However, with everything concrete and wood, and a steel staircase spiraling up through the center of the building, a little noise seemed to echo throughout the building. If someone blinks their eyes on the first floor, you could hear those lids slap shut like a thunder clap on the 3rd. I’m exaggerating just a little. The interior noise coupled with the constant din of traffic, horns, and loud music had worn thin. We had enough of Bogota and wanted to get out into the country where we could maybe walk from our room to a trail or wooded area and bird watch or look for some non-human native critter of some kind. We settled-up with John-Palo of Casa Deco and made our way to the bus terminal. In our South American Handbook (Footprint Guides) Kathleen read that the Colombian Highlands Hostel was operated by a biologist and they could assist in providing ecotourism activities. Best of all, the place was said to be among forest and had trails!! We’re on our way!
The on our way part involved hooking up with a series of buses to arrive at Villa de Leyva. Using buses in a foreign country was going to be a new experience for Kathleen and I. We were to buy a round trip ticket and take a red bus with either B-62 or 74 from the down town terminal northward to Portal del Norte. From Portal del Norte we were to walk over the highway to the regional buses that would take us to Tunja. From Tunja we would take another bus to Villa de Leyva. Sounds simple, don’t you think? We actually did everything pretty much as described except we went through a turn-style at Portal del Norte and had to use our return ticket to get back over to the proper side of the terminal to walk over the highway. Oh, well. Six dollars U.S. for the two of us to spin the turn-style again.
On our way out of Bogota we happened to sit in blue seats on the bus and found out these were for elderly, handicapped, or pregnant women. We found this out when I gave up my seat to another woman. She proceeded to tell Kathleen of our errant ways, and then the two of them began chatting. Turns out the woman was 60 years old but looked to be in her early 40’s. She ran a shop that made lacey hand bags and gave Kathleen her business card.
We took the bus out of Bogota along almost the same route the cabbie did when we went to the salt mines. The north bound traffic was backed up so taking the bus was great as we traveled in a separated lane from traffic.
At Portal del Norte we took a minibus to Tunja. We followed a nice modern highway further north through country that could be best compared to that of Sonoma County, California, or some portions of the Appalachian foothills of West Virginia. Rolling hills covered in quilt like patches of farm land divided by trees. 
At one bend in the round we came upon a motorcycle laid over in the road and a bunch of men standing over the machine. Scratch and gouge marks in the road indicated the bike was moving the same direction as we were. Yet, everyone appeared to be okay. 
Most times, traffic was only doing 50mph tops. We had to slow down to make the turn, so the accident was probably low speed. And the bike being small, the rider probably just stepped off the bike to avoid whatever danger appeared.With each bus exchange we took smaller and smaller buses till we were down to a minivan. A bunch of us packed into the minivan and about 30-minutes later we were in Villa de Leyva.
A we weren’t quite sure where the Colombian Highlands Hostel was, we took a taxi which seemed to take us around the outskirts of town and eventually to the hostel. We later found out why our lady taxi driver did this. Had she gone through town her vehicle would have been subjected to cobble stone streets where the stones range in size from a bread loaf to a small microwave oven. We checked in to a nice room and went to sleep with the window partially open so we could hear the frogs.
November 29, 2009
Our first night at Colombian Highlands Hostel was great. Jeepers!! We shoulda come here earlier! Neither of us woke until after 8am when someone started using a weed-whacker. That was a minor offense made up for by the serenade of frogs last night.
Kathleen and I decided to take the trails above the hostel to see what could be offered up.
We took what we thought was the correct route up the side of a mountain and spent a couple hours realizing the trail we wanted was on the opposite side steep walled gorge. We ended up hiking back down toward the hostel and found the route we wanted. 
The trail took us into native vegetation in the bottom of the gorge. Much of the vegetation in this portion of Colombia is treed with eucalyptus and a species of pine from Canada. The shrubs and scrub vegetation is pretty much still native. By early afternoon, Kathleen and I headed down the mountain and swung by the hostel for a backpack before heading into town. As we approached Villa de Leyva we began to feel a few drops of rain. By the time we were walking the streets of town the rain was coming down pretty good. We were looking for a restaurant one of the hostel’ers told us about. He described the place as being adjacent to the Casa Blanca restaurant where they had a meal of the day that was 6,500 pesos. That’s about $3.25 a meal.
We managed to find the place without having to ask someone, and sat down to a creamy potato and chicken soup, steak, potato, plantain, and salad. Salad here is more often diced green beans and carrots.What’sa plantain? Kind of a banana’esque thing that’s shaped and colored like a banana, has the texture of a potato, and a taste roughly similar to that of a yam. Plantains are served mashed, ‘French fried’, and as chips. Y’know? I don’t think Ruffles Plantain Chips are gonna be flyin’ off the shelves in the U.S. any time soon.
