Dream trip ... to Barichara

Before we begin this post, let me provide a few geographical remarks. Three mountain ranges of the Andes, known as the South American Cordillera, crossed the country from north to south. Creatively, the mountains were named the Western, Eastern, and Central Cordillera. The country's largest cities were located on the slopes of the mountains or on plateaus. The route I took from Bogota (2600 m altitude) through Villa de Leyva (2150 m) to Barichara (1280 m) followed the western edge of the eastern Cordillera from south to north towards the coast. Clear so far?!

I spent Tuesday on an almost empty bus, struggling along the mountain roads. I had plenty of time to observe the landscape and dream. Lush fields with cattle and mountain farms alternated with wooded slopes. An old mining town reminded me of mining for ore, followed by rocky mountain masses. Behind every curve, a new view opened into deep valleys or distant peaks. Green in a dozen shades or endless brown plateaus. A dream scenery passed by, I reclined my seat and enjoyed the view, occasionally dozing off.

What particularly impressed me were the mountain formations shimmering blue in the haze, seamlessly blending into cloud mountains towering behind them.

After five hours, I changed buses in the provincial capital San Gil and reached my destination, the tourist town of Barichara, late in the afternoon. During the final leg, the sun was so low that it bathed the landscape in a reddish light. Trees covered with beard lichens seemed especially magical in the evening light.

Beard lichens, also known as beard moss, are a type of fungus that forms a symbiosis with blue or green algae. The adorned trees appeared enchanted in the evening light.

Arriving in Barichara, I let the colonial-era village enchant me in the warm light of the street lamps. Even my hostel, Hostel Tinto, was located in an old colonial estate. Breakfast and hot water were not available there. - Reality had me back.

For dinner, I had a vegetarian sandwich at a trendy bakery that didn't quite fit into the scene. In the evenings, the village seemed deserted.

I was in bed long before midnight and slept well as usual. This morning, while sipping coffee on the hostel terrace, the news of war in Europe arrived. A nightmare!