I like getting a style of native taste after I journey, particularly quirky, whimsical, or deeply cultural flavors. So after I realized that there\u2019s a stunning and colourful city in Colombia named Guatape that\u2019s only a quick distance away from Medellin, I knew we needed to go to.<\/p>\n
Check out these images, and I\u2019m certain you\u2019ll wish to take a day journey from Medellin to Guatape as nicely.<\/p>\n
Curiosity piqued but? Right here\u2019s the best way to go to Guatape and La Piedra de Pe\u00f1ol by yourself.<\/p>\n
As with most locations, you possibly can select to affix a tour or rent a non-public driver to take you from Medellin to Guatape. When you\u2019d quite do it your self, nonetheless, head to Medellin\u2019s long-distance bus station.<\/p>\n
The bus journey from Medellin to Guatape is tremendous simple to navigate. It\u2019s such a well-liked route that ticket window workers for the Guatape bus will actually see a gringo and flag them over.<\/p>\n
Simply purchase your tickets at window quantity 14 and get on the bus on the assigned time. Tickets are $15,000 COP (one-way), and the experience is roughly two hours.<\/p>\n
Heads-up, the bus will cease right here and there to choose up extra people who\u2019ll stand if there are not any empty seats, however a toilet break shouldn’t be assured. There may be buskers who come on to carry out and distributors promoting snacks, and also you\u2019re welcome to have interaction or not interact as you want.<\/p>\n
Need much less problem and a neater route? Try a tour as a substitute.<\/p>\n
Whereas the bus technically goes all the way in which to Guatape city, it\u2019ll additionally cease at La Piedra de Pe\u00f1ol, which is the place most guests will wish to get off at. In spite of everything, one of many primary points of interest of Guatape is this massive rock that gives a panoramic view of the flooded plains round city.<\/p>\n
Enjoyable truth: It’s alternately generally known as El Pe\u00f1\u00f3n de Guatap\u00e9 and La Piedra de Pe\u00f1ol as a result of Guatape and its neighbor El Pe\u00f1ol each declare the rock as its personal.<\/p>\n
There shall be tuk-tuks to take you from the bus cease as much as the bottom of the rock, or you possibly can go up the steps and grime path at no cost.<\/p>\n
To ascend la Piedra itself, you\u2019ll want to purchase a $18,000 COP ticket.<\/p>\n
Is it dear? Sure.<\/p>\n
Is it price it? I\u2019ll let these views do the speaking.<\/p>\n
It takes about 700 stairs and quarter-hour to rise up to the highest, the place you possibly can benefit from the views for so long as you need. There are additionally a number of distributors up high do you have to need a drink or fast snack.<\/p>\n
Then it\u2019s down the rock and into city.<\/p>\n
We really walked from La Piedra de Penol into Guatape, which I’d not advocate. The stroll is about 35 minutes to the sting of city after which one other 20 minutes to the center of city, which was good for getting in some bodily exercise with out being an excessive amount of of a timesuck.<\/p>\n
However what we didn\u2019t know was that there are not any sidewalks for these first 35 minutes. Whereas there have been occasional areas the place it felt extra pedestrian-friendly, it actually is supposed to be a street for autos.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t be like us \u2014 assist the native economic system and take one of many tuk-tuks into city.<\/p>\n
As soon as on the town, first issues first. Purchase your return bus ticket upon arrival.<\/p>\n
Buses depart fairly incessantly, however when you don\u2019t purchase them forward of time, you could possibly danger having no seat on the way in which again to Medellin. We purchased on arrival and our preliminary time selection was already full. (When you select to remain in a single day in Guatape as a substitute, there are a ton of cute lodging choices!)<\/p>\n
Then go and discover the city\u2019s colourful and eccentric zocalos, or the painted panels on the backside of buildings (some are even 3-D!). It\u2019s a fantasyland of alleys and fairly buildings, good for strolling and enjoyable.<\/p>\n
Whereas the whimsical nature of Guatape jogged my memory of Fusterlandia in Cuba, I additionally actually appreciated the historical past of the zocalos.<\/p>\n
Effectively, at the least the type of murky historical past since nobody appears to actually know why the city\u2019s buildings began together with zocalos a few hundred years in the past. Maybe it was a approach to memorialize a household\u2019s commerce or a approach to promote a retailer\u2019s items. What is bound is that they\u2019re enjoyable, colourful, and distinctive.<\/p>\n
And lately, the painted panels are an ordinary within the city, very similar to how the White Villages in southern Spain are required to maintain their buildings white.<\/p>\n
The locals in Guatape are tremendous pleasant. It actually felt such as you have been visiting a buddy\u2019s hometown and being welcomed by all of the folks they grew up with.<\/p>\n
For instance, we have been testing some 3-D zocalos at one level, and an aged gentleman got here as much as us and began speaking to us about who the artist was.<\/p>\n
After which he insisted on taking us to the artist\u2019s residence and exhibiting us a Jesus Christ paintings close by, all even supposing we spoke little or no Spanish and principally simply smiled and nodded. (Happily, he spoke fairly slowly so we have been capable of get the final gist of what he was saying.)<\/p>\n
So attempt to work together with the locals exterior of a business nature, particularly when you do communicate Spanish. I want I spoke extra Spanish and will ask the aged gentleman about what he knew in regards to the custom of the zocalos.<\/p>\n
The city additionally has the cutest shops that promote each mass-produced and handmade merchandise. I purchased a pair of locally-made gold earrings long-established within the nation\u2019s pre-Columbian type (my sole memento from our Colombia journey).<\/p>\n
There are additionally boating and watersports choices on the lake for these so inclined. We undoubtedly would have been down for that if we have been staying in Guatape longer.<\/p>\n
However since we weren\u2019t, we determined to only sit down, seize a beer, learn, and folks watch whereas basking within the Antioquian solar (which is tremendous sturdy so put on your sunscreen!).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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