Pereira

Next stop was the town of Pereira. When I got there what I thought was going to be a little town, I quickly realized was more of a small city. There are only about 300,000 people living there but it had a very cosmopolitan feel as it's the commercial hub of the Zona Cafetera. I couldn’t find much info in any guide books or online about the town, mostly because there is not much tourism there. The only thing I heard about the town was it was home to the most beautiful women in Colombia, so I had to see for myself. After spending a few days there I would have to agree.

The town wasn’t incredibly pretty, none of the colonial architecture that is found in most Colombian towns. It had a much more modern feel to it, because of several recent earthquakes, the the city is full of contemporary architecture, modern malls and lots of outdoor cafes and restaurants. For no particular reason, other then the abundance of good cafes (fairly rare in Colombia) and attractive women (not so rare in Colombia), I immediately liked Periera. I planned on staying 2 days, I ended up staying 5. In that time I saw only one gringo, a guy from DC. Maybe because of the lack of tourists, people here were incredibly friendly, probably the nicest I have met in Colombia so far.

I spent the first day walking around, checking out the city. The only real highlights were a very cool suspension bridge and pretty crazy stature of the South American hero, Simon Bolivar. Every town here seems to have a statue of him, most are of him, in his military uniform, looking very stoic or regal. Here he is riding a horse, totally naked with a crazed look in his eyes. I also went to the zoo, probably the first one I’ve been to in 15-20 years. It’s supposed to be one of the biggest in South America. Some very cool animals, and not as depressing as I remembered some zoos.

First night I had a typical Colombian dinner of bandeja de paisa, one of my favorites. Chicharones, beans, rice, avocado, ground beef, chorizo and a fried egg. The I walked around the zona rosa a bit. This part of town was particularly modern, feeling like it could be a neighborhood in a the states, lots of new, outdoor restaurants, starbucks-looking caffee shops and beautiful new condo buildings.

On my way back to the hotel, I heard some music coming from a bar around the corner. It was a Colombian rock and roll bar and the band was playing a mix of Latin rock songs in Spanish and covering American and British classics. The were really fun to watch and the place was packed with what looked like were Colombian hippies. One of the girls working there spoke pretty good English, so after the show I went out with her and a few of the other girls that worked there. She knew everyone in the neighborhood and we went on a bit of a tour of the local hotspots until almost dawn. Everyone I met was greats and super friendly.

Peira ended up being one of my favorite cities in all of Colombian. Partly because the people were so cool, but I think more importantly, because of the lack of tourism. I never felt I had to do or see anything, I’d wake up, maybe go for a run, eat some lunch, go to the mall, hang out at a café and go out with Jenny and her crew at night. Very normal and routine, a nice chance from feeling like I need to make the most of every minute have in whatever town I’m in.

Lago Calima

First stop on my tour is Lago Callima, everyone here in Cali keeps telling me how beautiful it is and there is supposed to be some kite surfing/ paragliding. I walk to the bus station, esorted by Pilar and Carmilla, and a few hours later I’m in the town of Darien.

The lake really is pretty, again, it reminds me a bit of Colorado as it’s man-made lake, surrounded by mountains. I didn’t find the town itself all that interesting, however. It was a little country town, a few tiendas, some restaurants, pool halls and a couple of hotels. I was expecting it to be a bit more interesting, I was getting bored after one night.

I was hoping to try some kite surfing, but it was pretty expensive and there wasn’t much wind the day I was there. But I did meet some pretty cool locals that ran the kite surfing shop. Anyway, it was a nice place t relax for a couple of days and it was much cooler then Cali. I decided not to wait around for the wind, though, and headed for the coffee region.

Regreso a Colombia

After a few weeks in Colorado, which felt more like a vacation then almost anything I’ve done this summer, I’m back in Colombia. It’s amazing how easy everything seemed back in the states. Knowing where things were, how to get where I wanted to go and being able to really talk to everyone I met was a nice break. Being down here, almost everything seems like work. Trying to interpret directions or comprehend how something such as the customs process works, not to mention even the simplest conversation, takes so much mental energy. And patience, which is clearly not one of my strong points.

It was also nice to get to enjoy a bit of the Colorado summer….going to the farmers market, riding my bike around town, motorbike rides in the mountains and eating at potager (peaches and corn in full effect, que rico!) and my favorite thai and Mexican restaurants. The highlight, though, had to be going to a Ween concert at Red Rocks with backstage passes. We ate dinner with the band, watched from the stage and the sound booth and even got to watch the CSU football game on a big screen tv in the lounge. After a few weeks, though, I was ready to get back on the road.

I flew back into Cali and headed for the Barrio Fatima. My first objective was to fix the motorbike. I found a guy that works on bigger bikes and had him take a look. He figured out what was wrong and the parts we needed. Of course, most of them were no where to be found in S America. After an incredibly long and painful process, the parts were ordered on there way. It was going to take a couple weeks, however.

The process could have been much quicker, but everything here moves on Colombian time. The family here has been so great.....letting me stay there for all this time, feeding me, doing my laundry, my ironing, everything. I'm so grateful for all they have done, but I also feel like I'm at their mercy when I'm here. They can definitely operate on Colombia time. I'll plan on going to the mechanic in the morning and by the time we're done eating breakfast, drinking coffee and getting a shower, it's time to get ready for lunch. Then it's too hot, maybe later in the afternoon. Well, maybe tomorrow. I could have had the bike looked at, parts ordered and on their way while I was home if I didn't have to operate on Colombian time. But I not really in a rush and it's been great getting to know the family.

Cali is an oppressively hot city, the afternoon are almost unbearable. So Steven, his friend Edwin and I spent a day out on the river in the hills not far from town. The city is generally pretty crowded and dirty, the rivers running through town especially so. I was a little skeptical about swimming in the rio, but I was pleasantly surprised at how beautiful and clean the water was. I felt like I was back in CO, it was a great way to escape the stifling heat.

That night, Saturday, Stephen, his girlfriend and I went to a part of town called the Parque de Perro (park of the dog). There were bars, cafes, restaurants and discos surrounding the parks and lots of people hanging around., It was really the first time I got to experience the nicer side of Cali. We hung around the park a bit and did some people watching that had some delicious parilla at one of the restaurants.

Stephen, Edwin and I went up to the finca the next morning. It was the first time I did the ride in the daytime and it was gorgeous. Beautiful mountains, amazing houses and picturesque farms. Also some pretty funny roadside stands selling everything from cheese, milk, desserts and live goats, chickens, ducks, etc... We just relaxed for a couple of days, making food and doing some work around the property.

I still almost two weeks before the parts would arrive so I decided to get out of town for a bit.