Colombia’s Coffee Region (Eje Cafatero)

El Eje Cafatero (the coffee axis) is Colombia’s primary coffee growing region. It is a lush paradise full of idyllic farms and colorful small towns, where the pace of life is very relaxed. I arrived in the region via an overnight bus from Bogotá to Armenia, the second largest city in the region with a population of 300,000. From there, I took a 45 minute bus ride to the town of Salento. I arrived to a beautiful, colorful small town surrounded by farms and lush rolling hills. I began the day with a typical Colombian breakfast of scrambled eggs, an arepa with cheese, and hot chocolate. The proprietor of the restaurant ended up selling me on a sandwich to carry for lunch that was a bit expensive, but she told me it won an award, and it was delicious! Next, I went to the town viewpoint where I could see the whole town and the countryside, which was gorgeous. 

I didn’t have much time to waste, though, since I wanted to get going for the Valle de Cócora hike. Thus entailed taking a Jeep, the local form of transport, to the starting point for the hike. During the Jeep ride, I got talking to the others in my Jeep, especially one American guy who was with his mom and a German girl. We all ended up hiking and spending the day together. I learned that Chris is living in Barranquilla but originally from Alabama. He is working remotely and is able to have a job in the USA in construction management but live abroad. Theresa, on the other hand, was traveling alone for months around South America after graduating from college in political science. The hike itself was spectacular! Valle de Cocora is home to the world’s tallest palm tree, the wax palm, which can grow to over 200 feet tall. What I didn’t realize was that the trail climbed into the cloud forest from The Valley. The views of the palm trees followed by the mountains and forest were absolutely spectacular! We descended from the high point of the hike along a river and passed through gorgeous farmland with cows and horses. I found that the countryside in Colombia is the most beautiful I have seen in Latin America with its idyllic farm houses, lush green landscapes and livestock. 

Upon finishing the hike, I returned to Salento and then headed to Filandia, Salento’s lesser known, less touristy cousin. This involved getting dropped off on the side of the highway and flagging another bus, which is a pretty typical way of traveling between towns in Colombia. Filandia was the epitome of laid back life in small town Colombia. I took a seat on a bench and observed kids playing and rollerblading around the plaza, young couples on the benches, and everyday life. Out of all the strange coincidences, I ran into someone who was staying at my hostel in Bogotá. His name is Rafael, and he is a middle-aged retiree who has traveled to over 120 countries. We ended up having dinner together at a fantastic restaurant called Helena Adentro and sharing travel stories. Exhausted, I then retired for the night at Bidea Hostel. 

The next morning, I woke up early, ate breakfast and headed to the plaza to hang out. The colorful nature of these towns make them a pleasure to just walk around. A couple of other travelers sitting across from me ended up inviting me over to have some bread and chat. It turns out that Marc was from France and Lucía from Peru. They met when Marc was visiting Peru and now they were traveling through Colombia. We ended up chatting and talked a bit with a local, an old man who used to milk cows for a living. It is these types of experiences that have made traveling alone fun. We then took some photos together. I would have enjoyed lounging around more in Filandia but, alas, I ended up leaving in a hurry to catch the bus toward Medellín. 

Comuna 13: an incredible story of transformation

This mural demonstrates that underneath our skin we are all the same regardless of class/race

One of the most famous permanent murals

A view of the neighborhoods on the hillside

The banner in the background says “In Comina 13 violence does not defeat us”

Our tour group with Chota

Mural with caption that says “we are all migrants”

The city of Medellín is divided into areas called comunas, and Comuna 13 was historically the most violent. If I walked into Comuna 13 twenty years ago, there would have been a high probability of not leaving alive, and I am not speaking figuratively. However, today it is far different than it was then. I ended up taking a tour of the neighborhood with a local guide named Mayori who was 33 years old and lived through the worst of the violence when she was a teenager. She explained how public transportation, art, music and dance has transformed the neighborhood. The neighborhood was built in the 1980s as an unofficial neighborhood (no city services) on the hillside by people fleeing the guerrilla violence in the pacific coast region of Colombia. Many were Afro-Colombians. Some local gangs formed to protect the neighborhood and the violence wasn’t too bad but the neighborhood was very poor.

In the late 1990s, the cartels came in and started fighting with the local gangs. This is when the violence began. The Colombian military came in to fight the groups and indiscriminately killed and imprisoned people. Just living nearby gang members or giving them food could be enough reason to be imprisoned or killed. Our guide was 15 years old and pregnant when the worst of the violence was going on. One day she turned down the wrong street where the military tanks were and ended up making it out of there alive but said that if the soldiers knew that she had a friend who was related to one of the big kingpins, they wouldn’t have hesitated to kill her, an unarmed innocent 15 year old pregnant girl. Mayori said that from that day on, thanks to God, she survived and decided to get an education and was able to bring herself out of the situation. She is now married to another tour guide and her daughter is in high school. Something that struck me is how Mayori was like a celebrity in the neighborhood. All the kids were running up to her and giving her big hugs. She mentioned that two of the kids we met have appeared in music videos of famous Reggaetón artists. 

Upon walking through the neighborhood, I was struck by how beautiful all the murals were. Each one has a great deal of meaning, indicating the African and indigenous roots of the people, the struggle for peace, and the transformation of the city. There are 7 main artists who paint the murals and many of the murals change frequently. Only a few of them are permanent. We were fortunate enough to meet Chota, one of the most famous artists in the neighborhood who has even met Bill Clinton! We also saw an urban dance group of Afro-Colombians that reminded me of something I have seen on BART in Oakland. All of these people have been able to make a living and build community through their art, music, and dance. 

In addition to art, public transportation transformed the neighborhood. Las comunas in Medellín are the only places in the world to have electric escalators and an aerial tram/cable car as forms of public transit designed for the local people to use. The use of these systems helped connect the poor neighborhoods on the hillsides to the city center, which made the people feel like they were part of the city. These measures all brought down violence dramatically from a level equivalent to a war zone to the point where it is commensurate to or better than most other comparable inner city neighborhoods around the world. 

However, these neighborhoods are still very poor. Especially outside of the main areas where tourists go. I took the cable car, which goes over a hill and a valley, and I saw how large all the poor neighborhoods are. When I got off at the viewpoint, three local middle-school aged boys ended up striking up a conversation with me. They were super cute and friendly. We ended up chatting about life. It turns out that all of them are in school and like going to school but live with single mothers. One of them, who happened to be Afro-Colombian, said that his dad is apparently a soccer player in Dubai but he doesn’t really know his dad. Another one mentioned that he is in estrato 1 (the lowest out of six social classes in Colombia). We were overlooking the city and right next to a supermarket. The kids wanted some candy, so I offered to buy them some at the store. They picked out a packaged cake, a can of whipped cream and some candy that was similar to Skittles. Something that struck me is that they were conscious of the price and didn’t choose the most expensive items even though I was buying. We ended up sharing the food and chatting about life in our counties, food, sports and relationships. After chatting and taking in the view, I descended on the cable car. The cars only hold 6-8 people, and I was sitting across from two gorgeous women, one of whom had a baby and was feeding her yogurt. I asked the baby’s name, waved hi to her and began to wonder about all of their lives…