Salt mine

April 24th. Originally we’d planned on visiting the Salt Cathedral in Zipaquira, but reviews online and iOverlander strongly recommend we save our money and visit Nemocon Salt mine at half the price and double the fun. Sorry Lennox, I’m sure it was a fraction of the price 25 years ago when you were here! But since Covid, the price has more than doubled, children are free up to the age of 6, then it’s full price for all. So over to Nemocon Salt mine we went, and was glad we did.

The Nemocón Salt Mine boasts a rich history that dates back to pre-Columbian times.  Archaeological findings indicate that as early as the 4th century BC, the area was a hub for salt extraction, with the Muisca people—often referred to as the “Salt People”—playing a pivotal role in its development. They utilized salt not only for culinary purposes but also in rituals and as a valuable trade commodity. With the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century, salt mining intensified, becoming a significant economic activity for the region. Between 1816 and 1968, over 8 million tons of salt were extracted from the mine. Today, the Nemocón Salt Mine is a captivating tourist attraction, offering a glimpse into its historical significance and the intricate processes of salt extraction.

The mine was also the primary filming location for The 33, the 2015 film depicting the 2010 Chilean mining disaster. Shot in December 2013 within the mine, which was chosen for the resemblance to the San José Mine in Chile, where the actual event occurred. The production utilized the mine’s natural features to authentically recreate the miners’ environment, the film set remains.  We will now have to watch the movie!

Our tour was supposed to be in English, but our guide struggled to get past the very basics, so we let him off as the written explanations were also in English. This was another good opportunity for us to learn work on our Spanish. We are able to understand the jist when people speak clearly and slowly. But again the language changes so drastically in vocabulary and pronunciation from region to region it’s adding to the struggle. The kids are doing much better than us.

The mine is lit with coloured neo lights, not sure why this is, perhaps in an effort to make it appear more attractive. The brine pools act as mirrors reflecting the ceiling images. Signs warn water pools have deadly high salt content that will cause death if enough is ingested or blindness if splashed into eyes. The tour is interesting and touches on the personal lives of significant miners from the past.

The heart-shaped salt crystal, weighing 1,600 kilograms, was carved from a single block of halite by Miguel Sánchez, who discovered it in 1960. A symbol of love, he spent three years sculpting it as a tribute to his wife. The crystal remains in the mine, as exposure to the surface atmosphere would cause it to dissolve quickly.

bogota

We had great plans for exploring the city, but they were thwarted by the torrential rain and lengthy public transport into the city. Not wanting to drive anywhere near the city we camped on a small farm on the outskirts. Run by Ana and volunteers who work in exchange for rent. The farm had been in her family for the past 5 generations, and she’s fighting hard to keep it from her city slick brother who wants to sell and invest the money.

Our first order of business was to head to the Venezuela Consulate to apply for a visitors visa. This meant public transport into the city. We first had to walk 25min out to the road to catch a bus, 1.5 hr into the city, then Uber to the consulate, where we were told to come back in 2 hours. So we went for a walk to kill two hours, but didn’t want to venture too far so we weren’t late returning.

Back at precisely 3pm as the heavens open up with a torrential downpour that lasted all afternoon and night. An official at the consulate explained that the Visa application process for Canadians was lengthy, 1+ month minimum, $100 USD p/person and required a fingerprinted criminal background check from Canada. Then if we were approved, we would have to return to this particular consulate to receive our Visa’s.

So disappointing, we think this could be because of Canada’s stand on human rights? Unfortunately, now Venezuela is off the cards for us. Really sad as there is so much we were wanting to explore there. Leaving the consulate we weren’t so motivated to explore the city in the rain, so we hailed an Uber to the bus station. We boarded the bus in the correct direction but the return trip turned out to be an adventure all on its own. Nearly 3hours to get back with 3 different mini bus changes. We had our goretex jackets with us, but feet were soaked. Jaxon found an umbrella on one bus that had been left behind, yay for us! We were let out at the end of the line for that particular bus, and pointed in the general direction of where we would be needing to go.

It’s getting late and would be dark in 30 mins. In my best Spanish, I asked a man on the street to help point us in the right direction. He said we needed to be hoping on any yellow or blue bus going North. So we wait. Then a green bus comes by, he hails it over and tells us to get on. But it’s green I say! Here we go, 15 people jammed into a sprinter van, I pay the driver and follow along on the google maps app. Miraculously we get off at the right stop, in the dark and pouring rain with no street lights. The walk home and along the tree covered muddy drive way left us totally soaked.

The forecast for the next three days was overcast with 100% chance of heavy rain. Deciding not to venture back into the city, instead over breakfast that Charley cooked, we had a long meeting with Mario & Wenke to strategize, plan and outline our approach going forward as travelling in tandem isn’t easy. Everyone has their own style of living life on the road, and as their 1,000th day approaches, they tend to move a lot slower than we do.

Bogota to guatepe

The farm at La Cabana – Highway roadside, 7hrs 340km. Turning wheels by 8am we unfortunately tore up Ana’s grass as the heavy trucks sank into the water soaked ground. Doing our best to repair the trenches with a broken shovel our efforts were fruitless, though appreciated.

Heading across the valley we begin another day of climbing up and over the beautiful mountain ranges making up a tiny portion of the Andes. Roads are the same, rising and falling in their unevenness making for a bouncy ride. Jaxon takes a nap while we focus on Grade 8 English and History with Charley. We work out of the same supplementary work books we brought along as working online isn’t always possible with connectivity. With so many hours spent driving it’s a good use of her time for learning. That said, this work book learning does not go towards her year end grade mark, but learning is learning and that’s all that matters.

We choose a wild camp spot others had posted on iO. The back parking lot of a small roadside hotel, at first we weren’t too enthused as the gas station attendant said we had to park out front. But he ended up calling his boss who said yes to pulling around the back. He charged us 10,000 ($3 CDN) each for the night to park with use of clean toilets and a lovely view. It was a quiet night.

April 27th – 8 hours driving time, 147km travelled, 8,521m elevation gained, 9,931m descended. Oh what a long day driving, on the heels of the other morning meeting, we still managed to leave late at 8am. This meant we weren’t going to be making it to our destination on time before dark. Tim not happy and this made for a rather miserable day for everyone. We should have been rolling by 7am. Driving is exhausting, we need to have the time to take breaks, get out and stretch, and have a lunch etc. With no options to camp earlier, we had to push through pretty much non-stop as the mountain roads were tight with absolutely nowhere to pull over that was safe or level for the night. We’re stronger & faster climbing than the Frog and pulled further and further away as they did stop for lunch. The day was exhausting. The Frog spent the night at the base of Guatepe rock, we pushed on stubbornly to the desired campground another hour further on. Descending the final hill at dusk, in the pouring rain and fog, past several mudslides then down a steep dirt road, over a sketchy looking bridge spanning a swollen river we pulled into the campground and killed the engine 5 mins before dark. Exhausted, good night!