Travelling Mechanic

Cascadas Chicala are 8 amazing waterfalls that are only 1 hour from Ibague. One of Colombia's secret places that only the locals know about. Hotel: Stayed at Club Campestre Chicala in Payande with swimming pool and close to the road that takes you to the waterfall which is about 15 minutes by car. Tel: 287 72 22 Cel: 317 274 38 23 Email clubcampestrechicala@hotmail.com Bus:  From terminal in Ibague to the village of San Luis stopping at Payande. Then a 5 k walk in the hot sun! The road to waterfalls from Payande, we traveled by bike and I hitched a lift back in a car. Its a slow drive, so give yourself 45 minutes. Food: At the car park, there is a restaurant where you can order lunch and then it's just a 5-minute walk to the falls where you can buy snacks and cold drinks. Waterfall 7 When you arrive to all the waterfalls each hides a magical place. In all of them you can bath and some are deep places, as much as eight meters in the main waterfall. Waterfa

What an experience for a 12 year old from England to visit her family in a small town in Colombia. And happened to be the same time I was staying in Rovira. I have known Juliana since she was only 6 months old and was a pleasure to share a wonderful week with her and her family. Juliana and I One of the chickens that warders in the garden Juliana making friends View of Rovira Feeding a horse Preparing  lechona while dogs are waiting for scraps Juliana climbing. Mona loca Fresh milk Grinding maize 3 leche cake, for Juliana's birthday Fruit cocktail Backing bread Eating marshmallows Tamal

A day visiting my friend on his finca "small Coffee farm" A short drive from Rovira and a nice walk though the jungle to the finca for lunch. The short 20 minute walk up to the finca carrying food supplies.  Every thing else is grown on the finca. Ruth always smiling and laughing Jungle trek Views from the finca Young coffee plants Not a bad palace for this young boy to grow up in Fish stew Fresh river fish Fish soup, yuccas, potato and rice  Avocados Banana trees  El gato Walking around the finca, river crossing Beautiful views from the finca

This was a cool place to visit and only a short walk from Rovira. One of the attractions of Rovira is the Valley of the Dolls, at the entrance to the village, a land in which soil erosion formed some figures. Beautiful rock/sand stone formation, with view of Rovira. I not exactly sure how this places was formed, I would believe eroded from rain washing the soft sand away and leaving this formation! Spent the evening with my Colombian family and we made the short walk from Rovira (About 15 minutes) to Valle de Los Munecos. View of Rovira with Iglesia Santa Gertrudis in the center Walking with 5 girls & a dog, with Rovira in the background

El Araque is a loverly gorge that has amazing waterfall's and an easy rock-climbing area. Rock formations are usually the result of weathering and erosion sculpting the existing rock. A gorge is most often carved landscape by the erosive activity of a river over geologic timescales. Usually a river or stream and erosion carve. Magma that has risen from deep within the earth and cools into these shapes I am not exactly sure  how the rocks were formed, as this is in part of the central mountain range of the Colombian Andes  (That a volcano belt. See:  Wikipedia -    Volcanic belt  & Andean Volcanic belt )    the nearest active volcano is only 60 old k's north away " Volcán Nevado del Tolima" and can also be viewed from  Buena vista  on a clear day, another 15 k's south from here. Another waterfall and beautiful rock formation   El Araque gorge reminds me of The Alcantara Gorge in Sicily (Several thousand years ago, the river bed was blocked by