This cache is not at the stated coordinates. I will share and post pictures of locations we visited. Photos will have captions and some captions will have letters in place of numbers. Find the value of the letters and do the math at the end of the description. I enjoy sharing; however you can ignore that information and just find the answers to highlighted letters under the photos.
Background information: I met Olivia while touring India in January 2018. We enjoyed each other's company and I was sad to say "good-bye" to her at the trip's end. She left for home in Pennsylvania, and I came home to Olympia. We promised to stay in touch.
A few months later, she called and asked if I would like to join her, her sister, and some of her friends to visit Colombia where she grew up. I accepted without hesitation. We would spend the last days of July in the Bogotá area, traveling up into the mountains for an overnight trip. The following week we would fly to Medellin to spend time with her family and visit nearby locations. We were joined by more friends and family during the activities that week.
Olivia and I decided to add a three day trip to Caño Cristales at the end of the time in Medellin. Unfortunately her friends (by then my friends as well) had to head back to Pennsylvania, so those days it was just the two of us. Finally, after some wavering, I bit the bullet and decided to also spend a few days in Cartegena on my way home so that I could visit my mud-bath earthcache there.
Day 1: I was the last of the group to arrive in Bogotá high in the Andes Mountains range. At an altitude of 2,640 meters (8,660 feet) above sea level, it is one of the highest capitol cities in the world. We took a bit of time to meet each other, settle into our B&B, and make preparations for the next day.
Day 2: We were happy that our driver's vehicle would not be affected by "Pico y placa" traffic mitigation restrictions in the morning, meaning that we could leave early for our journey to Villa de Leyva, even higher in the Andes. This town has undergone little development in the last 400 years and many of the buildings date from the sixteenth century. Its central plaza, one of the largest in South America, is paved with cobblestones. The plaza is the site of many festivals such as the International Kite-flying Festival in August, the onion beauty pageant in October, and the Festival of Lights on December 7.
Villa de Layva was declared a National Monument on December 1A, 1954 to preserve its architecture.
Day 3: Heading back to Bogotá our main stop was at Casa Terracota, designed by Colombian architect Octavio Mendoza. He lives in the whimsical home he constructed entirely by hand, using no other materials than clay that baked in the sun as he built. Furniture and utensils are clay, the glass and tile are recycled, and metal fixtures are made from scraps. He calls it the biggest piece of pottery in the world. Locals call it "Casa de Flintstone."
Casa Terracota is 5,B00 square feet.
Day 4: We started with a funicular ride to the top of Monserrate, a hill that dominates Bogotá. In pre-Columbian times, the hill was considered sacred. While on top we visited a 17th century church with a shrine to El Señor Caído. The rest of the day was spent roaming some of the museums back down in Bogotá
View of Bogotá from funicular to Monserrate which is at an elevation of C,152 metres.
Day 5: Olivia's brother joined us as we toured two now inactive salt mines, Nemocón and Zipaquirá. Nemocón was the location for the filming of The 33, a film based on a true life story of trapped miners. Zipaquirá has an impressive cathedral with everything including the beautiful statues carved from salt blocks. Two original chapels, built as places for miners to pray for safety, were closed due to instability. With no active mining, the current chapel is structurally sound and much larger to allow for religious services.
Statue carved from salt in Zipaquirá's current chapel which opened in 19D5
Day 6: Having spent the previous evening wining, dining, and dancing at Andrés Carne de Res, this was a lazy day. We roamed through food, fruit, flower, and flea markets. After lunch we visited Quinta de Bolivar, a colonial house that served as Simon Bolivar's residence and place of celebrations after the war of independence. It is now a museum dedicated to Bolivar's life and times.
Dining area of the Quinta. Bolivar fought 472 battles before dying of TB On 17 December 183E.
Day 7: After an early flight to Medellin, our Uber driver for the next week picked us up. Olivia's friend Carlos joined the group at that time. We dropped off our luggage at the home of one of Olivia's sisters and headed to another sister's home on an avocado farm. We learned how they grew their prized Haas avocados and happily sampled them.
The main group - Lucelly, Dorothy, me, Olivia, Adrienne, Angus - Carlos was the camera man.
Day 8: Today's highlight was visiting El Peñón de Guatapé, an inselberg common in eroded and weathered shields. This land-form is a granitic rock remnant that has resisted weathering and erosion, composed of quartz, feldspar and mica. (yes, some geology for me!) We then roamed through a delightful village full of colorful murals and decorations. The day ended at a local restaurant where I selected cheesecake for dessert and was surprised when it was served in a glass jar. That jar now holds this cache's log.
The 7F0 steps I did NOT climb to the uppermost level.
Day 9: This was the day we first saw Cerro Tusa, a mountain unique in the world for its pyramidal shape. With a height above sea level of 1,850 metres, it is a volcanic formation which emerged approximately 50 million years ago. After lunch, we visited a local school to fulfill a requirement for Dorothy's continuing teaching certification. The students ended up teaching us about local flora and fauna while practicing their English to speak to us.
Cerro Tusa on the way to Jardin
Days 10 and 11: We traveled through the Jardin area countryside. The first day we visited a coffee farm where we harvested the coffee cherries and removed the pulp from the bean. The rest of the process which takes many days was explained, after which they made us each a fresh cup of coffee. The second day we spent time at Puente de Occidente, a suspension bridge over the Cauca River. At the time it was the third largest suspension bridge in the world. It was built under the direction of engineer José Maria Villa who studied engineering at the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey and participated in the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, my all-time favorite bridge.
Construction of the Puente de Occidente bridge began in 188G.
Day 12: We spent more time exploring Medellin and seeing the preparations for Feria de las Flores. There were flowers everywhere. We took Metrocable's gondolas K and J to the top of the nearby hill. These were placed to provide transportation to the hillside barrios as the area is too steep for regular buses. Before Line K was built, residents spent upwards of 2.5 hours each way to get to work. Line K carries ~30,000 people daily. That evening we were invited to a BBQ at the home/studio of artist Ivan Rueda-Pineda, another of Olivia's friends.
Hazy view of the barrio hillside from Medellin's first gondola line, K, which opened in 200H
Day 13: Time was spent getting ready for a family party at the home of one of Olivia's sisters. I bought many jars of cheesecake to share. Her family prepared a feast after which they entertained us with traditional family songs.
Musical entertainment thanks to Olivia's family
Days 14 through 17: Olivia and I said goodbye to her family and friends and flew to Bogotá where we boarded a small plane to Caño Cristales. When we arrived, our luggage was loaded onto a horse pulled cart to go to our hotel. During our time there we did boat and walking tours. The highlights for me were walking along the waters of Caño Cristales, seeing the many spectacular colors in the river, bathing in the river, and meeting a parrot who talked so well that we could understand the words. When we laughed the bird imitated our laughter, making us laugh even more. Late the fourth afternoon, we flew back to Bogotá where I boarded a plane to Cartegena and Olivia headed back to Medellin to attend the Feria de las Flores with her family.
Caño Cristales, the river of I colors
Days 18 and 19: On my full day in Cartegena, I first took a delightful mud bath in a volcano, site of my earthcache Go Play in the Mud at Volcan de Lodo El Totumo. (When the six of us return to Cartegena in September 2019, they have decided they all want to do this.) The rest of the day and the next morning before flying home, I roamed around the beautiful old section of town. It was a perfect ending to a wonderful trip.
Visiting my earthcache, Groundspeak's geocache of the week Feb 1J, 2013
This cache will be found at N 47° 0E.G(F+H)D' W 122° 5(I-B).(J+C)(J-1)(A-I)
