Villa de Leyva

 Now that life is starting back to normal and people are once again free to move throughout the country, I took a trip to a small colonial town called Villa de Leyva last weekend. I've been here several times over the years, but I'm still drawn back. 

To get there, you need to go to Bogota's main bus terminal and board a 4-4.5 hour bus ride north of the city. Surprisingly the buses were all complying with bio-security protocols and passengers were all socially distanced with seats being blocked off. 

The town's claim to fame is that it has the largest cobblestone main square in all of South America. It's like going back to the 1800's with cowboys riding through town on their horses and tons of street dogs. I've made it a tradition to go to the local grocery store and buy bacon and hot dogs for them as I sit in the plaza drinking a beer. 

With the exception of (almost) everyone wearing face masks when in close proximity of each other, it almost felt like life was back to normal again - bars open, restaurants open, tourist attractions open and buses returning to schedule. 

For those of you who are my Facebook friends, you can see more photos from this short journey by clicking here.