November 17-18, 2007
Days 780-781

I went with Manisha and a friend of hers to the soccer stadium, but there was no game today despite what we had been told. Instead, we played a bit of basketball on the courts outside the stadium. Nobody wanted to play against us because Manisha (six feet tall)… Read More »

November 16, 2007
Day 779

I took a walk around the center of town near my hotel today. Just about every city in Colombia has a central plaza named after Simon Bolivar, and Manizales was no exception. However, the mandatory statue in the center of the plaza depicted Bolivar having the wings and head… Read More »

November 15, 2007
Day 778

Aiana and I split ways this morning. She headed up to Bogotá to meet a friend, but I still wanted to go to Manizales, in the northern part of the coffee-growing region. It took several trips on small buses, but I eventually made it to my destination city late… Read More »

November 14, 2007
Day 777

Aiana and I wanted to check out the more remote areas of the Valle de Cocora, so we went on long uphill walk today. The path was muddy from the horses digging up the soil, but it went through some amazing cloud forest… Read More »

November 13, 2007
Day 776

Aiana and I took a jeep uphill far above Salento to go camping in a place called the Valle de Cocora. The surrounding region was very beautiful with lush green cloud forest everywhere. The highlight of the area was the multitude of wax… Read More »

November 11-12, 2007
Days 774-775

Aiana and I traveled together north to Armenia, then to Salento, a small town in the heart of Colombia's coffee country. The climate is so perfect in for growing coffee beans in this region that half of Colombia's famous coffee comes from just one percent of its land. The… Read More »

November 10, 2007
Day 773

Last night while looking for a salsa club, Aiana and I saw several buses pass us that were blaring music and everyone on board was dancing the night away. We learned that the buses were called chivas, and that they used to… Read More »

November 9, 2007
Day 772

I checked out the downtown area of Cali today. There was smelly garbage everywhere, and the constant rain only served to spread the smell faster rather than wash it away. Traffic was so bad I couldn't walk across any street without risking my life. Roundabouts are a nice concept… Read More »

November 8, 2007
Day 771

I hung out with Jaime most of the day and got to know his neighborhood in Cali, but then he had to leave for Bogotá. He called a few of his friends to try to find me a place to stay, but they were all out of town. He… Read More »

November 7, 2007
Day 770

To get back on the tourist track, I had to take a bus back to Popayan. On the way back, we stopped for breakfast at a house where the ceiling was at the height of my shoulders. Nobody else had to duck to stand there. I felt like a… Read More »