Colombia: Paisa district - Medellin, Guatape

Once infamous for its drug gangs and violence, Medellin has been transformed. It is now a culturally rich destination with a vibrant atmosphere and proudly paisa people! The city rises from the belly of the Aburra valley, with a very impressive metro and cable car transport system that can easily get you to any corner of the city or the valley for that matter.

After arriving around mid afternoon from Salento we were first relieved that the city was not as hot as we expected - locals call it the city of eternal spring as the weather stays relatively moderate and constant throughout the year (this and very mountainous surroundings are also what makes the area good for growing and smuggling stuff like marijuana and cocaine).

We got a taxi to drop us off at our hostel, Ivy which was situated in the Aguacatala area, right next to the popular gringo hotspot of Poblado and close to the north-south metro line. We were pleasantly surprised to find an Australian mate of ours, Shannon, who we met way back in San Pedro de Atacama, now working as a host in hostel Ivy...It was good to see a familiar face after a long day of scurrying around!

The next day we decided to try out the metro system and go to the cable car that takes you up over the north eastern flank of the valley and into the forest covered escarpment on top, a place called Arvi Park...It's almost like the Kirstenbosch gardens (but not as quite as nice) if it was situated on top of table mountain. We spent the morning up their, walked one of the trails and had one of the better cups of coffee we've had in a while.

Cable car running over Arvi Park

The following morning we did the Medellin free-walking tour, which, compared to other big city tours, delved much more into the culture and people of Medellin, focusing particularly on how the city and its people managed to transform itself from the murder capital of the world to one of the most tourist friendly cities in South America...

Typical Botero statue 

One of the reasons is that the city's isolation has instilled an incredible sense of social responsibility among its people - they look out for each other and their city because nobody else is able to. Also having endured through some really tough times, the people seem to have grown stronger for it but the scars of the past nevertheless still linger close to surface, which was very evident when our walking tour guide asked us not to mention Pablo Escobar's name in public as it is still, more than 20 years after his demise, a touchy subject among the Paisa locals...

We then walked around the wonderfully colourful downtown area, with masses of locals scurrying about staring at our group with inquisitive yet welcoming eyes. 

We ended our tour in a big square with one of the many Fernando Botero sculptures (the disproportionate ones) that can be seen around the city, standing in the middle. Only in this case you'll see a broken statue standing next to an identical but intact one. The story goes that a couple of years ago when there was a big concert held in the square, someone planted a bomb on the statue which went off during show, killing and injuring hundreds of people...

Two bird statues, one broken, the other complete,
built by the famous Medellin artist Botero

Some time later Botero built an exact replica of the original but asked specifically for the old one not too be taken down, he argued that in Medellin, the scars of the past make them who they are today and to bury it is not the answer, instead it should remain in the open, as a reminder of their ability to overcome adversity and grow stronger as a community. I thought this is such a good way to describe the city's transformation, which is really evident among its people, it's public systems and the general attitude of the place.

It was great to get to feel a part of something like that, especially coming from a country that too struggles to shake the shadow of its past...

Downtown Medellin

Later that afternoon we took a bus to the nearby lake region where there's a town, called Guatape, that has a massive monolithic rock overlooking the entire area, much like the one in Rio (minus the statue!). We arrived there right before dark so jumped straight in a moto-taxi to take us to our hostel which was about 1,5 km out of town...

Bridge into Guatape

Now traveling through South America, we've become relatively accustomed to the "hippy vibes" that can prevail in your hostel type environments, but this place in Guatape, was just next level...for example we were even shown the weed smoking area on our tour of the premises!

I heard from some guy in Medellin that a great way to see the Guatape lake area is by motorbike, which can easily be rented in town - by easy I also mean no questions about driver's licenses or nada...3rd world hospitality!

So we got our bike, a metallic blue Honda CB 125, popped on our helmets and hit the open road - we looked just like your typical Benoni couple on a Sunday morning cruise!

Hoe lyk'it pop, soek jy n ride?

Jokes aside, it was a really cool outing! We first did a loop to the big rock, Piedra del Peñol, and then cruised over to the adjacent valley, with the quaint little town, San Rafael, lying right at its center...

Piedra del Penol

The views along the way were spectacular, the lush rolling hills and far stretching plains below melted into a blur of bright green under a clear blue sky as we snaked our way down into valley.

The beautiful San Rafael valley

We reached San Rafael around lunch time, parked the bike on the corner of main square, right next to the old church and strolled over to one of the street side restaurants facing the center...

