Laguna, lagoon, lake?

We left Bogota and fought the rush hour traffic to head North again, this time heading for Laguna de Guatavita, which is not only considered sacred, it is also believed to be the origins of the El Dorado legend because of the rituals that were performed by the locals (throwing in gold)!

At over 3,200m it was just about altitude territory so heading up the side of the laguna was a bit slow. I am blaming the altitude rather than the fact I have not been to the gym for 3 months! But the view from the top was amazing.

Emeralds are mined in Colombia so whenever you get to something green it is related to the stone. But when the sun hit the water it really looks like the gem. No one knows how the laguna was formed. There was no volcano here, no meteorite. 

Leon referred to it as a lagoon, the translation from laguna. But my question was what is the difference between a lagoon and a lake? There was much debate, and after a quick internet search later that day it was established that it was in fact a lake. Every day is a learning day!

It was a lovely walk and everyone enjoyed getting to stretch their legs a bit. 

Back in the bus, but we did eventually stop at a roadside cafe for some Arepas, corn flour patties with cheese curd. It has been decided that the Colombians have cheese with everything, and I mean everything! Hot chocolate with cheese, I kid you not!

The cafe was run by 3 sisters who were so sweet. They were really excited to hear we were tourists from the UK and visiting their country. 

Another stop at a memorial site, with a statue of Simon Bolivar, who effectively created Colombia, as the centre piece. We have only been in Colombia for 5 days but we have already sussed that each town had a centre square which is inevitably called Placa de Bolivar! He is the main dude!

Our final stop for the day was Villa de Leyva, in the Andian foothills. It is all cobbled streets, whitewashed buildings, colonial architecture and balconies laden with flowers and plants. It main square, Placa de Bolivar (what else?!) is the largest in Colombia. The whole town is protected by the government from development.

It is beautiful, and makes you happy just wandering around and saying hello to the locals. There is a Carmelite nunnery in the middle, which just looks so graceful and serene, apart from the two puppies that were playing on the grass!

And as for our hotel, well we all wanted to cancel the rest of the trip and stay there! It was a converted villa full of nooks and crannies, filled with old antiques and modern art. My room was huge, massive bed, all crocheted bedcovers, broderie anglais, and just the loveliest touches. There was an open courtyard in the middle with a fountain, surrounded by plants and sofas, a reading room with an open fire and a bulls head on the wall, alongside old Art Deco posters. Very Spanish eccentricity! I slept soooooo well!