Yes, you read that title correctly! Holy Week with family. The first two Wicker family visitors (but hopefully not the last!) came all the way from Nebraska and Alberta, Canada to spend nine days with me in Colombia.
Semana Santa
Allow me to begin with a disclaimer, as I often do: if you are hoping to read a detailed explanation of Holy Week in Colombia or my experience participating in long-held religious traditions, I fear this blog post may not live up to your expectations. Perhaps this website can explain more. Originally when I thought about spending this holiday in Villavicencio, I pictured myself attending at least one mass and participating in an early morning Vía Crucis procession … but between traveling during the first half of the week and hosting my father and uncle, I simply did not plan far enough ahead to do so.
Of course, I attended and fully participated in the Viernes Santo and Domingo de Resurrección services at my local church. On Good Friday, I even passed up the chance to eat delicious llanera beef in nearby Cumaral, opting instead for fried fish. The closest I came to joining in any Catholic traditions was, unfortunately, when I accidentally ran in the wrong direction right through a neighborhood Vía Crucis procession. More details on that later.
Semana Santa here is a national holiday, with all schools closed for the whole week and many businesses, too. The official días festivos in Colombia are Maundy Thursday (Jueves Santo) and Good Friday (Viernes Santo). Even though I had already learned quite a bit about Semana Santa traditions, I was still surprised to realize that much less emphasis seems to be placed on Resurrection Sunday and that everyone returns to work and studies the following Monday. No Easter Monday holiday here, I fear … *sigh*
I have absolutely no reason to complain, however, as my department coordinator and co-teacher graciously allowed me to take off work the Friday before Semana Santa, so I could arrive at the El Dorado airport in time to welcome my dad and my uncle!
Bogotá, D.C.
My dad and uncle arrived in Bogotá on a Friday evening, and we spent all of Saturday and part of Sunday exploring the capital city. Bogotá has an altitude of 2,600 meters or 8,661 feet, so I tried to adjust our plans accordingly and give my family some time to adjust! Nonetheless, we walked all over the place and explored three places I had never been to before: the Cerro de Monserrate + mountaintop cathedral, the Gold Museum or Museo de Oro, and the Paloquemao fruit and flower market. All three of us got sunburnt that Saturday and thus spent the rest of the week with red-yet-slightly-pasty sunscreen-covered faces.
Medellín, Antioquia
On Sunday afternoon, we took a quick flight from Bogotá to Medellín. On Monday morning, we did a guided walking tour of the famous Comuna 13 neighborhood. This was my second time doing the tour, and our guide Kevin was excellent and even spoke English so I did not have to translate (send me a message if you want his Whatsapp)! He did a outstanding job of sharing about the history and present culture of the comuna, as well as his own experiences growing up in this area of Medellín.
On Monday evening, we headed into downtown Medellín to explore the Plaza Botero, the Palacio de la Cultura, and finally the Galería de Arte in the Palacio Nacional. All three of these places offer amazing views of the city! Unfortunately, we decided to leave the centro for a restaurant in Sabaneta in the southern part of the city precisely when everyone else did at 6:00 pm … so it took about 30 minutes for our taxi to arrive and at least 90 more minutes to get to our restaurant. Thankfully the restaurant boasted a mirador with a beautiful view of the city lights!
On Tuesday, we set out for the Medellín Botanical Garden, where we read far more informational signs about local trees and plants than I really wanted to (we were able to escape the intense sun under the shade of these trees, however). Determined to ride the metrocable at least once while in the city, we headed to the nearest metro station to try to buy a card … only to be told by an agent that “the system for selling new cards was down.” Tired, hot, and definitely discouraged, we did a bit of research and discovered that we needed to buy a metro card at one of several specific stations where foreigners can purchase them. Thirty minutes later, we were headed north on the metro towards Parque Arvi. This park is on the northeast side of Medellín and only accessible by metrocable. We were amazed by the beautiful views during our 30-40 minute ride up to the park (worth the $6 fare alone). At the top we found a local artisan market where we bought a few snacks and souvenirs, too! The metrocable took us back down to the main line, where we spent another hour riding out another train and cable car up, down, and up again to La Aurora to see the city views after dark before finally returning to our Airbnb. A very good day!
