TRAVERSE 47
TRAVEL - COLOMBIA
LEIGH WILKINS
I LOVE BARICHARA
Abruptly , the smooth paved road ended and became something that felt from a time past , and indeed it was . The cobbled streets presented something special , a town caught in antiquity , a way of life that hadn ’ t progressed much further than the mid-1800s … this was Barichara .
Regarded as one of the prettiest towns in Colombia , Barichara presented as a challenge . The transition from smooth tarmac to deep cobbles , tight lanes , and plenty of foot traffic was something different . The big BMW GS ’ s were nimble enough ; the riders though were struggling with the route compounded with the overwhelming joy of entering this town .
Colombia is a treasure trove of colonial towns , some with histories that date back to a time when the Spanish were still seeking to conquer and tame the lands of this northern region of the South American continent , and yet Barichara stood out amongst the many , and yet there aren ’ t enough superlatives to describe such a place .
We ’ d just ridden three hundred and fifty kilometres north from Bogota to the Santander region through what could only be described as some of the most fertile agricultural regions in this country before it led into a series of exquisite turns and mountain twists of the 45A and yet was just a prelude to what would become apparent in the following days .
Barichara is off the main road . Reach San Gil , the self-proclaimed adventure capital of Colombia , and then turn left as you head north , the road seems to have no name but can ’ t be missed , another one of those roads that seems normal for Colombia , something laid down by a motorcyclist .
Miguel Ponce de Leon , of Tukano Moto , had offered his family ’ s home
TRAVERSE 47