Colombia is, of course, well known for its coffee and its coffee region -- La Zona Cafetera -- is certainly among its most beautiful areas. There are a few larger cities that serve as gateways to the region (Manizales, Pereira, Armenia), but we saw these cities only by bus.
A six hour bus ride from Medellin, we were dropped on the side of the highway between Pereira and Armenia. It was a little surreal being dropped literally in the middle of nowhere, but Leslie, our friend Gaetan (who we met in Medellin) and I crossed the "highway" and stood in a light rain waiting for a bus heading to Salento to come by so we could flag it down. As it turns out, the bus came pretty quickly and it probably saved us close to two hours travel time (if we had gone all the way to Armenia).
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We arrived in Salento pretty quickly after that and were dropped at a firehouse just on the edge of town. The locals immediately upon seeing us helpfully pointed to where we were going: The Plantation House. In this small town (pop. 3500), Plantation House is the hostel of choice for most gringos and somehow the locals pegged us for the Plantation House before we even spoke. After getting settled, we headed into town to get our bearings. Salento is a postcard. A tiny village sitting on a ridge surrounded by stunningly beautiful valleys, Salento boasts a laid-back character with friendly folks, most of whom work at the many fincas (coffee farms) dotting the surrounding valleys, strolling around a simple town square.
The town square consists off a central park, a church and a number of restaurants. Jeeps that will take you to the Cocora Valley (more on that in a future post) are lined up along one side of the central park. There is one main drag off of the square that is home to literally dozens of artisan shops. We were actually pretty surprised by this as, though there were a few tourists, it didn't look as though there was the tourist volume to support so many shops. As it turns out, Salento is a major destination for Colombian domestic tourism and the town (and its artisan shops) are flooded on weekends, mostly Sunday. It was fun to be in town on the weekend to see the town somewhat transformed, but the real treat of Salento is the tranquility that exists the rest of the week.
Since we were in the coffee region, we figured we HAD to tour a finca. And see one we did. We visited Finca Don Eduardo which is actually owned by the owner of the Plantation House, Tim (his middle name is Edward and he thought it sounded better than "Finca Don Tim"; I agree). Tim is originally from England, but has been coming to Colombia for years and has lived in Salento for nearly six years now. He as his wife Cristina, a Salento native, have three wonderful daughters ranging in age from six to 15. The finca has actually been active for more than 60 years, but Tim bought it from a 70 year old woman just 18 months ago. The woman had owned the place for decades and was ready to retire. Finca Don Eduardo, like almost all fincas in Colombia is small and family-owned. The coffee plants grow in a very narrow elevation range on the steep valleys of the region. They are often given shade from banana, orange, bamboo and many other types of trees. These secondary crops are also made use of. Much of the finca we saw used the bamboo for its structures and as steps on the steep valleys. The fruit is sold or used by the families and the finca's workers' families. It is a pleasant and unhurried way of life.
Colombia is known for its arabica bean which is considered very mild. I personally prefer a bolder flavor, but where you can find a good cup (99% of the beans are exported unroasted), it was very very good.
Another interesting aspect of Salento is the predominance of trucha (trout) that is served here. Down the road from Salento in the Cocora Valley there is a trout farm and EVERYONE serves it. I was surprised at just how good it was, me possessing a bit of prejudice towards farm-raised fish. Most of the fish we have found in Colombia is fried and good amount of the trout in Salento is fried as well. But we had some amazing dishes prepared a la plancha. Trout is not generally among my favorite fish to eat, but in Salento it is a can't miss treat.
Our stay in the Zona Cafetera is one of the highlights of our time in Colombia. Another overnight bus ride, however, and we made our way from Salento to Armenia and finally back to Bogota. Thanksgiving finds us, sadly, not with good friends and family watching football and falling into tryptophan-induced comas, but rather on a plane from Bogota to Lima, Peru. Colombia has been an extraordinary time and we're sad to leave. We highly recommend getting down here FAST, because it is easy to sense how the country is on the verge of becoming THE next hot destination.
Hey guys,
ReplyDeleteMark gave me the link to your blog. I am a friend of his in Austin. I spent January to September of 2009 in South and Central America. I just LOVED Colombia, we stayed 2 months. Glad y'all loved it too! I have also just gotten back to Austin after 5 and a half years in Australia. I just wanted to be in touch, so if y'all have any questions or I can help at all please let me know.
Happy Travels!!
Kate