A Change Of Scenery

Having spent ten days in the hectic capital city of Bogota, proceeded by a couple of months of fairly full-on tourist activity, we felt that a change of dynamic was required for us all. We could see that the kids had been having too much stimulus via tours, trips, sights and attractions. We had been eating out too much, which always brings its own dietary challenges. We had been missing time in nature. And we had just been missing chilling out in our home-on-wheels.

So the opportunity arose to go to the Parque Natural Chicaque, a nature reserve an hour outside of Bogota. The space there is amazing, completely covered in thick forest, with wonderful walking trails up and down the mountains. An added benefit is also that there is a school here that our kids could attend during the day. Great for them to be learning and enjoying with other children, and of course a novelty for myself an Laura to have some time to ourselves.

The school is run by UBHA, a non-profit educational organisation located across various countries in Latin America. An “escuela libre” or “free school”, here the children do not follow a particular curriculum. Instead, children of various ages all decide together on a daily basis what they would like to do, learn and experience. It could be making clay volcanoes that can erupt, learning to make and bake cookies, or simply going on a nature walk in the forest. Certainly a new experience for our kids, but one that they hugely enjoyed and benefited from.

For the parents, we really benefited from the free time the kids attending the school afforded us. Having not had such time in a full year, we were able to catch up on plenty of travelling admin requirements, website and Instagram posts, exercising, hiking and generally just enjoying spending some time together.

The reserve itself closed to the general public at 4.30pm each day, which meant that we were alone until 8am each morning. The sensation of being just us, in such a vast, beautiful space, was unique. We really loved it.

We spent two full weeks in Chicaque Nature Reserve. In terms of camper van logistics, this did provide a challenge or two. The Reserve did offer toilets, which came in very handy, and the sunny afternoons charged our solar panels enough to keep the lights on and devices charged in the camper van. Without a shop in sight, we had stocked up extensive food and water prior to arriving. However, as we had only initially intended to stay a week, our decision to stay a second week left us searching for a solution. Thankfully Aleja, the kids excellent teacher, kindly gave us the use of her car to drive to the nearest town (Soacha), where we bought all our supplies for the second week.

Eating all our meals back in the camper van was a huge hit with everyone. We had missed our “own” food, prepared in a way that we liked and served as and when we wanted. The weather helped in this regard. Daytime temperatures here were in the low 20’s, with nighttime’s hovering between 10-15 degrees. Ideal for cooking and living inside a camper van (cooking with higher temperatures can make sleeping uncomfortable as the heat fails to exit the vehicle).

The two weeks were really different to what we had been accustomed to. Gone was the daily driving, the visits to towns accompanied by restaurant lunches and ice creams. This was replaced by more human interactions, learning, nature and general tranquility. It won’t last forever, we will return to busier days as we continue to travel north. Yet we have certainly come to realise that a more balanced approach to both will benefit us all hugely during the rest of this family adventure.