A Boyacá fruit route: Tierra Negra-Nuevo Colón-Turmequé

@wwaycorrigan

[For an audio version of this blog story click here.]

One criticism often levelled at Colombia's tourism industry is that compared to other countries in the region such as Argentina, Chile and Peru, it's quite underdeveloped.

Now also known as 'The Wrong Way Corrigan Way'!

While this can be seen as a bit unfair considering the myriad problems the country has had to deal with, it's not like the rest of Latin America has been a bastion of bliss and stability during global tourism's golden age, one that is surely ending.

Terra firma

Nonetheless, Colombia's internal conflict and notorious drug cartels gave it an especially sanguinary international reputation, keeping mass tourism in check.

It's really only in the last decade or so that it has become something of a must-visit destination. The firm-hand tactics of President Álvaro Uribe (2002-2010) played their part in this. State security forces, by fair means or foul, took control of greater parts of the national territory from insurgents. With that, locals and outsiders alike truly began to discover the country's many natural wonders.

In this light, Colombia is playing catch-up with more established tourism destinations in South America. For sure, some of its cities and regions are now relatively well-equipped in this regard. Many others, however, be it through indifference, ignorance or inadequate investment — or a mixture of all three — are not quite tourist-ready.

For me, this is often a bonus. I tend not to be a big fan of locations that are holiday hotspots. I largely subscribe to the idea, mentioned in a previous post, that 'tourism's greatest cancer is tourism'.

Thankfully, owing to its size and numerous beauty spots, Colombia has plenty of places to visit that aren't on the main tourist drag yet are worth visiting.

Indeed, never mind the country at large, one could spend years just travelling around the Boyacá and Cundinamarca departments and rarely be disappointed with what's on offer ("seasickness", by which I mean a longing for the sea, might be an issue for some).

'Unashamedly, I showed Eve-like traits in resisting temptation. We are talking about sinless pears here, not sinful apples.'

Over the last few years, I've done just that, visiting various Boyacá and Cundinamarca towns. And as long as north Bogotá remains my base and my budget remains tight — the former is most likely to change before the latter — I'll continue with such travels.

Top of the apples and pears

For my latest escapade, Boyacá's Nuevo Colón was the initial focus. A misunderstanding meant that I'd arrived at Bogotá's northern bus terminal over two hours early for the next direct service to the town.

Rather than wait, and with approval for such a move from the ticket-counter guy, I opted to take a then-departing bus to Tierra Negra. A quick check on Google Maps told me it was only 10 km from Nuevo Colón, so I figured I could walk it if needs be. And that's what I ended up doing, even though buses do run between the towns.

The fact that it's mostly a gentle downhill route in a fresh enough region climate-wise — made fresher the day I got there by overcast conditions; I was effectively walking through clouds for the first few kilometres — meant it was quite a pleasant wander.

Spontaneous as it was, the 70-minute brisk walk on a traffic-light country lane turned out to be a nice counterbalance to the two-hour bus spin to Tierra Negra. While I do like to wander around regardless, actually having a necessary destination to reach makes it more purposeful.

From a tourist perspective, Nuevo Colón's main attraction is El Ojo de Agua, a nature reserve that ranges from 2,500 to 2,780 metres above sea level with a 2.8 km walkway to trek. From its chief lookout spot, there's a nice view of both Nuevo Colón and nearby Turmequé — more on that town shortly.

That bit of tourism infrastructure aside, the main industry around Nuevo Colón is fruit. A welcome-to sign runs with the tagline 'Colombia's fruit city', while in the main square another sign labels it 'the apple village'.

Alongside apples, pears, peaches and plums are the chief fruits grown here.

On the trek up to the entrance to El Ojo de Agua, orchards are omnipresent and, as luck would have it, my visit coincided with pear-picking season. Unashamedly, I showed Eve-like traits in resisting temptation. We are talking about sinless pears here, not sinful apples.

Tejo light

Orchards also line large sections of the back-road route to Nuevo Colón's southern neighbour, Turmequé.

Turmequé: Tejo town, so they say! 

While both towns lie at similar altitudes — around 2,500 metres — and it's a mere six-kilometre walk compared to the 10 kilometres between Tierra Negra and Nuevo Colón, the trek is more taxing.

