A ONE-DAY TRIP TO VILLA DE LEYVA
My mother`s first job after we arrived in Colombia on 1999 was in Villa de Leyva. For us, in that times, any job was very welcome, as we had left Serbia with little more than clothes on our backs and a few bills in our pockets. However, for a woman who hardly spoke Spanish and had had no contact with Colombia or its people, this firs job was far from a pleasant experience. She was sent to manage a hostel in that town, but nothing was as had been told. My mother encountered numerous problems in Villa de Leyva and only worked there for two weeks. Finally, she decided to leave the job and return to Bogota. After ending such an unpleasant experience, my mother was determined to stay as far away from Villa de Leyva as possible.
After weeks of working my persuasion power with her, I convinced my mother to come with me to Villa de Leyva for a day. Things have changed a lot for her during the years and she was now another citizen of Colombia. I have heard of the colonial beauty of Villa de Leyva and for a long while had wanted to visitthis town and municipality, in the Boyacá department. Not only were the sights of Villa de Leyva an attraction worth visiting, but also the town`s famous Kite Festival, a yearly event that began in the early 70s and is a truly amazing spectacle.The windy conditions and clear skies of August are the perfect occasion to fly kites and Villa de Leyva has a whole festival dedicated to it.My mother finally accepted my invitation to visit the town and give Villa de Leyva another opportunity.
We arrived early in an August morning. Villa de Leyva is located on a semi-arid valley that used to be a vast sea in pre-historical times. It was a cold climate but in clear days the temperature can size considerably. My mother and I headed towards a small restaurant near the central square to enjoy a breakfast of bread, tamales, freshly squeezed orange juice and coffee made from locally grown beans. The delicious aroma...