August 12, 2022

Total travel time has been a little over 9 hours, but now fixing to touch down in Bogata, Columbia. About 8 years ago, I heard my photography friend describing the beauty of the Cano Cristales, often referred to as the Rainbow River, in the southern part of this country as a modern wonder of the world. I immediately knew I had to see it for myself. The problem was it’s only in full bloom a short time each year, and August is the best time to visit. Unfortunately, that’s was always when Tommie was the busiest…getting horses ready to sale in Ruidiso over Labor Day. So this year, I made the decision early to go and invited my “other” daughter, Lezlie, to go with me. After a few days exploring Bogata, we’ll drop most of our luggage at the hotel, load up only our backpacks, dive masks, headlamps and rain gear to set out in search of the rainbow.

August 13,2022

Today we explored the city of Bogota…. Lots of walking…over 4 miles on cobblestone (severely uneven) streets. Every step required concentration🥴. While walking we learned the facts about the population…85% real Catholics. STRICT Catholics! They visit cemeteries and take flowers on Sundays…and most walk to the top of the hill overlooking the town as a pilgrimage….we took the funicular. At the top is a sanctuary dedicated to the Montserrat Lady founded in 1645 by Don Juan de Bonja, the president at the time. Not only is there a beautiful view of the town, it’s a natural place that invites you to do alot of inner reflection and the perfect place to worship if you choose. I lite a candle and said a prayer for Tommie, Lynde, and all my loved ones in heaven.

When we headed back into town, there were numerous ladies holding up signs selling “Big Ass Ants”. The people of sun-soaked northern Colombia have been eating ants for centuries. They are considered a delicacy and it is believed this accurately named “hormiga culona” — big-butt queen ant — is everything from a natural form of Viagra to a protein-rich defense against cancer. The natural oil the ants contain allow them to be fried and eaten like popcorn. Hard to imagine eating one, but my goal on this trip is to try them…just not today.

Back in town, we visited The Gold Museum…a must if you like history. It houses an extraordinary selection of pre-Hispanic gold work collection – the biggest in the world. Together with pottery, stone, shell, wood and textile archaeological objects, these items date back to the early 1500s that the indigenous cultures crafted and show us what their lifestyle was like. My favorite item was referred to as the “Raft” and was carved from one piece of gold. They only worshiped Mother Earth and Father Sun. When someone died…they didn’t cry…they celebrated…believing that you move on to a better life. They did not believe in heaven and hell. They covered the important body parts with gold to protect them and make sure they arrived in the next world in good condition. To keep the volcano quiet, the sacrificed a baby on a regular basis.

After the museum, we walked thru the markets and visited the main square where the buildings were works of art dating back centuries. The square was full of pigeons, concessions…and my favorite subjects to photograph…local kids playing.

Great day…complete with a glass of wine and a fairly decent meal from our hotel rooftop.