Our story starts in 2001.
Our story starts in 2001. In that year we traveled through South America for 6 months. During this dream voyage it became clear that we really felt at home in this remarkable continent. We left knowing that there was still much to discover. Therefore we returned in 2003 for another 6 months. Meanwhile, those memorable experiences are already far behind us.
Upon returning home it became obvious that we couldn’t get Latin America out of our minds and Johan quit his dayjob in Belgium. He ended up in the tourist sector and found his dream job as a tour guide in Peru and Bolivia. Mexico and Guatemala soon followed, with an occasional journey to Argentina. The next ten years he stayed for at least six months a year in Latin America.
Colombia, country with the second largest biodiversity in the world. Nature, our passion.
13 Years, and several trips to Colombia, we ended up in 2012 in the idyllic village of Barichara (Santander department). Barichara is discribed as one of the most, if not the most, beautiful villages of Colombia. It therefore became a national monument in 1978. About five kilometres out of Barichara, in the ‘vereda’ Lubigara, we’ve bought a farmhouse on two and a half hectares of land and transformed it to a paradise.
Thanks to the dry and mild climate at an altitude of about 1300 metres you can linger outdoors until late in the evening the whole year round (average temperature of 25 degrees Celsius). Moreover the quality of life is high in this region, there is no pollution, few cars, it is safe and quiet and the beautiful countryside is overwhelming.
Building according to ancient traditions
For the construction of the two additional rooms and the ‘caney’ we used local, natural materials. The rooms were build in so called ‘bahareque‘ and the ‘caney’ in ‘Tapia Pisada’. These are two ancient architectural styles. In ‘bahareque’ a framework of wood and bamboo is filled with small rocks. The remaining holes are padded with mud. Once dry a finishing layer is applied in two stages. First a rough one followed by a fine mixture of soil, lime, finely ground dried horse manure and water. After a drying period of one month three coats of paint are applied. Due to the time consuming aspect this style isn’t used that often anymore. But it’s all worth it because the final structure is earthquake resistant.
Tapia Pisada, how the walls of the Caney were built !
Tapia is made with fine orange earth, which has no pebbles in it. To work that earth, it is mixed with water and lime. Then the earth is pounded in a mold (bastiones) layer by layer with a thick wooden stick by the master builder. This distinct technique requires skill and cannot be done by any master builder! First, a base is made of stones with a drainage channel. This is very important for the strength of the structure and to drain the water released during drying. The structure is built meter by meter (bastion by bastion). Before tamping the earth in the second and then the third bastion, the earth of the first and then second bastion must dry out well. Once the L-shaped Tapia columns are there, they need to dry out for about another month. Then the roof construction can be started.
Biodiversity in Barichara, Colombia
The nature around the BB has really exploded in 10 years. Mostly thanks to our small interventions to slowly drain the water to lower areas. We do this by collecting all rainwater from the roofs on the one hand. After this water was used in the shower and sinks, it flows into the lower garden. The rain that falls on the ground is collected through channels in 3 ponds. We make low walls around the trees with stones and/or old branches to keep the earth from running off during heavy rains.
With rocks, we mark out an area to stop erosion as much as possible and not lose the fertile layer of humus. This helps to keep the plants and trees green longer during the dry season. The barriers not only hold back the earth but also keep it moist longer around the trees and makes them grow stronger than other trees and shrubs in this area. All these interventions create a green oasis that acts like a magnet to birds and creates a natural dynamic that is self-maintaining. Which we can then all enjoy together.