"The journey not the arrival matters."
T.S. Eliot.
San Cristóbal -where I currently live- is a Venezuelan city located in a valley in the andean region, so it is surrounded by mountains and hills. Whenever I can I try to spent some time in those mountains to get away from the chaos of the city and find some balance.
City of San Cristóbal seen from Loma de Pío, Táchira State. VE. Ph: Emanuel L.
Loma de Pío is part of the mountain ranges that borders San Cristóbal, they are part of "Chorro El Indio" National Park. This area is known for the open fields and country houses that are around, as well as some pine forests that can be seen from the city. I took these pictures the first time I visited.
The plan was simple, me and a couple of friends decided to go to Loma de Pío mountain on a sunday morning. A friend knew the whole route. I had never been there, so I was very excited. We wanted to explore as much as we could until we reached a pine forest and spend the rest of the afternoon there. The route was simple and pretty accessible by road and dirt trails, there are some complicated tracts but not too much, you just have to be careful.
From the top of the rock you can see the city, so we call it "La Roca Mirador"
The whole journey is very enjoyable, there are several incredible places; from brooks and intermittent swamps, to vegetation glades. There is even a 'rock lookout' from which you can see the city between the mountains, it is a giant, porous gray stone that comes from inside the hill, it is very striking since it is the only one in the place with those characteristics, it seemed that nature purposely put it at that point of the road to be admired by the adventurers. This was a mandatory stop to rest before continuing our way.
After passing the rock lookout you can see the pine forest very close. They say that you have to enjoy the journey as much as the destination, and without a doubt it was like that, I am very happy to have met people who enjoy as much as I do spent time in the mountains and go through them.
Entering the Pine Forest All photos taken by me.
The road is my favorite part, there is something about walking with the purpose of discovering a destiny that makes everything feels right.
For now I will leave the post here, in the next one I'll introduce to you the Pine forest.
Thanks for reading and good vibes!