So the Buddha hostel really wasn't very spiritual as the drunk person who met me at 6 in the morning immediately proved. Still, it was a beautiful location and I met some really nice people. Medellin was pretty big, as it is the second city in Colombia. The Sunday morning when we went into town, there were literally hundreds of prostitutes around at midday time. But I didn't think you'd want to see pics of that, so here's a nicer part of the centre.
And Botero, his native city, lots of fat statues. This was a nice bit of town, but when we set off on foot to go towards the botanical gardens, we very quickly felt pretty uneasy. Like Bogota, I didn't really feel comfortable here and despite seeing some beautiful things, I couldn't hugely recommend the place.
More of the nice bits of town.
Some of the art we saw was really interesting too. This is by another Colombian artist from Medellin, who may not have Botero's international renown but at least he doesn't only draw, paint and sculpt fat people.
Argentina and Korea provided my extremely well-educated and amiable museum companions. Hope you're both well, Josh and Flor, wheerever you are! :)
Having opted for the safer transport route to the botanic garden, it proceded to be beautiful and drenched in wonderful sunshine. The university campus next door also looked very swish.
Nice one of Vikki here who was excellent company.
And turtles too. Yay....
and flutterbies....
and my new hat form Montería.
And the obligatory Pablo Escobar story. A guy started chatting away to me and Vikki while we were having coffee and he only claims to have been Pablo's bodyguard. Had a reverence for him I'd been told to expect in Medellin. Despite him being a cocaine mafia supremo of the ilk that darkened Colombia's international reputation for years. And ruined the lives of indigenous and other people (watch Bruce Parry's Amazon series) whose lands were used for manufacture etc etc
One of the nice things the slightly-more-party-than-I'd-expected people at the Buddha Hostel did, apart from cook some pretty amazing meals (the chef had worked at that very famous michelin-starred restaurant in Spain that only opened two months a year or something), .... was to recommend me the Sweet Home Hostel in Pereira. Pereira's first joy was the outdoor swimming pool above was gorgeous and I hope anyone who knows me well knows how I feel about such things....
This rather pretty and opulent house in downtown Pereira....
...and this rather rough looking higgledy-piggledy set of shacks that were actually right next to each other, summed up Pereira quite well. Not really very touristy, to Juan Manuel's (owner of Sweet Home) extreme frustraton, the city is full of contrasts.
This downtown park had its fair share of folk fallen on hard times, beggars etc.
Whereas this rather posh and spiffy downtown square only a few blocks away, wouldn't look out of place in any major US city.
The other great thing about Pereira is that it is in the zona cafetera where coffee is best grown at around 1500m above sea level. And a friend of Juan Manuel's was only too happy to have company along for his trip out into this lovely countryside with his son.
This view from the first lookout point where we stopped is so beautiful, I could have bought a house there on the spot.
This was much further on after a fair amount more gruelling climbing. We did around 45 kilometres in the day.
But the last part was mostly going downhill, thank heavens. Right up until I was gazing around and failing to notice that the other two had stopped. Cue me going over the handlebars. Ooops.
Pereira also has access to the incredibly beautiful Ucumarí National Park and the more famous Los Nevados national park. Went up for the weekend with a beautiful Colombian girl called Paola with whom I had some great chats about the important things in life. Considering I'd hardly heard a word she said in the bar the previous night when we'd been introduced by Juan Manuel, we got on like a house on fire. She had to go back to work the next day, whilst I stayed to take on the mighty climb to the Laguna del Otún. As I was already at La Pastora, a place of surpassing tranquility, no electricity and nearby freezing waterfalls,...
it was just 6 hours and 17 kilometres.
easy...
but well worth the 5 and a half hour climb... (I had no tent or stuff, so it was easyish going.)
The local tapirs are known to eat any long-legged badgers that stray onto their territory.
Also, as you get up high, the fauna changes to the paramo, or mountain plateau/moor. And you get to see the frailejones, which look like cactuses on a pillar.
This was my one hour stay at the Laguna. Very tired and out of water but full of lovely food made by the caretaker of el rancho.
Just next to hear I collected sand and rocks to use as a Bear Gryll's style water filter.
And on the way back I may have had my first glimpse of the Andean condor. I also got to nearly die, have a heart attack and break both ankles as it was dark for the last hour of the descent and pitch black for the last 20 minutes. Good job I didn't take the torch I had just managed to fix just before I left. Ahem...
A truly amazing 8 days in Pereira. Huge thanks to Juan Manual at Sweet Home for being a great guy and a great host. If you're in Colombia, stay there.... http://www.sweethomehostel.com/
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