I arrived at El Viajero Hostel in Cali at 8pm then after settling down joined my international mix of roomies (from Louisiana, New Zealand, Korea and The Netherlands in going out to the salsa bar, La Topa, in the San Antonio District. We were floored by the dancing spectacle put on by the Cali locals and watched some of the internationals keep up too.

The Cat Scratch dance move

The next morning after breakfast, I set out for a 4 hour run through Cali. I ran past some iconic areas including a climb up (nearly bouldering) to Las Tres Cruces, where 3 large crosses stood infront of an alter. The tallest measured 31 meters tall between two each at 28 meters. I stopped to rest and pray. On either side of the alter was workout equipment including benches with bars and free weights made of steel and concrete. Being Ironman, I decided to do a 40 minute exercise routine. I recharged with a banana/carrot smoogie, refilled my water bottle then proceeded down hill, which was harder than going up.

I work out!

I cooled off in the Hostel’s pool with a Club Colombia beer and stayed to watch the World Cup Opening Ceremonies and match. After a nap, I took a salsa class. They quickly had us doing more than just the basic steps. We practiced a Cumbia and ended with ‘Bachata in Fukuoka’ by Juan Luis Guerra, one of Maria Eva’s favorite songs which she introduced me to. The class was fun and taught me that I’ll need more pratctice to be as graceful and fast as the dancers in Cali.

http://youtu.be/kkXXxSPUjnk

Later I joined a group for dancing at Cafe Mi Tierra in the Juanchito District. We ordered a tower of Poker beer and had fun showing off our new dance moves to a variety of music. I couldn’t tell if the Colombians were amused or felt sorry by our dancing but they seemed entertained and we got to dance with them.