Turmequé is known as the 'world capital of tejo', (tejo being Colombia's national sport, a game where you throw metal weights at a clay-filled, metre-squared board, in which are gunpowder-filled paper pouches.

Thus, I was expecting every second establishment in the town to have tejo courts. However, to my somewhat pleasant surprise, this wasn't the case at all. I say pleasant surprise because I have to be in the mood for tejo; I'm usually not. It takes a bit of effort to play, even if it is virtually obligatory to drink beer whilst participating in it.

I had thought, as the "gringo" — I'm not a gringo! — about town, I'd be pestered to play. But no. There wasn't a word of it.

Country roads: Wandering the hills around Turmequé.

So, reputed world capital of tejo Turmequé may be, it strangely doesn't appear to be that popular in the town. Perhaps I happened to visit during tejo off-season. Those gunpowder-filled paper pouches aren't like pears you know, they don't grow on trees. (I must say, I was loath to enquire for fear of being, um, thrown into a game.)

Tejo travails or lack thereof aside, the town itself is par for the course, in a good sense that is. While it doesn't have an advertised attraction in the way that Nuevo Colón has El Ojo de Agua, there are still plenty of quiet country lanes to wander about.

The dirt-track road to the town of Úmbita winds up a few hundred metres to give rewarding views of the surrounding countryside.

The Turmequé townsfolk, as is the case for most Boyacá towns, are friendly but not overbearingly so. What's more, a few establishments actually know how to make decent, unsweetened coffee. Ditto for Nuevo Colón. The standard of a town's coffee can make or break it as a go-to destination!

While this part of Boyacá may not prioritise tourism, by happenstance I wandered across a readymade three-town tourist trek: Tierra Negra-Nuevo Colón-Turmequé. A Boyacá fruit route.

Henceforth it shall be called 'The Wrong Way Corrigan Way'!

*As for accommodation, at 50,000 COP per night, the only hotel in Nuevo Colón is on the pricier side of things for such a small town. However, rooms at 30,000 COP per night, with decent WiFi, are available above the veterinary shop on the main square. Ask for Nancy, the live-in administrator.

In Turmequé, the colonial Hotel Casa Grande — with courtyard, of course — next to the church on the main square caters for all budgets, from what amounts to a honeymoon suite at 120,000 COP per night to a far more affordable standard room at 30,000 COP. With the mild-mannered and somewhat odd 'Sí señor', 'Tranquilo' Alfonso as caretaker and its old-world style, there's something quite beguiling about Hotel Casa Grande!
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The art of darts

The online edition of the Oxford English Dictionary defines sport as 'an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment'.

The home theatre for the last couple of weeks.

The amount of 'physical exertion' required to make something a sport isn't specified and, ergo, it's open to debate as to what classifies as one and what doesn't.

For many, darts does not fall into the sport category. 

This is the game — the chief version of it anyway —  where you throw metal arrows (darts) at a circular board numbered randomly from one to 20 with double and treble segments on each number, and a red 'bull' at its centre worth 50, surrounded by a narrow green ring valued 25.

In general, the main place you'll find people playing this, outside of the trade's professionals, is in a pub — that is to say in an alcohol-selling, (usually) laid-back venue.

So to describe it as a sport just doesn't sit well with many people's perceptions of such. 

For one, when most think of sport and those who practice it, they imagine well-ripped bodies, a picture-book image of ultimate fitness. Darts' leading lights don't exactly, erm, fit that description.

Yet, to come back to the dictionary definition, darts is certainly something that requires skill. 

Yes, anyone can throw a metal arrow at a board, in the same way that anyone can kick a football. But to throw it with accuracy and consistency over a period of time in a contest is something completely different. It is the quintessential game of millimetres. 

In terms of physical exertion, well there is a continuous throwing action required and you don't exactly get the chance to sit down and relax.

However you view it, the game/sport and the whole show around it appears to have grown significantly in popularity and exposure, as well as prize money for the players, in northern Europe — Britain, Ireland and the Netherlands especially — over the last decade or so.

Tejo — Colombia's 'darts' ...

That 'show' element has been crucial. A night out watching the globe's top darts players — something I've had the pleasure to do twice — is great craic (fun) as we say in Ireland. 

What's more, even with limited knowledge of the game, not that it's that hard to comprehend, it generally makes for compulsive viewing on TV. Real-life drama, as we've had on numerous occasions at the PDC World Championship over the last few days. (For the record, there are two rival world governing bodies, the other being the BDO, both of which host world championships.)

