The more we rose in altitude the fresher the air became, a welcome change after the hot and polluted skies of Cali.
La Zona Cafetera, where most of Colombia's coffee is produced, is lush and scenic. A quick and easy bus transfer in Armenia and an hour later we were in Salento, the principle center of tourism of the area. Sombrebros and ponchos are ubiquitous, opening and closing hours random, simply a classic image of rural Colombia.
The hike through the Valle de Cocora is a must. The valley hosts a cloud forest and the majestic 60 meter tall wax palms, the official symbol of the country. We rode through the valley on horses with a group of vacationing Colombians we met while having a drink at the town square the night before. The fact that they could convince Vanessa to ride a horse for a whole afternoon through narrow slippery paths testifies to their incredible friendliness, charisma, and persuasiveness.
After a week of drinking to much coffee, strolling through the little coffee farm of our hostel Plantation House, playing tejo, a local game where a rock is thrown across the room at a series of firecrackers resting on a bed of clay, we regrettably had to move on and carry through with the caffeine withdrawal.
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