We settled up with the restaurants’ proprietor and walked back out on to the now sunny streets. We wanted to find a small market to buy a drink as the glasses of water provided at the restaurant were a tad cloudy and I thought I saw a self-propelled speck in my water. As we walked over to a market I saw something moving among the cracks in the cobble stone. A small, 4-inch, snake was trying to slither across the street. I caught the little serpent as a few people began to gather to watch.
Once I had the bugger, a man came up quite concerned that I’d pick up a snake, and began to gesture that I could lose my arm if bitten. Kathleen explained, in Spanish, the snake was too small to be dangerous. The little guy wrapped itself around my finger for warmth as I walked across the street to place the snake in some grass.We shopped for some breakfast items and got some bottled drinks before touring about Villa de Leyva. What a huge contrast between Bogota and here. No one hustling ya for something. No traffic. No horns. How pleasant.
We sat on the plaza, which, by the way is supposed to be the largest in the Americas. As we sat, I mentioned to Kathleen the cobble stone expanse must be near 20-acres. Our day ended with the walk back up to the hostel. November 30, 2009
Today we decided to go on a hike to Laguna de Iguaque (Ee-wa-kay) in Santuaro de Fauna y Flora Iguaque. The Chibcha people believed the lake was the birth place of mankind. Kathleen and I teamed up with Trip, from Seattle, and Peter, from Switzerland, to share a bus to the park.
As the hike was known to be nearly all day, we got an early start and found ourselves waiting for the bus at 6:45am. By 7 sharp we were on a bus headed for the park. About 8 miles out of town the driver turned on to a dirt road and drove another 2 miles or so before stopping at an intersection with a dirt road heading into the mountains. Here we walked towards the mountains. For 3 miles we hiked the road and arrived at the park headquarters. We paid an entrance fee equaling $12.50 US per person. 
We had already been hiking up from the junction, and now we really started the climb. For the next 3-4 hours we discovered that Colombian trail builders do not believe in switch-backs. This was especially true at the last mile. Just blaze that trail straight up the mountain-side! 
We climbed through native forest and eventually up through scrub grassland above 9,500 feet. Here we encountered flowering plants and strange looking yucca-esque plants. We reached the summit of 10,800 feet before descending a little to Laguna de Iguaque. We found the lake peaceful and quiet with about 10 ducks, perhaps teal of some kind, toolin’ about on the water. 
We snacked a bit – Peter, the Swiss made himself cold hot-dogs - and after an hour we began our descent. Ever try going down a long high-angled ladder by facing away from the steps?We walked our way down the trail to the tune of a thunder and lightning show and stopped periodically to look at some species of chachalaca.
We had arranged to have a bus come pick us up, however, a van arrived and the driver said he would take us back to Villa de Leyva. On the way down to VdL we discovered he also picked up and distributed pre-schoolers along the way. 
A whole flock of 4 year olds climbed into the van, and along the way we would drop off a few; seemingly out in the middle of nowhere and they would traipse off hand-in-hand down a road. Something you’d rarely, if ever, see in the U.S.Back in Villa de Leyva by about 5pm, we found a pizza place – Dino’s. Trip and Peter drank beer while Kathleen and I had the house special which was a delightful collection of toppings including, celery, various sausages, basil, pinach, ‘shrooms, tomato, peppers, and cheeses. Celery?
We headed for the hostel where Kathleen and I thought we were going to have a tent waiting for us as we didn’t book our room long enough. However, the hostel had a cancellation. No tent!! Hot shower! Comfortable bed! The rain began to fall and continued through most of the night.
December 1, 2009
Today was a day of e-mail chatter about our bikes. Suffice to say the machines are on their way via Mexico and on to Bogota. Our morning was spent corresponding back and forth with Craters and Freighters in San Diego, and Sunrise Cargo in Bogota. Throughout the morning we adjusted and readjusted plans as up-dates came in. Our major concern was having the time to complete our trip. Each day without the motorcycles meant that many more long days riding. However, at some point, we would only be able to go so far as days were whittled away waiting.
We began to research options of shipping the bikes out at the tip of South America, or Santiago, Chile. We may not be able to make Buenos Aires. By late afternoon, we received an e-mail from Sunrise Cargo that we should be in Bogota on December 7th to begin the customs process. Tuesday being a national holiday would mean nothing can happen towards completing the process. Wednesday, December 9th should be the day we will retrieve the bikes. Fingers are crossed. By mid-afternoon, Kathleen and I went into Villa de Leyva for our now usual mid-afternoon meal. We found a place on the plaza that served a lunch of the day. The meal consisted of soup, meat balls, mashed potato, rice, and a salad. All this topped off with pureed lulo, and a thick swatch of concentrated strawberry fruit roll topped with a slice of cheese. Lulo? Tastes very much like kiwi fruit.
We thought we had escaped solicitors and pan-handlers back in Bogota, however, some thought we were and easy mark during our lunch.Kathleen and I strolled about town and bought some snacks and a bag of water. Yes, I have typed that correctly. A bag of water. A 5-liter bag, at that. Water pillow?
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