Recap and Photos - Meinhard's

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Colombia recap and Notes from Meinhard

I spent US$ 1,300 for 32 days for Transportation, Food and Hostels / Hotels (No airfare).
Time was spent in Hostels or local hotels and we ate at local places (not tourist places).

·  Colombia is for Travelers not yet for Tourists

·   You see many Europeans and Australians traveling and back packing

·   You see many women traveling alone, with back packs staying in hostels

·   Never felt any danger on the street or any other place

·   Police was friendly also the military when a bus was stopped

·   You should speak good Spanish to enjoy the country

·   There are many local hotels to stay in at a bargain price (US$ 5 – 10)

·   There are many hostels to stay in and many run by foreigners (US$ 6 – 10)

·   There are many restaurants to eat at bargain prices (US$3 – 5)

·   A beautiful country with mountains in the South and Central part, very lush and green

·   There are many high mountains, when traveling by bus there are beautiful views

·   People are very nice will stop you and try to talk to you

·   People will not ask you for money (like other SA countries)

·   Cities are modern and clean; yes there is garbage on the side walks

·   The outskirts of cities are a mess and you see a lot of garbage and plastic bags

·   Many small cities or towns are very clean

·   Many small cities or towns are dirty and garbage is lying around

·   Bus terminals are in every town or city – very clean

·   Buses go anywhere and anytime almost no waiting

·   Buses are good

·   Buses drive too fast; and it is dangerous to be in a bus

·   Bus drivers know how to drive but are not responsible and are careless

·   Buses stop any time any place to pick up people (for cash)

·  No one cares about traffic rules

·  In the North (Caribbean) the National Flower is a plastic bag, they are handed out and let go all over.

·   Food is OK lots of rice, plantains and beef (in local places). Sweet breads.

·   Beer is good and inexpensive (US$.60 bottle).

·   Difficult or impossible to find good coffee.

·   More expensive places have good to very good food (US$10 +)

Bogota Monday February 2

With an early bus from San Gil we ended up in Bogota at our Hostel at 3:30PM. Just in time to enjoy one more time the great soup at a near by Colombian Restaurant. Same place we visited 5 weeks ago. We are getting ready for the flight back to the states at 10:00AM on Tuesday.

Salento Introduction to a new game called Techo - Helmut

Salento Introduction to a new game called Techo

In Salento we were introduced to a new game they call TECHO.
A halfmoon solid 5 inch disk is thrown against a target roughly 50 feet away. The target is a 4 feet by 4 feet plattform placed in an upward angle. The plattform is filled with clay. The game plays similar to horseshoe. Each of two to four players has one disk to throw. The target, instead of the stake in horseshoe, is throwing the disk into a square of the plattform. Two triangular shaped objects, each site measures 3 inches, are placed in the middle of the square, spread vertically about 4 inches apart.These objects are loaded with an explosive substance. If a player hits either of the two triangle objects, it will explode, sounding like a firecracker.

Scoring
1 point
Disk lands within the square
2 points
Disk lands, explodes and stays on top of one of the two triangular objects
3 points
Disk rests between the two triangular objects
6 points
Disk explodes one of the two triangular objects and rests between the two triangular objects.
21 points to win the game.
The losing team pays the winners a beer.

We tried the game and it was actually fun.

San Gil Rafting Saturday February 28

Tomorrow, Sunday, a trip to the town of Barichara is planned.

Barichara

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A picture from our rafting experience, 1.5 Hours in the water, the easy piece but still good enough for us considering the rest was 20 year olds.

Typical Colombian Music… San Gil by Helmut

The Corner on a Sunday afternoon, with Helmut looking on. This is the party place Friday and Saturday evenings.
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Typical Colombian Music… San Gil
We returned to the plaza of San Gil late Friday afternoon and found in one corner of the plaza an unusual gathering that looked like a party was going on.
People had their drinks right on the walk ways, spilling over from the three liquor stores that were next to each other. We noticed that a group was about ready to play impromptu Colombian music. It did not take as long to get ourselves a drink to join the fun.
The music sounded really good. A Colombian next to me started to explain to me that this was the real Colombian music, played with a drum (of African origin), an accordion (of German origin), and a Colombian instrument called Guacharaca. The best way to describe it, picture a round cylinder form looking like a cheese grater that is struck with a steel brush creating a harmonic metallic sound. Finally, there was a singer to complete the quartett. The music had a firm beat. I was told that the song they played was titled ‘’Herencia”. He even gave me text of this song, unsolicited. ..

Para que quiero la plata si me voy a volver gusano.
La plata es para gastarse en mujeres, bebida y parrandiando.
Si dejo una herencia es para que la familia célèbre.

