I have been up all night with a sickness bug. I am really annoyed as today is the day Lesley arrives. I wander down to reception and sit chatting to a Scottish guy as I wait. I miss spotting the car so the first I see of Lesley is her running in looking for cash to pay her taxi. It is great to see her, and typical Lesley is just excited for a new adventure.
We walk over to the centre of El Poblado to have lunch and for me to pick up a bag I purposely left at my previous hostel when I left for Manizales. I feel bad that I am so lethargic, but we keep it as a leisurely day, my poorly stomach and Lesley’s jet lag provides a good excuse for a few naps in the afternoon. We try a local Italian for dinner, just a simple pasta for me but Lesley enjoys a beer from the Bogota Beer Company.
Hostal Los Patios, Zona Urbana Medellín, Medellín, Colombia
Today is a beautiful day on the Coffee farm, so after breakfast and saying goodbye to Hector & Marieke, I quickly packed and headed up to the main lodge. I spent a couple of hours cooling off at the pool before having lunch and chilling at the hostel. My taxi collected me mid afternoon for the airport, I am flying back to Medellin thanks to the airline credit I received from the delayed flight earlier in the week. The airport is really small but efficient, they try to charge me for excess luggage but I manage to wear a 2kg worth to avoid the £2.50 charge. We take off just as the rain arrives only 15minutes late, and land at 6pm. I take the opportunity to buy our bus tickets for Salento on Friday as the airport is next to the terminal and then hop into a taxi to get to my swanky boutique hostel in El poblado.
Coffee tour today! Cooked scrambled eggs for breakfast and set off for coffee. We spent some time understanding the washing process that Colombia maintains due to weather rather than the drying method. The good quality beans are all exported and then roasted in country of export. We did some tasting and I can see the washing process produces more acid coffee rather than the rich berry flavours that I prefer.
The second part was in the fields, understanding more about the plants. Plants will yield fruit forever but they improve this by replanting every 22 years. They have a constant harvest due to peticipitaon and each plant will yield 3kg of fruit a year. It takes 5kg of fruit to produce 600g of finished export quality coffee beans. A variable size of pickers harvest the plants, picking an average of 45kg a day each and earning between £1-£2 per kilogram.
The final part of the tour explained the roasting process. We got to smell the beans along the way, getting to the first ‘crack’ for a medium roast and then a second ‘crack’ at a higher temperature for a darker roast.
All my learning done, we sat down to a simple chicken soup and salad for lunch. The group was quite sociable, so I hung round by the pool in the main house, heading back to my cheaper accommodation before dark. Hector and Marieke had been out hiking and I offered to cook, so I created another pasta dish for us. It was just us three in the hostel tonight as we settled in with a few cold beers.
What can I say about today, I spent the whole day in a hammock. The area has a idyllic view over the various vegetation in the valley with the posher accommodation in the distance. The day started with a hive of bird activity, had some lovely little yellow birds investigating the grass, then as it warmed up the butterflies came out. The birds started up again late afternoon and when night fell there were amazing dragonflies that glowed in the dark to watch.
Despite reading a couple of books it was a very relaxing and memorable day on the coffee farm.
I had such a good nights sleep. The bed was super comfortable and the hostel quiet. I check out late and wander down the Main Street looking for brunch options. La Suiza does great coffee and a tasty portion of huevos ranchos. Filled up, I wander the main area and note that this is a modern and commercial part of the town. They have their statue of Simon Bolivar depicted as a Condor, which is different.
The cathedral is the tallest in Colombia at 102metres. It was built in 1928 over 11 years. What I found most incredible was that all the concrete & steel used to build it was imported from Europe and USA. The best part of the cathedral is that you can climb to the top of the spire, a mere 395 steps. I nearly bottled it when another lady started to get hysterical but I pushed on to the top up the spiral staircase. I didn’t stay long at the top before coming back down and feeling much better being at ground level.
I shop for a few groceries ready for my self catering days at the coffee farm and then grab my bag from the hostel. I am whisked quickly back down the cable car and find the bus that will drop me at the bridge on the edge of town. From here I call the Hacienda for a pick up, which transfers me down the valley to the farm. We pass lots of coffee trees on the way, rows of them stretching up even the steepest parts of the valley.
The hostel is simple but fine, everyone is friendly and very sociable. I am pleased I brought food when I see the variety at their mini market, there will be a lot of pasta but there is enough cold beer to see me through and of course the coffee is free.
I head to bed and spot the biggest spider, about the size of my palm, just sat above the bed. Never one to make a fuss, one of the guys takes it on with a broom and successfully kills it. Whilst I am in bed reading, I see another one creep under the door. This one I handle by myself and my trusty can of tuna bashes it from a height. I do manage to go to sleep, after packing some clothes under the door and keeping half an eye open.
I wake up in a bit of a tiz, I want to sort out flying from Manizales back to Medellin, using the credit I received from the delayed flight the other night. To do this, the wonderful receptionist kindly calls the airline but the link for me to pay fails. The best thing is then to go to the local airport that is next to the bus terminal in town. I rush off in a Taxi and after a bit of faffing with the lady, manage to buy my flight. At this point I have managed to miss my bus by 15mins, but a guy is advertising a local minibus so I climb on that 30mins later. Around an hour in the bus breaks down, so despite attempts to fix it we have to wait and climb onto the next scheduled. My buses are going down in comfort rating, and it is a bum numbing 6 hours to Manizales.
