World Safari

April 10. Retracing our route, we drove nearly 4 hours back to the same quiet street in Pereira to camp for the night. In the morning, we made a stop at a propane refill station. Luckily, they had all the right adapters and filled our 30 lb tank in just 15 minutes—for $35 CAD. Afterward, we did a grocery run before setting out for Salento and Dr Seuss land…

Close call

11 April. Leaving the highway for a smaller road that wound down across and up to the other side of the valley. It was on this tight twisty road we had our first really close call. An 18 wheeler with no load, that came around the corner fast, wide and on our side of the road. Tim slammed on the breaks, everything slid forwards in the cab, in an instant I was sure we would collide, but Tim skillfully managed to avoid us from being ripped opened, and keep all the wheels on the road. That was a very close call! Our adventure could have ended right there and then, took a few minutes for the adrenaline to settle down.

cocora valley

Driving into the Cocora Valley feels like slipping into a page from Dr. Seuss — where the hills are alive with misty greens, and towering wax palms poke the sky like Truffula trees. The road winds through farms and forest until the valley opens wide, surreal and silent, like a secret world waiting to rhyme. Humorously half expecting the Lorax to jump out or some Barbaloots to be tumbling around in the grass.

Of course, this a major tourist destination. Overloaded Willys Jeeps buzz back and forth shuttling people. Saddled horses wait for their next rider. Trinket stalls sell the same stuff we’ve seen everywhere. Food stands, restaurants, cheesy photo props—some charging an entrance fee. Still, I remind myself: people are just trying to make a living.

We paid 30,000 COP to park in a large gravel lot for the afternoon and overnight, Mario and Wenke joined us later just before dark. We’d all planned a hike the next day. Unfortunately, Mario had injured his foot and couldn’t get a boot on, so it was just us.

We were up early and on the trail by six, so early, that no one was at the booth to collect the fees for crossing private property, yay for us! The hike began through farmland—past trail horses already saddled for a day’s work, donkeys hauling fresh milk cans, and the cutest young calves bouncing around in the fields. It was quiet and unspeakably beautiful.

The surrounding mountains were draped in thick native forest, with towering wax palms rising above the canopy. Soon the trail disappeared into the bush, climbing, crisscrossing a stream over a dozen rickety suspension bridges.

We’d hoped to see birds and avoid people by starting early. We didn’t spot many birds, apart from the prettiest Motmot and Woodpecker back by the truck, but were thankful for the solitude. I’d packed lunch, tiny stove, a kettle for hot chocolate. We found the place to stop and refuel before the final, nearly vertical 2 km climb.

Summiting was a tough push up through pine trees to the top. It was a little anticlimactic though, arriving from the opposite direction with many people who’d taken Jeeps up the road in regular clothes, clean shoes. Cheaters! There wasn’t a trail down, so we had to walk down the road, pausing for a few touristy photos along the way.

salento

COCORA VALLEY is very pretty, but the sheer numbers of people enjoying it with us was a little too much, so we didn’t hang around and drove the 30 mins to check out the town of Salento. Perched on top of a hill we have to squeeze our way through the streets to get to our not so glamorous camp for the night. A carpark. It’s where all the overlander’s stay, as it’s the only place in town that is flat and big enough for us. The kids are tired after our 14km hike and are happy to chill in the truck while Tim & I go for a walk to check out the town. My feet are tired from the hike, but it’s probably good to go for a walk. The main square is dominated by a church. Parked all around the edges are the Willys Jeeps, returning from their tours to the valley, overloaded with people standing on the back. It’s only dangerous if they fall off or someone has an accident. That’s what I like about Colombia, people have to take responsibility for themselves and their actions. Unlike back home, where someone has to be blamed and then rules are enforced changing everything for everyone…

The two main shopping streets are blocked to vehicles, it’s nice to stroll freely. There are artisan shops selling beautiful crafts, and plenty of others peddling the same old tourist wares. Tim and I sat in a café and shared a banana split. Justified, I’d say, after the morning hike. Delicious.

brazil visas

In April, Brazil introduced new visa requirements: Canadians, Americans, and Australians now need to apply online and pay $80 USD for a 90-day visa.

While working on our applications, I discovered that both parents must provide a notarized letter granting permission to ourselves to travel with our children. Bureaucracy at its finest.

This meant a trip to Armenia to get the documents notarized. It was a simple process—$10 and 15 minutes—but required us to drive back down the valley. We needed to return anyway, as we planned to head out the back of Salento on a 78 km off unpaved adventure.

coffee tour

Returning from Armenia we spend the night on a coffee farm after taking their 2 hour tour where we learned all about the growing, harvesting, drying, roasting, grinding and brewing process. Not particularly complex, but nice to hear the history of the holy bean, the do’s and don’ts. At the end of the tour we made our own coffee. I don’t drink a lot of coffee, but this was smooth and didn’t require sugar or cream. The bird life here is something else too, woodpeckers, parrots, tanagers, humming birds and the prettiest Motmots. It’s heavenly.