Villa de Leyva, Colombia 10th Nov. 2024

I decided to get out of Bogota today and travel to a small town with a big reputation locally, Villa de Leyva. It's got historical significance and seemed to be a 'must see' place near-ish to Bogota.
It was well worth the effort.
I had to get an early bus from the main terminus in Bogota. The bus was typically cramped, the ride was horrendous - pot-holes, crazy driving on dodgy road and around land slips after the rains. But we got there in more or less one piece.
Villa de Leyva is quite small but amazing well-preserved. A date on a key-stone on the bridge over the main stream was carved 1572.
To my mind, the town shares a resemblance to Trinidad de Cuba - if you've ever been there. The streets are 'paved' with large stones that keep the traffic to a necessarily slow speed.
I really liked the place: touristy but not spoiled, visually interesting in the stormy weather.
The journey back was much smoother, quicker and less bumpy if anything. I got chatting to a German man in the bus station. He's an airline pilot for Lufthansa taking some time out between flights. We had a really interesting natter that made the miles flow by quicker.
Back in Bogota, the dark, dismal and rainy weather was just as bad as yesterday, so I decided to turn in for the night rather than visit the local bar that seemed packed with people spilling out onto the street around some 'stand-up' tables.Read more