Salento.. last stop in Colombia

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Salento in the Zona Cafeteria was the final stop on my Colombia tour... I spent a blissful week meandering through the pastoral landscapes, watching coffee grow and cattle graze, life seems to stand still here. The town is surrounded by coffee plantations and it was a great base to set up shop and explore the natural beauty of the region.

Parque Cocora is located 20 minutes from Salento and I spent two days hiking through the park encountering waterfalls, swimming pools, suspension bridges and of course coffee plantations, but most impressive were the wax palms (the larges species of palm in the world), everything else was dwarfed by their size.

In addition to hiking in the park Ali and I opted for yet another horseback ride and this ended up being a highlight of my time in Salento. The landscape provided the perfect backdrop and I felt like I was in a country western movie.. photos can better describe the scenery but it was stunning and our guide Alejandro was not only wonderful with the horses but a keen photographer. I think we ended up with about 200 photos of the trip 😊 . The highlight was when we reached a waterfall for a swim.. unofficially I named it the coldest water in Colombia. There was a rock perfectly positioned under the falls for a photo opt so we took full advantage.

In addition to outdoor activities Salento provided me with the opportunity to learn how to play Tejo Colombia's explosive national sport. Ali, myself, Jamie and Gero visited the Tejo bar, the game was free as long as beers were purchased and that was more than a fair deal 😊 Jamie and I teamed up and challenged Ali and Gero. The game consists of throwing steal discs into a one meter squared clay box at the end of the Tejo lane at a target in the center of the box surrounded by triangles with gunpowder. The goal is to get the discs in the center ( of more or less bulls eye ) and hit the triangles exploding the powder! At first we thought the chances of us making any explosions were slim to none but we were pleasantly surprised... Jamie and I won the game but it really didn't matter I am not even entirely sure how to keep score but it was a fun way to pass an evening in an otherwise sleepy town.

After the Tejo fiesta Ali decided to go on a multi-day horseback riding trip with some others and I opted for a couple more days in Salento. I walked to several viewpoints in the area, visited an artisan market, and spent an entire day at Quindio River located in the neighboring town of Boquia (a 30 minute walk from Salento). At the river I found my own private swimming lagoon (created by diverting the river with rocks), and a tranquil beach side for some yoga and to finally finish the book have been carrying for close to three months. It was at the river on this day I was able to fully reflect on my time in Colombia. Colombia has given me so much more than I ever could have hoped for. Leaving was bitter sweet but the promise of Pacific Coast waves and Spanish classes was calling me back to Ecuador.. Colombia, muchas gracias para todo! You have not seen the last of me 😊

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