We leave the city on a dual carriageway passing offices, businesses & tall apartment blocks. New building is taking place & mixed in are green spaces & parks. As Bogota is left behind the landscape on either side of the road becomes neatly agricultural. Small fields of grazing cattle & horses separated by fences, trees & hedges stretch up to the forested ridges & peaks of the mountains on either side of the road.

Rainladen clouds hover over the landscape always threatening to dump its load and keeping us on our toes. White & heavy grey banks spread across the sky like surf from the ocean crashing on a beach. Then very occasionally a blister of blue appears to raise hopes that the sky might clear only for such hopes to be dashed with the reforming of the ash grey blanket. Still, it’s not rained yet.

We stop off at the salt mines started by the indigenous people before the Spanish arrived to mine, yes you guessed it, salt. The Spanish really developed it from the 18th century. Huge shafts are evidence that salt could be extracted from the volcanic, metamorphic rock. The miners started to leave small carvings & religious icons and then took these to a higher level. Groups of miners carved figures in different shafts to reflect one of the 14 stations of the cross, culminating in a huge cathedral type cavern focused on alters & a sculptured crusifix.

Lunch is a stop at a local roadside diner. These lovely ladies cook home made sausages & fresh caught fish from the local lake – not served together I hasten to add.

These two were so thrilled to have their photo taken.

And this cutie is the son of the manager……aaarhhhh