Monguí floored me- both visually and physically.
I heard about Monguí from my Lonely Planet guide book. “Today this Christmas- colored village boasts uniform green and white colonial architecture only broken by occasional newer brick constructions that evoke the English countryside.” The book also stated Monguí was, “Once voted the most beautiful village in Boyacá.” Yeah...I’ll go.
English countryside indeed
One of my closest friends, Veronica, was visiting from the States and I figured we should check this village out. We are suckers for a good view and beautiful atmosphere, things I really wanted her to experience in Colombia. Bogotá is great- it has a charm that has grown on me and the views I get a glimpse of here and there make me grateful for where I am- but if you’re visiting Colombia, you need to see more than just the capital.
You’ll be seeing a lot of photos of Veronica
I had looked up how to get to Monguí prior to our trip, but most of the instructions were vague. “Ok, we’re going to wing it,” I said to Veronica after getting frustrated with the lack of information available. We had previously ventured to La Catedral de Sal, so we had an idea of how the bus system worked. Basically, you just ask someone with a uniform where to go and they point you in the right direction. It works out.
We hopped on a four hour bus to Sogamoso for about 27.000 COP each (9.00 USD) and enjoyed our travel snacks- cheese croissants and bananas. I swear every trip I’ve been on here, I bring those two foods with me. They never disappoint. If you happen to take this bus journey, make sure you look out the window as much as possible. We passed some of the most gorgeous views and scenery that I have ever seen. I was in disbelief the whole way.
When we reached Sogamoso, a station employee pointed us to the bus to Monguí. It cost about 4.000 COP each (1.50 USD). In these small towns, there are bus stops, but it’s not necessary to use them. We were picking passengers up and dropping them off randomly throughout the entire trip. This may take more time but it’s much more convenient for the locals. It took us another hour or so to get to Monguí. This bus ride was also beautiful, and in some places the views were accompanied by the smell of Eucalyptus from the surrounding trees. Veronica especially enjoyed that.
You can see the Eucalyptus trees in the back
The bus dropped us off in the main square and I immediately felt my stomach begin to boil with joy. Monguí is on a mountain, which gives an incredible view of the surrounding peaks. “How are we so lucky?” We kept saying to each other. The streets are filled with cobblestone, adorable houses, and flowers on the windowsills. It’s also impossible to get lost because the town is so small. We made our way to our hostel, which was naturally situated next to a river. Could this place get any more picturesque?
Like, what?
For the past six or so hours, Veronica and I only had croissant, banana and a bit of coconut bread in our bellies. It was 4:30pm, too late for lunch and too early for dinner. When we finally found a restaurant that would serve food, we quickly devoured the meal. In that moment, eating this much-needed food and looking out onto the beautiful square, everything was peace. Things got rocky after that.
The food made us sick. It was rough. To try and heal ourselves, we rested up for the rest of the night reading our books and watching the strange shows on our little hostel TV. At one point we thought the worst was over and went to buy a little somethin’ somethin’ at the store down the street. It was around 7pm and the town seemed dead. No lights and no people. We did pass a couple of other stores to see a group of men drinking beer together, but it felt more like 12am than 7pm. We were in the mood for something sweet and bought a couple of cookies and tiny chocolate bars. The hostel offered free tea and we were excited to drink it with our treats. Again, my taste buds felt very happy and my stomach very sad. We called in an early night.
The next day, I had ideas of us going to Lago Tota- the biggest lake in Colombia. After asking around, we found out we’d have to go back to Sogamoso to get another bus to the lake. It would be about an hour and a half trip there and a very long day. Let me tell you, we weren’t cut out for this. In the end we ventured the very cute streets of Monguí, taking photos, making friends with the stray dogs, and discovering a soccer ball factory.
Pretty much what Veronica did her entire trip
It turns out that the town is known for its hand-sewn, leather soccer balls. *Monguí exports over 300,000 soccer balls to Latin countries and creates over 100 jobs for families. The employees in the factory were nice enough to let us watch and take photos and videos while they work. It was incredible to see.
Looking back, Monguí is still one of my favorite places in Colombia- even though it caused me to eat bland, depressing food for about five days to heal. I can’t stay away, though, and I’m going back with my sister to do a six-mile hike called the Paramo de Oceta. I can’t wait for her to see the soccer ball factories, because she is a soccer nut and works in MLS. I can’t wait for her to look down each street and see a mountain, because it amazed me each time. I can’t wait for her to hopefully feel an ounce of joy that Monguí bestowed on me and made me even more sure of why I now call Colombia “home.”
Go to Monguí and fall in love with Colombia. Just be careful of the food.
*Egerton, Alex, et al. Colombia. Lonely Planet, 2015.
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