A Sentimental Journey in Pamplona

Pamplona Valle del Espiritu 

Every city, country, or place I’ve been to always had a unique story behind it. But Pamplona, a small city in North Santander Colombia is so special because it has a sentimental reason. During my five months in Colombia, I’ve traveled to several cities and Pamplona is the last city I visited. I went there with my Spanish teacher Dilma and my Focalae classmate for the weekend. It was our last weekend in Colombia and we decided to go there to create a beautiful farewell for her.

Pamplona is our teacher’s hometown and since we have a close relationship with her she was really excited to take us there. The eight of us were gathered at Bucaramanga Bus Station at 8 am. After 30 minutes we finally meet with Dilma, she also took her sister and nephew to join us in Pamplona. We rode a minibus that can fit 15 people.

The journey to Pamplona is short around two hours, but the road wasn’t easy with many curves up and down through the mountain. I took a seat near the window to prevent myself from throwing up although I still feel a bit sick. The air was really fresh especially when the bus reached the mountain area.

After two hours we finally arrived and my first impression of Pamplona is really beautiful. It is small yet very authentic, but it has different vibes than Cartagena Old Town. Pamplona is not a touristy destination it is a small town that is inhabited by communities who work as farmers and students outside the region. That’s why the situation here is more relaxed and laid back. The temperature is almost the same as Bogotá around 18 °C (64 °F) and lows of 7 °C (45 °F) so it’s a bit cold, but the population here is less only 54 thousand people. 

DAY # 1

At Águeda Gallardo Park 

When I reached the main part of the city Parque Águeda Gallardo I was so surprised. It is really huge, so bright and clean, it is simply beautiful. It took my breath away. Then after standing for a few minutes staring at it I continued to Ursua Hotel. This ancient hotel is located just in front of the park with the authentic architecture of typical Latin America. This is a hotel where we stay for the next couple of days. 

Waiting for Romeo on the Balcony of Ursua Hotel 

We book two bedrooms that are located on the second floor and stand next to each other. The room is big and can fit four people with four beds, a bathroom, and a balcony with a view of Parque Águeda Gallardo. When we opened the window through the balcony all of us were feeling like we are in Romeo and Juliet story. There is a scene when Romeo standing below the balcony and trying to reach Juliet with a flower and saying a poetic word. Que romántico!

Evening Stroll at Museo de Arte Religioso

After a few hours of taking a nap, Dilma came to our hotel and took us to an Archdiocesan Museum of Religious Art, which contains paintings, wood carvings, silverware, statues, and ornaments that are full of history. Later that night we continued ourselves to an old house or El Museo Casa Colonial of the seventeenth century that was built in stepped wood. This place preserves the memory of the city in a collection of archaeological and ethnographic pieces. It is located near our hotel and faces the park of Águeda Gallardo. 

Libertad! @ Universidad de Pamplona 

Walking by foot Dilma then took us to Universidad de Pamplona where her sister works there as a lecturer. The university is located up on the hill with several buildings, a football field, a basketball, and a gymnasium. It wasn’t really modern but it wasn’t bad either. 

A Cup of Hot Chocolate Made Our Cold Night in Pamplona

Cozy and Warm Coffee Shop in Pamplona 

It is dinner time and Dilma took us to a hip neighborhood on the corner of the city. It’s a street full of restaurants, bars even a cinema. It is a lively hip area full of young people. Dilma said it is an area that popular among students for hangout and relaxing after class. That night I ordered a kebab, which is so rare in Colombia. After dinner, we headed to the hotel but in the middle of the street, we found a comfy coffee shop that sells Colombian coffee and hot chocolate that was perfect for that cold night.

DAY # 2

Together at Cristo Rey 

It was a damn cold night, I was twitching on my bed and I felt like my blanket wasn’t enough to prevent me from feeling cold. On the next day, I woke up with a numb leg because it was freezing. I have no idea that night in Pamplona could get that cold. After a few minutes of stretching my body, I took a shower and get ready.

Today Dilma continued taking us to other interesting places in Pamplona. The first stop is El Mirador de Cristo Rey it is a place located on the top of the hill where you can see the whole city of Pamplona. It is soooo beautiful! That all of us can’t stop taking photos.  Let’s take a group shot!

