I left you yesterday without a word
about the lovely Hacienda Bambusa where I am spending 2 nights in the
Zona Cafeteria (Coffee Triangle). Built of guadua, a very sturdy
bamboo native to this region, and adobe, it is constructed in the
traditional Spanish style around an open courtyard with large
outward-facing balconies. I awakened this morning to a
symphony of the calls of exotic birds. Eating breakfast on the
patio, I saw 3 bright green birds that looked like a tropical version
of our parakeets.
Unfortunately, I didn't have time to
explore the 250+ acres actively cultivated with fields of banana,
plantain, oranges, coffee, yucca and herds of white Brahman cattle or
to relax by the inviting pool.
Instead Miguel arrive at 9am, and we
headed back through Armenia to the charming town of Salento. This
traditional settlement dates back to 1850 and is known for its
brightly painted balconies.
Originally, there was a serious reason
behind these colors. During the Thousand Day War between the Liberal
and Conservative factions (some things never change, eh?), the
Liberals painted their balconies blue while the Conservatives had red
balconies, The neutral factions left theirs plain. When the warring
party arrived in Salento, those loyal to the invading forces were
spared while the opponents' homes were burned.
Today Salento is the second- most
visited site in Colombia behind Cartagena Our fun morning began at
Jesus Martin's Coffee shop. I learned why their coffee was the best
in town, but the most intriguing part was watching him decorate my
cappuccino. He used a pointed stylus to design the foam on top.
What an artist!
With renewed energy, we strolled down
the colorful streets, stopping frequently for photos. In a
relatively short period of time, I did quite a bit of shopping in
some lovely boutiques with products made locally by the store owners.
I could easily have spent the day in Salento, but we had many more
activities ahead.
Lunchtime was fast approaching, and
Miguel already had a good plan in mind. We were headed out of
Salento on the road to Valle de Cocoro but first with a stop at
Restaurante Mirador.
Again, lunch provided an incredible view –
this time it was the Cocoro Valley below. I think my rainbow trout
had to have been swimming in the Rio Quindio as the fish was
delicious.
Instead of heading on to Valle de
Cocoro, we returned to Salento to get in a Jeep Willis for a wild
ride along country roads to the Valle. Apparently this is a typical
means of transportation to the site and standing in the open back
watching the landscape fly by was definitely exciting. Framed by
sharp peaks with valleys etched by the crystal-clear waters of the
Rio Quindio, the Valle de Cocoro is famous for its gigantic towering
Wax Palms – Colombia's majestic national tree. Endemic to the
Andean highlands, it grows on the well-drained mountainous terrain,
at altitudes above 3,000 ft. and is the tallest palm species on
earth, reaching up to 200 ft in height and can live up to 120 years.
Today must have been the day to try
alternative forms of transportation. As we got further into the
region, we left our jeep and switched to horses. Yes, I relented on
my previous vow never to mount a horse again and climbed aboard
'Gabie.' We rode alongside the river through some of the most
beautiful landscape I'd ever seen, up and down rocky paths and across several streams(honest, that's me crossing a rapidly-flowing stream --and, believer it or not, I loved every
minute.)
Returning the horses, we still had one
more item on the agenda--to plant a small 5-year old wax palm.
After the palm was lovingly placed in the soil, I joined this devoted nurseryman in a quaint
ceremony naming it the “Linda” palm and uniting the US and
Colombia in efforts to preserve endangered species.
Sadly, my very short visit to this
beautiful region is drawing to a close as I fly to Bogota tomorrow.
Linda
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