In sum, we enjoyed a great impromptu entertainment in the midst of the Friday rush hour. It is custom that the Colombians celebrate the end of the work week, starting after work. Consequently, the alcohol was flowing. The crowd got more and more excited to the point that even Mister “Do not drink” Meinhard finally warmed up, got a Flachmann Aquadiente, a pack of Pielroja (the cigarettes we smoked in Colombia 42 years ago) and we were right in the party with the rest of the crow. Colombians are very happy people.

Mi Herencia lyrics

---Colombian heritage Song - Lyrics

Eres tú mi herencia, mi porción
Lo que había anhelado, lo mejor
Eres tú la parte que escogí
El mejor regalo que recibí
Eres tú mi complemento, mi mejor momento
Eres tú

Coro
Eres el mejor amigo que pude tener
En mi oscuridad vi tu amanecer
Volví a nacer
Es mejor estar un día junto a tu altar
Que toda una vida sin tu amistad
Y en otro lugar

Eres como el viento, como el sol
Has llenado todo lo que soy
Eres paz en medio del dolor
Eres melodía al corazón
Eres sombra en el desierto
Agua y alimento
Eres Tú

-----Rough English translation-----------------------------------
Are you my heritage, my portion
What was desired, the best
Are you the party that chose
The best gift I received
You're my complement, my best time
Eres tú

Coro
You're the best friend I could have
In my darkness I saw your sunrise
Born again
It's better to be a day with your altar
That a life without your friendship
And in another place

You're like the wind, like the sun
You have filled out everything I am
You are peace in the midst of pain
Eres ringtone andalusia heart
You're in the desert shade
Water and food
Thou

San Gil

Arrived after a great and beautiful bus ride at 6 PM in San Gil, again high over the mountains, landscape changed from dry to lush green. Walked to the hostel Macondo run by an Australian. We had a reservation but were not able to get a private room, only one single room was available, I gave it to Helmut and opted for the dorm room with 4 beds bunks. My first night in the dorm and I slept well, maybe it was because I was on the bottom and had a women on top.
Today we changed to a hostel across the street with a private room but not a private bathroom. A very nice place run by a local couple Click here.

Went to the park in San Gil and planning on rafting on Saturday, the #2 difficulty. On Monday back to Bogota. More about San Gil from Hosteltrail 

San Gil is a great stop on the 'Bogota to the coast stretch' where you could happily spend a few days taking in the town and its surroundings. Within the town of San Gil itself, there are several worthwhile attractions. Parque El Gallineral is a beautiful spot by the river with an amazing variety of plantlife and the Colonial streets and the leafy plaza with it's beautiful cathedral should easily provide a couple of days entertainment.
San Gil's real treasures however, lie in the surrounding area. Fast becoming Colombia's adventure tourism capital, the rivers Fonce, Suarez and Chicamocha offer excellent adventure opportunities and the the surrounding area is dotted with caves, waterfalls and canyons waiting to be explored! For the true adventure seekers among us, there's also a number of 'extreme' activities on offer including bungee-jumping, caving, abseiling, paragliding and the most popular activity - white-water rafting.
The beauty of this area is that there's a wealth of things to do independently. The town of Barichara is less than an hour away and is a classic, colonial village well worth a visit and several treks to waterfalls and swimming holes can be made directly from San Gil.

Trip South from La Guajira toward San Gil

Thursday at 11:00 we plan to leave by bus to San Gil, a 6 - 7 hour bus ride.

Our Hotel Feb 25 in Aquachica, it looks like the Honeymoon Suite. 3 more beds upstairs, Airconditioning and a Pool and Spa in the hotel ($30 the Night for the room).

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The morning of Feb 25 we left with a real bus South and decided to stop after about 6 hours at 2:00PM in the city of Aquachica.

Our Hotel ($8.50 room/night) in a small town Feb 24.

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Our first ride from the street corner was a taxi that toke us more than a hundred miles South to a small town where we stayed overnight.

At times we were 6 in the taxi, no wonder the tires did not last Feb 24.

Trip to La Guajira and Cabo de la Vela

On Tuesday morning we left early at 6:00AM for La Guajira and Cabo de la Vela by Bus and Jeep.

After arriving there at 1:00PM we realized there is NOTHING but a beach and a collection of houses and restaurants, no activity. Maybe a place to Chill-Out but hot and sandy. It can only be reached by Jeep, there are no roads so one has to drive through the dessert for 1 hour to get to this last town. Very few natives to see. We had lunch with the driver and payed him to return us. We ended up at the same place we were at around 9:30AM on a street corner waiting for a bus or collective taxi.

The town of Cabo de Vela.

