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Published: August 18th 2010
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Local farmers
The one on the right had just finished dancing a quick jig Tahlei Travelling in a country where tourism is an emerging industry, and on a budget as tight as ours, makes for some varying accommodation standards. We´ve had some damn uncomfortable mattresses, paper-thin walls, mosquito-filled rooms, the full range of cleanliness levels, previously mentioned barely existent bathroom walls and we´ve gone as simple as hammocks on a beach. But after Medellín we decided to splash out and spoil ourselves with three nights on a coffee
finca.
We did a fair bit of research on the internet and decided on Finca Villa Maria, 12 kms from Pereira in Colombia´s
zona cafetera. We were told to take a bus to a crossroads outside of Pereira and then continue to the finca in a "jeep". They use this term loosely. We were ushered into an ancient Renault which we were told by the driver was 21 years old, though we think that´s how old he was when he bought it (he looked about 65). When we arrived at the farmhouse we were greeted with a hug by
la patrona Nubia, who was our hostess and cook for the next three days.
Over those three days we were the only guests at the
finca so we had the run of the place, not that there was any running to be had - not much movement at all really. It rained quite a bit, washing away any guilt we might have felt at lazing away the day in the very inviting hammocks on the verandah. The sun made enough appearances for us to climb the mountain behind the house where the banana and coffee plantations are located (twice), and take a few dips in the pool. Overall it was a very relaxing three days in the country after a long spell in cities, although for the price we were expecting a bit more from the food.
Travelling further into coffee country our next port of call was Salento, a cute little town in a gorgeous setting which is very popular on the gringo trail. It was here that we experienced yet another standard of lodging - a kennel. Well, that´s just what it smelt like. Actually, our room was nice, just the common areas were filthy. These misgivings were forgiven seeing as it was dirt cheap and the Spanish owner, Joseph, was a wealth of knowledge and a very nice guy. He recommended
a lot of things to do around the town and a great place to eat - El Rincon de Lucy. It was that great we ate every meal there; where else do you get a choice of mains AND sides and an
arepa and a
buñuelo!
The first thing we did after checking in at Republika de Artistes was to climb the 200-odd steps to see what our guide labelled "one of the best views in Colombia". Guidebook strikes again. Not taking anything away from the view but the bus ride in was more spectacular.
Our full day in Salento was exactly that - a FULL day. We woke up early to get the 7.30 jeep (it was actually a jeep, for the first time) to the Cocora valley. This is where there are many wax palms, Colombia´s national tree which grows to amazing heights. We did a 10 km hike deep into the valley, following a river first through pristine farmland and later into dense forest. During the forested part of the walk we had to cross the river many times using sometimes rusty old bridges, other times logs thrown across the river. We luckily had perfect
weather; I can imagine that doing this walk when it is rainy or wet would be treacherous and slow going.
Almost as soon as we entered the forest we started seeing signs welcoming us to a hummingbird sanctuary. Usually when you see a welcome sign you expect to be at, or at least very near to, your destination. We continued for probably another three kms before finally reaching the sanctuary. Kyle wanted to give someone a piece of his mind about the signs getting his hopes up that the walk was near the end, however when we finally got there the place was deserted except for the hummingbirds.
We made it back down to the entrance in good time and didn´t have long to wait for the 12.30 jeep back into town. We thought it was full when it left, having two people hanging off the back and two on the roof, but it stopped twice more, taking it to a grand total of 14 people in a 7 seater jeep. Kyle enjoyed hanging off the back with the wind blowing through his moustache.
It was very active morning, but there was still the afternoon to go!
Joseph from the hostel organised a couple a horses for us to go on a three hour trail ride in the surrounding area. The first question the guide asked was if we had ever ridden horses before. Kyle was a definite no, and I said I had but many years ago. I soon learnt that a few trail ride when I was twelve years old does not count as horse riding experience. Because of my professed horse-riding background I was given the bigger, jittery horse. As soon as I was on he took off down one of the main streets, with me desperately trying to hang on after one of my feet fell out of the stirrups. He didn´t like being reigned in at all, tossing his head around wildly whenever I tried to get him to slow down, making me nervous. Kyle found this all hilarious, considering it was his first time on a horse and he turned out to be a natural. Luckily I eventually got the hang of it and was able to enjoy the spectacular scenery.
The first part of the ride was straight down a very steep, very muddy, slippery slope. The horses hated
it and so did I. Kyle felt like the Man from Snowy River, even holding on with one hand at times. After that hair-raising experience we got to ride through some beautiful countryside, splash through a couple of rivers and go through some dark, spooky tunnels. Despite our aching knees at the end of it we would definitely do it again.
Next on MY agenda was Cali, the capital of salsa dancing. However planning to go there was as close as I got. Unfortunately salsa is the only thing that Cali has to detain the traveller, but that was not enough for Kyle. As he does, he changed the plan at the last minute, and we continued all the way to Popayán. This was one of two days of nothing but long bus rides. We arrived late in Popayán so unfortunately we only got to see it fleetingly, but from what we saw it seems like a nice place. We left immediately the next morning for another long day of bus travel along windy roads, all the way to Ipiales. Ipiales is a border town and therefore quite the dangerous place, so we checked into a hotel as the
sun was setting and didn't leave until the next morning.
Before crossing the border into Ecuador we had one final attraction to visit. The nearby town of Lajas is home to a church built into a gorge. Apparently it has the second most number of miracles attributed to it, behind Lourdes. I thought the most interesting bit were the thousands of plaques lining the walls of the walkway leading to the church thanking the virgin for favours and miracles. Seems like any bit of good luck is attributed to the virgin.
From there it was goodbye Colombia, hello Ecuador. Our first South American border crossing went smoothly, even though borders are a magnet for dodgy people. We walked across a bridge and into a new country after five and a half weeks in Colombia. Despite the reputation it has, Colombia is a great country to travel around - not once did we feel at risk. The scenery is amazing and the people are some of the friendliest I´ve ever met. We´re going to miss it, but there´s much more yet to see and experience as our adventures continue.
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Niki
non-member comment
The funniest thing about that blog entry was the wind blowing through Kyle's mo.