From Bogotá to Villa de Leyva

The direct bus to Villa de Leyva departing from Bogotá's Terminal del Norte took me around 4 hours. Although it is only 250 km away from the capital, the journey takes you across the Cordillera Oriental, which is one of the three massive parallel ranges of the Andes that run across Colombia from north to south. I grabbed a window seat and was not disappointed.

The panoramic views of the green Andean peaks and the rolling countryside were absolutely stunning. These were suddenly interrupted by military checkpoints, which, due to the internal conflict between paramilitaries and the FARC, often occur all over the main roads and highways in the country. One can see them quite often by the road, standing with their guns in the shadows, raising their thumbs to every passing vehicle, with drivers and passengers returning the thumbs up — a rather odd moment and one you feel obliged to perform.

Villa de Leyva is a small colonial village founded in 1572 by the Spaniard Hernán Suárez de Villalobos. The village grows around the Plaza Mayor, a massive town square paved with huge cobblestones and surrounded by cafés, restaurants, and colonial buildings. From Plaza Mayor, all the roads narrow out and seem to be geometrically traced with parallel and perpendicular lines. Rows of white, two-story houses with dark red roofs line the streets on each side. Interestingly, the number of restaurants, artisanal shops, and art galleries far outgrows the actual number of tourists in the Villa. On every corner, a policeman stands ensuring the safety and order of a relatively deserted place.

It is past 8 PM, and I am looking for a place to have dinner. I pass by and enter an Italian restaurant. It is completely empty. A lady, whom I assume to be the owner, gives me a sad, melancholic look. I can't walk away now.