Guatape June 3, 2012
Guatape is a small town about 2 hours from Medellin. My Colombian friend and I decided to take a day trip there on Sunday. It was really nice going on his motorcycle because I got to see awesome views in the mountains and we stopped in a few towns along the way.
We had breakfast in the first town, I was the best breakfast I've had so far. Beans, rice, arepas (like a thick corn tortilla) with scrambled eggs with onions and tomatoes. Yummy! I learned that every town has a main square and the main focus of the square is the church... I saw a lot of churches that day! I get the best feeling being in the town squares. People are buying food, sitting in restaurants, and generally enjoying life.
Once we got to Guatape, the first thing we did was climb 300 stairs up this rock that comes out of nowhere. It's really odd, because there aren't any other rocks in the area. On our way up, we ran into a girl that Juan knows from hanging out at the hostel. We ended up hanging out with Mariah for the rest of the day.
The view from the top of the rock was incredible. As far as the eye could see were lush, small green islands, surrounded by a fresh water lake. What an amazing natural wonder! My bubble was popped when I found out it was man made. In the late 70's they kicked out everyone that lived in the area that is now under water. The reason? To create hydropower. They blocked off a dam and it took about 2 years to flood the area.
Down at the lake, we had lunch (fresh fish for Juan and Maria), then rented a small row boat to go out to the islands. The paddles we had to row with were pathetic (and a reminder that we are in fact in a developing country). They were 2 wooden poles, one with a square piece of wood nailed to it, the other was a plastic paint can cover.
We swam a little and made it to one of the islands to hang out fora bit. On the way back, we got to see a beautiful sunset.
Once we were back on land and freezing we went into town fora snack and some hot chocolate. I was so surprised to see how pretty the town was. Each house is painted a bright color and on the bottoms of the houses there are paintings of different things from around the area. It was so charming! Apparently, about 4 years ago the town was quite a mess and so the mayor decided to remodel the entire town. It took about 3 years to complete. This is a popular local tourist spot now, but I can imagine that in the next few years it will turn into a major destination. Once again, I felt like I was in a fairy tale land.
Other pics from the day....
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Guatape is a small town about 2 hours from Medellin. My Colombian friend and I decided to take a day trip there on Sunday. It was really nice going on his motorcycle because I got to see awesome views in the mountains and we stopped in a few towns along the way.
We had breakfast in the first town, I was the best breakfast I've had so far. Beans, rice, arepas (like a thick corn tortilla) with scrambled eggs with onions and tomatoes. Yummy! I learned that every town has a main square and the main focus of the square is the church... I saw a lot of churches that day! I get the best feeling being in the town squares. People are buying food, sitting in restaurants, and generally enjoying life.
Once we got to Guatape, the first thing we did was climb 300 stairs up this rock that comes out of nowhere. It's really odd, because there aren't any other rocks in the area. On our way up, we ran into a girl that Juan knows from hanging out at the hostel. We ended up hanging out with Mariah for the rest of the day.
The view from the top of the rock was incredible. As far as the eye could see were lush, small green islands, surrounded by a fresh water lake. What an amazing natural wonder! My bubble was popped when I found out it was man made. In the late 70's they kicked out everyone that lived in the area that is now under water. The reason? To create hydropower. They blocked off a dam and it took about 2 years to flood the area.
Down at the lake, we had lunch (fresh fish for Juan and Maria), then rented a small row boat to go out to the islands. The paddles we had to row with were pathetic (and a reminder that we are in fact in a developing country). They were 2 wooden poles, one with a square piece of wood nailed to it, the other was a plastic paint can cover.
We swam a little and made it to one of the islands to hang out fora bit. On the way back, we got to see a beautiful sunset.
Once we were back on land and freezing we went into town fora snack and some hot chocolate. I was so surprised to see how pretty the town was. Each house is painted a bright color and on the bottoms of the houses there are paintings of different things from around the area. It was so charming! Apparently, about 4 years ago the town was quite a mess and so the mayor decided to remodel the entire town. It took about 3 years to complete. This is a popular local tourist spot now, but I can imagine that in the next few years it will turn into a major destination. Once again, I felt like I was in a fairy tale land.
Other pics from the day....
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Guatape, Colombia
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