Links to my Facebook page (2019-2020)

Panorama of the plaza in Tunja, Colombia, from a trip in 2019

In spite of my resolutions, I haven't posted here since last July, and I will try to be more consistent in the future. I now tend to post more on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/mikeespositotravelblog/ with quick references to places I've visited, accompanied by a photo. In the meantime, before my next Blogger post, I'll provide links to several Facebook posts here. Hope you enjoy them!

Havre de Grace, Maryland, where the Susquehanna River meets the Chesapeake Bay, and an important historical site  (2020)

Sunset in Amish Country, PA (2019)

30th Street Station in Philadelphia, PA right before Thanksgiving 2019

Paintings from Roland Richardson's gallery in Marigot, Saint Martin (2019)

An aerial shot of Bimini Islands, Bahamas (2019)

View from the tower in Filandia, Department of Quindío, Colombia  (2019)

Ceiling painting from the house of Gonzalo Suárez Rendón, Tunja, Colombia (2019)

The tourist train that starts in Bogotá, Colombia and continues north to the towns of Zipaquirá and Nemocón (2019)

Shoal Bay Beach, Anguilla (2019)

The Valle de Tenza in Colombia

The plaza in Guateque

I have traveled to Colombia over a 37-year period and recall seeing many buses indicating that they were traveling to the Valle de Tenza in the province of Boyacá, about a three-hour ride from Bogotá, toward the northeast. Foreign tourists did not appear to visit the region with any regularity, as most of them go to the colonial-style town of Villa de Leyva, also in Boyacá but in a different direction.

The town of Somondoco as seen from Guateque

In December 2015 I made my first trip to the area, visiting the towns of Guateque and Tenza. One can not help but be impressed by the immense mountains and gorges that mark the route once one turns off the main road to Tunja and heads east. After the considerable twists and turns, I stopped in Guateque, the first major town in the valley on our route. Guateque has a temperate climate, warmer than Bogotá and the towns immediately to the north of the city. While in Guateque, I met with a professor named Luis Carlos Uscátegui who was in the area doing research and supporting an artisans' cooperative that specialized in basket weaving. He suggested that I visit Tenza, and I hailed a taxi to take me there. I didn't have a lot of time to spend in Tenza, but it was well worth it: the town was beautiful and quiet. I had some time to meet a gentleman named Marco Antonio Roa, who was the director of folk dance groups in the town.

One of the quiet streets in Tenza

In April 2017 I returned to the valley. This time I passed Guateque and kept going to a town named Garagoa which was a little farther down the route. There were even more landscapes that awaited, and I was taking every photo I could with my iPhone while the bus bounced over the bumps in the road. My time was limited in Garagoa, so I focused on the church, which did not disappoint with its beautiful interior and many statues that were lovingly preserved. The local people were very friendly, and eager to chat with me about American politics.

Valle de Tenza still has more that awaits my discovery, as there are several other towns in the area with their own views and enchantment.

Interior of the church in Garagoa

A Brief Visit to San Antonio del Táchira, a border town in Venezuela (2014)

The church in San Antonio del Táchira, Venezuela

I traveled to the border town of Cúcuta in July of 2014 and saw how available a side trip to Venezuela would be, especially to the border town of San Antonio del Táchira, in the state of Táchira in the western part of the country. Venezuela has received a lot of attention lately because of its turbulent political and economic situation. (Note: Shortly after I made this trip, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro closed the border crossing, and the situation fluctuates frequently, so check your country's travel advisories before making any attempts to cross.) If it hadn't been for the fact that my sister-in-law and her family were traveling with me, I may not have attempted it.

As with many border crossings, there is a lot of activity between both countries. The Simón Bolívar Bridge crosses the narrow Táchira River between Cúcuta and San Antonio. The two sides are very similar culturally, and both countries legitimately claim Bolívar as their hero. Bolívar was born in Caracas, but also liberated Colombia and was the first President of the liberated nation "La Gran Colombia" which included Venezuela, Colombia, Panama and Ecuador. Venezuela and Ecuador separated from Colombia in 1830, and Panama declared its independence from Colombia in 1903.

I was aware that a brief half-day stop in a border town did not constitute a proper introduction to Venezuela, but we were told that San Cristóbal, a nearby city that used to be a favorite destination of Colombians before visas to go beyond San Antonio became a problem, was also rife with demonstrations and not safe to visit. Still, I was determined to make the most of my brief visit and learn as much about Venezuela as I could while I was there.

Once you pass the border crossing, the town resembles a typical Colombian town with its plaza and buildings. The difference lies in the multitude of monuments to late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. I also perceived a certain tension that didn't exist in Colombia, and had the feeling that I was being watched, which may or may not have been my imagination, as my sister-in-law prepared me for the trip with a series of do's and don'ts and I was a little more vigilant that I would have been normally. Fortunately, we spent our morning there without incident, and even made some friends at the local library. My primary takeaway was that the culture of the state of Táchira was very similar to that of the Colombian Andes, but certainly not identical and worth studying further. Also, I found the border town to be a gold mine of information on Venezuela, mostly geared toward primary and secondary school students, but still satisfying my curiosity.

In part because of my strong interest in returning to Venezuela when conditions permit, I watch the situation closely and am saddened by the plight of Venezuelans trying to survive in that turbulent political climate. Hopefully the country will straighten out its affairs in the very near future for the benefit of all Venezuelans.

Colombia: Irotama Hotel near Santa Marta, 1998

In 1998 we took a vacation to Santa Marta, which is a Caribbean destination on the north coast of Colombia. Though Santa Marta was founded in 1525, earlier than nearby Cartagena (1533), it doesn't have the colonial character of Cartagena but has other attractions, particularly its coast, which is influenced by nearby mountains. To the east of Santa Marta is Parque Tayrona, one of Colombia's national parks, which has areas of natural and archaeological interest.

The main beach area is south and west of Santa Marta proper, in an area called El Rodadero, which has most of the tourist-oriented amenities and hotels. Further west and removed from the El Rodadero area is the Hotel Irotama. It faces a nice beach and also has this beautiful swimming pool.

See my webpage on Colombia at http://www.latinandcaribbeantravel.com/colombia.html