Mike outside with the miner
The Diocesan cathedral - I accidentally walked in on a funeral.
The town from a different look out point
The entrance to the mine
Well lit salt tunnel 
One of the stations of the cross
Today I took a day trip from bogota to a town near by called zipaquira. The trip included two trips on the transmilenio (about a dollar each way) which I'm starting to figure out as well as some small intercity buses that you jump on if it's going your way and pay when you've gotten on the way (about 2 bucks each way for a 45-1 hour trip).
Zipaquira is a smallish mining town, famous for their salt mine, which has been mined continuously for centuries and was used by the indigenous culture before the Spanish conquest as an important trade good that kept them powerful.
The draw for tourists and the devout is the salt cathedral inside the mine complex. According to the video the church has been there in some form for at least a hundred years but really it was reconstructed in its current form about 20 years ago (I think). The tour was entirely in Spanish so I was left to figure stuff out in my own.
The first chambers were stations of the cross followed by different views of the chapel and sanctuary spaces from above then down into the various congregational areas.
The rooms were all carved out of the areas previously mined. Much of the rock has been shaped into something that resembles rooms. The crosses for the most part were either carved out and rearranged(I assumed) or made from marble that I assume was from a different site. At different points during the tour you smell heavy mineral smells but overall it smells like moistened rock salt (like any cave really). You can't help but feel a little claustrophobic because you are moving up and down through the system and the air isn't so great. Still for the most part the tunnels are rather large and illuminated by sweet colored lights that make the whole place feel awesome.
At the end of the tour you can shop or watch the sweet 3d video (which finally has an explanation in English). This is where I got the majority of the info I am sharing with you.
The salt "cathedral" (which is not technically a cathedral) is a fun adventurous spot that they have marketed as Colombias first world wonder.
On the outside of the mine after I had recovered from feeling winded in the mine, I heard Andian pipes playing "the sounds of silence" and "is this love" the bob marley song, so... Definitely a tourist spot.
But one thing I have noticed so far is that the majority of the tourist spots I've been to have been visited by Colombians (and other Spanish speakers). Which makes it feel less cheesy.
Anyway I walked around the rest of the town a bit, they had some cool plazas and another cathedral that was having a funeray service when I went in... Felt a little odd so I didn't take pictures but it had a beautiful red and gray brick interior. Look up diocesan cathedral of zipaquira images...
Anyway it was the hottest day so far in Colombia so I was ready to fall asleep on the bus on the way back... But it was packed.
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