Traveling Through Colombia in a month – Part 2: on the road from Bogota to Cali

Previously in Colombia Travel Blog by Marcela:


Part one of the Traveling through Colombia in one month was published, Marcela mapped out her trip through Colombia, kissed her parents good bye, and headed Lucerito – her 1998 Pajero truck – from Bogota to Cali, the salsa city….

After about 2 hours driving through the renewed and therefore smooth motorway, the scenery color gradually changes from a dark green forest tone  to an array of green tonalities sparkled with colors of flowers and fruit trees, that and  the hot weather announces that you’re not in Bogota anymore.  

My first stop was for an abundant Colombian breakfast at a joint called “Parador Rojo” just before entering Melgar ( a town close to the home of the Panches tribe and 98k from Bogota).  El Parador Rojo is one of those typical Colombian roadside restaurants where you can see people of various places and origins, they have a huge buffete with fresh eggs, arepas, bread, coffee or hot chocolate and a big selection of fresh fruit juices or if you have a truck driver's belly they also have an absolutely delicious beef soup or a stake with fried eggs and rice.... mmmmm!


Besides its weather, Melgar is known for an astonishing wavy and rocky canyon above the river Sumapaz. This canyon takes you down from  1700 m.a.s.l. to 250 m.a.s.l in about 45 minutes and is famous because there is a huge rock that's sticking out of the rock with a nose like shape that the locals  call "Nariz del Diablo" – The devil's nose.


Back at Lucerito and with enough energy gathered for the remaining 6 hours of driving I had ahead, I stocked myself with loads of water bottles to fight the increasing heat (28 C  at this point) and took the Panamerican Highway again.



The next checkpoint in my map was Ibague, a city located in a major rice plantation area,  which is the point in which you start ascending to Colombia’s central mountain range “La cordillera Central de Colombia” ,  but on the way there you have to pass by  Giardot, a small and lively city at the banks of the Magdalena river where many Colombians have their “fincas”  , literally translated as “farms” but the word is actually used to name colombian’s  holiday homes ( I’ll write a post about Colombians and their fincas soon),  anyway, before reaching the entrance to the Andes you have to pass the cities of Espinal and Guamo too.

It was around noon already when I finally reached Ibague to fill the tank up in order to get ready to face the road leading to the picks of the Andes.  This part of the Panamerican Highway  is known as "La Linea"  (the line) , firstly because the highest pass of the Cordillera is also called “La Linea” and second because, oh irony!,  the road is nothing like a straight  line. La Linea is the road that communicates both sides of the Colombian Andes, meaning it is a very busy trade route, so it takes about 3 hours (but only  35 kms)  to get from 1200 m.a.s.l. to 3,500 m.a.s.l., through a wavy and misty road full of buses, trucks and cars. 
Once again, as it is usual in Colombia, the scenery changes dramatically…as well as the temperature, the thermometer was now showing 10C – 18C less than before!. I stopped for a bit to put my jumper on and to check if there was any signal  in my mobile phone  to report  back home, but and there was none. It took me a about further two hours to get down from the central mountain range of the Andes and to reach one of the most spectacular landscapes of Colombia: The Triangle of Coffee, a destination that I planned to visit after Cali, so after reaching Armenia , the first city in El Triangulo del Café I took the left road, to Cali (The right one would have taken me to the triangulo).

Just before reaching Armenia I stopped in Calarca for lunch. This is the first town right at the bottom of the Andes. There, I had a beautiful plate with red kidney beans, rice, mince beef and avocado called bandeja paisa; very popular and a traditional dish around this area. Having finished my lunch I headed towards Armenia and then Cali, the salsa capital of Colombia. The road, as opposed to a couple of hours ago, turns into a very straight motorway surrounded by sugar cane plantations and wineries. This area is called el Valle del Cauca, is where all sugar consumed in the country comes from. I could see on my left hand side the Andes and on my right the huge sugar cane farms. From time to time I came across some of the biggest trucks I have ever seen carrying sugar cane to be processed. 

About one hour later I finally reached the last toll before entering Cali. 9 hours and 479 kilometers later,  I finally  entered Cali and started looking for the hostel I was planning to stay that night not far from  the 6th Avenue.  Luckily Cali as the rest of the cities in Colombia have their roads divided into Calles and Carreras identified by numbers which means is quite easy to find your way around once you know that the numbers decrease towards the mountains. The other good thing is that you can always ask a taxi driver for directions and they will be more than happy to help. After running up and down a couple of blocks I finally reached Calidad House. I parked Lucerito a block down the hostel and after calling home to say that I was ok and happy, had a shower and went straight to bed. I had to rest to get ready for the week ahead as I was planning to catch up with a few friends for some salsa nights and also to visit some of the most amazing local sugar farms and doing some rafting and paragliding…. All that and more in my next “ Travelling   to Colombia in one month” entry about Cali.


A few tips...