OK, I'm writing as one of the converted and once I understand any sport I tend to appreciate it, even if I don't play it. (However, I must state that I did win a darts doubles tournament in my local pub in Ireland years back; it was more thanks to my playing partner but a win's a win!)

It's why that over this Christmas period, although I'm thousands of miles away from the action, in a country where darts doesn't register a beat — though Colombia does have versions in tejo and bolirana, minus the professional organisation/glamour — I've been like a hermit, in a positive way methinks, streaming the world championship action in my apartment.

Some sort of normality, whatever that is, will resume when the PDC World Championship ends this Sunday. Like those who love Christmas, there'll be an empty feeling for a while, but there’s always next year.
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Soccer, some sun and samba; it's over to you, Brazil

'If you can't beat them, join them.' So considering our own crowd, that is to say the Republic of Ireland, couldn't beat them, the choice for most Irish, even those with just a token interest in soccer (football, if you will), is to join them and get roused up in this year's World Cup.

Who's it going to be this time around? (Pic: Fifa World Cup Facebook page.)

This is made much easier, too, when you're in a country that is taking part – one that's not England that is. 

Plus, from this perspective, it's not just any country, it's Colombia. That rather odd but at the same time enjoyable game of tejo may be seen as the more authentic, national 'sport' for some, but there's no disputing what the real passion is.

Indeed, such is the importance of the game to the masses, had La Selección's (the national team) luckless superstar, Radamel Falcao, known a few months ago that he wouldn't make the finals, he could have ran for president where he would, without much doubt, have been elected at a canter. 

There'd be no need for this upcoming second round of voting, and with it Ley Seca, which we now have to 'suffer' through on the World Cup's opening weekend.

President Falcao? (La Selección Col.)

Of course, it could be argued that without Falcao leading Colombia's line in Brazil, fans could be set for more suffering watching events on the pitch. Time will tell on that one. For now, hope springs eternal.

So as we ready ourselves for four weeks of what will hopefully be a memorable football feast, here's the Wrong Way 'sideways' take on things.

'This World Cup, I'll be mostly supporting ...'

I'd probably be doing Colombia a service by not supporting them, given how most teams I want to see win never actually do. But it is my second home these days, so one must do one's patriotic duty.

Outside of Colombia, I've always had a soft spot for Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica – oddly enough these three teams happen to be in the same group as England.

Put your money where your mouth is

If you are going to bet thinking about how much you're going to win rather than what you might lose, then lumping, significantly, on the winner coming from South America, at odds of about 10/11, looks a nice option. 

That's going by the fact that European teams have never won the tournament when it's been held in the Americas.

Looks familiar... (featurepics.com.)

More specifically, for many this is Brazil's tournament to lose, so you could just cut to the chase and take the 3/1 on the Samba Boys lifting the trophy on 13 July.

All those might seem a little boring, aimed more at the professional, heavy punting gamblers. 

So for a fun bet, where a small stake could win big, an each-way dabble on Ivory Coast at 150/1 might give you a run for your money; there's something about the national flag that resonates. The 40/1 about Colombia is also interesting. Yes they must face Ivory Coast, but both teams can emerge from the group. Plus it gives an added incentive to feverishly support my adopted country.

'Very good.' (futbolwallpapers.com.)

Battle of the anthems

While football/soccer national teams rarely sing their respective anthems with the same gusto as their rugby equivalents, it's still nonetheless very much part of the build-up to kick-off. 

When it comes to this side of things, I'm very much a traditionalist and stick with the tried and trusted. So in the absence of the Celtic nations, it's hard to beat either France's La Marseillaise or Il Canto degli Italiani for the Italians

Whisper it, but due to constant exposure over the last couple of years, even the Colombian anthem is beginning to sound semi-decent these days.

Brazilian babes

World Cup cameramen are usually pretty adept at picking out the attractive ladies watching in the stands. Down through the years the majority of these have tended to be Brazilian. So what a tough assignment those working behind the lenses will have this year. Who do you leave in, who do you leave out? 

If any TV company needs assistance in this area, I'm willing to lend a hand – on the ground, in person, of course, it's the best way. Wrong Way – always here to help.

Right, time to let the football do the talking.