Where the kiwi has flown - #5 Cocora and Salento
From my diary*, 30 March 2002Note: I can't find photos of this trip on my computer, but I think they're on a CD somewhere. I will add them as soon as I find them.
Easter Thursday was a day of water. N and I left Cali around 10am, caught a bus to Armenia and caught a buseta from there to Salento - but got off too soon, in Circili, at which point it started raining and raining. We shared a taxi to Salento with two random girls and took shelter in the church for a while, then tried to find somewhere to stay. The only places with rooms free were holes, so we walked up the steps, past the stations of the cross, to a mirador (look-out) with a roof. We swept out the water and pitched our tent. Then we went back down to the town for a trout dinner. The rain finally stopped and we wandered around, looking in shops (lots of cool hippy craft stuff) and eating obleas with arequipe and cream. Then we bought a bottle of rum and went back to our campsite. We spent the evening drinking rum and talking to a young man who had pitched his tent up there also - the rain had stopped and the full moon came out (it's always full moon at Easter, of course) and millions of stars.
Friday was a day of air - very windy. We packed our tent up to save it from being blown over, and went down into town to find some coffee. We were planning on going to Cocora after the coffee, but discovered the Easter procession was about to start. There were a whole bunch of local youths dressed as guards, a statue of Jesus (for whom the priest did the voice), a Pontius Pilate and a Mary Magdalene and everything and they acted out the whole thing. Some of the guards had to read their lines from their hands. Then the whole crowd followed them through the streets of Salento, which were lined with branches.
Eventually we headed out to Cocora (famous for its wax palms - the national tree of Colombia) - had some trouble finding a jeep to take us, but finally made it and pitched our tent just before sunset. We made a campfire and cooked our pasta and tried to keep warm (it's cold up there!). The next morning we packed up and started up the trail up los Nevados (mountain). We only had time to get to a mirador part way up before heading back down again - unfortunately didn't make it up to the paramo where the frailejones grow. When we got back down, it rained just long enough to send us to the restaurant for coffee, so we stayed for another trout dinner.
The next day we headed back to Salento, had coffee at a groovy little place with an ancient coffee machine, trawled the shops again, had trout again, and then headed back to Cali.
R
*My diary was, of course, on the floor in the lounge** under my togs***, which have been there since I last went swimming when the weather was still hot****, about a month ago.
**loungeroom / living room
***bathers / swimmers / cossie / swimsuit / bathing suit
****it seems regional Australia only does extreme temperatures. We went very quickly from being way too hot to sleep to way too cold - 2C overnight (although still 25C during the day)
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Where the kiwi has flown # 4 USA '98
Where the kiwi has flown # 3 Lake Titicaca
Where the kiwi has flown # 2 A vignette of Cali
Where the kiwi has flown #1 Tsunami diving
posted by flying kiwi @ 2:16 AM
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