Main square in San Rafael

It was a Sunday, so the town was full of locals who just walked out of church and met up with family or friends at the street side cafes for some refreshments and respite from the warm Colombian sun! We were literally the only outsiders there and got to experience a very rare, unfiltered glimpse into rural Colombian life...

This was great and what we always hope to find on our journey...We enjoyed a very nice, tranquil lunch and some refreshments, and simply watched the local life gracefully move by, which did strike a special spot in the hearts of the two young south Africans on their way to small town rural life back home! 

Afterwards we again donned our helmets, hit road and sadly watched the buildings of San Rafael fade away in the rear view mirrors as we cruised back up the valley...

Looking back, those four hours feel like the remnants of a dream, such was the mystic charm of the place.

That same afternoon we had to catch a bus back to Medellin where we had to find an overnight bus up north to Santa Marta (ja nee ons het nou al genoeg bus gery vir n paar leeftye!). Fortunately after the relaxing day we had in Guatape we were ready for the typical discomfort associated with a 17 hour plus bus ride! And plus we were heading up to balmy Caribbean coast so any discomfort would be quickly dispelled upon arrival!

Colombia: Coffee region - Salento

Our first few days in Colombia was spent in a small village in the heart of the coffee district, Salento. 

This little town is tucked away in between the dense Colombian mountains, and surrounded by a myriad fincas (coffee farms). Such a beautiful setting. We stayed at La Serana Hostal, one of our favourites yet! Its situated about 2km out of town in between the farms and fincas. We had booked a tented room, aka...glamping! 

The tent is pitched overlooking the fincas and valley below so it literally feels like you are waking up in the bush with all the birds chirping away. Another plus point was that every evening at the hostal they lit a big fire outside, something our African hearts have missed tremendously! So every night after dinner everyone at the hostel gathers and socializes around the fire. 

It has been amazing to meet so many people during our travels...people from every corner of the world. Alaska, Israel, Italy, Brazil, Romania, Ireland, Mexico, to name but a few. You get to learn so much about them, their countries and their cultures. 

We spent one night around the fire chatting to three Brits, talking about the whole Brexit escapade and how incredibly disappointed, ashamed and literally heart broken they were when it happen, how it will affect their future and if there is hope?...which there always is.

Salento, itself is a bustling little town, lots of little shops selling coffee and crafts. All the wooden door & window frames are painted bright colours, giving the town a vibrant festive feel. The local taxis of the town are ex-military jeeps - 'Willy Jeeps' - also all in bright colours. 

Willy Jeeps

There are lots of little restaurants, but our favourite was Brunch, owned by a friendly American guy, we literally ate there three times! The best burgers, burritos, and peanut butter brownies...very delicious! 

As Colombia is the 3rd largest coffee producer in the world (after Brazil and Vietnam) you come with high expectations to drink the best of the best coffee..But as it is, all the fine first grade coffee beans get exported and you mostly end up drinking, together with the locals, the more bitter second grade coffee... None the less, every now and then you do get spoiled with some good old coffee. 

We wanted to learn more about the coffee farming and went on a coffee tour at one of the fincas down the road from our hostel. We learned about the planting, the pruning, harvesting, sorting, drying , exporting, roasting and then making and enjoying good cup of café! With both of us coming from the western cape wine country, it was so interesting to see a similar yet completely different environment that these people operate in...

The Valle de Cocora is one of the most popular hiking trails around Salento with willy jeeps leavig every hour from the town centre. It's about a 5 hour hike that takes you through and up the beautiful valley, covered in Columbia's famous and truly impressive giant wax palm trees, the tallest palm trees in the world. These trees, that can grow up to 60m tall, are indigenous only to the Cocora valley and thus a must see if you are in the area! 

Walking along the muddy trail with bright green hills rolling endlessly into the distant horizon, and these massively tall palm trees piercing the bright blue skies, you couldn't help but feel like you're walking in Jurassic Park or some place where things live that are just way bigger than us humans! 

Albertus said it's definitely where John Williams must have been walking when he came up with the movie's famous background music, because it was constantly playing in his head as we gazed upon the amazing grandeur of the place!

Mowgli de Cocora

The hike wasn't that intense, with just one sturdy climb but the insane views of the palm groves from the top will quickly sway your attention! It was a great outing and one we'd definitely recommend if you're traveling through Columbia's coffee region, plus it's a free hike which you don't get much of these days!

