Somewhere down the line after drugs, guerrillas and kidnapping, coffee probably comes to mind when you think of Colombia. And in this case, it´s for good reason. They have lots of coffee here and they drink even more. Men strolling the streets with thermoses of tinto to sell are more common here than beer guys at Lambeau Field. For about a tenth of what you´d pay at Starbucks, you can get yourself a small cup of this tasty black coffee anytime, anywhere. Unfortunately, for those frothy, skim, mocha, latte, frappuccino fans, you´ll probably have to actually find a Starbucks as your choices on the street are black, black or black.
A visit to the coffee region, called the zona cafetera, is a requirement for foreign tourists and locals alike. For whatever reason, I always find it odd when I end up in a really touristy spot that´s actually filled with local tourists and not gringos. Wow, you mean Colombians go on vacation, too?? Salento is definitely one of those places that people from all over the country flock to for beautiful vistas, tranquilo settings and its famous (farm raised) trout. That farm raised thing confused me a bit, but I am assuming, at one point the famous trout here actually came from a river and not swimming pool. In addition to chilling, drinking jitters inducing levels of jo and taking a coffee tour from the couldn´t look more like a coffee grower, coffee grower, Don Elias and his apprentice grandson, I took a day hike through the absolutely stunning Valle de Corcora. Once again, Colombia delivered with warm, friendly people and jaw-dropping scenery
. It´s easy to see why people don´t want to leave.
(Parents, want to instill a little discipline in the kids? Try the playground pictured below.)
Almost forgot...I finally had my first go at Tejo, the national sport of Colombia. This game, resembling horseshoes, but much cooler because there is exploding gunpowder involved, could easily be more dangerous than my all-time favorite, jarts. What tejo lacks in potential for impaling a teammate or competitor, it definitely makes up for in likeliness that a novice will throw the extremely heavy disc well off course and onto a neighboring lane. That and the fact, that you can´t play tejo without drinking beer. (can somebody say, Mallard Point?)
A visit to the coffee region, called the zona cafetera, is a requirement for foreign tourists and locals alike. For whatever reason, I always find it odd when I end up in a really touristy spot that´s actually filled with local tourists and not gringos. Wow, you mean Colombians go on vacation, too?? Salento is definitely one of those places that people from all over the country flock to for beautiful vistas, tranquilo settings and its famous (farm raised) trout. That farm raised thing confused me a bit, but I am assuming, at one point the famous trout here actually came from a river and not swimming pool. In addition to chilling, drinking jitters inducing levels of jo and taking a coffee tour from the couldn´t look more like a coffee grower, coffee grower, Don Elias and his apprentice grandson, I took a day hike through the absolutely stunning Valle de Corcora. Once again, Colombia delivered with warm, friendly people and jaw-dropping scenery
. It´s easy to see why people don´t want to leave.
(Parents, want to instill a little discipline in the kids? Try the playground pictured below.)
Almost forgot...I finally had my first go at Tejo, the national sport of Colombia. This game, resembling horseshoes, but much cooler because there is exploding gunpowder involved, could easily be more dangerous than my all-time favorite, jarts. What tejo lacks in potential for impaling a teammate or competitor, it definitely makes up for in likeliness that a novice will throw the extremely heavy disc well off course and onto a neighboring lane. That and the fact, that you can´t play tejo without drinking beer. (can somebody say, Mallard Point?)
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