Where We Be
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| The Rock of Guatape is the big draw for tourists making their way to Guatape, and you can see why -- it's a stunning piece of real estate |
| Rock of Guatapé, Colombia |
| In this photo you can see the huge "GI" painted onto The Rock by the town of Guatape (see story above) |
| The Rock as seen from a bridge near town, with an arm of the reservoir in front |
| We took a tuk-tuk for 10,000 pesos (~$3) from town to the base of the rock and were there by around 9 am |
| Looking up at The Rock, you'd think it would take longer than 30 minutes to get up there |
| Starting early let us climb the stairs while they were still in shade. As we were coming down they were in sun and much more crowded. |
| This is what makes the climb worthwhile. Even before getting to the top you get wonderful views like this. |
| We paused often to catch our breath and enjoy the views. This statue of Mary offers one popular lookout point. |
| Yes, it's a bit of a slog, but if you just take your time (and maybe pray a little) you'll get there |
| At the summit stands a tower with spiral steps leading up to a platform with terrific views |
| A family from America took this photo of us at the top |
| A dam built in the late 1970s flooded the low-lying lands and created a reservoir with seemingly endless tentacles |
| The reservoir twists and turns every which way and looks undeniably beautiful from above |
| Below the tower is all manner of concession stand, gift shop, ice cream stand, etc. |
| Here we tried two unusual "popsicles." Mine -- called Queso Arequipe -- literally had shreds of cheese in it! |
Next morning we tackled La Piedra, Guatape's
big rock with a view. This is the second biggest
monolith in South America after Sugarloaf in
Rio de Janeiro. They've built a series of stairs
into a seam in the rock that look almost like
sutures from a distance.
The rock goes by two different names: El Peñon
de Guatape and La Piedra de Peñol. That's
because two nearby towns -- Guatape and
Peñol -- claim it for their own. Guatape went so
far as to start to paint its name in huge letters
on the rock, but they only got to “G” and part of
the “U” before Peñol got wind of it and shut it
down -- so now the rock has a big “GI” on it!
Climbing The Rock is something pretty much
every visitor to Guatape wants to do. It's about
700 steps to the top and the views from above
make the climb worthwhile. When the river was
dammed the result was a huge "fingered" lake
that looks beautiful from above. The locals call
it "the best view in the world," which is a bit of
an overstatement, but it certainly is pretty. The
climb took us about 30 minutes with numerous
stops to catch our breath and enjoy the view.
big rock with a view. This is the second biggest
monolith in South America after Sugarloaf in
Rio de Janeiro. They've built a series of stairs
into a seam in the rock that look almost like
sutures from a distance.
The rock goes by two different names: El Peñon
de Guatape and La Piedra de Peñol. That's
because two nearby towns -- Guatape and
Peñol -- claim it for their own. Guatape went so
far as to start to paint its name in huge letters
on the rock, but they only got to “G” and part of
the “U” before Peñol got wind of it and shut it
down -- so now the rock has a big “GI” on it!
Climbing The Rock is something pretty much
every visitor to Guatape wants to do. It's about
700 steps to the top and the views from above
make the climb worthwhile. When the river was
dammed the result was a huge "fingered" lake
that looks beautiful from above. The locals call
it "the best view in the world," which is a bit of
an overstatement, but it certainly is pretty. The
climb took us about 30 minutes with numerous
stops to catch our breath and enjoy the view.
| Counting steps as we go -- about one-tenth done! |
| Behind me is the tower with the viewing platform on top |
