Colombia´s coffee region

A few nights in Colombia´s coffee region proved to be informative and relaxing. The small pueblo that I stayed at in Salento reminded me of my last and best stop of Vilcabamba, Ecuador. However, this was at least twice the size and the tourist bug has already bit this place. Still, Salento and its´people have retained much of their small town feel. I hope that Vilcabamba will be able to do the same in the future.
In Salento I learned all about the coffee making process. And, every traveler I linked up with there was a pleasure to be around. One day I hiked to two coffee plantation, one large and one small, with 2 people from Holland, one from Australia, and another from Japan. We all hiked together several miles throughout the day enjoying one anothers company, the scenery, and the plantations. I still do not drink coffee, however, I love the smell and know the step by step process either by hand or machinery. The best part about this experience, and that of traveling, are sharing travelling experience with all the other travelers on their trek.
Some travellers are young and only beginning their travels and others are several months in to their journeys. Sometimes life friends are made, but often just enjoying the company of cool people for a few days is enough.
I was told by another traveller in Ecuador about someone who was staying in Vilcabamba. We never met up, but oddly enough, there she was in Salento. It´s ironic and really cool to meet people that I have met in the past while travelling in another country. I have also heard similar stories from others. Reencountering people is a unique and fun thing about travelling.
Now I have arrived back in bogota to spend my last few days with my good friends. Since they are the main reason for me coming to Colombia, I figure that it is best to see them while I am still here. This will be my first saturday night in bogota and it should be fun...

Traveling in Colombia

My three days in Bogota, Colombia proved to be a series of unique experiences. The day after Ändres Carne y res¨, we saw signs for an Afro-colombian dance being held at a small outdoor theatre. Well, I´ve seen some dancing in my 33 years, but these people must have double jointed in like, every joint of their body! It was kind of like watching people having epileptic fits with rythem. Unfortunately, no pictures were aloud there. Still, in between the dance sequences there was an MC with a troop of drummers, brass instruments behind him. Both the colors and the MC copletely controlled the crowd. Almost everyone there was either dancing or singing at one time or another. As I sat with my friend from Germany she whispered, ¨People singin in the crowd would never happen in Germany.¨ Some rain gently fell, the music blared, dancers danced, and singers belted out chords. While I watched the 70 year old man sitting in the front row next to me move to the rythem, I knew that it was a unique travel experience.
Now, I have made it to the coffee region of Colombia in a town called Salento. Tomorrow I plan to take a horse ride to the coffee plantations and enjoy the beautiful mountain top scenery.

Bienvenido a Colombia!..Andres..

After reluctantly leaving the quaint sanctuary of Vilcabamba, I have made it to Bogota, Colombia a few days ago. Found a pleasent hostel that was 15$ per night where I stayed with a girl that I met through the volunteer program in Ecuador. She has proven to be a cool travel partner who loves food and has a very pleasant dispostion. We actually have moved to another hostel recently where there are more packers for half of what we were paying! After arriving I immediately hooked up with my good friend Mauricio who has moved back to Bogota after living in Miami for almost five years. He took me to a place that he has been telling me about since I´ve known him called Ändres carne de res¨. This is the most unique restuarant that I have ever been!
It is a premier restuarant just outside of Bogota in a place called Chia. This region was known as the goddess of the moon by the indigenous people who lived here before the Spaniards came to kill on their insatiable quest for gold. Anyway, back to this amazing place that I have been hearing about for the past two years. We sat at ¨Carajo 50¨, for those of you who speak spanish that is funny in itself. We started with some local classics, that are better here than anywhere else. And, a huge coconut bowl filled with a mojito for me, eventually I took down three. Mauricio then added after my first sip, ¨The quest is finally over, now you can die.¨ The restuarant did not disappoint. As we ate, there was also a troop of people dressed up playing rag time music on the brass instruments that paraded themselves around the restuarant. OH! And since my friend is a big fish in a little pond here, we sat in the VIP area. And, wouldn´t you know, the presidents son walked in with his secret service and sat right next to us. So now I have peed in the president of Ecuador´s bathroom, and partied with the president of Colombia´s son. Those things would never happen in the US.
Anyway, it was a night to remember.