Day 473 – Minca
Spanish Lessons Round 2
We woke up without any power at Finca Hostel Bolivar. The generator was only run during the night. This wasn’t a problem, as the kitchen had a gas stove to prepare breakfast with.
Finca Hostel Bolivar common area
Afterwards we left for our first day of Spanish classes. Along the way, we stopped by the Fruteria (Grocery Store) to buy some avocados. They were fresh, tasty and of course way cheaper than back home.
CREA Spanish Lessons
We arrived at the CREA centre a little early and were greeted by our teacher. She was the director of Mision Gaia (Mission Gaia) and was super friendly. This made the 3 hours fly by.
CREA Spanish class room
Unfortunately we had to start at a very basic level. We had forgotten everything we learnt in Mexico. It was good to experience a different educational approach. The focus felt more practical, which was fun and more applicable for our travels.
A big part of the lesson was walking around town and saying “En Minca hay….” (In Minca there is…). It was a very interesting way to learn but writing things down while walking wasn’t a great idea. Somewhere along the way I had stepped on dog poo.
En Minca hay cafe En Minca hay un puente amarillo En Minca hay una iglesia
After class we went back into town for lunch. We tried the Arabic restaurant, Arabesca Minca. The food was delicious. While here, we got a message from a friend who was in a BBC article about his travels in Venezuela! Click here for the BBC link, which is in Spanish.
After lunch we went back to our hostel where my wife started on the Spanish homework straight away. In contrast, I procrastinated for as long as I could. As with everything, once I finally started, I was motivated to study.
Last night a German family who are caravanning around South America came to the hostel. They had converted an old fire truck into the caravan, which was pretty cool. This meant that the hostel’s facilities would be shared by more than just the 4 people in the dorm room. Apparently there is a large group of tourists from Germany who bring over vehicles and drive all around South America.
Converted fire truck
Travelled December 2019
Expenses and Transport
- Spanish Language School 15 hours – 450,000 COP (~$175 AUD) per person at CREA/Mission Gaia