a peek into Paipa

Colombia probably has the most public holidays (18!) in the world.  This means there are often opportunities for little trips!

Bogotá bus station

bus ticket (less than 7 euros!)

Amanda, Ruth, Sarah, Kerstin, Angela, David, Sara

Recently I joined a friend who went to her hometown of Paipa, in Boyacá (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paipa) which is a town about 3 hours away from Bogotá.

Paipa town square

Paipa street

Paipa houses

Paipa street

Paipa street

I had no idea what to expect but mostly went to visit another place and meet new people.  She had invited other friends too.  We turned out to be a group from Colombia, Germany, the United States, Malta and the Netherlands/Britain.

David - Malta, Ryan - USA, Sara - Colombia, Ruth - Germany, Angela - Colombia, Amanda - Holland/UK, Kerstin - Germany, Sarah - USA

Paipa is a small town in a region with stunning views.  

Mirador las Rokas

In the town itself we came across a Belgian-Colombian restaurant which seemed appropriate for our international group!

Angela, Amanda, Kerstin, Raul (Belgian/Colombian), David, Sara

The places we visited in the area were lakes:

Lake Sochagota

Amanda, Sara, Ruth at Lake Sochagota

David, Sara, Amanda, Angela, Sarah, Ryan, Kerstin, Ruth

thermal pools:

Kerstin, Amanda, Angela, Sarah, David outside thermal pools

a colonial-independence monument:

Sarah, Kerstin, Ruth, David, Angela at Pantano de Vargas

a village showcasing Boyacan villages:

Paipa is also known for its cheese and filled arepas.  Naturally I had to try both:

I had a lovely trip and met some nice people.  Next trip is Cartagena!