Wax Palms

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We left Santa Rosa de Cabal and had a great downhill run towards the twin towns of Dosquebradas and Pereira which are joined by this wonderful bridge. It is named the César Gaviria Trujillo Viaduct after an ex president who was from Pereira. It is one of the longest cable stayed bridges in South America.

The climb out of town was a Komoot special i.e. it had managed to find a dirt road that was very steep. We were puffing by the top and ready for second breakfast. Thankfully there was a cafe right where we needed it. Contrary to appearances, Rachel is not having a mid morning cocktail. It is a well presented lime juice.

While we were there a woman stopped at our table with some tourist recommendations. She assured us that they were only a five hour drive away (in the wrong direction) - needless to say we didn't alter our route to include them.

Colombia really loves cycling. Not only are cyclists allowed on toll roads for free, some of the toll stations have tool stations for cyclists and filtered water for refilling bottles. Take note UK road planners ...

As it was Sunday there were loads of cyclists out and about. Joel stopped for a photo and a chat before zooming off on his super lightweight bike. 

We stopped for a drink at a cafe beside this. It is a turning point for cyclists doing out-and-back rides. I'm not sure if I feel cheated by Chinchina's claim to have the biggest coffee cup in the world or if this is a separate category - biggest coffee mug in the world. Either way, the coffee was astounding.

We found a space in a hostel in Salento which is quite a tourist location. It was busy but the upside was there were loads of good places to eat. We tucked into a veggie burger and chips in a restaurant just round the corner. We love the Colombian food but it is great to ring the changes when we can. 

The reason we had headed to Salento was for the wax palms. The next day we got up early and made our way to the equivalent of the taxi stand. It is a row of jeeps in every colour you can imagine. We were first in line so got the front seat. We were glad the Virgin Mary was looking over us as we drove up the steep hill to the Cocora Valley.

It is one of the few places where wax palms grow. They really are most peculiar. They grow to over 45m tall and only within a narrow altitude range. Where the land has been cleared around them they stand out vividly but when amongst the trees it is a bit more obvious why they need to be so tall to complete with the other vegetation. 

Bonkers. More info. 

We had originally planned to do just a short hike but by the time we got to this viewpoint which was the point to turn back, we realised we were not ready to return so carried on and completed the longer 12km route. 

It took us back to the start via a narrow gorge that was full of different types of vegetation, many birds and several  crossings over this river on narrow, wobbly suspension bridges. 

Back in town we realised that the concrete pavements had been stamped with these chainring marks. Couldn't resist a photo.

This is our cute little cabin where we stayed for the two nights we were in town. 

We trusted Komoot on the way out of town. This time it did us proud. Firstly, this pedestrian bridge.

Next was this super quiet little road that went through endless coffee fincas. 

The first bit of civilization we saw was Calarcá where we had second breakfast. Beside the cafe we saw this. As we were sitting outside we had chance to watch what was going on. It turns out the woman with the basket on a string runs a photocopying business. Clients would ring her bell, down would come the basket, into which would be placed the originals and money. Back down would come the originals and the copy. She was doing a very brisk trade.

Not long after Henando stopped beside us and insisted that we call into his place,  which was a few KM further on, for a juice. 

It turns out that he has been hosting cyclists for over 10 years and over 200 have stayed with him. Not only that, he is an artisan baker with a wood fired oven in his garden that he bakes sour dough bread on 5 days per week. He gave us a loaf to take with us and it is delicious. 

As it was one of his days off, he jumped on his bike and rode with us to Caicedonia where he helped us track down a restaurant serving veggie food and ate with us. We waved him goodbye after his wife rang him wondering where he was and we went round the corner to find a hotel. What a great few days. 

Google photos https://photos.app.goo.gl/p8J9ERd7iN2bGiZy9

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