After the craziness of Bogota I decided for a bit of R&R in the countryside. Salento was the destination of choice, a hilly town in the middle of the "coffee zone". I arrived latish on a Sunday afternoon to find a fiesta in full swing in the main square. Kids were running around, beers were being swigged and trout were a fryin' (town speciality). So not to be rude I had some beers and a fantastic trout in mushrooms before checking into the beautiful Plantation house, a cool hostel up on a hill where my room offered a magnificent view over the adjoining valley.
Up bright, breezy and unhungover the next morning I jumped in a packed jeep and took the bumpy road down to the Cocora Valley. A place famous for its massive wax palms - fact overload warning: The wax palm is Colombia´s national tree and the tallest palm in the world. From the moment we entered the valley it was picture postcard - rolling hills, rainforests and the infamous gangly wax palms everywhere. There was a marked hike which in hindsight was one of the most beautiful I have ever done (giving New Zealand a run for its money) and I mosied for a couple of hours up hills and over rivers, before arriving at the rangers station. The nice chap and his wife prepared hot chocolate and cheese (Colombian speciality) whilst 3 different types of hummingbird buzzed by my ear.
On the way back I bumped into a lovely Croatian couple and we hiked back to the jeep together. This time it was standing room only and I had to stand on the rear bumper and hang on for dear life.
Other super duper fact of the day: Sláinte pronounced in Croatian means "little elephants".
Photos of the cocora valley
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