[ Dec.2016 ] Colombia is divided into 32 departments plus Bogota, the capital.
We moved northwards from Bogota to Villa de Leyva in Boyaca Department to spend two nights and then moved again to the north to Santander Department.
This time the journey was long.
At first we went on and on along the non paved mountain roads and I could not even have a nap.
At key points on the main roads, there were places which looked like checkpoints with some soldiers.
But most cars went by without stopping.
Apparently those are the soldiers who protect citizens from drug gangs.
Nowadays they are rarely sent to fight and their existence has just symbolic meaning.
When you drive by, it is their custom to show your gratitude by making a thumbs-up.
Learning that made me feel thankful to them, so I made a thumbs-up, too.
In Santander Department, they have some unique customs.
First, they eat ants.
The ants they eat have a big bottom and they are called Hormiga Culona.
They take heads and limbs off and grill them alive and eat them as a snack like peanuts.
Actually we saw many packs of ants were sold where we got out of the car.
They were selling dolls of ants, too as a souvenir, which means it is a rare custom even in this country, too.
Another interesting custom is that people who are suffering from terminal cancer and not likely to survive, drink the lifeblood of vultures.
Surely we saw many vultures gathering by the roads.
A friend of our driver’s was pronounced that he would not live much longer, so he did this.
Eight years after that, he is still alive apparently.
The people in the pharmaceutical industry should investigate this, shouldn’t they.
The women in Santander are said to be beautiful but have a furious temper.
One grandmother of Andie, our guide was from here and apparently she was just like that.
As for other grandparents of hers, one is from Sicily of Italy, one is Spanish and one is Mexican, she said.
Andie herself said she wanted to believe that she was a Muiska, the native tribe around Bogota, though.
Anyway, in Colombia, most people seemed to have mixed blood.
After the long journey, we arrived at Parque El Gallineral in the suburbs of San Gil.
This is a park where the locals come and enjoy themselves, particularly rafting.
Andie asked if we wanted to have a go, but we were not prepared mentally, so we said no.
One point to come here was to see the plant called “Old Man’s Beard” whose another name is Spanish Moss.
It is a parasite, but it does not harm the main plant and they just live side by side.
We saw some of them even hanging from some electric cables.
Apparently they say that when people see this plant, they will find some water near there.
