December 12 - Resolve

During our first night in Barichara, the heavy rain must have knocked out the power. We had a fan going in our room and when the breeze was curtailed, the heat became problematic. Kathleen opened the windows above our beds. The room was similar to the one we had in San Gil. Remember? The horse stall. However, this one had windows which required some climbing to access.


Around 5am the power came back on. The cathedral started chiming. And chiming. As the bells rang-in 40 o’clock I was good and awake. Kathleen grumbled something about how much longer this was going to continue. Fortunately, the chiming ceased.

Today we hiked to Guane (Who-awn-ay) along the old Camino Real linking this town with Barichara. Barichara sits on the edge of a mesa, and Guane is down slope on the edge of another mesa. Both sites are on the edge of a deep canyon carved by the Rio Suarez. By 11am we were hiking off to Guane.

Spot-breasted woodpecker

Kathleen hiking Camino Real to Guane

For the next 5 hours Kathleen and I birded along the Camino – the walk was to take only 2 hours. The hike was by far some of the best wildlife viewing we’d had since being in Colombia. The grand vistas of landscape reminded us of being in some African savanna or some places we had been in south Texas down near Brownsville. These habitats would give way to lush green jungle-like areas which were near streams or canyons. All this coupled with a huge canyon with little red-roofed villages poking though.


As we walked along Kathleen and I came to the resolve that we were going to attempt our motorcycle ride of South America again. We had been contemplating our decision, and after seeing some the sights and roads about Colombia, we wanted to fulfill our dream to ride south to Ushuaia and on to Buenos Aires. We could experience these South American countries with greater freedom than taxis, buses, and planes could afford us. Having our own wheels would increase our enjoyment of such an adventure. We’re going to do this trip again by motorcycle.

Bicoloured Wren, along Camino Real to Guane, Colombia


We arrived in Guane in time to see a funeral procession walk a casket from the plaza to the cemetery. The padre was singing through a bull-horn to lead the hymns. We’ve seen this activity at least once a week, now.




Guane was a small village of maybe 1,500 people. We wanted to visit the archeological museum they had on the plaza, however the place was locked up. We bought a couple of juice drinks and sat on the plaza watching the funeral. Kathleen went and asked a few people when the bus would leave for Barichara. Six o’clock and would cost nearly $7 USD per person to go 6 miles. Obviously, she received the gringo rate as by now we were savvy to how much such a trip should cost. Roughly $2 USD each. Being only 4pm, we decided to hike back up rather than wait till 6 for the bus. We headed up and in an hour and a half topped out at Barichara.


We were both hungry and searched about for some place to have a good we rounded meal. That turned out to be difficult as the main meal of the day is usually during lunch, and any meal after that would be a lesser deal. We found a place up near another church where I had meat balls and Kathleen had spaghetti. That’s all. No bread or anything else except water. One plate cost double what a noon day meal for two would cost. Keep that in mind when you come down here.