I have received numerous gestures of kindness whether it was someone simply giving me directions when I was lost or escorting me all the way to my hostel. I forget- for a brief second- all the injustices that this country has endured through and the many more that it continues to struggle through.

This weekend was one for the books for sure! I left Friday morning for Zipaquira, but since there are no direct buses from Tunja, I arrived in the Portal del Norte in Bogota which is the main site of the transmilenio in the North of Bogota. Once there, I was searching for another bus to Zipaquira and ended up walking in the wrong direction (for quite some time) but eventually realizing that I needed to be on the other side. After having an on-site guide direct me in the right direction, I was soon on my way. Once there I found my hostel right away which was mostly empty asides from a German girl. I unpacked and ventured out to discover the city of 70,000 people. Although I have been alone a lot these days, walking in a busy street alone feels eerily different. I stopped at a pastry shop for some coffee and croissants and decided that I would visit the main tourist attraction of the city- La Catedral de Sal. Joining with a group of other people and a Spanish guide, I learned about the importance of salt to Colombia (half learned with the quick translation). The underground cathedral is huge and filled with chiseled crosses and lights to reflect the salt. I don’t know if it was the change in climate or the odor of the salt, but I felt light-headed after being there for a couple of hours. The hostel also has a bar where non-guests could drink, thus I spent the night with one of the workers and an Argentinian girl who had been traveling for about 5 months. She studied English translation so our dialogue was a mixture of English Argentinian and Colombian Spanish. We ate traditional Colombian soup that is said to cure all hangovers to warm our bodies from the cold night.


The next morning, I packed everything up- uncertain about where I would be staying and with no clear composition of a plan, I left for La Laguna de Guatavita. This lagoon was the destination of my trip this weekend, but I had been warned (3 times to be exact) that it was dangerous to travel there alone. In fact, since being in Colombia, I have received several "astonished" responses for the fact that I was alone. These fears manifest into reality and inhibit us from doing so many things. But like anywhere else, we should always take caution and be aware of our surroundings- not choose not to do something because of a fear.

I had read through some research from other’s previous experience that it was possible to take a bus from Sesquile to the lake instead of going to the town because the lake was before. But once at the bus terminal, the gentleman working there said that the next bus to Sesquile wouldn’t be until 1 pm which would have been a 3-hour wait. Instead, I took a bus to Briceno and then hopped on another bus to Sesquile. Once there, a kind stranger from the bus helped me to figure out the transportation to the lake. Unfortunately, the bus to the lagoon had just left, and once again, the next one wouldn’t be until 3. So, from Sesquile I took another bus to Guatavita and from there I finally made it to the lagoon. If anyone ever intends on doing this trip, I highly recommend going straight to Guatavita instead of stopping in Sesquile (which is what I had read from other blogs to do). Along the journey, I met two Colombian young girls and a gal from Mexico. The ride was windy, but we passed it with laughter and music.

The legend of El Dorado and the indigenous land of Los Muiscas is an incredible tale filled with harmony and unity. It is said that it was in this lagoon that a new Muisca Chief would be chosen. The process involves the Chief being doused in gold and sent on a raft across the lagoon in which he would jump into the water. Of course, attempts to drain the lagoon for the gold has been attempted and failed. On the way to the lagoon, we walked by faunas and herbal native plants. We learned about the house in which they gather to dance, eat, and share stories together (pictured on the left). Los Muiscas lived a humble life focused on equality. They understood the importance of being balanced and of meditation- things that our “modern” society is slowly discovering.

Lucy (the gal from Mexico) and I got lost at the transmilenio while attempting to find a particular station that I was looking for to meet up with my friend Daniela. Daniela and I met in Mexico about a year and a half ago but she lives in Bogota. I had tried to meet up with her previously but with time and traffic, it never really quite worked out. Saturday night seemed like another one of those nights but two dead phones and the first meal of the day later, I finally got to spend some quality time with her. We went to a nice Irish Pub in a fancy part of Bogota. Then, realizing the time, rushed to the North Portal only to discover that all the buses had left for Sopo and that it was too late to return to Tunja. Fortunately, there was one last hope; an older lady who was waiting for her siblings to head in that direction. Out of options and feeling a bit crazy, we joined her in on the ride. The lady and her sister and brother were so nice and generous to us. They dropped us off at the bus stop in Sopo where we took a taxi to her father’s house. Mid-sentence, we drifted off to sleep and I didn’t wake up until 11 the next morning.

