It looked like a plastic bag with black tea leaves. Looking more carefully, one could distinguish the body and the head of the creature. I grabbed the plastic bag on the corner and went to show my shopping to the others. The bravest one, who was 18 months old was the only one who wanted to open the bag and eat a ‘’candy’’. Or two. At first I thought that such a small kid should not eat it but since she seemed to enjoy eating ants I waited to see what will happen next. And she realized by herself that one is more than enough and she didn’t want to eat more.
Hormiga culona – literally translated as “big-assed ant” come from Barichara and San Gil in the Santander departament in Colombia. Only the queens are considered edible.
Barichara is called the most beautiful town in Colombia. And I couldn’t agree more.
To reach Barichara from Bogota:
- By car – around 6-7 hours.
- By plane to Bucaramanga (45 minutes flight) and from there by a rented car about 2-3 hours to Barichara. Visitors stop at the Chicamocha Canyon (I’ll write about it soon).
In Barichara you can stay in a hotel or a hostal in the town or outside of the town. We opted for a hotel located 4 km from Barichara with stunning views and a swimming pool.
