Villa de Leyva

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I was tired of grading papers, so I decided to leave town for a few days and take a break. I'm a very hard worker, clearly :)

Many people had told me about the colonial town of Villa de Leyva, and my interest was piqued. It was an easy 2.5 hour bus ride to Tunja, where I changed buses for another 45 minute drive. The view was spectacular-- I stared out my window as we wound through twisting hills and wished I could take a few pictures!

I arrived in town around 1:30 pm and since I only had a small backpack, I wandered through the town immediately upon arrival. The sun was shining and I wanted to take advantage of it. The town itself is small, with only 10,000 or so inhabitants, and half of the narrow streets are cobblestoned with large, unevenly placed stones. The buildings there are mostly done in a unique style called tapia pasada, or rammed earth, and are painted white. An abundance of flowers and cute shops along the way made the stroll very pleasant.

I found my hostel, the Colombian Highlands Renacer Hostel, around 3pm and it was seriously one of the cutest hostels I have ever stayed in. The location is a little bit outside the town, and it was peaceful and so pretty. Just as I applied more sun tan lotion to go exploring again, the rains came, so I went into the common room and met a few other travelers, including an older Canadian man and a British girl about my age. We spent a relaxing evening reading and watching dubbed movies on the TV.

The next morning, the British girl and I rented bicycles with one plan in mind: bike to the winery at the end of the map! We figured the 12km wouldn't be too bad, and since we really didn't have a time frame, why not spend the day on bikes? I was thrilled to be on a bike again (I miss my bike back in the A!) and then I was quickly reminded how hard hills can be :)

Our bike ride took us past many of the famous sites of Villa de Leyva, including a desert with fossils from the Mesozoic era and an ostrich farm! Yeah...we kept riding right on past. We made it to the winery just as I thought my legs might give out, and as the rain began anew! We dashed inside the little bodega and I realized how muddy I had become...I even found mud splashed behind my ear. We decided to forgo the tour, as they didn't have an English tour, and went straight to the tasting with a plate full of fruit and cheese. The wine was fine, but nothing great. As disappointed as I was, I will forgive Colombia this time and indulge more in their other fine drink: coffee.

We made it back to town mid-afternoon and I was so happy to shower and then lie in a hammock until the sun went down. Utter relaxation, and well deserved! That night, I met a few other travelers as well, including a Belgian couple, a Canadian girl, and a German girl. I spent most of the night talking and having a few beers with the girls and we all decided to go horseback riding through the countryside the next morning.


9am came and our portly and lovable guide, Raul, was waiting for us outside the hostel. I was granted the one white horse named Jugeuete (Toy) and we were all laughing within minutes when Raul realized how inept we were. Luckily, my experiences from riding in Colorado and Wyoming came back quickly and I was posting within minutes. Thank God I remembered too, as Juguete did not do much besides trot, and my tooshie was already a little sore from biking!

We rode horses for a 3 hours through the countryside, up and down lanes, and around mountains. I loved it! We took a nice break in the middle by a stream and had a beer. Raul was very insistent that we each take a photo by the "picturesque" river, so I made the best of my turn. Once we arrived back in town, I showered, packed, and headed down to the town with the two ladies for a quick lunch. Then, it was back on the bus to Bogota.

Til next time, Juguete.



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