Chandra and I followed a road to nowhere, literally, down a barely marked dirt road, to a driveway that we would have driven by had I not noticed the "galapita" sign on one of the trees. We entered through a facade and were led down a dirt path by a man in dirty and tattered clothing. "Where on earth are we? ... I wondered..." Then the villa came into view. I remained in awe and nearly speechless for the next 40 hours or so that we spent at a place I won't hesitate to call heaven on earth.
And we had it all to ourselves. Galapita, which literally means built on a rock, is an eco lodge centered around a part of Gem River where it cuts through large slabs of stone. Open air huts, each with their own unique design, are built into the rocks. There is no electricity. There is, however, a yoga pavilion, little massage huts, a treehouse, swings facing the river, hammocks, and if you are lucky enough to stay in the villa, a large sitting area where one can easily waste away hours, if not days. If that is not enough, the food was indeed the best I've had in the three weeks now I've been away. It was closed for the low season, but since Chandra knew the owner, he let us stay a couple days with two staff members to cook and clean up after us.
There are a few places on earth that I've been that just melt away every care in the world. This was one of them. It is hard to put such a place into words, but it was magical, and long before I left, in fact shortly after I'd arrived, I already wanted to come back.
And we had it all to ourselves. Galapita, which literally means built on a rock, is an eco lodge centered around a part of Gem River where it cuts through large slabs of stone. Open air huts, each with their own unique design, are built into the rocks. There is no electricity. There is, however, a yoga pavilion, little massage huts, a treehouse, swings facing the river, hammocks, and if you are lucky enough to stay in the villa, a large sitting area where one can easily waste away hours, if not days. If that is not enough, the food was indeed the best I've had in the three weeks now I've been away. It was closed for the low season, but since Chandra knew the owner, he let us stay a couple days with two staff members to cook and clean up after us.
There are a few places on earth that I've been that just melt away every care in the world. This was one of them. It is hard to put such a place into words, but it was magical, and long before I left, in fact shortly after I'd arrived, I already wanted to come back.
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