Teacher on Two Wheels

Above: Me in front of the cathedral at Las Lajas

Decades ago, a girl claimed to see the image of the Virgin Mary on a rock face in the gorge that cuts through the town of Las Lajas, Colombia. Because of her testimony (and the religious pilgrimages that it inspired), a cathedral was built that spans the gorge. Today, the cathedral is a big tourist draw for Colombians and foreigners alike. Although a bit ugly and now at the epicenter of a web of streets lined with vendors selling cheap religious souvenirs, the cathedral is an impressive site as it sits precariously between two sheer rock cliffs and high above a fast-moving river.

Above: A side view of the cathedral