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<\/a>We stopped in Arcabuco for lunch on our way to Villa del Leyva. It wasn’t much, but it did have a very photogenic church and central plaza.<\/p><\/div>\n
On our second day in town, just as we were getting to like it and looking for a place to rent, a fire broke out in the nearby mountains. The smoke in town got pretty dense at times. We were staying at a hostel a short distance from town with Martine and Andre who we had shipped with and three other travelers. That evening we all wondered whether the fire posed a threat. Should we pack up and leave rather than being awoken at 3am to make a rushed evacuation? What kind of warning systems existed here anyway?<\/p>\n
<\/a>The fire looked very close an ominous by night. The next morning we realized that it was actually quite a distance away.<\/p><\/div>\n
Fortunately the next day helicopters were called in and by the end of the day the fire was out. After checking out a few places, we found a small condo outside of town but still within walking distance. We invited some of the people we stayed with at the hostel over for drinks at our new place.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Happy Hour with Rick, Jeff, and Leticia from San Diego.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Three Fords all made it to South America!<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Jeff is sharing his popup camper with a small horse.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Sunset behind our condo.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>The next weekend we went sightseeing. This region was once an inland sea that left a treasure trove of fossils behind when it dried up.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>We visited two paleontological museums including this one with a nearly complete skeleton of a giant sea-fairing dinosaur called a kronosaurus, still in the position where it was discovered in 1977.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Quinn learns to excavate dinosaur bones. Honestly though he wasn’t that excited by it.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>We also stopped to see the Convento del Santo Ecce Homo, founded in 1620.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Wine country! We sampled the products of a local vineyard. With wine and coffee produced locally, no wonder people love Colombia.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Healthy eating!<\/p><\/div>
<\/a>On Friday, to celebrate my birthday, Jen sent me out on a long bike ride. I got lost which made it longer than I had expected, but got to tour some beautiful countryside.<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n