Leaving la finca meant saying goodbye to my travel boyfriend. Why did we breakup? He had to work the farm and I had to werk the rest of Colombia. Muchos besos Krishna Nan!
I took a minibus to Pereira and then another to Salento, or the coffee triangle. I didn't have a hostel reservation, but ended up finding a lovely place with good beds and a beautiful view. My first evening I bummed around the hostel, chatting with a few of the folks there but missing my Colombian bae. I met another Colombian traveler from Cali, and he made me miss cutie even more. He asked me if I wanted to get a drink. I said, "I don't really drink" and he said "neither do I" which was confusing. I went to bed around 8:30pm. He was staying in my dorm room so we talked a little before bed and finally exchanged first names. His was Anil.
A few minutes after I got under the covers and turned on my podcast, Anil taps me on the shoulder and said, "Can I join you?" and his heart was beating fast. Thinking something was wrong, I sat up and said, "Sure, is something wrong?" Then that fool GOT INTO MY BED AND UNDER MY COVERS. I immediately said, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Huh??
The next morning he sat down next to me at breakfast and apologized sort of. I didn't feel the safest. What a creep!
The rest of the day was the opposite of Anil (aka cool). I walked into town and took a Willy jeep to Corcora Canyon. It was a 3.5 hour hike that included jungle, river, and wax palms. That night I met a girl named Jacqueline and we made veggies. We bought eggplant, carrot, bell pepper, onion, and plaintain for 4,000 COP, just over $1. Can you imagine?
The following day I walked thirty minutes to the coffee triangle for coffee tasting. The first farm I visited is the only organic coffee farm in Salento. I picked coffee beans there. I learned that instant coffee is made from 70% coffee bean skin and 30% coffee bean. It takes 1.5 years for the cup of coffee to get into my hand. I also learned that people are paid 600 pesos per kilo to pick the coffee beans. I paid $3 to pick 10 beans on my tour. Colombians sometimes make coffee with lemon to enhance the antioxidant properties of the coffeee. Blasphemous!
I next went to an industrial farm, where I was greeted by David. David shook my hand, winked at me, and said, "We met at the square yesterday afternoon, do you remember?" Apparently the price is the same and he gets a cut, so I told him I remembered. David's tour contained virtually the same info. I don't know if I have a refined enough palate for coffee tasting, because they tasted like all the coffee I've ever had.
After I was hyped up on caffeine, I went into town for trout, which the city of Salento is known for. Delish! I hiked to the viewpoint and then read my book in the main square. Shoutout to SF Public Library for all of the free e-book downloads on my phone. It's the best thing ever and a true life hack!
I took an afternoon yoga class with Vladimir against the beautiful backdrop of the coffee crops. A private class for just $5! He was so impressed with my lines that he insisted on taking photos so I could see myself in the poses. I took his class the following morning too. We hugged goodbye, and he thanked me for sharing my energy with him.
Salento was touristy (who cares!) but tranquil and I enjoyed my time there.
Medellin was... not my all time favorite city. I preferred Bogota! In the city’s defense, I was feeling a cold coming on. I stayed at Yolo Hostel (terrible name I know) after a recommendation from a hiker I met in Corcora Valley. He said his Colombian gf worked there and that they were going to a concert in Mexico City for Halloween. When I got to the hostel, the girl working mentioned she was headed to Mexico for Halloween. I excitedly told her I met her bf in Salento. And she said, “Travis?” And I said, “No, Jaime...” Get it girl!! She later told me Jaime proposed and she said no and he’s still in Colombia, etc. Muy complicado!
I signed up a few days in advance for the Medellin free walking tour to learn about Pablo Escobar. The guide explained that she wouldn’t use his name during the tour because locals often get angry when Colombians continue to talk about Pablo. Colombians don’t even learn about him in high school! Instead our guide referred to him as Colombia’s most famous criminal. The other guide was shot twice in the leg by Pablo’s people and six of his friends were killed during the altercation. He also had two of his uncles kidnapped. My guide told us that the locals stare at us because many haven’t seen foreigners before. She insisted that tourists are good for Medellin because it is an indication that the city has changed for the better and that the change is here to stay.
The city was hosting a diversity day event that day, so Kelsey and Brad and I went to check it out. They are Canadians on their honeymoon. Too perfect! I’m not quite sure what kind of diversity we were celebrating at diversity day. A lot of the booths had clowns in them. Clown diversity? Our guide was performing in a puppet show porno so we popped in to watch. We didn’t know what they were saying. The puppet had a weird, big felt penis. We left for the botanical garden after ten minutes. While my new friends went out that evening, I stayed in and made the final bookings of my bar trip. CRYING.
That night at the hostel I met Amna from Israel and Carolina from Colombia. We decided to go to the Antioquia Museum the following day to see the two famous Pablo Escobar paintings by Botrero. Nearly the entire museum’s collection was either Botrero or a gift from Botrero. I kept wondering if he gets in for free when he goes. Botrero donated 23 sculptures to the square in front of the museum. After we saw all the exhibits, there was a Botrero mirror which made us look like the chubs he painted.
The three vegetarian restaurants I wanted to try were closed (Sundays in South America are my least favorite day) so we ate a buñuelo before the girls went to the cable cars and I went back to the hostel to rest. Carolina said they are typically eaten on Christmas. She said they had cheese in them, but it tasted like dough to me. Either way, it was deep fried deliciousness.
My favorite part of my quick trip to Medellin was eating arepa de chócolo everyday.
In the morning I went to the hostel next door to take yoga for just 7,000 pesos. After class, Amna and Carolina tagged along on my trip to nearby Guatape. We climbed all 759 steps to El Peñón de Guatapé, or the rock. The girls went into town, and I stayed in a hostel overlooking the lake. The reviews said there was amazing yoga at the hostel, but I was disappointed to learn the yoga teacher was out of town. Regardless, the hostel had a wonderful/peaceful view that felt resorative after visiting the big city.
Breakfast was arepa, fruit, and eggs. I bussed into town, walked around, and read at the dock before I was spotted by Ido from Israel who I met on top of the rock. I wanted to spend the day alone with my book and felt a little deflated when he flagged me down. The wind was taken out of my sails when he told me he was pro-Trump. He was surprised at how much I knew about Jewish culture. He said I seemed to like Jewish traditions and holidays so much that I should convert. I wish! Ido paused at one point during our chat to reflect on how crazy it is that an American and an Isaraeli are in Colombia talking about how my uterus is more regulated than guns in America. Crazy it is my friend.
I took a bus back to Medellin and ate the fuck out of a banana split. I wasn’t going to get one, but three stores in a row were offering it and I couldn’t resist. I got to the station early, and the company let me hop on an earlier bus. It was my last overnight bus this trip and it made me feel sentimental. Time is passing much too quickly!
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