"If I were asked to enumerate the pleasures of travel, this would be one of the greatest among them - that so often and so unexpectedly you meet the best in human nature, and seeing it so by surprise and often with a most improbable background, you come, with a sense of pleasant thankfulness, to realize how widely scattered in the world are goodness and courtesy and the love of immaterial things, fair blossoms found in every climate, on every soil." - Freya Stark
The next stop was Finca La Bonanze "Chez Kika," where I found perhaps the fairest of blossoms in the beautiful persons of Kika and Anuar.
Kika and Anuar were nurtured in Morocco south of Casablanca, and further blossomed with their three children in South America. After hectic careers in the hospitality industry and international business, and after starting their family, they decided it was time to slow down and live, so they shipped their home on wheels to Montevideo and headed on a three-year journey through South America. They fell in love with Colombia and the Colombian people, so they bought a place a bit off the tourist track in southwest Colombia near Popayan and began hosting overlanders. And what wonderful hosts they are! They make everybody feel so welcome.
One of the highlights of Finca La Bonanza was the wonderful dinners and breakfasts that Anuar would make. I had dinner two of the four nights I was at La Bonanza. Each night I had a different type of tajine, a traditional dish of North Africa named after the type of ceramic pot in which it is made. So delicious. One night I was joined by a nice couple from France, and the other night I was joined by a family from Utah and a couple from Germany (more about people later). Breakfast was also good - indeed, I had to buy some of the delicious bread and jam before I left.
Another highlight of La Bonanza was a trip to the indigenous village of Silvia and its wonderful market. Kika graciously organized a trip for everyone and acted as a tour guide for us, telling us about the local indigenous communities, the traditions, and the market and all the different foods.
Silvia is a municipality at 2,620 m (8,600 ft) which is the center of six indigenous reserves occupied by two indigenous peoples, the Misak and the Nasa. Both groups occupied the Cauca region before the Spanish invaded and pushed them higher up into the mountains of the Cordillera Central. They have strongly held to their belief systems and customs. In more recent times, it appears that they have been granted more rights and autonomy. Many wear their traditional clothes of blue cloth worn as a sarong or shawl, a poncho or blouse, and black felt hats. The black hats were adopted from British bowler hats of the 1930s. More recently, since 2001, many have returned to their more traditional palm-weaved, flat hats with much meaning associated with them including the duality of opposites such as male/female or sun/moon and the four directions of north, south, east, west. The weave includes symbols of their world including mountains, water, soil, and blood. The color purple representing blood has two meanings: first, the blood that you pass on from one generation to another, and second, the blood of their people that was spilled during the Spanish invasion. The hats have one or two folds in them, which represent their hidden sacred places underneath the fold.
We enjoyed visiting the market where I bought lots of fruits and vegetables. (I did not, however, buy any animal parts from the meat market.) We also walked around town and visited a good coffee shop where Kika told us about the social and political situation in Colombia and how indigenous communities fit in. Interestingly, she said that many of the buses that we saw loaded with locals were heading to Bogota to protest some of the lost promises of the new president. Lastly, we visited an artesania shop where we learned more about local customs, and, of course, I had to buy a traditional hat.
I truly enjoyed meeting many other overlanders at La Bonanza. It seemed like a special group, and Kika agreed. The others included a wonderful family from Utah (Scott, Keri, Lillian and Case}, a family of four from Belgium, a couple from France (Pascal and Nadine), and a couple from Germany (Andreas and Sabine). It was such a pleasure to spend time with them at dinner, on the tour in Silvia, and at a wonderful gathering for all where Kika shared some spice cake and tea with everyone. It was also nice having kids around and watching them play despite their language barriers. A special place filled with special people - thanks to Kika and Anuar.
