East of Bogota

La Minga...Choachi, and La Laguna Ubaque.  Three jewels literally within shouting distance of Bogota, about 50 miles east and a quick getaway from the "trancones", concrete and general stress of urban living in the city of more than 8 million we call home.

The dozen women who took the AWC - organized trip in April ended up with much more than we bargained for -- in the most positive of ways.  The way up was winding road. And we kept going up and up and up -- in fact so far up that we could look down on Monserrate.

Our hosts were the delightful couple who manage the property that is home to La Casa Gestante en La Minga en Choachi when founder and entrepreneur Pedro Molina is not there. Embarrassingly, I misplaced my notepad with their names.  But we got the full tour of what is an amazing piece of architecture and an equally amazing concept –where everything is ecologically sound and environmentally friendly.

All the structures are made of natural materials with construction based on three techniques -- bahareque, which uses timber, bamboo and mud; tapia pisada or stepped walls and adobe. Fruit and vegetables are grown on-site; there is a true roof garden and an ecological refrigerator. The building has a sauna, decks with amazing views surrounded by land that has a running brook, small waterfalls and lush vegetation.  

What makes the place so special is the philosophy behind it -- a belief in a real community give and take. We showed up just a few days after a “treque” where people trade what they have for what they want. Rural neighbors brought vegetables, fruits and plants they had grown, fresh cheeses and more; city visitors brought electrical goods, sporting goods, toys and used clothing. Everyone went away happy.

OK, enough.  The idea is just to give you a sense of the day. From La Minga, one of our organizers had the idea to make an already perfect day even better by driving to the nearby Laguna Ubaque and Choachi.  The lagoon is one of Cundinamarca's best-kept secrets. Those who can have weekend homes. Those who can't are happy with a half hour spent gazing out at the lagoon and in our case, sharing a bottle (or two) of wine.  The day included a quick stop in the town of Choachi, where even in the main plaza you could almost hear the silence.