• If you are driving have in mind that there are at least 5 tolls with an avarage fee of $7.000 or US$4.
• Driving time varies between 7 to 9 hours depending on traffic.
• There are plenty of petrol stations all the way.
• If you want to go by bus try Expreso Bolivariano they are good and have buses almost every hour, every day. Tickets are $60.000 or U$30.
• I stopped for lunch in a very local little restaurant which I loved. Is called Gusto y Sabor, Calle 38 N 25 - 30  tel 7422095 - Calarca.
• If you are going on a budget try Hostal Calidad House, they are friendly and well located. If you prefer to stay in a hotel try Cali Plaza Hotel well located too with rates from US$75 for a double to U$190 for a three bed apartment. Some other excellent hotels are Dann Carlton, Four Points and Raddisson.

However, the best of Cali are its surroundings.... but that is going to be my next post' subject so until then...


Abrazos,


Marcela

Travelling Through Colombia Part 1 and Part 3

Epopeya Everest sin Limites 2010, Nelson Cardona reaches Everest summit!

Hi all, this is a quick update on the Colombia Epopeya Everest sin Limites Expedition 2010. 


Congrats team!!! And specially Marcelo my dear friend and beautiful soul through whom I met Nelson, Edgar and Carolina…Congratulations again and again, this could have only been accomplished by you, Epopeya Colombia.


We are all thrilled; Colombia is celebrating the latest news received from the Everest. In the only place in the world where all nations share the same goal (Everest Base Camp 5,400 masl), the Colombian flag is today's celebrity.  At 11:30 (nepal time) on May 17, Rafael Avila and Nelson Cardona reached the highest mountain in the world, mount Everest (8,848 masl).

Vote NOW for Bomba Estereo: one of the 25 best new bands of the world

As you may know by reading one of my January posts, I have become a huge fan of Bomba Estereo, a Colombia electro band that has managed to get recently nominated within the 25 best new bands of the world. During the last year they have been so busy touring the world and helping change Colombia's image that I had to write this short entry to share the Bomba Estereo Tour 2010 city/dates list with you. 

Ok, so this is where you will find these guys for the rest of the year during their Bomba Estereo Sur Tour 2010. If you are so lucky to be in any of these cities don't miss the chance to enjoy the Electro Bacilon Contestativo of Bomba Estereo with our beautiful Li in the vocals.

Montevideo, Uruguay 7 May

Mendoza, Argentina 8 May

Cordoba, Argentina 9 May

Santiago, Chile 13 May

Buenos Aires, Argentina 15 May

Austin, Texas 22 May

Medellin, Colombia 5 June

Manchester, Tennessee 12 June

Colorado Springs, Colorado 14 June

Girona, Espana 19 June

Barcelona, Espana 19 June

Brooklyn, New York 23 July

San Francisco, California 25 July

Chicago, Illinois 26 July

Also, remember to vote for Bomba Estereo in MTV Iggy's web page for the 25 best new bands of the world. You can vote as many times as you want.

These are a few videos of their latests gigs.... enjoy!

Did you like it??? Vote NOW, I just did! : )

Abrazos,

Marcela - Colombia Travel Blog


UPDATE!!! Bomba Estereo IS the new best band of the year!


Congrats Li y chicos!

Picture taken from mtviggy

Traveling Through Colombia in a month – Part 1

Have I ever told you about Lucerito? Lucerito was my best friend for a little more than a year; she was my travel partner and my gateway to freedom. With her I cruised all of Colombia, crossed rivers, raced through the jungle and witnesses the most amazing sunrises and sunsets in a variety of unbelievable natural settings, and is thanks to her that I can write this Colombia Travel Blog post.


Lucerito  (“Morning Star” in Spanish) was a 1998 4x4 Pajero truck  I bought with the specific goal of starting a year round trip throughout my country. I was raised among two brothers, one of them a car racer,  and a car fanatic dad, I started driving at 14 – which is very rare in Colombia – so I HAD to grow up as a car lover, I love motors, carburetors and speed! So our first mission was a one month journey to what, for me, are the highlights of Colombia. It was one of those things that my parents would do when they were young but my generation wouldn't have the chance because of the political situation and the fact that the guerrilla used to own most of the country, but now things were different.

"Lucerito"

Colombia to the Everest: a dream of one, a dream of all

 I know this is suppposed to be a Colombia travel blog and I swear that when I wrote my last post about the Festival Iberoamericano de Teatro de Bogota, I promised myself that the next one would be the first in a series about traveling around Colombia in a month.  But then I received an email from a friend in Katmandu reminding me of some of the amazing things that are currently happening among Colombians and being as in love with my country as I am I couldnt help the urge to tell you about them.

As  I'm writing this words, there is a team of Colombian hikers on their way to Mount Everest, among them my very good friend Marcelo Arbelaez y Carolina Ahumada who sent me the e-mail I'm talking about. 
Some of them have already been at the top of the Everest three times, but what is very special about this one is that they will be attempting to take the first handicapped man with no oxygen to the 8.848 m.a.s.l. of Mount Everest, his name is Nelson Cardona, one of the nicest and bravest man I've ever met.