For those of you who upon hearing the world ‘Colombia’ conjure up images of tropical palm trees and pristine beaches, scantily clothed tanned mamas, and sizzling nightclubs bumping pure salsa and island rhythms, think again. (ehem, these couldn’t possibly be my own pre-conceived notions..). Well, that scene does exist, perhaps along the Caribbean coast or on the streets of Cali, but much of Colombia is made up of cool, mountainous terrain where instead of flip flops and a sleeveless top, the most suitable outfit is a winter hat, a raincoat and long paints. Last week Liza, Astrid (my danish friend) and I ventured up into the rugged highlands of la Zona Cafetera... the part of Colombia where some of the best coffee in the world comes from, and where breathtaking mountains make up the panoramic vista, their peaks disappearing into white clouds and blue skies. We wandered around little towns, ate local trucha fish and chatted with women selling arepas rellenas on the street (thick fresh corn tortilla-like yumminess filled with chicken, cheese, and various other tasty fillings), drank delicious coffee, hiked for hours in the Valle de Cocora, and summited Nevado de Ruiz - an active volcano over 5,000 meters tall (16,000 + feet). Getting to the top was a day long mission that entailed driving most of the way up with periodic stops for hot meals and coca-tea to help our bodies adjust to the altitude. Sheepishly - given the fact I grew up with icey New England winters - I have to say I don’t think I’ve ever felt so cold in my life! After the summit, we decided to take the chill out of our bones by soaking in some delicious hot springs in the valley of Manizales.
After a long day of driving on bumpy roads, climbing up snow peaked mountains and then relaxing in steaming hot water, we all got to the bus station exhausted and ready to get home. Unfortunately, however, due to careless calculations, we missed the last bus to Medellin. This sucked, considering I had literally no cash and class at 9:00am the next day. A grumpy and stubborn driver of a 6 person minivan offered to take us to Medellin but only if we payed double the price of each ticket to compensate for the other 3 empty seats in his van. With our backs against the wall and after considering all other options (i.e. spending the night in a hostel which would cost about the same) we begrudgingly accepted his offer. His bad vibes and negative energy should have sent off an alarm from the start, but the combination of anxiousness, altitude, and sleepiness got the best of our senses. Three hours into the trip the van allegedly ran out of oil and our dear driver friend left us defenseless in the rain (and with a good chunk of our money) to make it home. Three gringas (two rubias) on the side of a Colombian highway in the middle of el campo at 2:00 am isn’t the most favorable scenario one could find herself in. We ended up hitchhiking back to Medellin and luckily got picked up by a generous and friendly fruit-seller who dropped us off safe and sound at our doorsteps.Liza left on thursday. We had a wonderful two weeks together full of yoga, cooking, dancing, good conversations, hiking, jewelry- making. Now that she’s gone my apartment suddenly feels empty. I basically dropped all commitments/routine for two weeks (which was well worth it) but now its time to get back to reality!
