On the subject of Villa de Leyva and nice suites.

For Colombians, lunch is usually the biggest meal of the day, with dinner (usually eaten at 9 PM) being infinitely smaller. In fact, lunches here are almost three times the size of a normal lunch in the states. They can be delicious, but sometimes it's just too much food. Because Haley and I were riding the bus today, we knew we'd need a good lunch. We instead bought a bag of chips. We couldn't really afford lunch. We are too poor. 

We left San Gil bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready for our next adventure. We skedaddled on over to the local bus terminal, bought a pass for the town of Tunja, then caught the next bus to arrive ten minutes later. The scenery was beautiful, transitioning from hot, semi-tropical forests into high altitude greenery. In fact, if it wasn't for the Spanish copy of "Paul Blart 2" that was being blasted over the bus's speakers it might have been perfect. 

Tunja is cold, much like our destination: Villa de Leyva. Like Bogota, these towns sit high in the Andes mountains, meaning that in spite of our vicinity to the equator, the weather around here hovers around a permanent 70 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Villa de Leyva is another colonial village that seems lost in time. A popular destination for Bogota's well-to-do, this town is full of simple, white buildings that line cobblestone streets. Haley and I almost twisted an ankle or two carrying our heavy packs, but we made it just fine. The main square was full of people flying kites. 

We had arrived fairly late, so we opted to grab some dinner and head to the hotel. We opted for some "American Fried Chicken" which was served just like it is in the states. And by that I mean it was served with lots and lots of honey and hot sauce. Plastic gloves were kindly included.

Villa de Leyva is the one place where we really splurged on accommodations. We're actually staying in a suite about 3 miles outside of the city, one with incredible views.

Well, this is a really short post, but we'll have a lot more good stuff tomorrow. We've got a full day in Villa de Leyva planned, so there will be lot's to see and do. Be sure to come back tomorrow!

Konner & Haley

On the subject of eating ants, colonial pueblos, and green mango.

This is Haley holding a giant, fried ant. Known as "hormigas culonas" (which literally translates to "big a-- ant") these ants are common in the Santander region where we've been traveling. Colombians will harvest the ants by the bag full, pluck off their wings, then fry them in butter. Haley is only holding the ant's butt. We had considered going to Gringo Mike's again (see yesterday's post), but we decided to go cheap today. We are too poor. 

Before our adventures with the bugs we headed to Barichara, a beautiful little village about an hour away from San Gil. Barichara was founded back in the 1700's when a farmer in the region had a vision of the virgin Mary, leading to a rush of Catholics to the region. A large church was constructed, and the village prospered. Colombia now maintains the village as a national heritage site. Every house has red tile roofs, whitewashed walls, and green doors and windows. This, combined with the cobblestone streets, makes Barichara look like a village lost in time. 

There are two really old churches in Barichara--a cathedral and a smaller chapel. Both are constructed out of reddish-orange stone, and both have wooden roofs. They were really pretty. 

Above the second, smaller chapel we found an interesting little park full of stone sculptures. The sculptures came from all over the world, including Europe. There was also a really nice overlook that let us see the surrounding countryside. It's gorgeous here!

We wandered the streets for several hours, admiring the houses, and stopping to try some local food. We enjoyed pineapple turnovers, bagged water (a Colombian specialty), and even green mango served with lime juice, salt, and pepper. 

All seemed to be going well. Haley was quickly becoming enamored with the place, even going so far as to propose living here permanently.  

That is, until we stumbled across the shrine to the local delicacy. 

That's right, giant, flying ants! I've mentioned these a couple of times so far, but this time I knew that I had to convince Haley to try some. I tried them before (I don't really care for them), but Haley needed to become a true Colombiana. At the next store we stopped at I bought two tiny bags of the little fried creatures. Yum!

We then returned to San Gil, stopping by the local mall for some more fresh fruit and then heading back to the hostel for a quick nap. Haley was a good sport, and agreed to eat an ant for the camera. Enjoy:

Oh yeah, remember how I said that the ants were for dinner? Well, I lied. We went to Gringo Mike's again. I had a BLT with a Lulo and Basil juice, and Haley had a Philly cheese steak with a coconut limeade. We'll be back on rice and beans tomorrow I'm sure!

Tomorrow we'll be coming at you from Villa de Leyba, another beautiful little colonial town a few hours outside Bogota. Be sure to come back for more!

