A church cross rising out of the water is all that remains of the town of Peñol
A church cross rising out of the water is all that remains of what was once the town of Peñol. In the 1970s, the Colombian government flooded an area of over 6,000 hectares of hills and valleys in order to create a network of freshwater lakes, paying off the few thousand residents of Peñol to move to higher ground. Now, the Peñol-Guatapé reservoir culminates in a major dam that generates 30% of Colombia’s power.
I visited Guatapé, a colorful town nestled among these water channels, last weekend with 20-something other tribers. We started the day by visiting an above ground replica of the now underwater town of Peñol, which honestly was more a tourist trap than anything else. Our next destination was El Peñón de Guatapé, an enormous granite rock jutting out from the landscape and one of the main landmarks of the region. After climbing some 720 steps to get to the stop, the views were stunning.
After 720 stairs, the view from the top of El Peñón was worth it!
El Peñón, as seen from our AirBnb
Note the rave music in the background…
We finished our day on a boat cruise through the reservoir, where we learned that in addition to providing energy to the people of Colombia, the town of Guatapé and its surrounding lakes is now a picture-perfect vacation destination for Colombia’s elite. In fact, many of the vacation properties are still owned by the Escobar family. Over slightly too-loud techno music, our guide pointed out some of Escobar’s villas that had been bombed out in the midst of the drug war. The whole experience on the boat was a little strange… we were encouraged to dance (with our life jackets on) to rave music blaring out the speakers, no alcohol allowed, all the while our guide told us somber stories of the many tragedies that occurred in the times of the drug war. Not quite the atmosphere I’d expect while discussing that topic, but at least the views were beautiful!
We returned to a beautiful villa overlooking the water, with views of El Peñón from every window— undoubtedly the nicest AirBnb I’ve ever stayed in (for $25 a night!). From the main house, a narrow staircase descended on a beautiful pool, outdoor grill, and pool house, complete with a private dock. We spent most of Sunday just enjoying the property - grilling, swimming, and creating human pyramids (what?!).
The fact that one (out of 20) of us was a cheerleader 10 years ago made us fully qualified to take on the human pyramid…
The pool and pool house. We were spoiled!
View at sunset. You can see El Peñón in the background.
Our private dock!
I brought my guitar along, and a few of us played and harmonized into the early hours of the morning. This was the most memorable part of the trip for me. There’s something special about the way that people connect through music, and it’s something I’ve missed a lot since my college acappella days. That night, a few of us took turns playing the guitar, while others sang along. At one point, we even had one person banging the kitchen pot as a drum and another on the salt shaker!
Since that night, I’ve started regularly “jamming” with one of my fellow tribe mates and closest girl friends here, Jen. Like me, she plays guitar and piano and loves a good harmony. I have to say, it’s been SO nice to have someone to sing and play with. I’ve really missed this in my life! We’re even thinking of performing the song below at a local open mic night here, so stay tuned :)
Having some fun jamming with pots and pans!