Colonial gem – Barichara
Day 282 Fri 10/6
An early breakfast at a hostel right across the street (where we cursed ourselves for not staying there), a walk around town and we were off to Barichara. Franck and Becky meant to get on a bus to Bucaramange, but Cynthia, Rosario and I planned to spend a couple of nights in Barichara.
Barichara is a more authentic version of Villa de Leyva. It is less touristy and much quieter. Not too many tourists seem to stay overnight and people are friendly (I should note when Colombians arent friendly, I reckon!).
After a group lunch and goodbyes, went for a walk around the village. I was glad that I decided to leave San Gil and spend the night in Barichara. It is a very pretty, quiet colonial town (village, really). Villa de Leyva and Barichara excude charm and tranquility, but unlike Villa, there isnt a whole lot to do in Barichara, making it less of a tourist hotspot, especially among backpackers who seem to thrive on excitement.
After a stop in the hostel for a short rest, where I met a couple of Americans of Bolivian descent and chatted with them, the girls and I went out for a walk, taking photos. An amphitheatre near one of the miradors was so enticing that we decided to return to watch the sunset the next day. There are a couple of bar/stores at the two viewpoints which make up the nightlife in Barichara. We listened to some music and watched the people. It started to rain and we had to wait it out. Out of my entire stay in Colombia, it has probably not rained about 6 days!
Back at the hostel around 11 and off to a good night’s sleep.
Day 283 Sat 11/6
The main tourist attraction in the village, apart from the village itself, is the walk to nearby Guane (el camino real). Built by the Guane people, it is a pre-hispanic route. At the start of the walk, I ran into a couple of Norwegian girls I had met at the hostel in Salento. We hadnt exchanged names and so the hellos were a bit hushed. Quite a surprise though. The two girls joined us on the walk, which was very pleasant amid lovely scenery.
Guane is a tiny village, with not much to keep a visitor enthralled. Lunch and it was time to head back. I decided to walk back while the girls took the bus. The way back took me only about 75-80 minutes.
It was time to head to the mirador for the sunset. The girls had apparently been missing their mate, and they brought a flask along. We watched the sunset, drinking mate. I was an honorary Argentine for the evening. Back to the hostel to take a quick shower and we were back in the village to get some food. We decided on pizza and the owner of the restaurant joined us for a chat. The girls convinced me to go dancing and two folks from the restaurant joined us. I did dance, but sometimes, streotypes
do hold true. I have two left feet when it comes to dancing. It is a pity since I do enjoy it. Didnt make it to bed till about 1:30! I was falling asleep standing up. A few more nights like this and I could sign up to be an Argentine! They start dinner at 9:00 pm, head out around 11 and dance all night, returning home at around 4 am!
Day 284 Sun 12/6
After the night out, I decided to spend a day doing nothing and the girls decided they would do the same. We went out for breakfast, a visit to the fruit market and returned to the hostel to watch a couple of movies – The Closet and Gold Rush. The only excitement of the day came when we tried the local delicacy: fried ants. It was quite hard to eat and we all stopped after one ant.
Tags: Travel
Damu