Locombia 2017 Chapter Twentyone: The Hub
Honda is a Japanese company most known for its... Wait. What?
Honda 0 kilometers
It's a day off and time for some history, because I've been happy to discover that there is so much more to Honda, home to 25,000 people, than the unbearable heat. Did you for instance know that Honda is known as the city of peace as the violence that rid the country in the 1950s never really reached Honda. Probably because it was too hot to fight here. It is unbearably hot.
This is not a Japanese factory city. The Ondaima indigenous people used to inhabit the area, hence the name Honda. It used to be an indigenous trading post, but the Spanish wanted it as it was the uppermost navigable point on the Magdalena river. So they took it. Honda then connected the coast with the interior of the colony. It's amazing to think that until recently large ships actually navigated the Magdalena river, traditionally Colombia's most important waterway. Due to erosion caused mainly by agricultural expansion, it has been completely impossible to navigate the river since the 1970s.
As the river lost its advantage as a transportation route, so did Honda lose its significance. I had only heard of Honda as one of the warmest places in Colombia, so to my surprise I find this abundance of beautiful colonial architecture and historical sites. Honda should go on the list of places to consider visiting for those passing by this corner of the world.
Status/thoughts
Omar still doesn't feel great, but a day at the pool and he will be good to go.
The streets of Honda. Some houses could need some maintenance, but the style is unquestionably colonial.
The market place, one of the landmarks in Honda.
The Navarro bridge, apparently the first steel bridge in South America.
The rustic streets of Honda at night.
