Salento

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We have been having difficulty deciding where to go in Colombia because we have finally come to the realisation that we are running out of time to get to Mexico for their Day of the Dead celebrations. Originally we were not going to go to Salento as we had visited coffee plantations in South East Asia (and I don't like coffee), but after talking with other travellers we had a change of plan which we were very happy about.

Salento is a small relaxed town in one of the top coffee growing regions in Colombia, it has a friendly atmosphere, a cute plaza, great lookout and one main street with lots of little shops and restaurants.

In the morning of our first full day, we jumped in one of the Jeeps waiting in the town square and headed to the Valle de Cocora (wax palm valley) to do the loop walk. The first part of the walk was through the valley following a small stream surrounded by farmland until we reached the edge of the cloud forest. I enjoyed walking through the cloud forest and over the little bridges criss crossing back and forth over the river. We followed the loop around and up the hill to the ranger station La Montana, from here it was downhill along the dirt road until we had completed the loop. Unfortunately the clouds came over and it started raining so by the time we got to the top of the valley the view of the giant wax palms was largely hidden.

We visited the Don Elias coffee farm, a small organic farm growing 70% Arabic and 30% Colombiano coffee beans to create a blended final product. We learnt how the coffee is grown, harvested, dried, peeled, toasted and then tasted a cup each. Unfortunately it didn't convert me to becoming a coffee drinker even with lots of sugar. In Colombia the coffee served in cafés and restaurants isn't very good (normally instant) as the majority is exported. Don Elias is no different as they export 80% of their coffee. As they are an organic farm they have found ways to protect their crop from pests without using chemical pesticides and without the need for chemical fertilisers. While the coffee is growing it is sweet and as a result attracts ants, to distract the ants and protect the coffee, pineapple is grown. Banana and plantain are also grown as they hold lots of water in their trunks and this keeps the ground around the coffee plants moist. We decided to continue along the road to do a loop back to Salento via the little village of Boquia rather than walk back the way we came.

We arrived at Boquia and waited for the bus. Before the bus arrived a priest on his way to Salento stopped and gave us a ride up the hill to the plaza. We offered to pay for the ride but he wouldn't accept it and was just happy to help out and have a chat (it was very helpful that we could speak a little Spanish).

In Salento they have a crazy but fun game called tejo which we had heard about so had to check out. We headed for the pub for drinks and to play. Tejo is essentially a game where you lob metal balls at bags of gunpowder. When done correctly the impact results in an explosion and loud bang. The game is free as long as you keep buying beer, leading to a bit of chaos later in the evening. The first time Gary hit it, I got such a fright as it was much louder than I expected! It took a while, but eventually even I found my range and got to explode some gunpowder.

Next stop Bogotá.

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Comments

[taracloud]

Another great stop!
What a fun town--I love the colors on the main street and the little bridges on the cloud forest walk, and how brilliant the organic coffee farmer was in his companion planting. I'm so excited that you'll be in Mexico (maybe even Oaxaca) for Day of the Dead--what a photo op!