Life is one big party; isn't it? Well I always thought so, being the party girl I am, or maybe I was? After over a week with the Aussies and two late ones in Bogota, I was feeling worn out. I guess I'm getting too old for it all. My skin was bad, I had bags under my eyes and even I realised, I looked too thin. It was to time to get some calm, some tranquilo. With Colleen gone and Martin working all the time, there was nothing to keep in me Bogota. Besides it's cold, wet and ugly and was the first place on this trip that I felt really unsafe as a woman on her own. My friend, Billy, had told me about a place called villa de Leyva four hours from Bogota, in the hills. It sounded like the perfect place to chill. After navigating the bus network of Bogota, finding a bus to take me to Villa, the bus getting wedged between two trucks, mudslides, crazy winding roads and once again one mad bus driver, I arrived in villa in heavy rain. After walking the streets for ages and getting very wet, because I could not understand the directions people where giving me (it's always a problem when you can only ask questions in Spanish, but not understand the God dam answers)! I eventually arrived at my hostel: Rana.
Billy had stayed at Rana too and had loved it so much he had ended up staying two weeks. Rana is run by a English wife and Colombian husband; Laura and luis. As soon as I walked through the door I knew I had made the right decision. I felt right at home straight away. I walked into craziness! Kids running everywhere, lots of noise and no room to move. Luis and Laura have three girls and it was Maya, the eldest birthday. It reminded me of my home when I was growing up, it was so full of life and warmth. In no time I'm dragged into having my nails painted as it's a manicure party (eleven year olds these days are so sophisticated) and was given a huge piece of birthday cake. It felt so nice to be around a family again. Thats the amazing thing about this hostel; it feels more like a home than a hostel and no one can ask for more than that. That night as I tried to sleep, I realised how much I missed my family, even though I say I don't miss them, I do. I always feel so loved and happy around them. I told myself that night I will make a big effort, when I get back, to see them more and not make my excuses that make me a stranger to them some times.
Even though I came here to chill, I've actually been quite busy, but in a good way. Apart from doing more Spanish lessons (which I will talk about in another post), I have been making the most of seeing the local area which is so beautiful. Beth, laura's sister, who is out here for a vacation with her daughter Carmen, has been coming on a lot of excursions with me, and as her Spanish is as bad as mine it's been quite interesting. As no one really speaks English here( thats why I came!) Trying to communicate to our taxi driver on where we want to go has been a mission, but also extremely funny as he usually takes us to the wrong place first, but I find life more interesting when it goes wrong. The other day I got a taxi to some hot springs on my own. My taxi man was a young local, who I think fancied his chances, even though he didn't speak any English. After having to strip off to my bikini in front of a load of local builders who were building a house next to the spring, I then turned round to find the taxi driver had stripped down to his Y fronts and was getting in the spring with me. Oh God! He then proceeded trying to talk to me using all his best lines. Luckily some old people who could speak English got in too and I started talking to them and practising my Spanish. As he was not getting anymore attention,the taxi driver then got out of the spring and then proceeded to stand there posing talking to the builders in just his Y fronts which were so unsexy, I can't tell you! I couldn't stop laughing which pissed him off even more. He just couldn't understand why I didn't want him! I find out later, off others, that he really wants a western girlfriend, even though he is married with two kids. Men hey!
As I was a good horse rider in my past, I've been doing quite a lot of horse riding here. My guide who again speaks no English is great and we go off galloping in the mountains. The only problem is he keeps trying to marry me off to his farm friend who is about 100, but who he keeps telling me has lots of land and property. No thanks! In fact the other day I had a sore back and even the guide started to rub my back, while he felt my bra a lot doing it. God! The men are on heat around here!
OBSERVATIONS
* It appears you can do DIY funerals in Colombia, as I observed the other day when I saw someone with an estate car, driving around the streets with a procession following it. It wasn't as big as a hearst though, as the coffin was sticking out the back.
* You know that you have a really bad bus driver when even the local sat next to you makes the sign of the cross!
* So Latin America's are the most amazing dancers, they put us to shame and make us look like idiots on the dance floor; well that's with their music, because I realised in the nightclub the other week, they can't dance for shit to western music. There is a God!
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