Two adventurers in San Agustin

After our short stop in Neiva, we continued south to San Agustin, Colombia. The bus from Neiva to San Agustin was supposed to pick us up at 06:15 AM. At 06:10 AM, Gerda and I were standing in the hotel lobby and realized that we had set our alarms one hour too late and even the fastest taxi wouldn't get us to the bus station on time. After a brief moment of panic, we decided to have a relaxed breakfast at the hotel. Then we took a taxi to the bus station and looked for an alternative. Luckily, another minibus was heading towards San Agustin at 08:00 AM. After a very adventurous bus ride through the Andes and a horribly tight ride, squeezed together with six other people in the back of a pickup truck, we finally arrived in San Agustin around 2:00 PM.

Our hotel is located a bit outside in the middle of the rainforest and we were the only guests for now. After the exhausting journey, the hotel staff greeted us super friendly and with a little bit of English. Our room in the somewhat remote guesthouse was okay and the morning's hardships were somewhat forgotten. We spent the afternoon in hammocks outside our room and in the evening, we took a taxi to San Agustin to have coffee and something to eat. San Agustin seemed desolate, uncomfortable, and run-down, especially due to a strong and heavy rain shower, and we were glad that our hotel was located quite idyllically in the forest.

The main attraction in this area is more than 500 stone sculptures created 2000-2500 years ago. Very little is known about the people and the meaning of the sculptures. Nevertheless, the finds are among the most important ones on the South American continent.

We spent most of our first day in San Agustin at the Archaeological Park. Luckily, it was within walking distance from our hotel. At the entrance, we received a kind of pass where stamps were added throughout our visit. A simple but cool idea for an entrance ticket. We started our visit to the park at the museum to learn more about the statues and the people who lived here. Fortunately, the descriptions were also in English. In general, very little is offered in English here. The people, whether in the hotel, restaurant, or on the street, understand very little English. Nevertheless, we manage quite well with a few words in Spanish and gestures.

After the museum, we explored the park and passed by many sculptures and tombs. Some of the statues were still very well-preserved, others less so. The nature and landscape in the park were beautiful, and the sculptures added to a wonderful experience. We really enjoyed the visit and took our time. From a hill in the middle of the park, we had a fantastic view of the surrounding valleys and mountains. After almost six hours, we made our way back to the hotel.

In the afternoon, we returned to the small town of San Agustin. Due to the nice weather, we liked it much better this time, although it is still not a gem. In the evening, we had a big serving of pasta at an Italian restaurant and later collapsed exhausted into bed.

For the second day in San Agustin, we had arranged a jeep tour through the hotel. The tour took us almost eight hours along waterfalls, more smaller sculpture parks, to the narrowest point of the longest river in Colombia, the Rio Magdalena. The landscape was amazingly beautiful and the other parks were also nice to see. Less enjoyable were the gravel roads, the driving style of our driver, and the mostly inconsiderate French fellow travelers. We liked the tour, but in the evening, we were also glad to be back at the hotel. We relaxed in the hammocks a bit and had dinner at the hotel later.

Today, we flew to Cali by plane and will spend two more nights here. After that, we will head to the Coffee Triangle where the famous and world-renowned Colombian coffee is grown. Looking at the calendar, I realized today that my last month of sabbatical has begun. With a tearful and a smiling eye, I gave Gerda a kiss.