Salento

After leaving San Vicente, it took a little work for David and I to get to Salento, mostly because we chose to stay in the termales until the afternoon.  Leaving SanVicente, we had 45-60 minute jeep ride, including a flat tire change, a 30 minute bus ride from Santa Rosa to Pereira, another hour bus ride to Armenia were we could catch our 40-45 minute ride to Salento.  Whew.  It was a lot.  Regardless, we got there around 7pm, had a slice of pizza and walked around the square bit after checking into our hostel. We* went on a hunt to play pool, only to discover strange hole less tables with only three balls (I later discovered that I think this is Carom?) and then back to our hostel for a little reading and slumber.  In the morning we had breakfast at the hostel, where Mary Elena the sweet woman who owns the hostel convince David to have some coffee, because we were after all in the coffee region. 

Pretty garden area

Breakfast nook

Mary Elena was great.  She spent many years in the states so she knew English but only used it when clarification was needed, which basically meant we were getting Spanish lessons all weekend.  She told us about getting a jeep to Valle de Cocora and even drew a little map for us.  We made our way to the jeeps in the square where there were 6 other travelers waiting to go to the valley as well, so also seriously doubted, and even started to argue with, the driver about getting 8 people in the jeep.  Clearly they had never seen these jeeps before, sometime with 15 people in them.  Amateurs.  We were on our way, and shared a nice conversation with a woman from Vancouver who had been travelling in South America for 6 months and said that Colombia by far was the most beautiful country she had been in.  Ever.  I have to agree with her, although my travels are far less extensive than hers.  When we got to Valle de Cocora we found a guide and got on some horses to start our trek through the valley.  Often people hike up to the peek, but it being the rainy season it can get very muddy and several friends suggested the horses because it offers you a slightly better view and experience.  I loved it.  David, not so much.  Being his first time on horse, it was a little scary to be climbing steep rocks and crossing rivers and creeks (which I said before we went, but of course nobody* listens.  Our guide Norbe took pictures for us along the way, and I swear the man was a horse whisperer, clicking and whistling and making other randoms noises at the horses to keep them in line.

Oh, David found a friend.

Cowboy!

At the end of our ascent we stopped at a natural reserve where we paid $3.000 for a drink, like hot chocolate and $500 for the bathroom.  There were SO many hummingbirds fluttering around it was unreal and so beautiful.

On our way back down, I took my camera back from Norbe to grab some shot of my own.  That's right, I was riding the horse and taking pictures.  I'm a little more confident now than my first horse experience in Colombia.  Speaking of which, Amanda later went back and rode the same horse I was on that day and got bucked off; it wasn't just me, Serpentina was crazy.  Anyway, Valle de Cocora is home to these amazingly tall trees called wax palms that pop up around the mountainside and are quite the contrast to some of the farm land below.  Beautiful.

Real cowboys

When we got from our three hour ride, we stopped in the restaurant and I ate more trout before another jeep left to head back to Salento.  It was a little rainy when we got back, but we eventually made it out to explore the Calle Real, the main street in Salento with countless shops where we did the majority of our Christmas shopping. 

After our shopping we grabbed dinner at a place Mary Elena suggested, Alegria for some Italian type food and then found ourselves at a tienda turned bar/cafe for some live music.  David also introduced some Colombians to a Ruso Blanco (White Russian) as opposed to a Ruso Negro without cream or milk; they were very confused.  We planned on heading out by 10am on Sunday so we got to bed so we could get up early to check out the view from Alto de la Cruz, a 250 stair climb marked with the stations of the cross.  From there we were offered more breathtaking views of the mountainside.

And after checking out with Mary Elena we made our way to the square to catch a bus, argued (or attempted to since it was in Spanish) about the quickest way back to Cali, decided to do it his way and got on a bus to Armenia and finally back to our home sweet home in Cali.  This is a place I would love to go again and try my hand at the hike and of course do a little more shopping whenever I get the chance.

*David