Tag Archives: traveling in Colombia

The charming and colorful town of Salento

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The trip has gone better than expected so far. In the last decade of so, I have developed a very poor heat tolerance – which makes traveling difficult sometimes. I feel overheated on a sunny day 70 degree day in Bogota (I have several fans installed at my house to the complete horror of my friends and neighbors.) Sometimes, I am sweating and overheating when my friends are putting on sweaters.. It’s kind of frustrating to deal with – but now I travel with my own fan, and ice packs. So, I was worried about traveling to the Eje Cafetero, because some areas are fairly warm, like Pereira but Andres was careful to plan most of our trip in the cooler areas. Not as cool as Manizales, which is my general comfort zone, but quite pleasant so far in our journey.

Salento is quite close to Valle de Cocora, and during our stay, the weather was cool, with rain overnight. Salento is one of those picture postcard towns, that as much as it’s a touristy place, it still manages to be charming, which was a pleasant surprise. (I am sure volume of tourists plays a big part – we were there during the week, just prior to school vacations (semana de receso) so while there were other tourists around, there weren’t any lines, nothing was crowded, merchants were pleasant, friendly and not at all pushy.

I like color – it’s one of my signatures in both interior design and fashion. I strongly believe that we should “live life in color” and I despite that all white cold, institutional look that is so popular these days. Same thing for grey, and beige schemes – which predominate in Bogota design. My own house in Bogota is a riot of color, and a color scheme that changes on a whim.

Salento is the same, rich with color – in the bright fashion of the coast, and the Caribbean versus the painted ladies of San Francisco. The other nice thing is that it isn’t just one or two streets – it’s the majority of the town.

colorful homes and businesses in Salento

We stayed at a lovely apartment hotel that was close to the center of town. We were able to walk everywhere. The apartment was well-appointed, and we could make our own breakfast in the morning. Our host, Mario was very nice and happy to accommodate our plans.

our hotel

After we got settled, we walked downtown – and to the Mirador, which is a point above Salento that allows you to see the entire city below – once you climb the steps to get there. (There’s a less strenuous path to the Mirador, but I needed the exercise).

It’s 256 fairly steep steps, (less than half the steps of La Piedra del Penol, and only a quarter of the climb up Monserrate but it’s enough to make you breath pretty hard.

I found the actual city view a little underwhelming, but maybe I’ve been spoiled by all the beautiful Bogota vistas..

But once you reach the top, there is a trail that leads to another view point – and this one is breathtaking. Instead of city scapes, it’s a panaramic view of the valley and the mountains that surround Salento.

Panarama of view from Salento

I could take a million pictures and probably never do it justice.. So here’s a couple more.. Just click on the image if you want to see the whole thing.

The older I get, the more I am awed by nature. It’s funny how that happens. Sometimes, I think that we need to see a lot of ugly to truly appreciate the beauty in the world.

On the way back, we did a little bit of shopping to celebrate Andres birthday – and so I could take pictures of some of the crafts. (I know, it’s in almost all my Colombia posts – but the different kind of artisanal art and indigenous and traditional craft here is so beautiful. I don’t need to buy it – because how many mochillas, bags, hats and other things does a person need? Then again – I do try to support local craft by buying it whenever I need a gift because why would you buy someone mass market crap when there is a plethora of beautiful handmade items that actually mean something out there.

(Not this time – this time Andres actually picked out the beautiful leather bag he wanted – and I’ll get a picture of it tomorrow.) But there is such a variety of so many lovely things, that I just can’t help but take pictures of it when they let me..

After that, we took some more pictures – found a nice restaurant before heading back to the hotel to sleep..

Tomorrow – Santa Rosa de Cabal and the thermal springs..

Going home..

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After a whirlwind three months that included trips to Chile, Bolivia and different cities in Colombia, I am getting ready to come home in a few days.  As always, leaving Bogotá is bittersweet.  I miss my friends, and my family but I will also miss the city and all of the nice people I’ve met here.

I am posting a map of Colombia, so even though I’ve taken several trips – you can see that I haven’t really explored the country at all. (I’ve posted little push pins on the areas I have visited.)  I excluded Facativa and some of the closer towns since they are really just suburbs of Bogotá, and it would just clutter the map.

