Northern South America Travel Diary

2012

Northern South America Travel Diary 2012

 

I woke up to dark, grey, overcast skies and thick clouds rolling down the sides of the nearby hills this morning in Bogotá.  However, a quick check of the weather forecast on the internet brought much happier news – we were expecting sunny conditions with scattered clouds and only a 10% chance of rain.   Thus reassured, I decided to head 50 kilometres north of Bogotá to a small town called Zipaquirá, which has become famous for its salt cathedral.

There are three ways to get to Zipaquirá from Bogotá.  I could catch a steam train (called the Turistren) if I was prepared to wait until the weekend (which I wasn’t).  I could get a taxi, the cost of which would be about US$100 for the return trip.  Or I could catch some buses, the cost of which would be 11300 pesos, or US$6.65.  I chose the third option.

Two bus trips were required in each direction.  First, I had to take the TransMilenio 20 kilometres to the north (20 minutes, 1750 pesos) to the terminus station called Portal del Norte.  The TransMilenio is Bogotá’s Metro bus line, and it operates like the buses in Curitiba and Quito.  Large articulated buses operate on their own dedicated lanes, loading and unloading at dedicated covered platforms.  I was warned that the buses are very crowded and pickpocketing is a real danger, so I left my wallet in my room and dressed in my oldest clothes  - not difficult as I usually take my oldest clothes travelling, and in this case, I was wearing shoes that I had repaired just a couple of days ago with superglue.  (A tube of superglue that I bought in Paramaribo and Google Maps have been two of my most helpful assistants on this trip).

I waited until just after 9:00 am to catch this first bus so that the rush hour would have dispersed a little.  If my bus was not the ‘crowded’ version, then I would hate to experience rush hour on the TransMilenio.  I was, however, quietly reassured by the sign on the inside of the bus advising that guns and firearms are prohibited on the TransMilenio, so I relaxed (sort of) and enjoyed watching the passing urban transect of Bogotáthrough the window, pleasantly surprised at the improvement in urban quality as we drove further north.

Portal del Norte is a huge bus interchange, and it was not immediately apparent where I should find the second bus.  However, after a few minutes I located the right platform and boarded a much smaller bus for the 30 kilometre (3900 pesos) trip to Zipaquirá.

This trip had a slow start because of delays caused by several multiple car crashes, but after a kilometre or two we were on our way, driving through the very pretty green countryside, with hills as a backdrop, that I thought was very reminiscent of European (and specially Bosnian) rural landscapes.

We drove through a couple of heavy rain showers that had me questioning the reliability of Colombian weather forecasts.  My doubts were confirmed when the biggest rain storm of all arrived in Zipaquirá just two minutes before our bus.

I had travelled to Zipaquirá specifically to visit the salt cathedral.  However, I soon discovered that Zipaquirá was a charming town with a rich history expressed through its architecture – despite the steady rain that had me sheltering under awnings and doorways with the local people for much of the first half hour of my time in the town.

Using my ‘friend’ Google Maps, I made my way uphill from the bus stop through some narrow streets lined with picturesque white-walled buildings until I found myself in the town square, marked with a large cathedral on one side and a very elegant building that I can only guess was the town hall on another. 

A further 15 minutes or so of steep climbing brought me to the entrance of the salt cathedral.  The large hill where the cathedral is located is actually a salt dome, and salt has been mined there for hundreds of years.  The mining continues, and it is said that the reserves are sufficient for about another 500 years of mining.  The cathedral has been developed in areas where the mining has been completed.

In order to see the cathedral, visitors must walk in groups accompanied by a guide.  The commentary was only in Spanish, and was extremely thorough; very very detailed.  For an English speaker such as myself, it was not particularly informative (understatement!).  It took more than half an hour to finish walking through the entry tunnel, which had small alcoves carved in the salt and lit with coloured lights to represent the stations of the cross.

Having finally walked through to the end of the entry tunnel, we entered the main area where several small chapels and the main body of the cathedral were located.  In one of the side chapels, what looked like a massive white waterfall at the end was actually a cascade of dried salt.  However, the real splendour of the salt cathedral was the main hall, which I understand is 75 metres long, 18 metres high and can hold 8400 people.

At the front, above the main altar, a large cross was displayed, lit with a changing range of coloured lights in a manner that seemed more suitable for a theme park than a place of worship.  In the middle of the floor, there was an exquisite carving based on Michelangelo’s “Creation of Adam” – also illuminated by alternating rings of red and purple that I felt detracted just a tad from the solemnity of the design.  The fact that all of this was carved from salt was nothing short of staggering.

I felt the visit went a little downhill from there.  We were taken to a shopping area where the focus was on selling – not religious artefacts, not salt – emeralds.  Apparently, Colombia is famous for its emeralds, but selling them in a cathedral of salt seemed so totally out of place that it was simply incongruous.  The situation was marginally retrieved when we concluded the visit with a 3-D animated film (thankfully with English subtitles) outlining the history of the salt mining in Zipaquirá and the story of the cathedral.  Believe it or not, this was my first 3-D movie.

The visit finished after two and a quarter hours, at which time I emerged into the daylight with more than a little anxiety about what the weather would be like.  Fortunately, it was not raining, and although still overcast, the sun started to shine through about 10 minutes after I surfaced.  This made exploring Zipaquirá much more enjoyable.  I loved walking along the narrow streets, despite the steep gradient of some of them.

A highlight was a climb to the Chapel of the Virgen de los Dolores (Our Lady of Sorrows).   Set spectacularly on the side of steep hill with a great view over Zipaquirá and the shanty areas beyond, the chapel was built in 1860.

My walk back to the bus stop took me again through the Plaza of the Communards.  Unlike when I passed through during the morning’s steady rain, the Plaza was now alive with people.  Unfortunately, having a look inside the Diocesan Cathedral was not possible as a funeral was underway, so I headed back to the bus stop.  After a short wait (about 5 seconds) a bus arrived, and I completed the return trip back to Bogotá.  By the time I returned it was after 5:00 pm, and I had the opportunity to experience the TransMilenio in all its rush hour glory.

Riding on a bus during Bogotá’s rush hour is one of those memorable experiences that every visitor to Colombia should experience, but probably only once.





Day 12 - Zipaquirá, Colombia

Thursday

5 July 2012

Today’s extra bonus images