Konner & Haley

On the subject of the (not quite) road of death, canyons, and blue cheese bacon burgers.

This is a roadside cross. Colombians (and other Latin Americans) generally erect them in sites where people died in horrific, fiery accidents--ones that usually involve buses full of people plunging hundreds of feet down into deep canyons. In the interest of full disclosure this picture actually comes from Bolivia's infamous "Death Road" (thank you Google Images), but it was a familiar site on the road leading up Chicamocha canyon. We knew that if we died there wouldn't be enough money to erect a cross for us. We are too poor.

Haley and I arose early in Bucaramanga to pack up and have breakfast, then headed down to Papi Quiero Pina (Daddy I want pineapple--yes, this is a real place) to catch our bus down to Panachi, otherwise known as Chicamocha national park.

Colombian buses are interesting beasts. Sure, there are public buses that are clean, well-maintained, and easily identifiable. Then there are the thousands and thousands of private buses that zip around town, driving faster than motorcycles as their forty-year-old diesel engines belch fumes. It can sometimes be an adventure to get on such buses, as the drivers like to drive while simultaneously accepting payment. That means counting change while shifting into third and slamming on their brakes. These buses are always uniquely decorated--they usually feature some image of the virgin or Christ, as well as huge curtains and drapes that cover nearly half of the front windshield. Today's bus was actually fairly clean and uncrowded, though the curtains and Christ were still present. Whew!

Crazy stuff happens on buses. People like to hop on and try to sell stuff--usually drinks and snacks. Sometimes, however, you get treated to some real great stuff, like the one guy in Santa Marta who jumped on the bus to peddle herbal remedies for hepatitis and hemorrhoids. We were treated to some nice pictures of, *ahem*, a very hemorrhoid-afflicted bum. Good times. 

Anyways, the bus ride carved its way through the Colombian state of Santander before suddenly beginning a very steep climb. This was Chicamocha canyon, one of the larger canyons in the world. It's over 2,000 meters deep (over a mile), and the road likes to wind its way along the very edge.

Granted, the road is paved. But there are really no fences, walls, or other ways to stop an out of control vehicle. The speed limit is posted at 30 Km/hour (pretty slow), but people like to fly up it at a much faster speed, zipping in and out of traffic as they try to pass the next guy in front. Thankfully our bus driver was only mildly crazy, and we only almost died once or twice. Like I said at the beginning, however, the crosses are plentiful. 

We made it alive. At the top of one of the canyon's rims lies the national park, known as Panachi by local residents. It was clean, pretty, and boasted some pretty incredible views, as well as an interesting monument to a farmer's revolution that took place here back in the 1700's. It did not, however, boast free toilet paper. We're starting to get used to walking around literally everywhere we go with toilet paper stuffed in our pants just in case. 

I almost convinced Haley to buy a pack of giant fried ants (hormigas culonas) while we were up there, but she claimed that she "wasn't that hungry." I actually ate these on my mission--they're not too bad. They taste like peanuts or popcorn. 

After the national park we headed towards San Gil, Colombia's extreme sports destination. We actually caught a ride with a bunch of para-gliders who had just finished up a flight. 

San Gil was great. We wandered around the colonial streets, explored the centuries-old cathedral, and enjoyed the steep streets. We also started noticing an interesting phenomenon--the men here are shamelessly checking out Haley. Even Haley (who is usually oblivious to how drop-dead-gorgeous she is) asked why everyone was looking at her legs and butt. I can't say I blame them.

We worked up quite the appetite--one that could only be satisfied by--heavy, greasy, gringo food. Lucky for us, San Gil had just to locale for us: Gringo Mike's!

Gringo Mike's is a local restaurant owned by a real, living American named Michael Anderson. There we enjoyed french fries, blue cheese bacon burgers, and fresh squeezed tropical juices. It was a welcome respite from the mounds and mounds of rice that we've been fed the past week or so. 

In spite of how full we were after dinner, I made sure to have Hay try a granadilla, another typical Colombian fruit. This fruit has a hard outer shell and is filled with goop-coated seeds. It kind of looks like snot, and you have to suck it out (or eat it with a spoon), but it's delicious. 

Now we're back in our hostel getting settled and ready for bed. Lucky for us we have a hot shower to look forward to, courtesy of the whirring ball of electricity that will instantly heat the water as it passes through the shower head. Yes, that is electric wiring going into the shower head. 