Tayrona Park - The Boat Ride to Hell ...but a beautiful Park

We visited the most beatiful Park but to get there was a Hell Ride we will never want to repeat. 2 Hours in rough waters to get there with 18 people in an open boat that should probaly carry no more than 12. Waves over the boat all the time, everyone and everything was soaked, out of the 6 passengers only one returned by boat (Helmut) the others walked through the park (2 hours) and toke busses or taxies (1 more hour) (Meinhard), some had planned to overnight at the park. There is much more to tell but that later. It is not a park to visit for one day, one must stay several nights.

Taganga Saturday

Day two in Tagango, toke a long hike to several remote beaches. Helmut in the water.

Sunday planning a trip by boat tothe National Park.

Tuesday by bus up East to La Guajira and Cabo de Vela a very remote area that is a like a desert and inhabited by indians.

Taganga Friday 20 February

Arrived today in Taganga -the paradise!

By accident we woke up at 4:30AM and decided to leave the HOT Catagena.

What a difference from the cities, we have a great hostel (Casa Blanca) on the beach and overlooking the bay. One stepout the door and there is the beach with white sand and blue water. Here is the view from our room ($25 / night).

A Link to the Hostel http://www.hosteltrail.com/casablanca/

And here is a picture from our last day in Salenta.

Taganga

Taganga is our next destination and we have reservations at Casa Blanca: http://hosteltrail.com/casablanca/
Check out this place, it is $25 for a room for two.

Tucked into a sheltered bay between Santa Marta and Tayrona National Park, Taganga is a relaxed fishing village popular with backpackers due to its chilled atmosphere and cheap diving opportunities.
Little more than a beach dotted with fishing boats and a shore lined with hostels, restaurants and dive schools, this relaxed spot makes a nice break from the trail. http://hosteltrail.com

Cartagena

We left Salento on Monday morning 7:30 with sunshine after a rainy afternoon, evening and night. The first trip was one hour by small bus to Perera a large town with a big bus terminal, there we changed to a van which toke us to Medellin (a 5 hour trip). In Medellin we waited one Hour until 4:30 PM and toke a bus to Cartagana, a 14 hour overnight trip. This bus was very comfortable with reclining seats and air conditioning and did not make frequent stops to pick up passengers as we are used to with other buses. At 6:00AM on Tuesday morning we arrived at the terminal in Cartagena. Went by taxi to our hotel (hostel) and walked the beautiful old section of the city. It is hot around 85 here but windy so it feels OK.
Wednesday we decided to stay in town and go to the beach in Bocagrande, fresh fish right on the beah taste great. Will be here three nights then to Togonga to the beach.
This is no longer the Colombia we have seen in the South, what a change!
You are at the Caribbean and it shows, everything is even more colorful, poorer (what we see), and the poeple look and act different.

Our place: http://hosteltrail.com/hostalreal/
It looks MUCH MUCH better than it is, the hostel Casa Viena where we wanted to stay was full. Seija and specially Rocio would NOT stay here.

Cartagena is an unforgettable city which was once the main Spanish port in South America. Surrounded by a wall built to keep out pirates seeking native treasures snatched from the Indians to carry back to Spain, Cartagena looks every bit the part of the fairytale. Protected within the walls of the old city is a maze of cobbled streets and grand colonial houses as well as former slave markets, plazas and churches. It's exciting and colourful history is well documented not only through the sights of the town, but in the excellent museums in the old city. From: http://hosteltrail.com/colombia/cartagena/index.shtm

Salento - Sunday

Last day in Salento, tomorrow (Monday) begins the trip to Cartagena, about 20 hours by bus.
Today we try agaa trip to -
Cocora Valley Trek is a landscape of rolling green hills, traditional farms and diverse scenery. This is a great day trip which begins with a jeep ride to Cocora village (3,000 Pesos) where you set off on foot to visit Acaime nature park. This 2 hour section follows a forest trail winding uphill to the park where you can get refreshments and spend a while admiring the hummingbirds. From there, the best way to return is via Finca La Montaña which involves an initial one km uphill followed by a couple of hours on a good road winding through groves of Wax Palm Trees up to 60 metres tall. From: http://www.hosteltrail.com/colombia/salento/

Trip to Silvia - Helmut

Trip to Silvia (8310 feet altitude, south east of Popayan).
Silvia is the center of the Gumbiano Indian region. The Indians live in small mountain villages around Silvia. They wear colorful clothing and head covers .
On every Tuesday is Market Day in Sylvia, to which many of the Indians come me to Sylvia to market their hand made crafts and agricultural products.
The Indians travel to Silvia by Chiva bus. These unique buses are almost distinct. We came to see these buses in action. These buses where once Colombia{s main means of transport. The body of the bus is made almost entirely of wood, have benches across the bus. Each row of the bus is accessed from the outside. Each Chiva is painted artistically. No two Chivas look alike.Chiva bus

