Take Risk: Coffee, Wax Palms & Bumpy Rides in Columbia

Hola!

Before I came to Colombia, I heard horror stories of an unstable environment plagued by narcotraffic and guerrilla forces. What I found were modern cities and mystical countrysides covered with coffeeand sugar cane. Enjoy my stories below and check out my progress by clicking here.

In an unearthed tomb of Tierradentro

Popoyán, San Augustín, & Tierradentro

I found breakfast, exchanged my dollars for some Colombian pesos with a guy on the street (apparently the norm) and crossed over the border with Colombia in a rideshare taxi. After legalizing my visit, I caught a “seven-hour” bus ride to Popoyán. It took ten as Colombia is redoing almost ALL of their infrastructure. Great for them...just not yet.

Ancient Statues of San Augustín
I toured Popoyán, the most colonial city in Colombia, and prepared for the bumpy ride to San Augustín. San Augstín is a small town known for its archaeological park that contains religious statues from the San Augstín indigenous group. The trip took another six hours over a bumpy dirt road in the back of a small bus. Occasionally, I felt my butt leave the seat as we bounded over large potholes or mounds of dirt. Also, I had the experience of hearing reggaeton (Latin American rap) blasting over the speakers while my window kept opening up and the rain decorated my face. The bus dropped a few other passengers and me by the side of the road and we jumped into a jeep into town. One passenger suggested a lovely and energy-filled hostel where I met a group I would hang out with for the next few days.

The next morning, I took a jeep tour to local rivers and waterfalls, including a famous point called “El Estrecho”, the narrowest stretch of the Magdalena River (crosses all of Colombia) and saw multiple tombs and stone statues from the San Augstín people. I met four Colombian girls on vacation, a Colombian guy and a woman from France. The next day, the hostel group and I walked to the archaeological park, passing by the organic farm they were working for. Once we arrived, we were approached by the four Colombian girls from the day before, so we all decided to get a tour of the park and split it between 10, including a random guy we picked up who didn't speak Spanish. I ended up going with him to some other ruins, La Chaquira, in the afternoon. The day ended with the local festival, a mishmash of fried food, band music, drunk people on horses, and a parade.

Tombs in Tierradentro
To reach Tierradentro, I rode more sketchy transportation, including cramming into the back of an open truck. Tierradentro is a small town (less than 1,000) literally tucked in the mountains and “under the earth”. It is famous for its more than 70 painted, underground tombs created to bury the dead of the indigenous people who lived there. I met a German couple at the museum and we decided to hike and visit all of the tombs the next day, a six-hour hike through the mountains. During the next day, we had fun with the locals, discovered cool bugs, and tried excellent cheese bread from a local teenager selling them out of a basket. We ate a decent, yet chewy dinner and played cards all evening.

Catching Stars in the Tatacoa Desert

Tatacoa desert observatory

My next stop was the Tatacoa desert, which meant another series of makeshift transportation, including a 15-minute moto-taxi ride to the desert observatory. That afternoon, I wandered around and made plans to view the stars. But no such luck - we had an afternoon rain shower and the sky stayed cloudy all evening and into the next day. I decided to stay one more day to try and wait it out. I rented a hammock and slept outside, my first time to sleep all night in a hammock. The next day, I took it easy, explored the desert some more and talked to a Colombian family about everything from religion to politics. Later that afternoon, the clouds began to clear, giving me hope for the evening. I met a German girl who shared my enthusiasm for watching the night sky, so we went together and ended up viewing the moon, Mars, a nebula, and Saturn and its moons.

Bogotá, the Capital of Colombia
From the desert, I made my way to the capital of Colombia and promptly got lost because all of the street names were changed within the last few years. My guide book´s map was completely off, but with the generous help of numerous Colombians, I found a hostel in the Candelaria district, a hip area in downtown. The first day, I visited the must-see and surprisingly well-done Gold Museum, which displayed a mix of gold artifacts and an interesting history of metals. Afterward, based on the suggestions of a few Colombian literature majors, I went to the “book district” and bought two books in Spanish for my trip down the Amazon and a Portuguese dictionary to help me in Brazil. Later on, I met group of French tourists on holiday and ended up spending the next few days with them. Among other things, we climbed Monserrate, a 900-meter brutal climb to a nice viewpoint and celebrated the experience with some empanadas at the top and a few rounds of beers at the foot of the hill.

