Driving Home

Since it's already a new weekend, I figured I should probably finish up my story from last week.  Not much more to tell, but it was still an interesting day.

The drive back from La Mojarra was going to take us anywhere from 7-10hrs.  In addition, we had to leave early enough to hit about half way before noon.  At first I couldn't quite understand why, but after a little discussion, I came to understand that last winter had brought on some horrific landslides which managed to shift the entire road off the side of the mountain.  As a result, they currently open that stretch of road for the morning, then close it down entirely for the afternoon to work on repairs.  Even though I'd been informed about all this before we got to that stretch of road, I was still rather shocked by the reality.  For at least a mile the devastation was abundant.  Enormous portions of the hillside had apparently buckled and slid, leaving large depressions filled with broken trees and mud.  The road itself had clearly been moved dramatically with a good portion of it getting pushed off the cliff.  The construction crews and flattened out a portion of the mud to allow passage and we were working on building retaining walls along the upper side of the road.  The whole scene was quite an intense demonstration of the power of natural forces.

Aside from that one portion of the road, there were numerous small landslides that decorated the road we were traveling.  Pretty much anywhere that the road cut close into the hillside, there were muddy gashes.  I was incredibly happy that it didn't happen to be raining while we were driving.  Looking around it was clear that the soil here is nowhere near stable and that both road and building construction are constantly at risk.  Luckily it hasn't been raining enough lately to cause serious issues and much of what I observed had occurred last winter, but it was still a little shocking.

In addition to the mudslides, the road itself posed a good number of obstacles.  We never went very far without having to avoid potholes, slow down to drive over large bulges or drops in the pavement, or stop entirely to wait our turn through a one-way portion of the road.  However, our driver, J was outstanding and had apparently driven this way a few times before as he knew where most of the worst sections were and never failed to slow down in time for the next challenge.  I was incredibly happy to sit back and enjoy the scenery as a mere passenger.

Speaking of the scenery, WOW.  I'm pretty sure I can't do justice to how stunning the landscape is around here.  We spent the entire day meandering up and down mountain roads, alternatively gazing out over beautiful green valleys that rolled off into the distance and rising high enough for the entire scene to be eclipsed by the low hanging clouds.  Nearly every time we reached higher elevation we'd be greeted by wisps of mist gently filling in the nooks of the valleys bellow.  On the highest points, we wound up driving through the clouds as they obscured most of our surroundings.  At we descended the opposite side, we would once again find ourselves on a lush green mountainside with miles and miles of rolling countryside beyond.

On our way out of Bucaramanga, we passed through a small historic town and my traveling companions obliged to let me be a tourist for a minute while I snapped these pretty pictures.

 Other than that, we were pretty much on the road the whole time, rocking back, forth and side to side as J skillfully avoided all potential hazards, so I didn't get much of a chance to get other photos.  We did stop for lunch somewhere along the way that happened to specialize in buffalo meat, where I got eat a yummy slab of grilled meat. 

One more thing I wanted to mention.  All along the road, especially when we were in pure countryside, we would periodically see armed guards hanging out on either side of the road.  At first I thought they were part of the traffic control as they seemed to appear at the rougher parts of the road.  But then we hit a nice calm stretch where they were still present, and I noticed that my traveling companions would all give a friendly thumbs up to each guard as we drove past.  In response to my inquiring look, C informed me, "It's because of them that we can pass through here." 

Clearly there are still some major security issues in various parts of the country, but all my new friends were clearly elated to now have the ability to travel in their own country.  Apparently 4 years ago, the trip we were on would have been impossible due to the danger of gangs and drug cartel.  However, the government seems to have managed a major turn around in the recent past, and traveling has boomed.  Nearly everyone I talk to here has been on a fairly major trip across the country in the past week or two.  When I inquire about traveling as a foreigner, I'm told that all the bus routes are perfectly safe and that every travel terminal has it's own very strict security, so I shouldn't worry.  Don't think that's gonna keep me from being alert while traveling, but definitely makes the prospect of seeing more of this amazing country far more appealing.