After a few days in Medellin it was time to pack up the van and head to the mountains for some relaxation out of the city. We said goodbye to the Kiwi couple and the Danish med students and picked up two Canadian girls that Pete had met crossing Panama and a solo British girl.
It was a bit of a rough start, the van had some brake issues descending the mountains, so we took a little rest by the side of the road. Moral was less than high.
But eventually we got moving again. We couldn't quite make it to Salento before dark so we found a surprisingly comfortable hotel on the outskirts of Manizales, the nearest big city. We set out the next morning refreshed and ready for the mountains. I'm not quite sure why everything in Colombia is named after some other location, but throughout our drive we either saw or passed through Rio De Janeiro, Finland, Montenegro, Palestine, and Armenia... just to name a few.
The ecohostal we wanted to stay at was booked for the night so we were left scrambling for accommodation. Fortunately just down there road we round this winner, which despite its title was really just some family's house with a few extra rooms.
Salento is a small town of about 7000 people that fills up on the weekends with Colombian tourists. As can be expected, the majority of our activities revolved around hiking, enjoying nature, and of course relaxing in hammocks.
There was space at La Serrana (our original desired hostal) the next day, so we packed into the van for a bumpy 1km drive. La Serrana was perfect - hot showers, fast wifi, big kitchen for cooking, plenty of space for lounging, and spectacular views. There was a wide field for camping so Pete was able to set up his van-tent, where we enjoyed a few nice bottles of wine.
The town itself was small but really had everything you needed - grocery stores, atms, and number of bars and restaurants. Guided by this beacon of hope, I even got to watch the incredibly boring Super Bowl.
Our favorite eatery deserves a special shout-out. Brunch, an American owned establishment, served the most incredible breakfasts and burgers that we did not eat anywhere else after we discovered it. A quick note on food - if I'm traveling for a week somewhere of course I'm going to stick with the local cuisine. But when you have been gone for months, a good burger or greasy hash browns are slices of heaven and I really have no qualms sticking with a good thing once I've found it. You can always go back to meat and rice, you never know when your going to see a place like this again. There was even homemade peanut-butter!
It was tough to say goodbye to Salento, by far my favorite stop of the trip so far. But the van needed to keep heading south so off we went. Next stop, Cali, self proclaimed Salsa capital of the world.
It was a bit of a rough start, the van had some brake issues descending the mountains, so we took a little rest by the side of the road. Moral was less than high.
But eventually we got moving again. We couldn't quite make it to Salento before dark so we found a surprisingly comfortable hotel on the outskirts of Manizales, the nearest big city. We set out the next morning refreshed and ready for the mountains. I'm not quite sure why everything in Colombia is named after some other location, but throughout our drive we either saw or passed through Rio De Janeiro, Finland, Montenegro, Palestine, and Armenia... just to name a few.
We arrived in Salento to breathtaking views. I am not nearly skilled enough as a photographer (or writer) to capture the scenery, but imagine rolling green hills, giant eucalyptus trees, trickling rivers and you'll have an idea.
The ecohostal we wanted to stay at was booked for the night so we were left scrambling for accommodation. Fortunately just down there road we round this winner, which despite its title was really just some family's house with a few extra rooms.
Salento is a small town of about 7000 people that fills up on the weekends with Colombian tourists. As can be expected, the majority of our activities revolved around hiking, enjoying nature, and of course relaxing in hammocks.
There was space at La Serrana (our original desired hostal) the next day, so we packed into the van for a bumpy 1km drive. La Serrana was perfect - hot showers, fast wifi, big kitchen for cooking, plenty of space for lounging, and spectacular views. There was a wide field for camping so Pete was able to set up his van-tent, where we enjoyed a few nice bottles of wine.
We stumbled upon a bar owned by a Colombian who had lived in the Bay Area for years. The girls elected not to watch the game, so the population of the bar consisted of myself, Pete, the bartender, and his girlfriend.
There also was a surprisingly police presence considering the size and apparent tranquility of the town, but we made friends.
Our favorite eatery deserves a special shout-out. Brunch, an American owned establishment, served the most incredible breakfasts and burgers that we did not eat anywhere else after we discovered it. A quick note on food - if I'm traveling for a week somewhere of course I'm going to stick with the local cuisine. But when you have been gone for months, a good burger or greasy hash browns are slices of heaven and I really have no qualms sticking with a good thing once I've found it. You can always go back to meat and rice, you never know when your going to see a place like this again. There was even homemade peanut-butter!
It was tough to say goodbye to Salento, by far my favorite stop of the trip so far. But the van needed to keep heading south so off we went. Next stop, Cali, self proclaimed Salsa capital of the world.
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