Visiting Bogota, Colombia was a fantastic experience for me. Meeting people from so many different backgrounds and hearing various Colombian accents as we conversed in Spanish was such a great experience. Getting local tips on places to go and how to stay safe was something I appreciated as well.
An Unexpected Journey, Sort Of…
During my final full day in Bogota I wanted to venture up into the mountains to photograph a rare plant I knew grew up there. So I found a person who was willing to drive me up there and off I went.
Most of the trip was smooth and relaxed, we talked about life, places we had visited, people, weather, and many other topics as we headed into the unknown eastern wilderness of Bogota. My guide had never been up that way either, so it was a new experience for him.
We drove up a road that winded along the mountainside and saw many breathtaking views. At a certain point the GPS decided to have us turn off into a small mountain village, and this is where things started to go wrong.
The Village
As we first entered the village, we both noted that the road was quite narrow, however it was still quite navigable and the road was well-paved. After driving for a kilometer or two in this densely forested road, we reached a village.
The first thing we noticed about this village was that the roads began to become less maintained and some of them were quite steep. He was driving an automatic car and occasionally we had to stop behind large buses that ran throughout the village. As he put the car into gear each time we would slide back a bit as well. There were also some people who were walking around the village and giving our car an intense stare; my guide was becoming visibly nervous at this time. We even reached a large foot-wide gap in the road that was filled in by muddy towels in order to allow cars to pass over it. I would say the gap was a nearly a foot deep. It was interesting to be driving over stacked towels in a car; a new experience!
After going through the winding streets of the village for fifteen minutes or so we reached a point where the GPS wanted us to go up this very narrow and steep road that was made of mud and various rocks that had been collected from the mountain. At this point I figured we were screwed, so I told him we could just head back at this point if he wanted. He was not driving an SUV and I did not want his car to become damaged on the road. He told me it was fine and so off we went up the “road”.
Off-Road Glory
As we began going up, we had to look outside the sides of the car and stand up a bit to see the rocks in front of the car so we could continue to climb the steep incline. I knew prior to going up here that this was a road for SUVs, but we did see a shoddy 1980s Honda car parked uphill, so perhaps that gave my guide some confidence. After taking ten minutes to go up 1/8th of a mile, the rocks were getting bigger and the car was beginning to get stuck occasionally. We could also hear rocks grinding against the bottom of the car no matter what we did at this point. The terrain had become way too uneven for his car to continue.
I could see the look in his eyes that he felt horrible and probably a bit ashamed that we may have to turn back. I went ahead and offered the option of heading back once again. After insisting a bit more and trying to pass another rock, he relented and agreed that it was probably impossible for us to continue on in his vehicle. “Que hacemos?” he said. We both smiled and laughed a bit at the situation at this point, as it was pretty damn funny and the day was getting more… interesting… by the moment.
There and Back Again
After a short discussion, we decided to head back down. The only problem was, we had to go backwards this time. So here we were maneuvering our way down this steep, uneven, and very narrow mud-filled-rock-pathway of a road. Some locals came out of their homes to watch us with interest and amusement. Eventually a car that had parked just as we started to head back down decided that he needed to move in order for us to pass. He was polite enough to get out of our way and I can only assume he said a few curse words in his car as he turned it back on to move.
Big Blue Bully
After a few more minutes we finally reached the paved road once again. We were discussing potential alternative routes to our desired destination, but before we could finalize the revisions to our itinerary a huge blue bus showed up and immediately started honking. The roads were narrow and we certainly could not head back up the rocky-path-of-fun again, so our only option was to just head backwards again, but at least we had pavement this time.
So there we were, heading backwards again as the blue bus followed very close (less than a meter) from the front of the car. Had the bus encountered brake issues, we would likely have been plowed into oblivious. As I occasionally looked back towards the bus, I could see the passengers of the bus watching us with amusement, anger, and curiosity from their seats. The driver himself was making hand gestures and shaking his head as we tried to get out of the way.
Freedom! (Or So We Thought…)
We finally were able to pull over to the side far enough to allow the massive bus pass. We then headed back up to the tiny three-way intersection and turned right to begin heading out of the village. I began sending messages to friends about my disappointment that I would not be able to reach the site I wanted to see. But once again we faced a dilemma, my guide was now lost in this village which was full of winding maze-like streets.
Had I paid attention to where he was driving while I was texting, I would have told him to take the first right, but now we were in an unfamiliar area. So we began going down random streets, reaching dead-ends and cliff sides alike. My guide admitted that even he was a bit afraid of the people in these villages, but after ten minutes I convinced him to let me ask for directions to an old lady who was walking by.
Local Advice
She gave us some advice about reaching the site we wanted to see and mentioned she did not believe our car would make it. She also told us the way to get back to the highway we had driven up the mountain on. Off we went.
So we reached the area we had been before and crossed the towel-filled gap in the road as a huge truck waited for us to cross impatiently. As we maneuvered back through the streets once again, locals watched us pass by. Eventually we encountered a woman walking with her children and asked her if we were on the correct way. She told us that we were, however, it would be easier if we went back and then turned left, right, right, and then left again. When we asked again to confirm the information, she said right, left, left, and then right. We looked at each other and decided to thank her and move on. We then encountered a man who was parking his motorcycle and we asked him for directions. He gave us the directions we needed and then we were on our way.
On The Road Again…
As we finally reached the exit of the village and were back in the forested area of the road, I could see that my guide was beginning to feel relieved. We had to wait for some huge trucks to pass through the road in the middle of our way back to the highway, but we both knew where we were for certain at this point.
As we reached the highway, I considered asking him to turn right instead of left so we could explore another option, but I could see that the experience had frightened him a bit so I just let him take me back to Bogota. I am pretty sure the alternative route I saw on the map would have led us there, but I cannot be for certain. I understood his concern, as he made a living from his car, and a brand new Ford sedan would be a prime target for people driving old Russian Ladas and rusty mopeds.
One the way back we pulled over to take some photos and visit some local markets along the road. I enjoy speaking with the locals, practicing my Spanish, and getting good deals on food so this prevent the trip from being a complete loss.
We stopped at a few points to take photos as we headed back to Bogota, defeated, but not destroyed. When I got back to my place I felt a bit sad, but I knew I would at least have a story to tell and here it is. I hope you enjoyed reading it.
