Afternoon in La Calera

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One weekend, my friend Corrie asked if I wanted to wander outside of Bogotá for an afternoon. The answer was a resounding YES and we found a bus headed to La Calera for about $1.50. It only took 45 minutes and the drive took us up and above Bogotá, so we had some really picturesque views. The fun, winding roads reminded me of moped-ing in Bali...guess I need a moped now :)

Once we arrived in La Calera, a very small town, we wandered through the streets to the main plaza. Since it was a lazy Sunday, there were also many lazy locals taking advantage of the calm. We all lounged in park benches in the plaza and watched the kids play with a ball in the middle. It fairly oozed small town vibe.

Corrie, smart gal that she is, picked La Calera for one main reason: the food. We found our way to some food stalls and ordered some picada (I wrote about this dish before from Montserrate). Even though the idea was the same, it was a slightly different variety. For example, less intestines and more liver. We also got a local beverage called refajo, which is a blend of beer and a super sweet soda. Not gonna lie, it was gross. Just give me the beer by itself, please!  Once we were stuffed full of potatoes, chorizo, and blood sausages stuffed with rice, we took to the streets again.

Out next goal was to find a viewpoint, so we asked a few locals for the best road to walk, and then proceeded up said road. It proved to be a lovely walk, and we explored a small field, saw some chickens and cows (ah, nature), and snapped a few pictures.


Our walk opened up just enough space in our bellies for the next food stop: arepas. I don't know what they do in La Calera to make them so dang delicious, but I was forced to buy a few for the road as well. The rest of the afternoon was spent sipping hot chocolate (without cheese on top, as they wanted to give us (?)) and picking at amazing arepas.

Around 4, we stood on the side of the road and hailed the first bus back to Bogotá that would take us. Many were full, so we were thrilled when one pulled over. I was even more thrilled when the money man offered me his front seat! Rather than being cramped in the back seat, I chilled up front with the driver and enjoyed the views all the way down.


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