Day trip to Zipaquira

We were up early so that we had time to venture out for breakfast.  We found somewhere just around the corner that did scrambled eggs and strong coffee - the perfect start to the day!

At 8am, we were outside the hostel waiting for our transport.  We had booked a full-day tour to the colonial town of Zipaquira and the salt mine located close by.  The minibus was bang on time.  Our guide was Steven (real name Brian Steven Baptista, a native of Bogota whose parents had been watching some American TV series at the time he was born! 😂).  There were already 2 Spanish people on the bus.  We had another 8 to pick up before our tour would start, so Steven spent the time chatting to us about our upcoming trip to Cartagena.  He was surprised (and pleased) that we have booked to stay in the less-touristy Boquilla district, rather than the more popular Bocagrande.  He recommended some places to go and things to do when we get there.

Once we had our full complement of passengers (the others were 3 Americans, 2 Brazillians, 2 Puerto Ricans, and a German), we set off out of Bogota towards Zipaquira.  Steven easily switched between English, Spanish, and German as he explained about the areas we were driving through.  We were in the northern part of Bogota which was clearly a wealthy area.  Steven told us that a tiny 30 square metre apartment here costs US$1000 a month to rent.  A larger 100 square metre flat is between US$8000 and 10,000!  This is in a country where the average salary is just US$320 per month!

Steven explained that the southern side of Bogota is poorer and much more dangerous, an area to be avoided.  Having said this, the government did deals with the drugs cartels a few years ago which have guaranteed peace and made the country in general much safer.  Everyone understands the value of tourism for the future economic success of Colombia and is working hard to attract visitors.

It took us about 90 minutes to reach Zipaquira just 49 kilometres away.  In pre-colonial times, indigenous people discovered salt in the area and established a settlement 200 metres above the present site of the city.  They extracted salt by hand and traded it for pottery and tiles with peoples throughout the Andean region of Colombia.

In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the Spanish conquistadors gradually took over the salt mines, increased production, and built a new city.

We had a short stop for a very welcome coffee and then went on to visit the house where Gabriel Garcia Marquez grew up.  This house, built in the Spanish colonial style in 1789, is now a cultural centre.  Local people of all ages come here to learn how to play instruments, to dance, to write, and just to be creative.  It's a lovely space.  It was great to hear different musical styles coming from different rooms.  I popped my head into the largest room to photograph a mural of the great man himself.  Inside, there was a musical movement class going on for elderly residents of the town.  They invited me to join in, but I politely declined! 😂Read more