So here I sit in Salento Colombia, the scene of the crime. This is where it all started for me. The gestation of a 14 month odyssey, trek, journey, sabbatical or whatever one would chose to call this thing I am on. Salento is in the Zona Cafetera region, the coffee region of Colombia, up in the mountains. About 7-9 hours east of Bogota depending on the bus. An hour north of Armenia if you can find it on the map. The town is very small and relies on coffee, trout farming, and tourists as it is the gateway to Valle de Cocora. Cocora has great hiking up a trail to the top of a mountain passing through grassy hills and palma de cera, or wax palms. Then the cloud forest until you reach the top
... read more
