Regarding Ronda

Ronda is an adventure for its incredibly beautiful views and scary roads; I don’t believe I will ever forget waking up with my face against the window of the bus and seeing a sheer drop-off to the ravine below. The road was so narrow that I couldn’t even see the guardrail (not that they would have helped). As we approached the city I was in awe. The mountains are unlike anything I have ever seen. While roaming the city led by a man named Jesus (pronounced in Spanish heysus) we were able to stand on a terrace overlooking El Tajo Gorge, a 500 foot deep gorge that divides the new (1485) part of the city from the old part. This terrace has been given a very colorful name by the Rondians, because you can’t help but gasp a certain profanity when you look over the edge. The view from the “new bridge” built in the 1600’s was spectacular! I was amazed that it is still in use today.

We then followed Jesus on his motorcycle to heaven! We wound our way up through the mountains to Cueva de a Pileta, a cave that has prehistoric paintings done more than 30,000 years ago! I think the most incredible part of this trip for me came when we were in the cave and our guide demonstrated “rock music” to us by hitting the rocks with his fist. Not exactly the rock music that we know today, but way more awesome (and I’m an 80’s hair band lover)! The rock formation in the cave has a beautiful formation that looks like the organs in the churches, and it plays beautiful music. When I got on the bus heading back down the mountain that I thought I would die on (I have a fear of heights when on cliffs), it hit me that I had my allegory of the cave in reverse. I went into the cave close-minded, having no idea that cavemen could make such beautiful music and paintings and now, I can never go back to seeing cavemen the same!