End of Quimbaya Trip

Day 4 – 11/13/06

Day 1 in reverse, starting at 9:30 AM (and including the army check), except for a mini-bus to the Pereira bus terminal instead of a cab. The three-day weekend creates quite a traffic jam of vacationers returning to Bogotá, but we nonetheless arrive back to our apartment in time to get our stuff unpacked and eat a little soup before bed.

Jake Monkey Business Vine Scramble 2 - Sendero Bejuco

Jake Monkey Business Vine Scramble - Sendero Bejuco

Blurry Monkey 2 - Sendero Humedal

Blurry Monkey 1 - Sendero Humedal

Caterpillaris Gusanis - Sendero Mirador

Unfurling Tendril (Alien?) - Sendero Mirador

Rotted Tree Hole Jake - Sendero Mirador

Rotted Tree - Sendero Mirador

Sendero Mirador - Jungle Jake

Sendero Mirador - View

Day 3 – 11/12/06
Up early to start our longest hike on a trail called Mirador (Lookout). It has rained all through the previous night so the lower part of the trail is for the most part underwater. After removing our boots to cross a bridgeless stream (refreshing!) we began the ascent, a steep jungle trail consisting mostly of mud covered in wet, or rotting leaves; not exactly ideal for traction. Along the way we see the spectacular variety of butterflies, plants, birds and other insects this region is know for. The two hours it takes us to reach the top goes by quickly but leaves us winded and hungry. We take a rest/snack break and snap some photos before heading down. On our way back, in the early afternoon, we cut over to the Humedal trail, hoping to get a glimpse of the Howler’s again, and are not disappointed. Almost certainly the same family—their average range covers about 525 m squared—they definitely notice us this time, though do not seem threatened, merely peering down at us and scratching, before moving off. We take tons of photos most of which turn out pretty very blurry. We lunch again at the cafeteria and then head immediately off to another trail called Los Behucos (The Vines), for good reason. Draping the path for nearly all of the 1.5 KM trek are vines of every shape and size. About half way through, I see a thick, wooden-textured bunch hanging down to the ground and cannot resist getting in on the monkey act. Soon after it begins to rain, so we hustle back to the compound for more nap and relaxation time, realizing that over the entire distance we covered that day we saw no other people!

Funky Plant - Sendero 'Humedal'

Our Otún Quimbaya weekend trip was excellent though, as usual when visiting such places, too short.

Day 1–2, 11/10/06-11/11/06

Leave Bogotá bus station at around 11 PM. I sleep through most of the 7-8 hour trip to Pereira, where we arrive a little after 7 AM. From the bus terminal, we grab a cab to the ‘Chiva’ station. Chiva’s are open-air, colorfully painted (usually a base of red with rainbow detailing), wooden-frame buses that serve as the transports on the terrible back roads around Pereira. An hour’s very bumpy ride takes us to the main compound of the Otún Quimbaya Natural Reserve where, after a quick check/search by the army unit patrolling the area (the rules are a lot different here), we check into our small, neat and perfectly serviceable room. After eating a simple meal of vegetable soup, rice, grilled meat and salad, we head out to the nearest trail, called Humedal (literal translation, swamp) where we spot a very funky orange plant and some miniscule frogs. Maya soon feels a bit unwell, not having slept during the night, and turns back. I continue on and am rewarded when I come across a family of howler monkeys making their way through the treetops about 150 feet away. It includes the alpha male, his females, and some young’uns, as well. They are rather placid and don’t seem to notice, or are not bothered by my presence. Unfortunately, I don’t have the camera. I return to the room where we nap, get up and make a little dinner, then later leave to chat a bit with the park’s caretaker.

Vacation Time Again

Maya and I are headed out via bus tonight for the start of a three-day weekend. An 8 hour+ ride will take us to Pereira, the capital city of the Risaralda department, where we'll grab another bus to the national park/nature reserve called Otun Quimbaya. It's a cloud forest ecosytem which should provide some great wildlife viewing. We'll definitely have some good stories and photos (and maybe some audio; howler monkeys anyone?) when we return. A copy of my dad's citizenship reclamation papers arrived today, as well, so we'll start in on my Colombian citizenship journey through the notorious Colombian bureuacracy on Tuesday. Eventually I think I'll end up legally as a half-Colombian, whatever that's supposed to mean. More posts next week.

Maya and I spent the first days of our fall vacation in the coffee-growing region of Quindío in the mountains west of Bogotá. Our hostess, an anthropologist by training, is trying to start up a hostel to promote sustainable eco-tourism as well as looking into getting the small town of 5,000 certified as a “slow city”. Mónica took us via jeep though some very rough terrain up to a locally-owned coffee plantation where we were guided by the farm’s distributor up the steep, green slopes of the farm, taught about and tested on the varieties of coffee and shade plants grown there, and—after a typical lunch of beef, beans, rice, plantains and, of course, coffee—were shown the processing machinery that de-hulls the beans.

The second day we took a scrambling hike up through the thick vegetation of a nearby stream during which I managed to get stings from both plants and ants. We ran across all sorts of flora and fauna, including a small tarantula and some berries that our guide—a sort of bumbling but good-natured crocodile hunter type—said would make you drunk if you ate too many.
We also hiked the next morning through the nearby farm-fields and on a rather dilapidated nature trail, up into the hills, bursting with as many species of butterfly as you could imagine, down to another stream, and then circled back into the town. I also did the same hike the following morning (at six AM) to watch the sun rise over the mountains, and cursed myself for not bringing the camera. Most evenings we spent wondering around the town, tasting the local arepas and empanadas; and reading and chatting at the hostel. All in all a very enjoyable experience.

Mountains surrounding Pijao.

A Jarumo tree.

Sculpture in Pijao commemorating the earthquake that nearly completely destroyed the nearby city of Armenia in January 1999,

The arepa lady. Get one of these yellow corn cakes straight from the charchoal grill, spread on butter or cheese and sprinkle with salt, and you've got yourself a little bit of heaven.

A bit of a break at an opening along the stream.

The town of Pijao.

Some beautiful beans.