As you read this we are on the road to our first stop near the city of Pasto, on the 240 mile drive to Ecuador. Tomorrow we visit the vet for Rusty’s papers and then our plan is to drive to the border ready to cross on Tuesday. We first came to La Bonanza two months ago and made trips from the campground to explore central Colombia and we’ve enjoyed it. Not least the Moroccan tagine, lamb stew offered by Anwar the owner.
Kika and Anwar the owners from Morocco have owned La Bonanza for seven years. It’s for sale so they may not be here when we drive back from Argentina and that is on our minds too.
For $11 a day (plus $4 a day for 110 volt or 220 volt electricity) we get all facilities including hot showers, dump station, water which we filter to drink, and of course trash disposal. That’s the practical side of La Bonanza but beyond all that is the welcome given by experienced travelers who know what their guests need. And some of what we need is a lovely garden which Rusty and I have enjoyed.
Don Guillermo the gardener responsible for the garden.
All of this is his handiwork and he does it well.
Bedusha the campground dog. I call her Mischief but she is actually very sweet. Rusty kind of likes her but he hates me being affectionate with her.
And then there’s Negra a Mexican street dog rescued with her litter of puppies by a couple of Spanish van travelers. They are getting their van worked on and are living in an apartment here. Rusty likes her but…I’m not allowed to pet her. Mine is a jealous dog.
Uri and Marga bought a Peugeot Jumper in Mexico two years ago. That’s the French version of our van, the same body with a diesel engine and manual shift. And they ran over a rock and wrecked their rear suspension in some manner I haven’t quite understood. Apparently it’s a serious repair do they are lucky to be here in their misfortune.
I wanted to remember one of my favorite museums in Colombia, the Museum of Antioquia which is the department of which Medellin is the capital. The city I saw I did not like but I want to post some of the pictures that spoke to me. I’ve never heard of the artists (except Botero) but I found art that spoke to me in the walls of that building.
Plaza of the Statues dedicated to Botero bronzes:
By Pedro Nel Gomez, THE REPUBLIC, 1936.
Portraits by Eladio Vélez:
Camilo Echevarría’s 1970 painting of the Rio Cauca reminded me of the familiar Ansel Adams photo of the Snake River. But I’ve actually seen this scene and I loved this rendering of it:
Ignacio Gomez Camarillo’s 1937 portrait called TALKING:
Photos of protests in the 1930s:
There was so much more the museum deserves days of visits. Layne got to walk among the pimps prostitutes and drug dealers and users among the outdoor statuary of Botero. I was hanging with Rusty aboard GANNET2 as he had decided he didn’t like Medellin.