Cali visit - Helmut

Cali Visit
We visited Rocio’s relatives in Califor 3 days. We had a very nice stay at Rocio’s cousin Esneda Canizales with her parents Fanni and Bertino. Her cousin and my cousin politico took his time to show us Cali and surroundings. What a change since I was there the last time over 20 years ago. The city has grown from 2 million to 4 million habitants, becoming the second largest city in Colombia. The street scene has changed: the big American cars are now virtually absent, replaced by small Asian cars and here and there a few American small cars. A metro is about to be operational. In a month it will run on dedicated lanes from one end to the other. Also, a lot of recreational activities are taking place; Primarily biking and running.
After a delicious lunch (we had trout…delightfull) in an outstanding restaurant, Humberto showed us his beautiful Finka (Ranch) where he has now cows and horses. Then we visited Candelaria, the village and house in which Rocio grew up.
Topping off a great day we had a barbecue at the home of Humberto with his wife Doris and their two daughters Viviana and Adriana. Unfortunately we missed their son Humberto Jr.
The next day we went together on a day trip to Salento, a small town about a four hour drive north of Cali. Salento, altitude in the 6000 feet range, is surrounded by deep green mountains. It is known for the “Palma de cera”, one of the highest species of palm trees in the world, and a national tree of Colombia. We went to the best place to see these palm covered hills: In the valley Cocora, about 6 miles from Salento.
A very big thank you goes to Rocio’s family for taking us in and for a great time.

Salento Saturday Morning February 14.

Breakfast at Lucy´s a favorite place for Gringos in town. $1.50 gets you a full breakfast with eggs, rice, bread and drink.

Our Hostel on Saturday morning. It is raining so coffee at the hostel. Helmut is standing and watching the rain.

We are paying $20 night for two, room with 2 beds and privat bathroom. It is rustic, no glass in the windows but very nice.

Swiss, Irish, English, Italian, Canadian, American at the hostel..

Silvia, Popayan Pictures and short notes

A short recap - the last day in Popayan we left our luggage in the hostel and took a bus to Silvia to see the local market. In the afternoon we left Popayan by bus to Cali, about 4 hours to get there. - In Cali we stayed 3 nights, viviting Helmut´s relatives. Lunch, Dinner and driving around to see the surroundings of Cali. - From Cali we left Friday the 13th to Salento a beautiful place. Coffe and wachs Palm trees.See notes below from the Hosteltrails web page of the places we visited.

Nicknamed the White City, Popayan is a beautiful colonial town of white-washed houses and grand churches encircled by rolling green hills. Although the capital of the Cauca region and the former capital of Southern Colombia, Popayan somehow retains it's relaxed small town feel.
Silvia Indigenous Market - This beautiful Andean market town is absolutely bursting with colour and energy on Tuesdays. Guambiano Indians from the surrounding communities make their way into Silvia to sell their produce and socialise with friends from neighbouring towns.
Salento - When you imagine the Colombian coffee region, rolling green hills, sunlight glinting through the vegetation as you wind along the country roads - the real thing doesn't get much closer than Salento! Set amid a magnificent landscape lies this friendly and hardworking community of 10,000 formed mainly for the purpose of cultivating and processing some of the world's finest coffee.
Salento itself is a beautiful, Colonial-influenced town with lively multi-coloured buildings against a green, hilly backdrop. The large plaza with it's regular market and relaxed outdoor restaurants is a great place to sit back and soak up the atmosphere, but as nice as the town is, the real attractions lie in the surroundings.Check out more details at the HostelTrails WEB.

Popayan, the city with the white houses. Stayed here at Hosteltrail.











In Silvia at the Market on Tuesady morning. 1 Hour + ride from Popayan.
The native indian come to trade their goods and get dressed up.
Not many tourists here it is off the beaten path.











Not our Bus but one of the famous ones the locals use to get to market and back home. Everything goes in or on top including livestock.










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http://www.hosteltrail.com/plantationhouse/ check it out or more details.

In Salenta - the Coffe region, a beautiful city and surroundings.
Friday February 13, 2009. Here for 3 nights at the Plantation House.
Our Room and view from room.












Our room.























Our Bathroom, YES a first class set-up.

Helmut and relative Humberto drinking the fresh milk from the cow.










Thursday driving around Salenta, Helmut with Humberto.










Meinhard and Humberto outside Salento.

Helmut's Food

Arepa with Cheese fresh from the bakery, also Rocio's favorite food. But she is not here so we eat for her.