Blogs from Quindío, Colombia, South America - page 7

Valle Cocora,Zona Cafetera ja Salento Seuraavan etapin siirtymätaival taittui tällä kertaa vähän edellistä vikkelämmin, 13 tunnin bussimatkasta uupuneina jatkoimme Cartagenasta matkaa lentämällä seuraavaan kohteeseen Medelliniin. Kaikki sisäiset lennot tuntuvat kulkevan Kolumbiassa aina Bogotan kautta joten siellä mekin sitten pistäydyimme - vaihto sujui todella nopeasti ja tehokkaasti. Paikallinen Avianca lentoyhtiö kyllä osasi hoitaa vaihdot ja jatkolennot ilman turhia odotteluja. Medellin osoittautui varsin samankaltaiseksi kaikkien muiden valtavien kaupunkien loputtomassa ketjussa. Täällä tyypillinen suurkaupunki on ainakin 2-3 miljoonaa asukasta levittäytyneenä valtavan laajalle alueelle. Asumukset ovat pieniä ja usein rähjäisiä ja kerrostaloja näkyy todella vähän - tällainen väkimäärä vaatii siis paljon tilaa yhdessä tasossa asuttaessa. Niin oli tässäkin tapauksessa ... read more

Au retour de Gorgona, je prend un bus pour Arménia où m'attend Carlos, avec qui j'ai plongé à Malpelo. Il me présente à sa famille, Liliana (sa femme) et Susana (sa fille, dans mes âges). Ils m'accueillent chaleureusement dans leur magnifique maison dans un quartier résidentiel d'Arménia. La maison est très bien arrangée, beaucoup de toiles, de sculptures, de maquettes de bateau; et un très beau patio rempli de mobilier en bois que Carlos a fabriqué. C'est le voisin, Juan, architecte qui a dessiné et construit le quartier. Je ne tarde pas à le rencontrer. C'est un sacré phénomène ! Il parle français et ne manque pas d'humour. Je suis comme chez moi; ici la citation "Mi casa es tu casa" prend tout son sens ! Les journées sont bien remplies. Susie m'emmène dans les environs, ... read more

The residents of Salento seem to live in a different era to those of the other towns that I have visited. Cowboys saunter through the cobbled streets, and their neighbours congregate in the town square to chat and watch the world not go by. The locals seemed unaffected by the packs of backpackers wondering around - it appears that the town is firmly on the backpacker trail. I hadn't seen so many, well pretty much any, backpackers since I left the Caribbean coast. From the hill overlooking the town - on which of course there is a big crucifix - I could see the grid of pastel painted adobe buildings united by the church on the edge of the main square. From the look out point on the other side of that hill I could see ... read more

Salento is a very pretty small town. We decided to stay at a hostel recommended to us by a fellow volunteer in Salasaca. I was called La Serrana or something and it it was a ten minute walk out of town into the hills. It was quite good but although it advertised hot water, there wasn't any. And it was chilly. We mentioned it to the owner, a New Yorker, who told us, "I know, I've changed the cards so that they say 'warm water'." I don't know why he bothered because this was also a lie. The hostel did have sofas, though, and a film collection, and a very cute kitten who kept sleeping with the guests. That first day, Adam went out with some other hostel guests to find some mushrooms while Anna and ... read more

After Medellin, we took a bus to the very small town of Salento. Salento is known for the Valle de Cocoro where the national tree of Colombia, la palma de cera (the wax palm), grows. When we arrived in the evening, we tried to check out a few different hostels, but most of them seemed to have their doors shut. So we went back to the first place we checked out, La Casona de Lili. Unfortunately, the only room they had available had been filled after we left to check other hostels. But, no worries!! Lili, the owner and quite possibly the most friendly person on the planet, offered us her own room for the night and said we could move to a different room the next day. In just a few minutes, she had it ... read more