{"id":5246,"date":"2012-11-01T15:06:20","date_gmt":"2012-11-01T20:06:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/?p=5246"},"modified":"2016-05-06T10:54:22","modified_gmt":"2016-05-06T15:54:22","slug":"night-rides-iranian-restaurants-and-the-colombian-hills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/11\/night-rides-iranian-restaurants-and-the-colombian-hills\/","title":{"rendered":"Night rides, Iranian restaurants and the Colombian hills"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you want to go on a nice relaxing horse ride through the mountains surrounding Bogot\u00e1, it\u2019s probably best if you don’t invite me to come along.<\/p>\n

I am not terribly comfortable on a horse, and I am the first to admit it.<\/p>\n

I tried my best to remain calm, I tried to find my Zen, to let go. I tried to relax my muscles, which were tight and had started to twitch, I tried moving in sync with the horse, I tried getting comfortable in the saddle, but alas, I was a mess.<\/p>\n

\"Don't<\/a>
Don’t let the smile fool you, I am extremely uncomfortable here.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My poor horse, as well as the people I went with, must have let out a big sigh of relief once it was over.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you OK Sarah?\u201d One person said as we began to set off.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot really,\u201d I replied, my teeth clenched.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave you been on a horse before?\u201d another said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis might surprise you, but actually yes.\u201d I answered.<\/p>\n

Silence.<\/p>\n

I was in La Calera with a bunch of Colombian and Australian friends. Everyone else looked enviably comfortable on their trusty steeds.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeehaw!\u201d One called, galloping off into the distance. My horse started to follow, going too fast for me to handle.\u00a0I made squeamish noises from the back of the pack, trying to get my horse to walk at a pace not unlike that of an abuela’s.<\/p>\n

But, in my\u00a0defence,\u00a0 let me set the scene for you – it was Halloween evening, we were in the middle of La Calera at about 8pm at night, it looked like it was a full moon and we were riding horses through the hills into the darkness. And this was all by choice.<\/p>\n

\"Horse<\/a>
Night riding – our trusty steeds.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The ride took about one hour and a half to complete and we stopped atop a hill to a lookout point where\u00a0the near full moon and\u00a0<\/span>the sparkling lights of the surrounding town put on quite the show.<\/p>\n

After some romantic stargazing, we made our way back down to the main road, hopped off our horses and decided it was time for some food. Andres, a local, suggested Cocina de Tahir, a restaurant owned by a Colombian and Iranian couple and conveniently located just down the road.<\/p>\n

The Iranian fled his country during the Gulf War, came to Colombia and met the woman of his dreams whom he now cooks alongside at Cocina de Tahir. Since he had a pizzeria in Iran, the restaurant specialises in both Italian and Arabic food.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey make the best pizzas in Bogot\u00e1,\u201d Andres said.<\/p>\n

A quick tour of the kitchen and a look at the open wood-fired oven, I reckon that he just might be right. But as I was getting into the Arabic music that was playing, I decided I was in the mood for some traditional fare so I opted for the Arabe Mixto ($25,000) a plate full of rice, dolmas, meat dumplings, dips,\u00a0tabbouleh\u00a0and falafel. Yum.<\/p>\n

\"Cocina<\/a>
Cocina de Tahir, the kitchen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With full bellies and sore bums, we called it a night and returned to Bogot\u00e1. Night rides through the hills surrounding Bogot\u00e1 during a full moon, what a way to spend Halloween.<\/p>\n

\"Cocina<\/a>
Cocina de Tahir<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sarah<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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