 

Since Daniela’s father works in the city council, under the mayor, we attended a city fundraising event for the church. Children and families sat in chairs while listening to music and eating. It reminded me of a classic Sunday in a small town. Before returning to Tunja, we had lunch at a delicious restaurant that served typical plates of Medellin. Each of us ordered a full bowl of caldo de carne and a huge patacon for starters. My bowl of soup was enriched with yucas, potatoes, carrots, avocados and of course meat. I was beyond full by the end of the meal. But we finished with a light touch of aromatica (mint tea fusion) to satisfy our stomachs. We drove to the “drop off station” (it seemed like any other road) to ask them when the next bus for Tunja would be leaving. Immediately a bus appeared with signs that read “Tunja-Duitama-Sogomosa” and I quickly hugged Daniela and jumped on the bus.

A brief recap of the previous weekend…

One of the workers for the institute resides in Villa de Leyva- a gorgeous colonial town about 45 minutes away from Tunja. As an eco-tourism guide, he planned a trip for all the teachers that weekend because there was no work on Monday (Dia de Trabajadores). Thus, Maggie and I walked up the exhausting hill to a little spot where buses were picking up other people. We paid for the last two seats which also happened to be the seats that was facing everyone else. We felt like the entertainment; all eyes on two foreigners. We walked around a bit, settling on some coffee in the plaza. Villa de Leyva has the biggest plaza in South America, stretching for miles with cobble stones everywhere. Much of the buildings have remained untouched, its original design preserved in history. However, many of the restaurants and cafes have an international influence due to the higher number of foreigners that visit this cute town every year. Thus, you can easily find Italian pasta, American pizza, and French food. We ran into (coincidentally) two of our students from the institute- I had tried to contact them because Diego’s family lives in Villa de Leyva and there was a chance that we would be staying with him. We had feija ice cream which in my opinion is one of the best fruits that you can find here in Colombia. We tried to go to a museum, but unfortunately, it was closed. After walking around for a bit, we met up with Hugh who showed up later to Villa de Leyva. I had one of the best vegetarian burgers that I have had in a while- perhaps the combination of being very hungry helped with the taste.

We all woke up the next morning with intentions to get an early start to the day for hiking. Unfortunately, the weather had different plans in mind. It was cold and cloudy and the forecast predicted thunderstorms and rain in the evening. Instead, we prayed that it would change for tomorrow and went to a town nearby called Racquira. This town is usually filled with tourists because of the artisanal attractions and because of its proximity to Villa de Leyva. The bus that we took dropped us off about a mile away from the town so we walked the rest of the way. Most of the day was spent in Racquira- trying every different type of arepas and wandering through all the shops. I couldn’t convince myself to purchase anything because of my plans to travel after my work with the Institute and the clutter of unnecessary things. Back in Villa de Leyva, my host family joined us in the plaza mayor with Manuel (another worker from the institute) and we drank Poker for the rest of the night.

What a beautiful day it was the next day! I was so so excited for the sun and to be surrounded by nature. The drive to the waterfall was about an hour away and we took two different vehicles. We stopped to awe at the largest terra cotta in the world. The road was ill-maintained but we drove with extra caution. Finally there, we could see the big and beautiful waterfall, but of course, it looked unreachable. Manuel stopped at every possible plant to remark and note at its special qualities and uses. We went around the waterfall and every ten minutes, the sound of someone falling would erupt laughter in the group. The water was intensely cold but everyone managed to get in and swim near the source where the harshness of the fall would hit our backs. I had difficulties with my contacts. On our return, we took the normal routes and appreciated the simplicity of the walk after the challenge. Then out of nowhere (well his backpack haha) Manuel takes out a variety of fruits including papaya, guayaba, maracuya, etc. and we feasted on the fruits behind a huge rock. Everyone was fairly exhausted and hungry by this point. We drove to the nearest town, Salchicha, and ate gallina (open-ranged chicken) with yucas, potatoes, soups, salads, and patacones.