Calarcá: March 2016
Bus to Calarca.
We were told that, quite possibly the only positive to decades of Colombian drug wars, is the fact that the country learned to adapt by offering flights EVERYWHERE. The roads were not safe to travel on, even when just traveling a couple of hours, so today you can pretty much fly anywhere you need to go, and for pretty cheap. Well, since things are better these days, and we were literally only moving 2 hours away, we thought we’d try the bus. Even worse was the fact that we took the cheap bus. So, our two-hour journey turned into a 5 hour journey since we had to stop every 15 minutes or so and pick up people off the side of the road. We read that this is exactly why you pay more to take the better buses. Sometimes, the bus picks up some bad people and the next thing you know…all your stuff is gone. Well, at least it wasn’t at night…oh wait…we didn’t start at night, but by the time we arrived, it was definitely dark, and there we were…still picking up stragglers on the street. Lesson learned.
Sunset from Calarca
Our taxi driver turned out to be a nice guy and offered us a tour of the Cocora Valley. We took his name and number and said we’d be in touch. When we arrived at our Hacienda, we talked to the receptionist who gave her tour prices. We decided to go with our taxi driver, Edgar.
Our Hacienda was beautiful. The rooms were simple, and felt like we were sleeping in a hut. We were worried about mosquitos and being too hot, but neither turned out to be a problem. The hacienda was located on a hill, and had an infinity pool, which overlooked the valley. It was gorgeous, and a great way to end each day.
Salento, Quindio, Colombia.
Edgar took us to Salento. Salento is a small colonial town with a mirador. You have to climb up quite a few steps to get there, but at the top is a small swing set, where we sat, swung, and enjoyed the views, as well as the stray dogs. From there we drove to Cocora Valley, where we had lunch at this place that specialized in trout…what the menu didn’t mention was that everything was cooked in butter. I ordered trout cooked in coconut milk, I received trout that was cooked in 50/50 coconut milk and butter. Javier’s dish wasn’t much better. The good news was there was a tiny coffee shop close by where we grabbed our first decent cup of Columbian coffee.
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Valle del Cocora, Colombia
We went on a small hike in the Valley. Edgar came along with us. The area is simply stunning. They have these palm trees that are HUGE! The hills are green and lush- full of trees, bush, flowers, and grazing cows. As we walked along, Edgar explained the terrain to us, gave us some history, and pointed out the different plants. After walking for a little over an hour, we arrived at a trail. The trailhead marker recommends entering with a guide, because…the trail is not well marked, and people get lost in there. Edgar told us we weren’t going in very far and that he was taking us to a waterfall. When we reached the point where we had to turn off to get to the waterfall, we saw horses. When we arrived at the water, there was a couple taking either wedding or engagement pictures. I’m sure the pictures turned out nice, but from where we sat, it looked kinda goofy. We were all dripping with sweat, but they all looked fresh and clean…ah yes, the horses. Once they left, we enjoyed the views and the sounds of the waterfall. Once the bugs started to feast, we took it as our sign to get going. On the way back, we played leap-frog with the people on the horses, each of us stopping for our idea of a good photo op.
Salento, Quindio, Colombia.
We stopped for more pictures before getting into the car. They have these Jeeps called Willys. They do all sort of tricks with these things. Edgar showed us a video where this guy gets his “Willys” on its two back wheels, spins in circles, and climbs out of the window and onto the hood. The Willys are a tourist attraction and many people pay to take rides in them, we just took pictures.
On the way back, he took us by Filandia, which is where the tours stop. I think he did this just so we could have the total experience, but after a brief walk around the plaza, we weren’t too impressed and decided to head back home, lounge in our pool and watch the sunset behind the valley. How lovely.
El Valle de Cocora, Colombia.
To see more more pictures of Valle del Cocora and Salento, click HERE.