Wednesday was our travel day back to Villavicencio, starting with a one-hour taxi ride to the MDE airport in Rionegro, a one-hour flight to Bogotá, and a three-hour bus ride down the mountain to Villavicencio. Thankfully, the flight and bus ride went smoothly! The views are beautiful, and the buses must have seriously good breaks. As my dad pointed out, “if you got on a skateboard in Bogotá, there would be nothing to stop you from rolling all the way into Villavicencio”—the descent is approximately 2,040 meters or 6,690 feet!
Mesetas, Meta
The absolute highlight of the entire week (for me at least) was a Thursday trip to Mesetas to go rafting in the Güejar River Canyon. I did the same tour back in September with four other friends, and it was one of my top three days of last semester. Us three Wickers, along with my dear friend and colleague Alejandra, woke up before sunrise to take a two-hour chartered van southwest along the mountains, still in the Meta department.
We arrived to have a traditional llanero breakfast of beef broth, huevos al gusto, arepas, and coffee, before getting all checked in, changed, and re-coated in sunscreen at the tour office. They explained a few instructions and sorted us into three raft groups (huge shout-out to whoever placed us with Miguel, our tour guide from September and without a doubt my favorite person in Mesetas). He was patient with all my Spanish-to-English translation of safety instructions, and soon enough, we were on the river! Due to rainy season, the water was higher and choppier than the first time I rafted, and we all had an exhilarating several hours navigating the various sections of rapids. We made several stops along the 16-kilometer route to see a few waterfalls, take photos, and enjoy a snack or two with hot coffee. All along the way, our guide pointed out different varieties of and facts about the plants, trees, and rock formations around us. Photographs don’t even begin to capture the majestic beauty of this lush river canyon!
In short, I cannot speak highly enough of LlanoTours, the Mesetas-based tourism company I have used for both rafting excursions. No, they are not paying me to promote them, but since they are wonderful and even gifted me a tiny hand painted raft-shaped keychain for being a return visitor, I will most definitely be booking a third adventure soon!
Villavicencio, Meta
Good Friday
My dad and I stopped by the CrossFit gym so he could meet my trainers before he went for a run and I attended a class. I had heard many friends talking about the Vía Crucis or “way of the cross” processions that take place all over Colombia and other parts of the world, early on the morning of Viernes Santo. However, I didn’t plan ahead well enough to attend one … or so I thought! Shortly after starting the workout, I jogged out of the gym with a partner intending to complete one of our assigned laps. We turned a corner and literally ran straight into a procession of at least 150 people filling the street. Since my gym partner was Colombian, I decided to respond however she did—and she opted to walk and then squeeze our way carefully past the crowds. My sincerest apologies to the señoras who shot us and our sweaty workout attire a few angry stares. I uttered many a “disculpe,” “permiso” and “qué pena” before we were clear of the crowds. Oops. Check “participate in a Vía Crucis procession” off the list, I guess!
Then my friend Alejandra picked us up, and we headed to Restrepo for fresh pan de arroz and masato with another friend, Juan Camilo. Originally, the lunch plan had included carne llanera in nearby Cumaral, but given that today was Good Friday, it was unlikely we would find anything available besides fish. So fish we did! Juan’s family has a restaurant in Cumaral where you can go fishing to try to catch your meal. We didn’t manage to reel in any fish, but we did eat a delicious meal of fried fish! Then we headed to Bioparque Los Ocarros to see some local animals for an hour or two before the heat got the best of us and we headed home to rest.
Holy Saturday
The day started with a walk up the Vereda El Carmen along with a good friend and his oversized German Shepherd, and then we basically rested for the remainder of the day. Unfortunately, both my dad and uncle came down with some sort of illness while we were in Villavicencio … but the timing was good, as we did not have any major excursions planned. They rested on Saturday evening, and I went out for pizza with a couple friends and then beers and karaoke back at their house.
Easter Sunday
Thankfully, everyone was recovered enough to attend the Easter Sunday service at my church, Familia Cristiana! I was so grateful to share this particular slice of my Villavicencio life with my dad and uncle, even if they did not understand much of what the pastor shared. I also got to introduce them to several close church friends, which was sweet.
Alas, the week drew to an end before we knew it, and my dad and uncle headed back to Bogotá on Sunday afternoon to arrive in time for their early Monday flights. I tried to put my house and personal life back in order, fairly unsuccessfully, after a full nine days of translation, vacation and relajación.
Emily Explores 
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