From San Gil we took the local bus to the nearby picturesque town of Barichara. This quaint town is set high in the Mountains of Santander, with cobblestone streets, whitewashed buildings and red tiled roofs, it makes the perfect place for many photo opportunities.
The town itself is very small with few sites. One which can’t be missed is the grand Cathedral del la Inmaculada Concepcion.
Another is the surprisingly attractive graveyard.
One thing we wanted to do whilst in Barichara was to try the local delicacy hormigas culunas translating to, fat bottomed ants. These have been fried up by the locals for over 500 years as they believe they hold aphrodisiac and healing properties.
I dived in first and after getting over the initial crutch, which cause me to squeal to the amusement of the locals, the taste reminded me of pork scratchings. Not too unpleasant but equally not moreish.
Karl tried to put off eating these critters claiming he wasn’t hungry but later caved in. In his opinion the taste was more like coffee and dirt. He liked the crunch but believed it more of an acquired taste.
Picking ants out of our teeth we headed along el camino real to Guane. This 5k scenic walk was the perfect way to spend the afternoon. The climate is cooler up in the mountains so we were able to enjoy the sunny day and beautiful countryside at a leisurely pace.
As today seemed to be about trying new things we purchased a new exotic fruit to try, the Columbian granadilla.
Although the gooey green coloured centre doesn’t look appetising it tastes delicious and quite similar to passionfruit. We both decide we need to eat a lot of these while in Columbia.
At the end of the walk we reach the smaller town of Guane which looks like it has been placed there as a set for a movie.
We end our relaxing day playing pool and drinking beer.
Days don’t get much better than this.
