Salento, Colombia
Two Days In Colombia’s coffee region
Like every other destination in Colombia, my time in Salento began with stepping off another bus. This ride was a little longer than expected, but company in the form of several other gringos all heading from Jardín to Salento helped pass the time. I also met the two napping pigs above during a ten minute rest stop. Seeing the two of them sleep in the clouds made the whole journey worth it. Many hours after the pigs, we finally arrived and I hopped off the bus.
Very happy to move my legs I walked through town toward a hostel named Tralala. It turned out to be another beautiful place to stay, with an outdoor courtyard in the middle, beautiful kitchen, and seriously comfortable beds. Inspired by the dinner I had made for myself in Jardín, I found a local vegetable stall and cooked up another potato centric dinner.
Salento was different from what I had expected. I thought it would be similar to Jardin with a classic Colombia vibe. Instead, Salento felt and looked more like a tiny city, a little more run down, though that might have been exaggerated by the foggy, grey weather. It was raining when we arrived, and rained on and off for the couple days I was there.
dAY oNE: A cOFFEE Plantation tOUR
I had two full days in Salento. The first day I woke up early and walked down a misty country road towards several coffee farms. Along with a hostel homie I took a tour of a locally owned coffee farm named after its founder, Don Elias, a very sweet old man who greeted me with freshly picked oranges. The coffee farm was oh so lush and green, including a whole ecosystem of fruit trees to distract insects from the coffee cherries. They also compost! I was full of joy to throw my orange peals back into the grounds from which them came, to someday grow into another juicy orange.
During the tour we were invited to pick some coffee carries and such on the beans, which grow in pairs inside the cherries. The slimy, beige little beans were actually quite sweet with just a hint of coffee flavor. We saw where the beans grow, where they are pressed out of their cherries (the protective, fruit-like coats worn by the beans), where the beans are dried and finally, learned how to properly grind coffee beans.
The tour ended with a fresh cup o joe made from the beans we ground and a lovely chat with our tour guide about his coffee preferences and plantation dreams. After a kiss on each cheek from Don Elias himself, another orange for the road, and many thanks back and forth, we left the coffee plantation. With the rest of the day head of us, my friend and I set off for a walk in the country.
Day Two: The Tallest Palm Trees In The World
Day two in Salento started very early. By 7:30am I was standing on the back of a Jeep, the inside of which was full of gringos all heading to the Valle de Cocora. Next to me stood a new friend, a German mountaineer who I hiked with through the valley. I’m not sure if it was the fact that this guy actually climbs mountains, that I had done very little physical activity in the last two weeks, or the altitude, but the hike kicked my butt. The path most people hike takes around 4-5 hrs. However, I followed my new friend way off the usual path, up a very steep muddy incline to over 3,000 meters. A detour that added 4 hrs to our hike, but was well worth it. The trail led us across rickety bridges, along a beautiful river, and ended in a valley of extremely tall palm trees.
Always down for a hike and some nature time, I was keen to visit this valley. However, I didn't really understand why so many people were drawn to visit these trees. I didn’t realize at the time, but these Wax Palms are the tallest palms in the world! They can reach over 60 meters high and are the national tree of Colombia.
Not only are the trees incredibly unique, looking like something out of a Dr. Seuss book with their insanely tall, skinny trunks, but the entire landscape of the valley is so beautiful. The trees are set on a hill side that overlooks another lush green valley.
As we sat there for a moment with the trees, some weather started moving in. The wind picked up, pushing clouds across the valley. Some of the lower clouds crept over the hill tops, sometimes hiding them and other times parting around them. I loved watching this interaction between the hills and clouds, it was almost they were doing a little dance. I completely understand why this place is a highlight on the gringo trail through Colombia.
Just like Jardín, I could have spent longer in Salento. This time not for the architecture, people watching or even really for the city at all. It was the hostel that made my stay in Salento particularly comfortable. I really loved spending evenings cooking dinner with other hostel guests in the beautiful upstairs kitchen. Everyone cooked for themselves, but as some ate and others cooked everyone shared in conversation.
I talked to my German friend about all the mountains he has climbed, a volcano in Ecuador sounded particularly intriguing, and about a van he recently bought for weekend trips in the alps. He's a very cool dude. Then after a plate of hot food and good conversation, I was in bed every night before 9pm.
It was a great couple days. But with traveling, you get comfortable somewhere, make friends and then its time to move on. I’ts an interesting exercise to be in constant movement.