We then had the front desk call a taxi to take us to Autopista Norte y 170 to catch a flota to Zipaquirá. The taxi dropped us off at I suppose was a bus station, but we just hailed a passing flota and hopped on, the fare was only 4500 pesos for both of us, or about $2 USD. The flota was very clean with comfortable seats in smart grey material with racy black stripes. On the seats they put these white covers wear your head would rest to protect the seat, Maria always thinks they look like a pair of men's y-fronts.

The ride to Zipa as I call Zipaquirá was pleasant enough, there were a few university students going to a university that is located on the way and I suppose folks just going about their business, I think we were the only tourists. We passed through Cajica which doesn't look too nice, Maria assures me that the main road passes through the ugliest parts of Cajica & Zipaquirá. The trip is about 50 kilometres from Bogotá.

We arrived at Zipaquirá and found our way to the square by walking towards the cathedral. The square is huge and very nice, although it could use a few more trees, the whole square is paved, Maria says that it wasn't that way five years ago when she last visited. It seems as though Colombia is spending some money on Zipaquirá, I suppose because it is a tourist destination. There was also some beautification of the road leading of the square towards the Catedral de Sal.

We had a nice sit in the square, people watching and enjoying the nice day. In the corner of the square is the house that belonged to Maria's family, her father and his siblings were born there. It is now a shopping plaza complete with a nice restaurant.

We headed off towards the entrance to the Catedral de Sal, it is quite a hike up hill, we were a bit winded when we got there. We had to fight the crowds as there seemed to be thousands of school children visiting on a field trip. We felt like royalty, the teachers would hold the children back and allow us to proceed to the front of the line, even when I needed to use the toilet facilities a young lad was dragged away from the urinal so that I could have a pee, I hope he didn't have to go too badly. I felt a little bad receiving this special treatment but otherwise we would have been in Zipa still, there were so many children.

Near the entrance where you buy your tickets to either the cathedral or to the salt museum or both there is a huge statue of a miner, very impressive. (By the way, don't waste money on the salt museum, it is not worth the admission) The cost to visit the Catedral De Sal is 10,000 pesos for adults, children 4 - 12 and seniors over 60 as well as the handicapped are 1/2 price.

Off into the bowels of the earth, you need a tour guide because it is very dark and one could easily get lost. It is a bit damp inside the mountain and you can smell the sulphur in the air, not overpowering but noticeable. (It is supposedly good for respiratory problems.) The rock itself tastes of salt and salt crystals form on the walls. Down down you go, passing the 14  stations of the cross until you reach the cathedral itself. Wow!!! I was gobsmacked it is one of the most awesome places I have ever been, don't miss it. The huge pillars must be 10 metres in diameter and go up and up and up, situated at the end of the cathedral is a huge cross 16 metres tall made of solid salt rock, the cross like most of the features in the mine is backlit for effect. There is also an altar to the patron saint of the miners of Zipaquirá,  la Virgen de Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Guazá. The cathedral sits nearly 350 metres feet inside the mountain and nearly 150 metres down and is 75 metres long and 18 metres high, over 8000 can attend Mass at one time.

On the way back down the mountain to Zipaquirá we stopped at a very nice little archaeological museum, it is situated at the base of the mountain and is well worth a visit. We were hungry by this time and so we stopped at the restaurant which is built inside the courtyard of Maria's grandparent's home. I tried to take a photograph but was prevented from doing so by the security guard, very odd I thought. The waiter explained that someone in the past had taken photographs and turned them into calendars and postcards and had made some money without asking for permission, he thought it was silly to prohibit the taking of photographs too. Oh well Maria's father will have to imagine how it looks. The meal was great, we had sopa cuchuco, merlusa filet, rice, steamed potato, beans, salad & melon juice, Maria had the same except she had chicken instead of fish, the cost for this feast was 5000 pesos or about $2 USD, that was for the both of us!

We walked through the main square  and continued out to the main road to flag down a flota back to Bogotá. I think the driver was practicing to take over from Juan Pablo Montoya, a double yellow line means nothing to him, we passed everything in our path, blind curve, no problem, downshift and floor it. We made it back in no time at all. Unfortunately we ended up at a Transmilenio station and we didn't have a trip pass so we couldn't get through the turnstiles and even if we could we would have to board a Transmilenio bus which we didn't want to do. Maria was able to persuade one of the flota drivers to let us board and then he dropped us off a few hundred metres down the road. Well we were out of the Transmilenio station but now were trapped in the middle of Autopista Norte, one of the busiest roads in Bogotá. We decided to cross to the west side so that we could more easily catch a cab to the hotel, there was a pedestrian bridge that crossed the road, but it did us no good as you can only enter from each side not the middle. After about half an hour we set off at full speed and barely made it to the other side and immediately hailed a passing cab, this time we got one of those tiny Hyundai cabs, cute car and very comfortable for such a tiddler.

Later in the evening Maria's friend Sandra came by the hotel for a visit, she is great fun, always laughing. In the evening the three of us walked to Unicentro and had a look at the shops, then we went to Crepes & Waffles for supper, not my cup of tea, but Maria and Sandra enjoyed the meal. I was surprised that Crepes & Waffles did not accept credit cards! 

All content copyright © 2004 Jim Thompson

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