{"id":9566,"date":"2013-08-16T10:25:26","date_gmt":"2013-08-16T15:25:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/?p=9566"},"modified":"2021-03-16T17:42:04","modified_gmt":"2021-03-16T22:42:04","slug":"just-another-puente-special-villa-de-leyva-wind-kite-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2013\/08\/just-another-puente-special-villa-de-leyva-wind-kite-edition\/","title":{"rendered":"Just Another Puente: Special Villa de Leyva Wind & Kite Edition."},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

Well, if you\u00b4ve paying any attention at all, you\u00b4ll know that I\u00b4m talking about what kind of economics? Anybody? Anybody? I mean, you\u00b4ll know that \u00a8puentes,\u00a8 which is Jamaican for \u00a8long weekends,\u00a8 are pretty damn boring here in Colombia. For example, if you\u00b4re in Bogot\u00e1 for the one starting tomorrow, I\u00b4m afraid that the most you can get up to is shaking everything that your mama (or anybody else, for that matter) gave you at Salsa al Parque, to no other than the amazingly-named Ruben Blades. Look, you can\u00b4t have everything all the time, OK?<\/p>\n

If, like most other Colombians, you somehow make it to Villa de Leyva\u00a0(get some arepas boyencense on the way, remember), I\u00b4m afraid you\u00b4ll just have to console yourself with the paltry two festivals happening there: the 38th annual Kite Festival, and the Wind Festival.<\/p>\n

First up, I want to talk about the Wind Festival. Started way back in 1879 by the same roving band of twenty Antioquians who founded the city of Manizales<\/a>, this festival revolves around the traditional love of frijoles\u00a0<\/em>that they brought along with them. All weekend, competitors in the main attraction, called the Wind Master Event, eat as much of this protein-rich, musical fruit as they can stomach, in preparation for Sunday\u00b4s competition, which involves the artful production of sounds from each challenger\u00b4s posterior. Much like in the Olympic sport of diving, a panel of hand-picked judges awards scores based on difficulty, duration, and artistic ability displayed by the flatulator.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The main plaza, inexplicably empty.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

If this all sounds a little too high-brow for you, why not go to the event that I didn\u00b4t just childishly invent instead? The 38th Wind and Kite Festival hits Villa de Leyva (which, if you haven\u00b4t been paying attention, we talk about here<\/a>, here<\/a>, and here<\/a>) this long weekend, attracting droves of city-slickers to step into the beautifully white-washed time machine that is the Villa, whose skies will be dotted in a kaleidoscope of the weekend\u00b4s main (and nonfictional) attraction, KITES.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Everybody<\/a>
Everybody gets into the action.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

If this doesn\u00b4t stir you to the very essence of your being, it\u00b4s probably because you don\u00b4t realise how beautiful, exciting, and downright dangerous this noblest of sports can be. Kites were said to be invented in China to ward off evil spirits, and have been used to awe and demoralise enemy troops, both in China and the antebellum United States. Kite fighting is banned in some regions of Pakistan, due to the extreme level of danger involved. In Villa de Leyva, battle-hardened professionals – in teams, pairs, or resolutely toughing it out solo – \u00a0from all around the world will flaunt their decades of experience to win one of the many hotly-contested titles up for grabs. In Colombia, my friends, August is the kiting month, and nowhere is this more joyfully – or, dare I say it? nerdily – demonstrated than in Villa de Leyva\u00b4s massive main plaza.<\/p>\n

If the rigours of professional kiting sound just a little too intense for you, never fear, as Monday is the day for mere mortals to have a go at clumsily maneuvering their kites around the powder-blue sky. This year, this family aspect of this excuse for city-slickers to invade Villa de Leyva will be emphasised, and it\u00b4s something that kids of all ages will really dig. The usually tranquil VDL will be buzzing with festive enthusiasm. If you haven\u00b4t booked already, don\u00b4t worry! You\u00b4ll probably find it a struggle to find bricks-and-mortar accomodation, but there will still be ample camping space, and, really, there\u00b4s no better way to enjoy the Villa\u00b4s colonial charms. Still, there\u00b4s not much time! The kites are released tomorrow, so RUN!!!!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Well, if you\u00b4ve paying any attention at all, you\u00b4ll know that I\u00b4m talking about what kind of economics? Anybody? Anybody? I mean, you\u00b4ll know that \u00a8puentes,\u00a8 which is Jamaican for \u00a8long weekends,\u00a8 are pretty damn boring here in Colombia. For example, if you\u00b4re in Bogot\u00e1 for the one starting tomorrow, I\u00b4m afraid that the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88889,"featured_media":9567,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[71,1422,3,115,626,66,92,76,51],"tags":[224,58,142,2977],"yoast_head":"\nJust Another Puente: Special Villa de Leyva Wind & Kite Edition. - Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2013\/08\/just-another-puente-special-villa-de-leyva-wind-kite-edition\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Just Another Puente: Special Villa de Leyva Wind & Kite Edition.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"  Well, if you\u00b4ve paying any attention at all, you\u00b4ll know that I\u00b4m talking about what kind of economics? 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