A travel from door to door

Full with care and concern. 

Directly after leaving Arauca all explanations started again. After spending a night on her little piece of grass in-front of her residencias, Angela made me hang around a full morning so she could treat my burn- and shave-wounds with Herba Mora. 

You first boil the leaves in water, let it cool, then wash the wound with the water. The wet leaves are stuck to the wound and so you let it dry until it falls off.

Further down the highway: another Ejercito Control. 

It's all for the best, because of them the roads are safe and you get time to stretch your legs or buy a snack. It gives some houses along the road a chance to start a little tienda.

Someone had told me that Paipa was a lovely place to have a look around and soak in some thermal pools. So I got out of the bus in this, indeed, picturesque town and made my way to the first coffee shop where the owner asked me where I was going, I told her ¨To any place where I can park my tent.¨ And she in turn started to call her brother who owned a piece of grass. 

Oscar, Cindy, Christina and Nathaly.

It was heart-warming how curious this family wrapped me in. All the time those families only ask a few questions before their intuition tells them that this is a funky opportunity, an exciting change of program, a possibility to practice some English for the kids and a chance not to be missed. 

I put up the tent while answering all the questions, and was shoveled inside for warm agua panela con queso y pan. The train of questions did not stop, my little photo album with photo's from Holland was looked over two times and when I went to my tent I was given an extra blanket.

A warm breakfast welcomed me the next morning before I walked to the thermal pools. Those turned out to be normal swimming pools with thermal waters, but the natural, un-deep, mud pools with bubbling, brown water was more interesting to me. I got pretty humid on the way back, but warm  Panela (a drink from cane sugar) awaited me again.

On my way to Villa de Leyva I made a stop in Tunja, the highest and coldest departmental capital of Colombia.

Almost EVERY city, town or village has a main plaza called 'Plaza de Bolivar' with a statue of this hero of the independence struggle. In 1812 he defeated the Spanish army and the Republic of Gran Colombia was founded.

Turned out the campesinos choose this day to make a progression against the government to protest against the new milk laws. Up until these days the milk has been collected without questions, and delivered to stores without pasteurization. But because more often people are getting sick and some farmers put water with the milk for more sales, new laws and tests are being implied. Something the milkers don't appreciate of course.

Villa de Leyva is another white-washed town. I have to admit that it indeed has lots of charm, but because many tourist (foreign and Colombian) come see this charm the atmosphere and objective of the locals has changed and it gives the feeling as if they feel like 'we' are invading their quietly build lives.

One of the things to do around Villa de Leyva is visit the four picturesque waterfalls. I tried to hitch here at the end of the day and got company from Eran from Israel. He tried to do the same thing. Together we caught a ride with Malcom and Kandu. 

Kandu owns a very hip farm out here, and after Eran and I had looked for what we both were looking for we stayed one night in this marble house. 

Eran and Malcom with their find of fresh Colombian cowshit-fungus.

Cascada La Periquera: my find.

The biggest work in taracotta: a whole house with strange shapes.

The most precious and traditional time I found in Colombia was the Sunday morning market. Just look at those photo's, and imagine the sounds, sells and smells.

Yes, many farmers come by donkey or horse with their goods.

Three types of sausage: Normal, with red coloring and with blood. Eaten with the typical potato from here. Everything of course deep-fried.

Bags and baskets.

Cooking for all those hungry mouths in massive pots on wood fires.

Deals done.

This lady wears the most traditional hat of Colombia. All rings and figures have a meaning.

Some one taking a pausa con sopa under her vegetable table.

Ruanos y cachuchas (poncho's and the hat) is the most common wear with campesinos.

After three nights camping in a little field in the middle of town I took my leave to Bogata, the capital of Colombia. This is where Malcom lived, and he had invited me to give him a call on arrival.

So I did and the next three nights I slept in the play-room of Simon and Eric, Malcoms and Silvia's twin sons.

Plaza de Bolivar with the Catedral Primada.

Casa de la Moneda, a museum full with history, the mint and art. Fernando Botero is the most famous artist in Colombia, he paints, draws and makes sculptures, all of which are cozily round and rolypoly.  

I felt it a good opportunity to make photo's of all the different uniforms of the police and military. This is just one of them, his gun is a little small, normally they carry something bigger.

With Malcom I hiked to Cerro de Monserrate, 3160m, to have a good overview of this 8.3 million counting capital. Definably the most superb thing I saw here in Bogata.

A long bus ride (the busses here are pretty expensive for Latin American standards, but very comfortable) with yet more green valleys and intense vistas brought me over the Cordillera Central into the Valle del Cauca. Home of the city with a climate of eternal spring: Medellin. 

I made a stop before this big city to explore some other pueblos in pais paisa, and so the bus dropped me around 10pm in Rio Negro. There was no town in sight so I asked some other people waiting for the correct bus where to go to find a place to put the tent. Rio Negro was not a good option, so I was send the other direction. In less then one km walking along this black, lonely road I stumbled upon a food stall where Isabel asked me some questions and pointed to the pasture on the other side of the road. I started with putting up shop and she got her kids cause this was something: an extranjero in their neighborhood. 

The next day I went underway to visit El Peñol. A huge pointy rock with a building on top which gives you an incredible marvelous 360c view of the massive lake with hundreds of inlets and islands all around.

It was at the top of this rock that I came across a group of youngsters from Medellin. They were all fun and laughs but it was Andres who invited me to come along.

Four motors, eight people, some bottles of Aguardiente and this free day. We ate a nice lunch and rented a little boat to cross around between the inlets and to go swimming.

On the way back to Medellin it started to rain, so we took several breaks with Colombian coffee, cigarettes and snacks. They dropped me under the same viaduct near Rio Negro as the night before and huge hugs were given. We would see each other again the next day when I would come visit at their work.  

I spend another evening with Isabel and her family, this night it was insisted that I slept in their little house though. Together with mum in the bigger bed while the youngest slept on my camping mattress, he wanted to have the experience.

I visited several town before heading to Medellin, all with hitch hiking, something that is not too common here. But it worked, and the last friendly man dropped me somewhere in the city where another guy guided me all the way through two busses and the mall to the place where my new friends worked. 

They never thought I would come, so it was a surprise, and directly I was put in all the kid attractions of the little amusement park. 

After work we went for a cerveza and some dancing before sneaking into Andres' house around 2am. He had not told his family anything, he preferred the surprise!

So the next morning I met his brothers, little sister and his mum and dad in my pyjama like it was the most normal thing in the world.

As extra income they have a little store, sell some deep fried snacks and rent out PlayStation hours.

Vanessa, Andres, Beatriz and Julian in the kitchen/living area-turned-into-store.

On the first day in town Andres took me up the Metro-Cable for a spectacular view of this 2.5 million person city and around lots of other city must-seers. One of them being an interactive museums which made my hair stand straight up. It was awesome he had a bike and we could putter around.  

The center has a park with Botero sculptures, very cool.

The last day here was Independence Day, the 20th of July. 

Millions of people dressed in white and marched the streets promoting freedom and liberty. 

I stayed three nights with Andres' family. He worked every evening at the park, I talked long with his mother, we had a nice discussion about religion in the middle of the night. Another night was spend rumba in town and I tried to update my website, something that did not work.

Again I was asked why I had to leave, especially mum did not want to let me go, I had stayed not long enough to try all her delicious creations. 

But finally I have a future date to work to, the 31st of August Truus is arriving in Lima, Nepal, so I have just a little more then one month to discover the South of Colombia and Ecuador. 

Lets get moving!