Salento as a whole was just such a cool place, the rural way of life and the beautiful surroundings definitely played right into our hearts and we definitely felt like we could stay much longer, but unfortunately there's never enough time, yes even on a 6 month trip, and there is still so much to see in this beautiful country! 

Next we travel to the second biggest Colombian city, capital of the Paisa province and a place with a very colorful history to say the least...I'm talking of course about Medellin...

Que pasa Salento?!

Hasta luego Veenstra's...

Ons eerste klompie dae in Kolombië, ons laaste Suid Amerikaanse land, was besonders mooi, met geil groen heuwels, so vêr soos ons oë kon tuur, en helderblou sonskyn dae...maar tog het iets vermis gevoel, asof ons iets in Ecuador agtergelaat het...

Valle de la luna - San Pedro de Atacama

Ons het vir die afgelope twee maande die groot voorreg gehad om saam met twee ongelooflike mense (en ou vriende van ons) te kon toer, Simon en Joh-nell Veenstra, en moes ongelukkig afskeid neem so week of so gelede...

Salar de Uyuni 

Ek dink dit is rêrig 'n uitsondering as jy mense vind wat so gemaklik kan saam toer, want dis nie van sommer Knysna toe ry vir 'n langnaweek nie, nee dis lang dae van 17 uur busritte, en 'n daaglikse warboel van vreemde plekke, mense, en tale!

Tatio geysers - Chile

Met die twee was dit regtig 'n plesier...

Galapagos Islands

Hul geduld, avontuurlus en liefde vir daardie vlugtige, kosbare oomblikke van samesyn met die wêreld om jou, het so goed saamgesmelt met ons twee se beginsels dat ons vier sonder enige moeite of kwale, die paadjie voor ons kon aanpak...

Tubing down river in Bolivian Amazon

Ons sal vir altyd die ongelooflike herinneringe van die afgelope twee maande kan deel, wat 'n ewige band tussen ons sal koester...

Montanita Beach, Ecuador

Ek sal nooit weer 'n liter bier kan bestel sonder om te wil vra vir vier glase nie! "Dos cervezas, cuatro vasos por favor!"

Isinlivi, Ecuador

Dankie vir al die goeie tye, die lekker lag, die laat aand gesprekke (en kaart games) en die onvoorwaardelike ondersteuning!

Madidi Jungle, Bolivia

Dalk sien ons julle weer in die Noorde van Kolombië maar andersins sien ons julle defintief weer terug in ons geliefde Suid-Afrika!

Machu Picchu

Totsiens en voorspoed Veenstra's!

Ecuador: Montanita, Quilotoa Loop y Quito

Montanita

I know we're not going to get any sympathy here but after our Galapagos adventure we did feel like we could use a couple of days of simply enjoying the beach and surf in the vibey little coastal town of Montanita...

Joh-nell found this really cool place for us to stay, which we would highly recommend if you ever find yourself in the Southern parts of Ecuador, Kundalini...It sits right on the beach, we literally just strolled out to the closest local surfboard rental stand, hired a couple of dinged-up long boards and enjoyed the warm waves of the Pacific Ocean! 

Ecuador never really featured much in our plans, mostly due to the fact that apart from the Galapagos, we didn't know much about the country...Thus we had no real expectations for what lay ahead...

Quilotoa Loop

The Quilotoa Loop is one of the better known Ecuadorian hikes, and something different to all our previous hikes. The loop is situated in the central highlands of Ecuador, the Cotopaxi province. You hike from village to village, and get to stay over in the local hostels, usually with a breakfast and dinner included. 

The focus of our hike was not just the unique scenery attributed to the central regions of the Andes but more to experience the Andean culture, to come in contact with Kechwa-speaking indigenous people and just witness their way of life. 

After a crazy bus-ride from Mantañita we arrived in Latacunga just after midnight. Not having booked a hostel in advance we were very relieved to find space in a dorm at the backpacker friendly Hostel Tiana. After an early breakfast, some route planning and information sharing between fellow backpackers we hopped on a bus for a two hour ride to Quilotoa, our first village. Quilotoa is famous for its massive, aquamarine lake filling the steep walled crater, which the locals believe has no bottom.

We arrived in Quilotoa, found a nice and vibey hostel. The hostels here reminded us more of a biblical type inn than the usual hostels we've become accustomed to in our travels, which was quite cool in way. As the temperature can easily drop to close to zero at high altitudes (situated at 3889m) they warm the rooms with small aga-stoves. Lekker!

