Feisty Fusagasugueños

When it comes to nearby escapes from the madness of Bogotá, we're not stuck for options. There's Choachí, Girardot, La Vega, Melgar, Pandi, Tobia and Villeta to name just some of the places we're familiar with. Each of those differs in terms of their tranquillity factor, but all are unquestionably more relaxing than the capital city.

We can't, however, say the same for the big town -- city by Irish standards -- of Fusagasugá. OK, on the weather front, it scores well; warmer than Bogotá, but not too stickily hot as some of the locations mentioned above can be. Yet, with a population of over 130,000, it's not quite a peaceful rural getaway.

Fusagasugá: It has a couple of things going for it, in fairness.

In fairness, it's not marketed as that. Well, it's not marketed at all really, and with reason considering there doesn't seem much of interest to draw tourists. The pull factors tend to have nothing to do with the urban centre. For most of those who do go to the area, it's all about the rural retreats dotted around.

Yet cities and towns that don't rate high on the popularity scale have an attraction for us and, usually, we aren't disappointed (if you go not expecting too much, then it's easy to be satisfied; for example see previous posts on Buenaventura, Maicao and Turbo, to name just three).

So a stay in the centre of Fusagasugá with a couple of like-minded Irishmen seemed like a win-win plan. And in many ways, it was.

For starters, it's reasonably cheap in terms of food, drink and accommodation, especially compared to Bogotá. What's more, unlike some towns close to the capital and other locations in the regions, there is an abundance of well-kept attractive ladies about (that is to say, not carrying far too many pounds than they should be; each to their own and all that). Then you have the aforementioned agreeable climate.

That's about as good as it gets, though.

On arrival, not having a Colombian cédula (national ID) for the hotels there was a bit of a problem. It was hard work trying to convince them to let us stay. 

You would have thought that the Colombian-issued cédula extranjería, the compulsory ID all visa-holding foreigners must have, would have worked fine. But no. After a long chat with one receptionist we managed to convince her that all would be OK. If the police had any issue -- the reason behind this reluctance to check us in -- we'd speak with them directly. 

Pity those arriving with just a foreign passport, they'd have no chance it seems. This, though, rarely happens, it would seem.

Then there's the "people on edge" feel to things. Many appear to be lacking that relaxed, happy-go-lucky style that you'll find with Colombians in most other places (peak commuting hours in Bogotá excepted). No, in Fusagasugá it was more a "what are you doing here" attitude from a number of its inhabitants, and not in a friendly way, that.

One good representation of this was an off-duty policeman giving one of us an earful for, so it appeared anyway, no more than just because we were foreigners.

All this negativity might be down to the fact that the place tends to get types of a less-than-desirable nature spilling over from Bogotá -- the word for them in these parts being 'ñero'. Just a thought.

Now, not everybody was in fighting form it has to be said. The onset of dusk, however, is the signal for the feisty Fusagasugueños to come out in force.

So if you're planning to let the hair down in Fusagasugá some weekend, it's probably best to do it by day; leave the locals to their own devices at night.
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¡Viva Villeta!

When it comes to the main vacation times in Colombia, there appear to be three chief types of holidaymakers.

Firstly, you have the upper-to-middle classes, that is to say those with lots of spare cash at their disposal, who tend to escape the country and continent in order to rub shoulders with their ‘wealthy idols’ from the Western world.

A natural, refreshing shower on the 'Seven Waterfalls' trek in Villeta. (Photo: Pieter Immanuël Hupkes.)

Then you have those with slightly less disposable income, but not in too bad of a way, who stay within the country or at most visit neighbouring countries. The important thing is that they travel a relatively decent distance from their regular abodes.

Lastly, is the most popular group; those hard-pressed working classes whose holiday getaways generally amount to a short break in a nearby department or another town within the same department.

From a Bogotá perspective (and Colombia in general, really), thankfully, those who fall into this latter category are pretty much spoilt for choice — the only thing missing is the sea, but there are plenty of inland waterways to partially fill that void.

The view atop of the first of the 'Seven Waterfalls'.

One of those places that I had the pleasure of checking out recently, impromptu as it was, is Villeta, an approximate two-hour drive north-west from the capital. 

Anecdotally speaking, it still lags behind the likes of Girardot and Melgar as a destination hotspot for those looking for a nearby escape from Bogotá.

A big reason for this is that some wealthier types see it, so I’ve been told anyway, as a bit of a ‘ñero’ (Colombian word for, let’s say, not very pleasant types) holiday location.

So just up the Wrong Way street you might say — because that is, of course, this blog doesn't like to prejudge. ‘Altogether now’ and all that.

Anyway, ñeros or no ñeros, the place has enough going for it to entertain most, at least for a time.

At an altitude of about 800 metres, almost 2,000 metres lower than Bogotá, the climate is more than agreeable, unless you’re a polar bear type. You certainly don’t need your woollies at night, as you often do in the capital.

The village itself is quaint enough – Villeta does mean ‘little village’ in English – if not spectacular. It also has a little more of a modern feel to it than some other similar-sized places in Colombia.

The 'train' to Villeta's 'Iguazú Falls' ...

There are a host of hotels and mini-resorts equipped with swimming pools, from the elementary to the somewhat more elegant, allowing you the chance to take in both the sun and subsequently cool off in a modicum of tranquillity.

Better still, though, are the natural cooling-off spots. There are the easy-to-reach ‘mini Iguazú Falls’ (well, they deceivingly resembled them from an advanced photo viewing), a nice 30-minute walk from the village. Or you can also take micro-train transport if you don’t feel like stepping it out in the heat.

Yet far more rewarding, in terms of sights, nature and exercise, is the ‘Seven Waterfalls’ (‘Siete Cascadas’) trek.

It’s not the most taxing, but if walking in nature is your thing, along with having the chance to bathe in cool freshwater to refresh from the tropical sun, it’s pretty enjoyable. 

The more adventurous types can also engage in some extreme diving (see video below). (I didn’t want to show up our very helpful accommodation provider-cum-guide Edwin, so I abstained from partaking.)

Outside of that, as you’ll find in most urban locations in Colombia regardless of size, the village itself isn’t short on lively watering holes. 

The only problem my Dutch companion and I encountered during our nights out was that the place was full of families and teenagers. There seemed to be a dearth of single women in their 20s to ‘converse’ with.

Perhaps it’s a sign of the rising Colombian middle class; these ladies holiday elsewhere. Or at least those who aren’t yet mothers that is.

Oh well, it just leaves more of Villeta (and the odd yummy mummy) for us.