BUS RIDE TO BOGATA
We had planned to take the seven hour overnight bus from Barichara to Bogata leaving at 11:30 in the evening. But the swerving, bouncing bus ride in the dark to the bus station in San Gil when we came to Barichara convinced us we wouldn’t be able to sleep no matter how comfortable the bus. So we stayed one more night in Barichara and left early Friday by taxi for the half hour ride to San Gil and then the bus to Bogata. We lucked out. We didn’t know how to pick a bus but ended up booking seats in a very comfortable big bus with a toilet in the back. We stopped for a half hour lunch break half way to Bogata. So we had a great view of the Colombian country side.
The mountains rose high above us as we drove through valleys thick with types of trees we had never seen before and lush yellow green grass and sloping fields of sugar cane.
It was a beautiful ride on a two lane road where we were often slowed by large trucks laboring up the hill so that we arrived in Bogata three hours late in inching along rush hour traffic which slowed us still more.
We took a taxi the half hour across Bogata to our apartment and then went out to dinner in a wonderful, cozy Italian cafe with just six tables where we had a good meal of thick tomato soup and an elegant pizza with a glass of red wine.
The table next to us had a reserved sign and at the end of our meal Santiago and Maria arrived for their dinner. We got into a conversation with them. Santiago is a painter. He showed us some of his art work, drawings of hands, and then invited to come in the next few days to his studio and to come on Sunday to a outdoor fair with music that is taking place on Sunday a few blocks away from our apartment. So we have something to look forward to.
BILLYBABA’S WANDERING 