Salento
So instead of heading to the Pacific I am on a bus to Armenia, the capital of the department Quindio. There I change the bus and head towards Salento, the most popular village in this department, and check into the hostel "Ciudad de Segorbe – a place run by 2 super nice guys from Spain. Its almost sunset and I drop my stuff and run outside since the sun is out which gives me a chance to take some nice pictures. The village is pretty small so that I run around the center in less than 30 minutes before I climb up the stairs in the Calle Real to have a marvelous view over the village and on the other side over the mountains. The setting sun sets the mountain peaks alight and offers me a spectacular picture. I walk around and come to a place from where I get to see a rainbow coming out of the mountains breaking half way through. This mesmerizing view and the intense smell of the plants and trees around me, gives me a rush of excitement which I haven’t felt for a while. I feel free again, far far away from the smog and rush-hours of the Colombian cities. If there is one thing that this journey has changed in my life then it is my relationship to nature. In the past I always enjoyed my life in the biggest cities Europe’s and only rarely tried to escape the stressful life. I had my own ways to release the stress that was building up. However, since I have been to places in the jungle or after spending 2 weeks on a lost island in the Pacific I have found a resource of energy, one that actually restores my energy level without harming my body and also delivers peace and balance into my life. When I get back to the hostel I take time to talk to Henry, one of the owners, who, in a very friendly and charming way, tells me what I should definitely do and see during my stay.
The first thing on the agenda is Valle de Cocora, one of the most beautiful places I have been to in Colombia and extremely popular not only with the travelers but also Colombians. I take the Jeep at 7.30am. With me on board is Ted, a Swedish guy I met in Cali. During the drive we get to know another Dutch couple and another Swiss girl. All 5 of us then make their way through the Valley. Our way leads us through a valley surrounded by a mountain range. Everything is covered in a bright green thanks to the never stopping rain. Luckily for us the morning is very nice and the sun is shining for the first 2 hours of our hike. On the way we pass a small waterfall which Henry told me about. After that we make our way up the hill and have to cross the river 10 times or so because the way goes zigzag. At around 12pm we reach the point we can watch an enormous number of Calibri’s which flies in front of our nose. All of us take millions of pictures since it is very challenging to get a good shot of a Calibri. As well we have a hot chocolate with cheese, something very typical in this region (not necessarily for my taste). After that break we carry on our hike with the most difficult part ahead of us. The last 800 meters to the top have a sharp incline and with the muddy earth under our feet it is challenging. I leave the others behind and go up my own pace reaching the top just in time before the heavy rain starts. The 4 of them come 15 minutes later soaked and we wait an hour until the rain stops. The way back is on a road that is used by cars and by far easier than the other side, especially since its going down. The mountain range is covered in fog and at first we can only see shadows of the famous 70 meter high palm trees growing on those mountains. But the more we go down the better the sight becomes so that we get a pretty good picture of this beautiful region. After 6 hours we reach the entrance and our journey is over.
On the second day I do another hike around Salento which brings me to a famous coffee farm. Just before I reach the farm I take the wrong way and get lost for an hour going a way that leads nowhere but further and further away from where I wanted to go. On the way I pass twice houses with dogs that yell and attack me. A few month ago I would have been scared to death but in the meantime I have learned that nothing happens if you show no fear which is exactly what I am doing both times. And both times the dogs surround me without actually attacking me. James told me that he was once attacked by a dog here in the same region when he walked through a private property. He made the mistake and ran and as a consequence the dog bit him in the ass so that he was actually bleeding. When the owner came he started laughing at the sight of a gringo with a bleeding ass on his property – hilarious!!!
Anyway, at some point I get back on track and minutes later reach the farm. I only go there because I would love to have a coffee and also need a loo. The administrator shows me around and tells me all about the coffee production. The whole trip takes 40 minutes at the end of which I get my coffee ;) After that I continue my hike and bump into a group of soldiers at the turn around. They check my bag, the first time it happens to me since I am in Colombia, and direct me towards Salento after being sure I am not carrying weapons or drugs. Most people I know still believe that Colombia is a dangerous place to be. Well, believe me IT IS NOT. The guerilla has long been pushed far away from most places so that for 3 to 4 years the country is safe again. Most people also still believe that the Cocaine is coming from Colombia but this as well is not entirely true anymore since the biggest Cocaine producer are Peru and especially the less know Bolivia where the guerilla fled after being defeated in Colombia. Therefore, the army has a very high status amongst the population in Colombia for freeing the country from terror. After 5 hours I come back to Salento and spent the rest of the day traveling to Armenia to get cash because I wouldn’t get it in the only bank in Salento.
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