Salento & Cocora Valley - Coffee & Wax Palms

Wax palms in the coffee zone

To escape from the big city and finally experience some decent coffee, I ventured into the “Zona Cafetera” or “Coffee Zone”. Again, my bus took three hours longer than anticipated and I arrived just after the last bus to my destination, Salento. This meant that I had to trust a local and find a hostel in a town I knew nothing about or take a taxi by myself to the town. I prefer to take taxis during the day, especially when I know nothing about the area, so I stayed in a room little bigger than a twin sized bed and woke up at 5 a.m. to catch the first bus out.

That day, I booked it to the square so that I could hike through the Corcora Valley to view the beautiful wax palms. The hike required a jeep transfer from the main square. While waiting, I met a man from Oregon, Jeff, who recently opened a restaurant, Brunch, in Salento. He encouraged me to come and try his food and leave any comments on the wall. Jeff noted that he had been visiting Colombia for 15 years, even back when it was deemed unsafe. I decided to go later that evening and give him some support. The food proved delicious and I added a quote from The Little Prince to his wall.

When I arrived at the valley, I met two friends - a girl and guy from England and Germany, respectively. We hiked together (for about six hours) through the forest and to a hummingbird oasis where an old woman served visitors hot chocolate. After the short stop, we climbed up a “mountain” for lunch and a visit to the ranger´s shop, and then descended into the valley to view gorgeous vistas of the wax palms.

The next day, I walked a few kilometers to find two coffee farms, an artesanal and a farm which used machines for its coffee production. Through these visits, I received a deeper appreciation for all that goes into making my cappuccino! I also sampled coffee straight from the farm and took a few bags home for later.

Medellín - Home of Pablo Escobar (the famous drug lord who was shot and killed in 1994)

Paragliding outside of Medellín

I arrived in Medellín at 2 a.m. and right away met the hostel receptionist, a 20-something ex political journalist born in Hawaii, but tired of politics. I later learned that he had come to Medellín a year before and had fallen in love with it and given up his career to start over in Colombia. It was interesting to meet someone who gave up everything to start over in a new country... The next day, I spontaneously went paragliding for the first time. It felt so natural floating in the sky and looking down at birds soaring. The scenery of the mountains and city were also quite refreshing. The only part that made me slightly nervous was flying over powerlines. What if we accidentally dipped too low? Nah, not important to think about.

My second day in Medellín, I went to La Piedra and Guatavita, a quaint town a few hours out. La Piedra is a 200-meter, stone viewpoint that allows tourists a gorgeous view of the surrounding flooded area, a beautifully done reservoir which was spotted with islands and houses. I spent time chatting with three lovely couples from Puerto Rico, Miami, and Colombia. They were on vacation and feeling generous so bought me a few snacks and a coffee, as well as a ride up with them to the foot of the rock.

My last day, I enjoyed downtown, especially Botero´s voluminous statues and paintings. That evening, I caught my $30 plane ticket to Cartagena (about 12 bus hours from Medellín).

Cartagena & Playa Blanca

Playa Blanca

Going to Cartagena was like being slapped in the face with a wave of heat and humidity. Despite the heat, I explored an old fortress, the walled city, and a few museums (including a miniature version of the gold museum in Bogotá).

Playa Blanca is a beach about two hours from Cartagena (or about 45 minutes if you go the more expensive route), which is supposed to be the best beach in the area. From here, I went snorkeling in the coral reefs, laid on the beach, read my book, ate shrimp, slept in my hammock and enjoyed the sunset. Honestly, I could do without the middle of the day, but I did enjoy swimming at night and watching as the plankton´s phosphorescent glow highlighted every movement of our bodies.

Bogota & Out
After a 24-hour bus to Bogotá, I flew to Leticia to begin my voyage into the Amazon. Leticia is the southeastern most city in Colombia and only accessible via plane from Colombia. It shares the border with Peru and Brazil. From here, I prepared for my Amazon journey.

Observations

Despite the hype, I never felt unsafe in Colombia

On the whole, Colombians were some of the most helpful people I met in South America (even when they don’t have a clue!)

The highways are a mess, but there are definite signs of progress

Coffee beans’ fruit actually tastes like honey suckle

It’s hard to be legal in Brazil. Crossing the border into Brazil is easy, but in order to get the correct stamps into Brazil and out of Colombia, you have to go out of your way. This took the entire day for a few friends from Portugal and me.

Next: The Brazilian Amazon!

Cheers,
Ashley