I arrive early evening and it is a first for me to get a cable car over the town to the centre. I have booked a hostel next to the cable car so after a few steps I am in my room that has a great view of the city spread out below. I pop out for a quick local dinner and then curl up with my book for a quiet evening.
Today has to be haircut day. I was trying to just ignore my hair and hoping it would move from its untidy phase into a longer easier to put up style. I can’t do it, so i research hairdressers and take myself off to one. Fortunately there is a guy who speaks English and I am able to explain myself a bit. I leave feeling much better with a shorter style and more bounce, worth every penny.
I have a quiet day otherwise researching places and trip planning. I find a great Poke bowl place for dinner and have a bit of banter with the team there before heading back to the hostel.
Walking tour! And the Real City tour in Medellin is supposed to be one of the best, I was up first (and I didn’t have a hangover) and met Helen for breakfast. Manuel finally sorted himself out and we raced down the hill to the metro and our tour meeting point.
Our first stop was the Old railway station and from there to the Square of lights. We had seen these tall needle lights yesterday but today we learnt about how they represented hope after the government regenerated the area which was one of the worst in the city previously. The two historic buildings were renevated, including the Carré building which is now government offices.
Medellin is a huge textile producer, particularly jeans and the grand Placacio National now houses a market for such goods to purchase. Veracruz church is one of the city’s oldest, built in 1682. This is also the area to pick up a lady by the hour which seems strange.
A whizz through Botero square gave us several voluptuous sculptures by Botero, Medellin’s favourite artist, each donated and worth about $2.2m each. We went on to see Berrio park and site of several murals showing the history of the city. Final stops were the seedier Bolivar park, the Cathedral and finally San Antonio park. San Antonio park has two bird Botero sculptures, the first blown up by a bomb that killed 22 people at a gathering and the second donated by the artist post the incident.
It was a fantastic tour which covered politics, Pablo Escobar, today’s challenges and previous conflicts. Our guide Juan had himself struggled personally with 6 of his schoolmates being shot as they played together at 14 and two of his uncles kidnapped for ransom. A really insightful tour and great way to understand more about Medellin.
Helen & Manual left for Jardin after the tour and I went and explored the smaller shops in the area. I had a lovely Italian tonight with half a dozen of the guys from Botanico in Bogotá, lovely to catch up on their adventures.
I still managed to wake up early and Helen and Manuel were already at breakfast. We purposely stayed at the same hostel this time and it was lovely to see them again. After a leisurely breakfast we set off to walk some of the city. Our base in El Poblado is very safe but with all the bars and restaurants it feels a little touristy. We head down the hill to the Museum of Modern Art which is in a funky building and has a few interesting exhibits. My favourites are the vibrant watercolours by Debora Arrango and also a giant structure filled with cymbals that you can bash.
Next stop, I pushed for The Parque de Los Pies Descalzos, or barefoot park as walking barefoot sounded cool. It has huge bamboo, a sand area, and an area with water fountains but wasn’t as interesting as I hoped. On the positive side we walked through some interesting areas, including the palace of justice and Square of Lights.
We walked through a big area of street markets, Botero Plaza and also to a very dodgy park that Manuel wanted to see. Several ladies made a point of telling us to hold onto our things, so Helen and I kept the pace up. Our final stop was the Museum of Memories, dedicated to remembering the victims of conflict. I would have liked to have learned more about the conflicts themselves, but the museum was okay.
We Taxi’d back to the hostel as we fancied the Sushi happy hour next door. However, the hostel guy said it was terrible so we walked a few streets and found a decent one. Tim, Claire and Amy joined us as we ate a massive sushi boat, it was really tasty. The heavens opened as we ate so we stayed for a few extra beers. Time went on, so we decided to dash for it through the rain to another bar. This one was busy, but a few beers and we forget the rain. I made it home just before midnight whilst the others carried on.
After a short last stroll around town to pick up some cheese bread from the bakery for lunch, I catch a taxi to the main bus station. I am catching a bus to Bucaramanga, in order to catch my flight to Medellin. I booked a flight after totally baulking at the 12+hour bus route. My bus up to Bucaramanga is a minivan but comfortable enough for the 2hours. Once I reach the terminal I hope into another taxi up out of the city to the airport. I still manage to be early, so I have a decent chicken rice for lunch before checking into the flight.
Unfortunately this is where my progress stops and we are delayed for first 30mins, then hour by hour until we leave 7 hours late due to a technical fault. I am quite calm over this period, chatting to fellow passengers including an American who flew to Colombia to escaped the hurricane Irma and a Nun who pronounces me as ‘bad luck’!
We finally board the plane, knowing we will land at the International airport rather than the local one which is an extra 28km further away. The flight is only 50mins but through thunder and lightning, which causes the plane to drop and jump around. We land with much relief and my bag is there, so a group of us grab a taxi together to the El Problado area. I finally get to my hostel at 1am instead of the 5pm I expected and my bed feels amazing.
