Fueled by coffee, I ran back from La Finca to the center of town and piled onto a Jeep Willie with 11 others to go to La Valle de Cocora. The Lorax tree is Colombia’s national tree and entering the valley was like entering a dream with rolling hills, low lying clouds and these fabled trees, just like in Dr. Seuss depicts in his stories.
We jumped off the jeep near the trail head and went our separate ways. I ran down the main road and was flagged down by a guide leading a Dutch couple and their baby on horses. He too was a runner, so we talked for a while and I joined his tour for a traditional ritual of washing one’s feet in the river, which is said to cleanse your blood and provide health. I’d compare it to a baptism of sorts, especially with the baby on hand!
He was turning his tour around but pointed me on the path to continue up the mountain. I thanked him and wished the Dutch couple safe travels. My shoes were wet after the ritual, but with cleansed blood and renewed health I powered on running. I had to take breaks though to appreciate the views and take photos. I reached the altitude entering the clouds where visibility was limited but I allowed my other senses to kick in and stopped to listen and feel the forest around me. At the top of the mountain was lots to smell with a beautiful garden of colorful flowers.
I descended the other side of the mountain, which (much to my liking) had more twists and turns and varied terrain through the forest. I felt like Indiana Jones, especially wearing the safari hat and running across streams on rope bridges! Since my shoes were already wet, I splashed through smaller springs without a care and treaded lightly through mud. I was sure to pick my feet as I ran over rocks and roots. Around an hour and 20 minutes into the 12 kilometer loop, I crossed paths with the folks I shared the jeep with, still hiking their way up the mountain. It took me about another 40 minutes to return to the trail head. I would have enjoyed their company on a hike but my time was limited as I wanted to catch the night bus returning to Bogota.
I joined some other travelers that evening around a campfire sharing stories, eating S’mores and drinking hot tea, Abigail’s favorite. I spent my first night ‘camping’ in my hammock on the grounds of La Serrana Hostel in Solento. I awoke with the sun and a mist lingering with this view of the coffee region valley a mist through the valley with this view. After a french toast breakfast, Heidi’s favorite, I was ready to run off on another 4 hour tour of the area.
I joined Yamor, an Argentine/Israeli tourist also staying at the hostel for a tour of La Finca Don Elias, a rainforest certified coffee plantation. His grandson, Carlos, walked us through the plantation. He did a great job explaining the work involved in planting, growing and harvesting the coffee and answering our questions.
http://youtu.be/3CAmb-QXriM
He then showed us the process of preparing the beans. Herein lies the real flavor and properties of the coffee. The raw beans first pass through a pitting machine, then they are allowed to ferment for 1 hour before being placed in a dry room.
http://youtu.be/lvNKDG5ViJg
After drying for two weeks, they pass through another machine to be husked and are then roasted for 1 hour at a constant temperature. Now they are ready to be ground and brewed for the perfect cup!
http://youtu.be/ZFR4EghsNxU
The next morning I caught a bus to the city of Buga, pilgrimage site of the crucifix that miraculously floated up to an indegenios woman washing clothes in the river and grew in size.
It is housed in the basilica, where I attended the noon service and had Heidi’s crucifix and Larissa’s St. Christopher medallion blessed. It is nice to travel with these reminders that I do not travel alone and to help me follow God’s path.
I called Marie to wish her a happy birthday, it was nice to chat until we got cut off. Speaking of sisters, I bought this stuffed monkey and another for Lisa at the Rainforest Cafe in Galveston. I brought Mi Miko along and he is a great travel companion, always has a smile, never complains and likes to hang out. So we walked around town a bit to find some places for Mi Miko to hang out.
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.
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.
The Schwiet Life 