Blogs from Quindío, Colombia, South America - page 3

After 11 days in the city we decided to go to the countryside to relax a bit. 6 hours later and we were in Salento, a pretty city in Colombias coffee region. The town itself is small but very pretty, but its attractions lie in its surrounding areas. On the first day we decided to do a trek which promises amazing views of the area. Gary wasnt feeling up to it so me and Corrina went ourselves. They said it was 15k round trip, but was actually 20! You had to take a jeep (called Willies!!) for half an hour then walk the trail. I am not a natural hiker so i did find it very tough. Tough, but the scenery was so nice that it was really fun. Plus the weather was perfect and nothing ... read more

Left Salamina at the civilised time of 9.30 a.m. My 'friend' from the hostel dragged my case up the hill - he said it was far too near for a taxi but I wouldn't have wanted to do it with my dodgy neck (which hasn't really recovered from trying to put everything into hand luggage for the flight out). Just before we left I heard the driver say to a small boy sitting on the back seat with his mother 'no te marees' - 'Now don't get sick' and as soon as we started off I could see why. What with the hair pin bends, the climbing and descending and the dilapidated bus - my seat seemed to lurch forwards and then backwards every time we changed height - I began to feel a bit queasy ... read more

Salento is a cute little town. We got off the bus at the busy plaza with lots of outdoor restaurants. There's no question that tourism is the main industry here (mostly Colombian tourists) but this place has some draw cards. There's coffee plantations you can visit, and a beautiful hike through La Valle Cocora. That was our mission. We wanted to stay at a place called the Plantation House right on the edge of town, and it was pretty darn quiet out there. They had space for us, so we found beds on the first try and didn't have to wander around much. And this place was going to be a nice quiet retreat, and a big change from the congestion of San Gil. The hostel also has two rough collies that are really lovable and ... read more

What's the thing Colombia is most famous for....? Why the worlds best coffee of course! :P Located in the centre, it is similar to an axis and thus is best known as the coffee triangle. There are many beautiful towns and villages in the region but I decided to go to one in particular that had not only an amazing backdrop but also beautifully coloured buildings that compliment each other perfectly... Salento. Interestingly I've since been told people closer to the equator are predisposed to use more colours in their architecture while those further away are more shape orientated (Paris, London). I was only in Salento three days but it was such a nice place, I decided to give it a blog of its own. DAY ONE Consisted mainly of travel as I set out at ... read more

Dnes sme dorazili za kamaratom – Andrey z Armenie. Tazko by mu niekto uveril, ze je to pravy Kolumbijcan. Okrem netypickeho krstneho mena a mesta, odkial pochadza, vyzera ako pravy Egyptan. Desat rokov zil a studoval v Prahe, takze teraz k tomu vsetkemu hovori aj hezky cesky. Ubytoval nas u seba v rodicovskom dome, kde okrem neho, zije aj jeho brat, sestra a mama, (asi 80-rocna pani, krasna a mlada do tvare, udajne vdaka dlhorocnemy uzivaniu mandloveho oleja – uz to mam na nakupnom zozname !!) Dalsi siesti surodenci uz byvaju s vlastnymi rodinami. S Andreyom sme navstivili nedaleke mestecko Salento a turisticky vyhladavanu oblast Valle de Cocora, ktora je sucastou narodneho parku (Los Nevados National Natural Park). Nadhernu dolinu preslavili najvyssie palmy sveta - voskove palmy (palma... read more