I Wish I Could Fly!

When thinking of the wildlife of South America, the first thing to come to mind is always the ostrich. . . right?

Okay, maybe not. Yet I’ve been to two ostrich farms while in Colombia. Ostriches (avestruces) are native to Africa but, apparently, are farmed around the world for their feathers and their meat. While in the small town of Villa de Leyva, I saw signs for an Ostrich Farm and had to go. . .it was so random, I couldn’t miss it. And I’m glad I went because I learned a lot about these impressive birds!

First, they lay the largest eggs of any living animal. They are about 6 inches long and weigh about 3 pounds! Ironically, however, these eggs are the smallest eggs relative to the size of the adult. For those trivia buffs. . .

Second, ostriches are the fastest two-legged animal – they can run at maximum speeds of 43 miles (70km) per hour. (Considering these birds live in Kenya, this shouldn’t be surprising!)

Third, they don’t bury their head in the sand. This is a myth. When frightened, they lay flat on the ground and appear, from a distance, to be a mound of dirt. But when cornered, they attack using their long, powerful legs. After seeing their claws up close and personal, this doesn’t look like fun!

Finally, they can’t fly. So sad to be a bird and not be able to use those huge wings. But I guess if I could run over 40mph, I wouldn’t mind!

So, after holding an egg and watching a movie about ostriches and learning about their lifestyle and habits (quite a test for my Spanish skills!), we went into the fields and got to see these animals up close and personal!

We even had the option to feed them. They don’t really have teeth, but those beaks can snap shut so quickly, it can really pinch! And they’re quite determined to get every last little bit of food. . .

I had a great afternoon with these amazing birds. . . and before I left, this little lady even gave me a curtsey.

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Under the Sea!

The town of Villa de Leyva, which is currently over 7000 feet above sea level, is in the heart of an area that was once under the sea. When walking around the town and the surrounding countryside, this becomes obvious as there are nautical fossils everywhere (from the Mesozoic and Cretaceous periods).

The majority of the fossils are ammonites, an extinct species of marine invertebrate. Here’s a drawing of one of these little fellows alive.

     

These ammonite fossils can literally be found inside rocks all over the countryside. Many locals have found dozens and now sell them to tourists. Many more are on display in museums.

 Other small fossils are common as well. . .all sorts of extinct animal parts can be found in the area. . .

In fact, fossils are so common that they have been used for hundreds of years in Villa de Leyva as decorative elements in architecture. Homes, restaurants, and monasteries all have floors full of fossils. This can turn a casual walk through town into a visit to a museum. Although, admittedly, it feels a bit strange to be walking all over the exhibits!

The most famous fossil to be found in Villa de Leyva, however, is El Fósil.

El Fósil is a 12 foot fossil of a kronosaurus found in a field outside of town in 1977. Here’s an artist’s rendition of a “living” kronosaurus:

At the time of the discovery of this huge, nearly complete, fossil, a decision was made to leave it for study and display, in the same spot. So a museum was created around the fossil.

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Small Town Girl

Since I am spending so much time in South America, learning Spanish is a priority for me so that I can get the most out of my time here and can really enjoy meeting and talking to the people. In fact, my initial reason for coming to Colombia was to take Spanish classes. The word in South America is that Colombians have the easiest accent and they speak the most slowly and clearly. In fact, movies dubbed into Spanish usually use Colombian actors and call centers for Spanish-speaking countries usually employ Colombians so people from all over South America can understand. (Does that mean that Indians speak the best English???)

Once I got to Colombia, I had to decide where to actually spend some time and take classes. After a day trip to the small town of Villa de Leyva, I knew I had found my spot! I was immediately charmed by this small town and its people.

Villa de Leyva is located about 4 hours north of Bogota. With a  population of 8000, it’s a small town, very safe, and easy to get to know and call “home.” In 1954, the town of Villa de Leyva was declared a national monument, and accordingly, this colonial town has been preserved in its entirety with cobblestone streets and whitewashed buildings.

Most towns in South American have a central plaza, usually with the town’s main church and other important buildings lining it. The plaza is usually the center of the town’s social scene with people gathering outside to talk to neighbors and observe the goings-on. Villa de Leyva is known for its 120m x 120m plaza – one of the largest in all of South America! Pretty impressive for such a small town!

Villa de Leyva was a charming place to spend a week. If you find yourself in central Colombia, make a point to visit!

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A Grain of Salt. . .

About 50 km from Bogota (just two 1 hour buses) is the small town of Zipaquira. The town is one of the oldest settlements in South America. It’s a charming town with cobblestone streets -- a great place to visit in its own rite. But, the real draw here is the halite mine (rock salt).

This area was once covered by an ocean. When the ocean evaporated, it left huge salt deposits which were eventually covered with sediment. Then, 250 million years ago, when the plates shifted to form the Andes, these salt deposits were pushed up to create a dome close to the surface of the ground.

This salt dome was discovered by the local Muisca people who began mining the salt in the 5^th century. Later, when the Spanish came to South America, they improved upon the mining techniques and continued to remove salt. Over the centuries, three different levels of mines have been created and active mining continues today.

About 200 meters below the ground, in one of the abandoned mines, they have created a salt mine museum and tour for tourists to see how mining used to work and learn about the techniques used today -- they’ll even let a novice give it a go!

Back when actual miners were working in the mines, the job was very dangerous. Especially years ago before all of today’s modern safety advances.  In response, the miners built altars in the mines at which to pray before going off to a dangerous day on the job. Over time, the altars grew in size and importance, and eventually, the salt cathedral was born. 

The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira is the big draw for Colombians. The current cathedral was built in 4 years and required the removal of 250,000 tons of salt. The cathedral holds 8400 people and about 3000 attend services underground every week.

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Clean Livin'

Despite any reputation to the contrary, Bogotanos seem to be very healthy people. Or at least they are encouraged to be!

My first day walking around Bogota I immediately noticed fruit vendors everywhere! Fresh fruit is a popular snack in Colombia and fruit and juice stands are basically at all major intersections and many points in between.  There are little baggies of cut-up fruit and big tanks of fresh squeezed juice.

A vast number of fruits grow in Colombia: mango, watermelon, papaya, guava, pineapple, three kinds of passion fruit, tree tomato, ground cherry, and many more fruits which have no English translation. A popular one is the lulo. It’s indigenous to Colombia and only grows here and on the borders of Ecuador and Venezuela. It tastes a bit to me like a sweet tart! But, as a fruit fan, I'm really enjoying trying all kids of new fruits!

It’s going to be hard to leave Colombia and all of it’s fruit. I’ve always been a fan of fresh fruit and I think people in the states would be a lot healthier if there were more fruit vendors than vending machines with chips and candy bars!

Another healthy habit of Bogotanos: bicycling. First there’s the CicloRuta -- more than 300km of dedicated bicycle lanes in Bogota. 

If that's not enough, every Sunday and holiday, from 7am to 2pm, the city sets up the Ciclovia.

More than 122km of city streets (including some major throughways) are closed to cars and dedicated to bicyclists, rollerbladers, and joggers. It’s amazing to see. More than a million residents head out every week for a little fresh air and to mingle with their neighbors!

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