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Published: September 23rd 2023
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Amigos,
Salento
Bus from Medellin to Salento- the fabulous coffee region. Salento is a small town located in Quindío. It’s colourful, cute, quiet and quaint. I arrived quite late to went to bed and got up early to do the Valley de Cocora. This is a valley full of wax palms (really tall palm trees), there is a walk which goes up the valley to a mirador and then down through the forest which is really nice. To get anywhere in Salento you need to get in the back of a jeep which are surprisingly comfortable but usually packed with people. After this I had a chill and explored the town. Salento also gives the opportunity to play Teho
Next day I went on a coffee tour in El Ocaso which is an hour walk from Salento, beautiful with great views across the valley. The coffee tour was great and essentially went bean to cup so we picked our beans and learned the whole process.
The following day I got a bus from Salento to Neiva and then needed to get a mototaxi to the Tatacoa desert as all the buses to Villavieja had stopped.
Tatacoa desert isn’t technically
a desert as it does rain but is ancient rainforest and now has an arid, desert like landscape. It was really amazing to spend a day there as it was nature like I have never seen it before. There are 2 main parts to the desert- the red desert and the gray desert. I got up early and went to the gray desert followed but the red desert later on in the morning. This gave me loads of time in the afternoon to chill, read my book sit in the shade until the sun went down. Due to the remoteness and lack of light pollution the area is well known for stargazing so when the sunset at around 6 I had ample opportunity for stargazing and admiring the universe around.
Next day I got a bus to Bogata, which was actually a Tuk tuk, a jeep to Neiva and then a bus followed by a taxi!
Bogotá
Capital city of Colombia. I stayed in La Candalaria region which is just under Montserrat. Kind of hip place with some nice bars and restaurants. Lots of wall art and graffiti.
I feel that this is the kind of place that
you need to spend a lot of time in to know it. It has a population of around 10 million and lots of different areas. As I wanted to get to Peru I had 2 nights and did some highlights.
The city is surrounded by mountains, the most famous one being Monteserrat which has some religious significance. Is a bit of a climb but has amazing views from the top. Following this I met some guys and we went for brunch and a cycle ride.
On Sundays lots of cities around South America close roads for cyclists and pedestrians to use. I noted this is Medellin and think it is a really good initiative to get people moving!
The next day I did a tour of the downtown. Interesting about the derivation of the city which was essentially founded from gold. Additionally the modern history with the socialist movement and governmental changes, in addition to coffee, drugs and diversity.
Highlights- Tatacoa and Salento were amazing
Reflections- huge diversity of nature in Colombia, super friendly people and had a marvellous time. Next stop Peru.
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