Tomorrow we'll be coming to you from San Gil again, but only after visiting Barichara, an untouched colonial village, and spending more time in San Gil. We may or may not go to Gringo Mike's again.

Konner & Haley

On the subject of the kindest people in the world.

This is a Domino's pizza that I ordered in Colombia. Surprisingly enough it made it to our hotel in spite of the difficulty they had in spelling my name. It wasn't a particularly large pizza, or a very good one. We had to go cheap. We are too poor.

We've made the joke about being "poor" a number of times during this trip, but we obviously are using it facetiously. Many people in Colombia live in really humble circumstances (like the indigenous villagers you saw in our previous post),  and they lack many of the blessings that we enjoy in the United States. That said, in one aspect we really are poor compared to Colombians. Colombians are rich in kindness. They're rich in spirit. They're rich in how they treat their friends, family members, and even strangers. While we walk around the streets with our eyes glued to our cell phones, Colombians exchange pleasantries and take care or each other. These past two days in Bucaramanga Haley and I have been the beneficiaries of countless acts of kindness. I may have served these people as a missionary, but in reality they are the ones that served me.

It began yesterday morning. Haley and I arrived in Bucaramanga at 8 in the morning after a 12 hour bus ride. We were tired, we were cranky, but worst of all we were early. We couldn't check into our hotel until 3, and we didn't have any visits set up before noon.

We decided to try our luck with Jackeline, a sister that I met in my last area. She and her family had since moved to another part of the city, so we jumped into a taxi and off we went. When we arrived at the house, however, we ran into more bad news. Jackeline was at the doctor's, and wouldn't be back for four hours.

That didn't matter for Jackeline's sister. We were welcomed into her home (which was next door) with open arms. They bought us empanadas, fruit (the picture is of a pitaya, a variety of dragon-fruit), soda, and even insisted that we take a nap in their own beds. We awoke to a fresh glass of blackberry juice and a handmade arepa.

Four hours later Jackeline arrived. We had a wonderful visit. She too insisted that we eat with her, and she made us delicious guanabana juice (soursop) with a plate of rice, pork, and beans. We had a lovely visit.

We were then able to check into our hotel to get some rest. We ordered the pizza pictured above, and collapsed into bed.

We arose early this morning in order to get some laundry done. Laundry services in Colombian hotels cost around 25 thousand pesos (about 7 dollars), but a bag of detergent (one dollar) and the hotel shower worked just fine.

The rest of today was spent visiting families. Each and every person we visited treated us like kings. First there was Kristhina, who took three hours out of her busy day to escort us around one of my previous areas. Here is a picture of her (on the left) with her wonderful family, who made sure to offer us soda and cake:

We visited the Mendez family, and were treated to ice cold water and pleasant conversation.

We also spent some time with Sister Clara, who cut Haley's hair for free and made us fresh guava juice.

Next came the Delgado family, which offered us yet more soda as well as pound cake. We happened to arrive just as the missionaries were leaving their house. We gave the american elder there quite that shock--we were probably the first "civilian" gringos that he's seen in over a year and a half. He literally started to tear up when we gave him a small roll of Smarties. 

Next we visited the former bishop's house, where they took saltines and smothered them with caramel sauce--delicious! Once that was done we went to the home of another sister who took good care of me--sister Martina. We had an awesome visit, one that was accompanied by empanadas and coca cola. She wouldn't stop talking about how beautiful Haley was, and I'd have to agree. 

We finished the day with Edison and his sweet wife Martha. These two treated me like family when I first arrived in Colombia--back when I didn't speak a lick of Spanish. Without hesitation Edison went back into his room to go get a poncho that he would give to me as a gift, as well as a shirt that he had bought in Cartagena. Martha found some jewelry for Haley, including some earrings that were shaped like sombreros volteados (a traditional Colombian hat) and a bracelet made out of turquoise. 

I can't believe I was lucky enough to serve people like this. I don't mean to get overly preachy, but I hope that we can all learn a lesson from these people. They literally offered us their beds, their clothes, and their food. It reminded me of a quote from the bible. In Matthew 25 verses 35-40 it reads: 

35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thrity, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and when fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 

May we all try to be a little kinder, a little more giving, and a little more charitable like the wonderful people that we spent today with. If we all acted like them the world would be a better place. 

Tomorrow we'll be coming to you from San Gil, a pretty little pueblo that is Colombia's adventure capitol. We'll be passing through Chicamocha, a really big canyon and national park. Be sure to stay tuned!

Konner & Haley