It's been a string of adventures lately for us including Aaron turning 30!
A week ago we took our first trip over semana de receso (week of recess). Since 2007, the Colombian government requires that schools cancel classes for one week per year to promote tourism around Colombia. We had 3 days of workshops/meetings on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and then Thursday, Friday and the following Monday off of school. Therefore, we, and our friends Mike and Sara, decided to head for coffee country! Originally from California, Mike and Sara taught in Honduras for 3 years before coming to Colombia. The four of us had a great time adventuring together!
We managed to navigate the Cali Bus Terminal pretty easily. After a breakfast of empanadas, pan de queso (croissant filled with cheese) and tinto (black coffee), we were on the bus to Salento, a small mountain town about 4 hours from Cali. Upon arrival, it was rainy and, dare I say, cold! It felt amazing to be bundled up in fleece and scarves (as close to fall as we're going to get). An adorable woman cozy in her pancho picked us up from the local fire station and brought us to where we were staying. It was a quaint house that we had all to ourselves with a kitchen, living room, dining area and private rooms. It was recommended by other Bolivar teachers, and for 25,000 pesos a night (about $12), it was a fantastic accommodation. We started our time in Salento with a trout lunch. Because of its location in the mountains, Salento is known for its trout. I can't say I've ever had trout quite like it. Meaty and pink, it tasted more like salmon. Mine was cooked in a cream sauce and I ate it with a patacon (flattened and fried plantain). One of the best meals I've had in Colombia---dad, I need to take you here to eat this!
Our trout lunch! Photo by Sara Javins
At the top of El Mirador lookout in Salento.
Another perk was that our accommodations were right next door to a Tejo bar. Tejo is Colombia's national sport. It includes throwing disks of iron at a clay pit with 4 gun powder filled pieces of paper. Needless to say, we ended up playing for hours on end. It was a blast. Below is a video of Juan, the tejo master. Here you see him exploding it on his first try! Usually he would be standing much further away, but this was his demo for us.
Salento is known for tourism. Colombian families come here to get away from the big cities. So while walking down the colorful main drag, you see moms, dads, kids and grandparents strolling the street for their next souvenir. Salento also has lots of artisan goods that are high quality and well priced. Most importantly, it's the earring CAPITAL of the world! Anyone who knows me knows that I have an obsession with earrings. Thankfully so does Sara, so we were able to keep each other in check. Mike and Aaron decided to embrace the Colombian mountain culture and purchase a pancho and straw hat.
Colombians or gringos?
Finally, Salento is mostly known for being in the center of the coffee triangle. Therefore, we hiked to Finca El Ocaso to see how coffee is grown and processed. Aaron, Sara and Mike had all picked coffee in Costa Rica so we skipped the picking and went straight to the roasting and tasting. After the tasting, we (and 4 stray dog companions) meandered our way along a stream for another hour to a small town in the valley and took the bus back to Salento. It was a fantastic day!
One of the modest coffee farms along our hike.
Sara and I practicing.
Learning about coffee at El Ocaso.
I would recommend Salento to anyone visiting Colombia. Although touristy, it is safe, gorgeous, and a nice respite from the big, bustling cities. Oh, and the natives are wonderful, down to earth people. One thing I noticed while walking down the main street looking in all the shops is that people really leave you alone--there wasn't the pushiness or feeling like you had to buy something that I felt in Asia. If anything, they just want to know about you! All in all, we are thrilled to know that Salento is only a 4 hour bus ride away from Cali and will definitely be back on a 3 day weekend.
In other news, I had a personal milestone last week. We had a grade level meeting and usually they are all in Spanish while one of the other foreign teachers translates for me. However, I managed to get through an entire meeting without needing translation AND managed to express concerns and ideas in Spanish! Choppy and mostly all in present tense, but I was pretty darn excited! I've found it's important to celebrate the baby steps when learning a new language. :)
Squirt gun and apple pie. 30 doesn't get much better than that!
Finally, last night we hosted Aaron's 30th birthday party in our apartment's community area with swimming, squirt gun wars, a potluck with burgers on the grill, apple pie, and new
friends. It was a blast. Then, Aaron woke up early this morning for a time trial
mountain bike race. One thing I do know, no matter how old he is, Aaron
will always have the heart of a child. That's something I love about him, and I'm excited to share the next 30 years with his childlike heart by my side.
Our next adventure will be parent-teacher conferences this week! Hasta luego!
The top of Pico de Loro in Farallones National Park just outside of Cali.
I keep thinking fall is on its way. Every time I walk down the sidewalk and hear a leaf crunch under my foot, I see it as a warning of what is to come: chilly nights, apple donuts, cozy scarves and puffy vests. But then I look up and realize that leaf was actually from a palm tree, and the sun is smirking down at me. Alas, fall will not come to Cali. However, I have a feeling when I hear about continuous negative temperatures in Minnesota, and I'm in a skirt and sandals, I will be that sun smirking at everyone back home.
We have definitely been taking advantage of the gorgeous weather here. We spent last weekend up in the mountains about 40 minutes from Cali. We stayed at a Mirador Topacio Finca (farm) in Pance for the night and began hiking up to Pico de Loro in Farrallones National Park in the morning. At almost 10,000 feet, it's a peak we can see from all over Cali. It was a fantastic 9 hour hike with 3 hours of the 4 hours being class 3 climbing. We had to use roots, rocks, and vines to get up! However, the view made it all worth it, and we enjoyed being above the clouds. We were guided by an American woman who has been living in Colombia for the past 6 years who after spending the weekend with us said, "I didn't think teachers could be this cool."
The finca where we stayed for the night.
The pasture at the finca where we enjoyed a beautiful sunset.
Reaching the summit!
Our fantastic group of teacher friends!
In other news, school is going fantastic. Aaron is finishing up his first unit in chemistry, and I'm finishing up my unit in reflective writing. If you have Sound Cloud, feel free to check out my students' This I Believe personal essays. They recorded them into podcasts, and you can check them out here: Colegio Bolivar English 10 Podcasts
It's Sunday morning so I am off for my morning run and rumba class in the park! This is something I've really grown to love about this place. Every Sunday they have Cicliovida in Cali. They block off major roads from 7-1pm and people can run, bike, walk or dance on the streets. One of my favorite things to do is go for a run and then stop in the park to do a rumba class. It's young, old, men, and women all dancing in the middle of the park. Honestly, you go to one of these classes and you know why Colombians are said to be the happiest people in the world. Dancing just makes you happy! Check out what I mean...
