After the Lost City trek I decided to go and relax at a small place along the coast called Tolu. I think I could have been the only gringa there as this is mainly a holiday resort for Colombians. It was a nice place to relax and had some pretty islands to visit with lovely beaches.
Below: The beach on one of the islands.
Medellin 16th - 24th January
When I reached Medellin I kind of got stuck there for just over a week. Dare I say it, I was travel weary! But what a fantastic city to get travel weary in. Its big but manageable, beautifully situated and has a vibrant nightlife. Apparently the local government have really put money into this city (once one of Colombia´s most dangerous when Pablo Escobar was alive), cleaned it up, invested in an amazing modern metro system... its a good place to relax for a while. I decided to book some salsa lessons (apparently I am a fast learner with distinct steps... not sure what that means. Basically I am still hopeless at salsa). My teacher was lovely though and it was great fun learning some more steps and a bit of merengue.
Some of the activities I did in Medellin...
...Paragliding... a fantastic experience, paragliding up there with the eagles. The instructor let me steer at one point, which was great fun and then he did these swoops down (which felt like we were on a rollercoaster and about to go upside down) which was a little scary but quite exciting!
Above: In the sky, I may look apprehensive but I am enjoying it!Below: And she's off..
...Visiting Guatape and La Piedra de Peñol...
After my weekend away I spent 2 days in Salento, which is a beautiful little town in the middle of the coffee region. Although touristy (lots of Colombian tourists on weekends), this was a really friendly, more traditional piece of Colombia. Here I visited Valle de Cocora, where you can see humming birds, a huge variety of flowers and plants and really tall palm trees. It is a great place to do nature walks. Nearby you can also visit coffee fincas and see how it is made - from picking the coffee beans from the bushes to roasting and grinding it and finally drinking it! I visited two fincas - one very traditional and rustic owned by Don Elias and one more modern and much bigger owned by Don Raul. Both situated in beautiful scenery and as well as growing coffee this region also grows pineapples, plaintain, banana, oranges, mandarines, lemons... the list is endless. After all the coffee I was getting serious caffeine shakes but definitely worth the visit!
...Visiting Guatape and La Piedra de Peñol... Colombia has some truly amazing landscape... it is so varied, so green and lush... I hope these photos do some justice to this part of the country which is only an hour and a half from Medellin.
Above: The view from the top.
Below: The stone (la Piedra) in the distance.
...going OUT! Does this count as an activity? I found a sisterhood at the hostel (one of the nicest and most comfy hostels I have been to) and had a couple of fun nights out!
One thing about Medellin, it is renowned for having the most beautiful Colombian girls and on a night out the percentage of beautiful women is very very high. It is also know for being the plastic surgery capital of South America (used by US citizens wanting to get cheap surgery and of course rich Colombians). There are a lot of plastic boobs and lips walking around the streets! Interesting place although in the richer areas it just does not quite feel real!
Staying at a Finca (farm) near Pereira 25th - 27th January
In Medellin myself and two other girls (Susan and Cat) managed to befriend a local Colombian, Freddy, who took us away for the weekend to stay at his friend´s finca in the countryside in the heart of the coffee region. The finca was amazing (am I really in Colombia?) with a swimming pool, jacuzzi, trampoline, giant chess set, horses to ride and amazing views. Apparently Colombia is one of the countries in South America where the disparity between rich and poor is the largest. So although it was great being able to stay at this finca for free and the owner was so friendly and genuinely wants to show you the area he is from, it is easy to forget that there are very very poor people in this country too.
Below: The finca we stayed at... 
Below: Me trampoling!
Below: Me riding!
Salento in the Coffee Region 28th & 29th January
After my weekend away I spent 2 days in Salento, which is a beautiful little town in the middle of the coffee region. Although touristy (lots of Colombian tourists on weekends), this was a really friendly, more traditional piece of Colombia. Here I visited Valle de Cocora, where you can see humming birds, a huge variety of flowers and plants and really tall palm trees. It is a great place to do nature walks. Nearby you can also visit coffee fincas and see how it is made - from picking the coffee beans from the bushes to roasting and grinding it and finally drinking it! I visited two fincas - one very traditional and rustic owned by Don Elias and one more modern and much bigger owned by Don Raul. Both situated in beautiful scenery and as well as growing coffee this region also grows pineapples, plaintain, banana, oranges, mandarines, lemons... the list is endless. After all the coffee I was getting serious caffeine shakes but definitely worth the visit! Above: Tall palm trees in Cocora valley
Below: In Cocora valley
Above: Don Elias and myself and some of his coffee! Below: I hope my pictures are doing justice to the lush beauty of this region... coffee beans and lots of green!
After Salento it was back to Bogota for a night where I am preparing for my next step and flying back to Buenos Aires in Argentina where I will then travel 10 hours north on a bus to a place called Corrientes to spend one month working on a ranch. Sounds fun? I hope so! It will be working mainly with horses but won´t be a riding holiday. I am kind of likening it to a boot camp - 8 hours working each day, 2 days off every 2 weeks, in the middle of nowhere with no internet access (how will I cope...), limited phone calls and no alcohol allowed... detox here I come!
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