La Piedra and Guatapé


Ann and Ned 1/2-way up La Piedra
Saturday, 19 May, 2018 
While the rest of the world watched the Royal Wedding (note capital letters), we slept in preparation for our road trip with Jorge to the towns of El Peñol and Guatapé, with an anticipated 200 meter climb up the 675 escalones (steps) to the top of La Piedra ("The Rock").

Jorge
Photo taken from replica of El Peñol
We began our adventure in the town of (replicated) El Peñol. In order to accommodate the industrial and population growth of Medellín, a massive hydro-electric dam was built, and 25 square miles of the Abrrá Valley was flooded in the 1970s. Highly controversial, this meant displacing the farmers and families that had lived and worked the land for generations. As part of the deal, the EPM (Empresas Públicas de Medellín) had to rebuild the town of El Peñol and relocate the displaced population.

While you can't see it in the photo (left), the only sign of the now-underwater town of El Peñol is the church steeple and cross.


This is the replica of the now-underwater church of El Peñol in the replicated village.


The resulting Embalse Peñol-Guatapé is known as Laguna de Lágrimas (Lake of Tears). The 1220 million cubic meters of water in the reservoir provides 50% of the electricity for the entire country of Colombia.

Additionally, the embalse (reservoir) boasts many islands with vacation homes and recreation (water skiing, jet skiing, trout fishing, sailing, boating, kayaking, canoeing, swimming, etc.).











La Piedra is a giant granite monolith that rises 200 meters (650') above the Embalse Peñol-Guatapé. Esmerelda (the maid where we are staying) assured us that it is doable if you take your time. Jorge then reassured us that it looks harder than it actually is. Both were correct.

We had to pay (COP $18000 each = $6.50 USD) to make the climb, and there was no viejito (old person*) discount! Small price to pay to experience el mejor mirador del mundo (the best view in the world).

*Note: Ned was the oldest person we saw both going up and coming down.
My favorite photo of Ned, taken at step 250 (of 650)

When asked, "¿Cuánto tiempo debería tomar para subir la cumbre y bajar?" (How much time should it take to climb to the top and come back down?), Jorge responded, "Una hora, más o menos" (approximately one hour), which is what we did (35 minutes up; 20 minutes down w/ time atop)!
Selfie at the top
I had concerns about the down, but my knees held up without too much complaint! 


We then went to the colorful and charming town of Guatapé for lunch.  Ned and I ordered freshly caught trucha a la plancha (grilled trout) that was perhaps the best ever!
View from the restaurant
As can be seen in the photos below, the town of Guatapé is quite colorful! It is known for the friezes on the lower levels of the town's houses and shops. Some honor the occupations of the inhabitants (e.g., farming and fishing) while others depict animals (sheep, birds, llamas, etc.). Still others are merely crests and decorations (e.g., sunflowers).  


Don Quixote y Sancho Panza


Iglesia y Plaza Principal en Guatapé
The town of Guatapé is so charming! We were happy to be there before the rains came. Apparently, April-May is the rainy season in this part of Colombia also! We are now hunkered down while thunder rumbles, hoping that the weekend discotheque scene is dampened. Last night it thumped and thrummed until 3:30AM.




Comments

  1. UnknownMay 20, 2018 at 8:06 AM

    Looks like a good day with fabulous skies and a very colorful town. Impressed by your time on those stairs -- they looked wicked! Great pics throughout! Nothing much new here. After a few beautiful sunny days, "May Gray" is back. Late afternoon clearing and colorful peonies at TJ's are helping alleviate that. Your Sancho Panzo reminds me of the "hippy" statue in Winslow. Will email to you for comparison. Hugs to you both. I await your next installment.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dina EmersonMay 21, 2018 at 8:20 AM

    I'm so proud of you both!!!!! Wowza! What is the approximate altitude there?

    ReplyDelete

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