Zócalos and a big rock

February 4.
After breakfast at the hotel, we drive approximately two hours to Guatapé, stopping en route for coffee, sausages, etc at roadside restaurant.  

Guatapé is a picturesque lake town with zócalos, colorful designs of friezes on the lower parts of houses, and cobblestone streets. Many zócalos honor town traditions of fishing or farming; others are hot rods or the Pink Panther. There is also a military presence in the town.

Patti Stewart and I rented a little motor taxi to scoot around town, and I got to practice my Spanish, because the driver spoke no English. Lunch at La Fogata roof by the lake–trout with too many bones.

After lunch, we drove to a huge friggin’ rock, which some members of the group decided to climb (there were stairs), for reasons beyond my comprehension.

We drove back to the hotel, arriving a little after four. This gave me time to clean up, begin to pack for tomorrow’s very early departure, work on the blog and get ready for dinner with Brian Schon and his girlfriend, Laura, who picked me up at the hotel at 6:30. Brian, Laura and I had a great dinner at a truly fabulous and unusual restaurant that he chose, called El Cielo, a must splurge for anyone visiting Medellin. It was great to get to know Brian and Laura better, and to hear details about his ecotourism business and her family, home town andplans for internships and residencies. 

 Today was a low-key, relaxed and pleasant day, which we probably need, before jumping into carnival tomorrow in Barranquilla