After that, we took a bus to a lodge located across Cristo Rey. It’s pretty far but hey we have all the time together. I didn’t remember the lodge name but it is beautiful with only several rooms but looks decent. The lodge itself is actually a house owned by a retired couple. 

We're so Excited to Explore Pamplona 

We walked back to the city on foot and in the middle of our way back we took a rest in a ranch. There are several pony horses that people can ride by paying for 30 minutes. Then we continued our journey to have some lunch downtown. 

Later that night we took a sit on the bench in the park. It was undoubtedly freezing cold but nothing is warmer than the togetherness we share. We sat facing each other talking about our experienced during our time in Colombia, about our ups and downs. We remember how much our Spanish has improved incredibly and amazingly fast. In just five months we can communicate with taxi drivers, bus drivers, food sellers, teachers, friends, and our Colombian family. We are capable to understand a conversation in a movie dubbed in Spanish and also an explanation made by a tour guide while were traveling. If we think about the past when we arrived for the first time in Colombia most of us has zero Spanish. We had to use Google translate to communicate with our house parents, how crazy is that? 

A Group Hug Ending Our Last Night in Pamplona 

The person who contributed to our Spanish flash improvement is Dilma, the best Spanish teacher we could possibly have. She is not just a teacher, but she is also a friend and family. She helps us a lot through our rough times like finding a house, finding a good house parent, taking us to a dance club, accompanying us to the dentist when we have a toothache, accompanying us to order food and so much more. That night we spent time chatting, laughing, and definitely drinking Aguardiente. Arriba! Abajo! Saluuud! 🍻

DAY # 3

I woke up super early in the morning because of the drum band that plays their instrument amazingly so loud. I think it was 5 o’clock in the morning when everybody is still enjoying their good night's sleep. I remember one of my friends was waking up from her bed and then yelled “There’s a bomb..there’s a bomb!”. Later she walked through the balcony to see what is happening. Then she crawled back to her bed and get more sleep.

Our Last Colombian Breakfast at Pamplona

Central Market Around The Park

People Were Buzzing Around on The Street

Sadly it’s our last day, it’s time for packing and enjoying our last hours in Pamplona. After taking a bath I took a morning stroll with my two friends through the park. We get a breakfast at local restaurant on the corner near the church of Águeda Gallardo park. We ordered typical Colombian breakfast Arepas de Huevo or Corn cakes filled with eggs and chocolate con queso or hot chocolate with a slice of cheese. Also a juice or jugo and bread or pan.
 

Then we headed back to the park to take more pictures together. We also made a video together about how sad we are to leave Pamplona, to leave Colombia for good.

My Chinese friend Bin decided to go to Cúcuta a city located just behind the border. I actually wanted to go there to see the border but at that time Cúcuta was quite a risky city because there is a crisis between Colombia and Venezuela. The gate was shut down by both governments because of a statement from the president of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro that was quite provocative.

The Fog On Our Way Back To Bucaramanga 

Dilma decided to rent a minibus that just fit nine of us minus Bin and Dilma’s sister. I sat in the front between my friend and the driver. I chose to sit in the front because I will get car sick since the road is so curvy. When we headed back down to Bucaramanga the fog started to fall down and we can’t see anything, even the road in front. The driver started to slow down his car because it was a bit dangerous, the view was just purely white. All the way back to Bucaramanga I keep listening to a song from Gusi and Silvestre Dangond titled “Tu tienes razón”. I think it is the theme song for that journey to Pamplona, and nowadays every time I heard that song I always remember that trip.

 Y tu tienes razón, cuando llego tarde a casa 
Y tu tienes razón, por que olvido lo que pasa
Yo te pido perdón, ya conozco tu intuición y tu tienes razón
Aún cuando no la tengas, siempre tienes la razón..

Si, siempre tenemos razón sentimental para recordar ese viaje a Pamplona. Yes, we always had a reason to remember those sentimental trip to Pamplona. 

Adiós Pamplona, Adiós  Colombia! 😢