Map of Colombia, courtesy of Google Earth

As you can see – I haven’t explored the southern part of Colombia, or the pacific coast at all.  My Atlantic adventures have been confined to Cartagena.  So, I guess this means, I still have a lot of work cut out for me on my next visit(s).

map showing central Colombia

But I hope that readers have enjoyed reading about my travels, the people I’ve met and the things I’ve seen.  Now – I know this is a medical/ surgery blog but since much of the surgery I write about is in this part of the world, I think that including some of my experiences is relevant/ interesting for people who read the blog.  Once I get back home, I’ll post some more articles on medical quality control and standards – and more of my usual dry fare.

in Lerida

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in the mountains on the way to Tolima

Most Americans have limited exposure to Colombia, and Colombian life.  Other than media reports about drugs and violence, the majority of people’s opinions about the country have been formed by one quintessential little film of the mid-80’s…

“Romancing the Stone” – yeah, that’s right – the silly little romantic comedy with Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas.  “Is this the bus to Cartagena?” is a line I’ve heard many, many times from people asking questions about my experiences here.

In general, like most things, Colombia is nothing like the movies.  Especially this one, since it was filmed in Veracruz, Mexico.

just outside Lerida at Sunset

But Lerida is that Colombia – the hot, humid, tropical Colombia that people think of after watching that movie.  It isn’t jungle-like here, of course,(that’s further south) but it’s an ancient city with stone buildings and some cobblestone streets interspersed among newer construction; but Lerida has the unrelenting heat and steaminess that people generally picture (and fail to find in Bogota.)  My guide tells me that the city wasn’t quite so hot – until most of the trees were removed when the streets were paved.  It makes sense since the neighboring cities (with thick tree-lined streets) are noticeably cooler.

It’s an interesting city – and more than just miles away from Bogotá – more like decades.  Life is a bit more traditional here, but that may be just the heat, and the ancient appearance of much of the buildings contributing to that perception.  Lerida was first ‘discovered’ in 1538 by Spanish conquistador Sebastián de Belalcazar who was amazed by the richness of the land, but it wasn’t officially ‘founded’ until 1777, which actually makes it technically one of the younger towns.  But as you wander the town, you see that people are still living in many of the original buildings – updated and modernized, of course.  But the original architecture with high ceiling and spacious rooms offers the advantages of cooler temperatures despite relentless sun.

As a mentioned in a previous post about Cali – motorcycles are the preferred method of travel in the warmer climes; relatively inexpensive, and good on gas – you see motorcycles just about everywhere you look; with entire families on bikes.

family on motorcycle in Lerida

Women in high heels, babies pressed between bodies, toddlers riding up front, even women riding ‘side-saddle’.

Coming from a society where motorcycles are used more as a statement than a viable mode of transportation; it takes a minute to adjust to the scene of so many bikes – it’s not a convention, they aren’t ‘bikers’, it’s just another day of running errands and going to work.

line of motorcycles

For more posts about my visits to Medellin, click here.

What is home? (and where is home?)

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One of the questions I am asked frequently when I travel is “Where do you live?” or “Where are you from?” and sometimes, “Where is home?”

While these questions seem the same – they aren’t.  For someone like me who travels often for extended durations – the answers are often deeper than the questions.  The nature of the question of home changes.  Of course, I am from the United States – and I always will be; a born and bred southerner from Virginia.  But is it home?  Probably not, as my extended family lives in several different points of the globe, and without a job or a house in Virginia there is very little reason to return.

the neighborhood I call home..

Where do I live?  Not so easily either – unless you are asking directions to the apartment here in Bogota where I am staying for the next several months.  But is that home?  The answer is yes, and no.

I am not a native Bogotano and never will be.  My trips here are always too brief stops before heading on. But at the same time, in many ways it does feel like home.  Just yesterday – as I took my Sunday stroll, I ran into a friend of mine, so we walked a bit and enjoyed the sunny day.  Then as I was coming back, two people asked me for directions – (which I was able to give)..  Today, I am helping teach an English class and tomorrow I will be doing more research..

if home is having a favorite restaurant, then this is certainly it..

So in that sense, Bogota is more my home than several other places I’ve stayed.  I have favorite places to lunch, to shop, to buy groceries – all of those things that come with familiarity, with belonging. I can hop on and off Transmileno like a native and navigate myself through this busy city.  But in a few months – I will leave again – and don’t know when I will return.. so I guess Bogota is not home either.

Maybe home is the place a person longs to be.  But even that is fraught with complexity.  While I love my friends here, and always look forward to being here, for example,  I am also ‘homesick’ for many of my friends back in Mexicali..

or is this (the operating room/ hospital) home? Because I am certainly there a lot – and I miss it when I’m away..

I guess in the end, home is defined as my personal comfort zone.. so where ever my laptop and I end up – for how ever long – that must be home.