The beautiful colonial town of Barichara and Guaimaro Campsite

After leaving the Caribbean Coast we headed south and spent a night at a hotel in Valledupar. The next day we drove to Bucaramanga and since we were starting to not feel well, we decided to get a hotel for the night. And then another night... And then another night... We both got a stomach bug and needed to lay low for a while. As I was checking in, my stomach started to hurt something fierce. At first I thought it was just hunger pains. But then it turned into the worse stomach cramps I have felt in a long time. And fevers and chills, a headache, diarrhea, and the dry heaves (since nothing was in my stomach to throw up). I think I must have gotten food poisoning. Sheri had very bad diarrhea and not feeling well. We checked in, then both immediately fell asleep. I slept more than 12 hours. After a day, I started to feel better, but Sheri's issues lingered on for days. So we decided we were staying put for a while. Fortunately we were in a very nice hotel for not too much money (the Holiday Inn). We were on the 17th floor with a view of the city, which is prettty much all we saw of the beautiful city of Bucaramanga, known as the City of Parks. (Sheri did manage to take a dip in the pool on our last day as she was feeling better.)

After the third night we drove south to the beautiful colonial town of Brichara. On the way we passed by the 2,000 m-deep Chicamocha Canyon. Beautiful views despite being somewhat hazy. They do paragliding over the canyon. The updrafts are large and flights can last for 25 minutes.

As we arrived in Barichara, we parked and went to sit in the plaza and visit the church. Barichara, with its beautiful white-washed buildings and red tile roofs, is what you picture when you think of a classic colonial Columbian town. Established in 1705, it has become somewhat of a local tourist draw - with good reason. This weekend, to our surprise, it was quite the draw for Harley Davidson motorcyclists from around the country. As we sat in the plaza, we noticed lots of Harleys parked alongside one side of the square. Pretty soon, more and more bikers began to arrive. We enjoyed watching them arrive, perhaps a couple hundred. They were very friendly, fist-bumping with Sheri and with the numerous police officers and military around the square. Many of the motorbikes were quite impressive.

After visiting Barichara, we headed to a nearby campsite called Camping Guaimaro. It is run by a wonderful Dutch couple named Joep and Julia, and their two very friendly dogs. They have created the most beautiful and comfortable campsite that we have ever experienced. Joep is an archaeologist and Julia is an amazing architect and together they have combined traditional and sustainable to convert an old tobacco farm into their own personal paradise which they share with many Columbians and world travelers. It is named after the Guaimaro tree which sits at the edge of their property. The old tobacco shed has been converted to their main living area with a spectacular view. Every morning Julia bakes delicious bread there for sale to the campers. They have a communal area for campers with a kitchen and place to relax and visit (which we very much enjoyed). We especially liked their open air bathrooms with beautiful rock walls and a warm, solar-heated shower. The area around Barichara is dry and they have done a wonderful job of conserving water through rainwater catchments and wastewater recycling. They have planted many different trees and other plants around the property. One evening I did a nice hike to Barichara and enjoyed the sunset from the top of the hill, where I met a nice woman doing yoga. We highly recommend this place to any travelers passing through.