Desert Adventures

Many people fear being alone, and I myself have made this mistake before. It hasn't been until recently that I've allowed myself to discover the beauty of independent adaptation. In reality, I have always been a strong-minded person whose gone lengths to provide for myself. I never thought there would be a time in my life where I looked for the approval of others in order to make my own decisions. After a friend I confided many secrets in left this earth, my conscious found itself in quite the predicament when attempting to differentiate "right" and "wrong." I soon learned that life is about making decisions and hesitating is the worst thing one could do. 

I made a choice 2 weeks ago that reflects how far I've come since last year. What feels like little time has actually been quite a while. My goal before arriving in Colombia was to make an attempt to see as much of the country as possible before departing back to the homeland. Although my list of traveled cities was not looking too shabby, I decided I needed to make an even bolder move. I've spent the last 2 months moving from east to west, exploring la costa Atlántico. In order to respect the goals I originally created for myself, I had to take a greater leap.

Not even five days before the planned date, I discovered there was a group of travelers organizing to go to a desert in the far south of the country. Now I had no idea who these people were, but the moment I saw the departamento location I knew this was the leap I was striving for. Far away from the coast is where I needed to go, no matter how long the trek. Maybe its because I was born in the home of the brave, but I sensed deep in my gut that I needed to do something rash and spontaneous.

Boarding the bus in Bogotá-which took quite an effort to find since I had no idea who I was looking for-I already found myself making new friends. To be honest, it is quite difficult to not get along with fellow travelers because we all have a common fixation on experiencing new and exciting things. It wasn't long until I realized I was not the only one who jumped at the opportunity to be a +1 on this desert adventure.

When you're in such a majestic place, it's easy to acquaint intimate moments with each person. Smaller interactions with people remain just as profound in my memory as time spent during planned activities. Throughout these occurrences, I sparked a special young friendship with a French/Colombian girl who had taken the same leap as me on her own.

There is so much to rant on about my time in the Tatacoa. From watching the sunset disappear behind the mountains, to gazing up at the Milky Way in the night sky, every moment was spent with bliss. There was one experience that not only sheds light on the free spirited adventure, but reflects the feeling of adrenalin I've been striving for the entire time I've been in Colombia. This moment began with the last-minute decision to go galloping through the open land on horseback.

I've spent a good chunk of my life learning to ride both Western and English styles. Hell, bring me a horse free of man-made leather and I will be able to control it bareback style while using its mane as the reins. When my friends and I were offered to ride in the desert for 2 hours for only $30 mil pesos ($10 USD), we had no choice but to accept. It had been a few years since I found myself on the back of a horse, but the moment I mounted her everything I learned from the past came back to me.

The Tatacoa desert is the second largest arid zone in all of Colombia. Now that we had a better means of travel than our feet, we had no excuse but to explore as much as possible within the 2 hour time frame. Gianchacata was a rowdy horse, but for this I am glad. She always knew when the time was right to take off with a gallop. The ground may not have always been flat, but it was even more fun to test her agility when racing up and down the rigid hills of clay. The trotting would start up whenever another horse came into sight, or there was an indication that a scenic spot was approaching our path.

There was a moment when all of the horses in the group became in sync with each others' gallops, feeding into the adrenalin of the riders. The joyful screams of "YEEEEHHHAAAWWW!!!!" from my friends, triggered memories of my time spent in the southern USA. The familiar chants brought me home by filling the void of longingness for family and friends. I am thankful for Ginachacata because she provided so much more than a ride through the desert. Most of all, I am glad to have spent this moment with people I had grown comfortable with after such little time.

White noise engulfed the interior of the bus back to Bogotá as each exhausted traveler slept to regain the energy used on this magnificent journey. So far, this has been the best decision I've made during my travels in Colombia. I gained adventurous new friends over the course of a weekend, who I hope to keep close to my heart. Most importantly, I now have reassurance that making more bold decisions while I am here is the best thing I can do throughout the rest of my journey.