After a delicious roasted lamb lunch we walked along the well laid out walkways on the rim of the crater and enjoyed the beautiful afternoon vistas of the lake, and how the different shades of light reflected from its surface. 

The next morning after breakfast the four of us and Josh, a guy from Seattle who is doing a sort of reality TV YouTube blog of his travels, which I reckon we're now part of, hit the trail on route to our next village and destination, Chungchila. 

Its a 10km hike, taking you first along the crater's rim, before descending down the seemingly endless array of valleys. All the way we enjoyed some spectacular views - distant mountains, hills, valleys, farm-patches, beautiful horses, and just the vastness of the skies above. As the trail is not marked and there are often quite a few paths, and not all of them lead to Rome (or Chungchila), you still had to ask the locals / hikers for directions every once in a while. Keeps you humble in these technology dependent times! 

"Not all those who wander are lost"

Chungchila was pretty much a one-horse town, with the only sign of life an occasional dusty tumbleweed blowing across the street, it was a place right out of Albertus' western novels...We booked into a hostel, Cloud Forest, and enjoyed a proper post hike siesta. At the hostel we also bumped into an Australian couple who we had met about a month ago in La Paz at the death road. 

Okay make that a two horse town

Dinner was as always... a 3 course meal, a sopa (quinoa, pollo or veg) mains- a plate with rice, beans, lettuce&tomatoes, a meat/fish or chicken, postres- fruit, all followed by a cup of té. 

The second day we hiked a 12km route to the next village, Insilivi. It was a fantastic hike, again mostly due to the fact that we didn't have any expectations...

The route took us down into this massive valley that felt like one of those places that have escaped the vices of time. We were spellbound by the views of the surrounding mountains, walked past the most beautiful green pastures, and along a strong flowing river. 

Every now and then you walked past the native people working in their fields, or just going by their daily lives. Beautiful purple flower fields with sweat peas, horse paddocks, pig sties, corn...it's all part of what makes this hike unique...

We were amazed by how incredibly peaceful, happy and friendly all the locals were. Not influenced by advancing technology or trying to keep up with a fast paced lives of the Jones's for that matter. Even though they do not own cars, designer clothes, smartphones or go on destination holidays, they had a certain glow to them, a certain content with life as it is. 

Something tells me this is the right path...

We arrived at one of our favourite hostels yet, Llullu Lama! Situated on a hill overlooking the valley, with a cozy woodfire stove, comfy couches and delicious meals! 

Kristi en Baloo op Llullu llama se stoep!

We had our typical post hike 1 litro beers on the stoep and just enjoyed the stunning views and the relaxed atmosphere. 

The next morning Albertus & myself went for a hike up a nearby hill with panoramic views of the entire valley, and spent some time lazing on the hill and just enjoying the serenity. 
In the afternoon we caught two busses to get back to Latacunga where we left our big bags and stayed over night, eating mexican food at a fantastic little family run restaurant. 

Quito

The next morning we had a relatively short two hour bus ride to Quito, Ecuador's capital! This place played a big part in the history of South America, it was where the seeds of revolution were first sowed and despite Cusco having been the center of the Inkan universe, Quito is literally the center of the world as it is situated right on the equator line! 

Free walking tour - Quito

We stayed at very nice and social hostel, the Community Hostel, and again attended a free walking tour on our first morning to get the low down on what the city was about...We unfortunately only had one day in the busy capital but did feel like we got a good feel for the place, which was perfectly topped off with a rooftop party at our hostel, with great views of the city, cool people, home brewed beer and great local food, on our final night in town...

We left for Colombia the following morning (at 02:00 am) for a harrowing 25 hour bus ride to the Southern city of Cali...ja backpacking is nie vir sussies nie - They say nothing is for certain in life but death and taxes but in South America it's death and taxes and a crying baby on a bus! At least we got to stop at this amazing church built across a river, Las Lajas, just on the other side of the Colombian border. It looks really out of place with its Gothic towers and detailed architecture, nestled in the middle of a lush green valley! It was really one of the most impressive man-made structures that we've seen on this trip! 

Like Bolivia, Ecuador impressed us a great deal...This place is often seen only as a place to fly to when you want to get to the Galapagos or as a long bus ride to get from Peru to Colombia...That couldn't be more misguided...The country has such beautiful and unique natural surroundings, lovely people and a proud culture and is a wonderful surprise in a world where expectations are becoming ever more difficult to exceed...

Adios Ecuador, hasta luego!