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.
Alden en Ecuador 