COLOMBIA - Salento y Valle de Cocora

Ayer se me fué el día en el bus para llegar desde Medellín al Eje Cafetero, pero el paisaje de montaña era espectacular y el pueblito al que llegué era de lo mas bonito que he visto en Colombia. Salento solo tiene una plaza principal (con su inevitable iglesia) y cuatro calles (una de ellas comercial), pero tiene mucho encanto y esta rodeado de unas vistas que quitan el hipo.

Es en pleno corazón del Eje Cafetero y la entrada al Valle de Cocora, que es lo que he visitado esta mañana. Me tocó levantarme de nuevo a las 6:30 pero no me arrepiento en absoluto porque ha sido una auténtica maravilla y si hubiese ido mas tarde, la famosa bruma que siempre cubre el valle me hubiese impedido ver buena parte del paisaje…

He pasado el día de excursion con el chico inglés que comparte mi habitacion en el hostal, Rowan (aunque sin saberlo le llamé todo el dia “Robin”!) y la gente que nos cruzamos por el camino (franceses, neozelandeses, colombianos, españoles…). Era una marcha de tres horas, pero el paisaje era tan bonito que decidimos disfrutar de las vistas, los colibrís, las palmeras de cera… y nos tiramos cinco horas en el parque!!
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Yesterday I was most of the day on the bus to get from Medellin to the Coffee region, but the mountain landscape was spectacular and the village I reached was one the most beautiful things I've seen in Colombia. Salento has only one main square (with its inevitable church) and four streets (one commercial) but is really charming and is surrounded by breathtaking views.

It is in the heart of the Coffee region and the entrance to Cocora Valley, which is what I have visited this morning. I had to get up again at 6:30 but I do not regret it at all because it was really wonderful and if I had gone later, the famous fog that always covers the valley wouldn’t have let me see much of the landscape...

I spent the day with the English boy that shares my room in the hostel, Rowan (eve though unknowingly I called him the whole day "Robin"!) and the people we met along the way (French, Kiwis, Colombians, Spanish...). It was a march of three hours, but the landscape was so beautiful that we decided to enjoy the views, the hummingbirds, the wax palm trees... and we spent five hours in the park!