Salento & Cocora Valley

The 10-hour bus ride from Bogotá to Pereira was a highlight. First, we were surprised by the modern bus station and the smooth process, but the poverty on the outskirts of the city shocked us. After two hours, we left the city and spent 8 hours zigzagging through the mountains. The decision to do the journey during the day was absolutely right. Firstly, the daylight helped us not to lose our sense of balance, and secondly, the landscape was simply indescribable. The green mountains covered with various plants and the remote villages made mostly of tin roofs were truly fascinating.

Our actual destination was Salento, the starting point for the Cocora Valley, where the famous wax palms, the national tree of Colombia, are found. "There are buses from Pereira to Salento all day long," they said. That wasn't the case. There were no buses after eight, so we took a taxi, of course avoiding the official and endless taxi line because time is money, right? The taxi driver took us down a side street, gave us a ridiculous price, started taking pictures of our passports, and spoke something incomprehensible in Spanish. We didn't quite understand the situation, so we quickly got off the taxi (as quickly as possible with two huge backpacks, a small backpack each, and a bag with a laptop and two books) and joined the official line for taxis. Shortly after, we found ourselves in a dark alley without our passports and our taxi driver. It seemed that this was the normal procedure, we thought, and in the end, we paid an even higher price, including moments of terror. The driver seems to have a suicidal driving style, only turning at the last moment, and he hasn't yet learned to turn off his headlights when there is oncoming traffic. Finally, we arrived in Salento, and the driver asked a hundred people for directions, even though no one knew. Bloody tourists with their Google Maps! With determination, we were able to persuade him to follow our instructions, and finally, we arrived at the right place.

The hike in the Cocora Valley and the visit to Salento, a hip tourist village, exceeded all expectations. We happened to be there on the weekend when the locals were celebrating the birthday of Salento, and we were able to participate in this festive atmosphere (never without a bottle of Aguardiente in the hand of the Salentorianos) - a great party according to our taste. The relaxed atmosphere among the people was striking. No pushing, no shoving, no cursing. And if a few locals wanted to hitch a ride, there was still space for them in the tourist Jeep. Whether there were 13 or 16 people in the eight-seater, it no longer mattered - the two of us managed to secure the front seats on the step board - yeehaw, no laws.

And now we're sitting here, waiting for the bus for 2.5 hours (all the buses were full before). Definitely time to embrace this mentality and have a beer or two in the meantime.