Salento Salento Salento
Trip Start
Jul 29, 2009
1
10
16
Trip End
Jul 31, 2009
Where I stayed
Estrella Sin Fronteras
Salento, Quindío, Colombia
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Salento is this old Spanish colonial town, and the architecture and colors still show it. it is a very peaceful town, one which you can walk the same streets over and over and never get tired of it. every one is outside, conversing, drinking coffee, playing games, working, or just enjoying the scenery. what surrounds the town is pure mountains and valleys, and among them are Cera Palm Trees, which are huuuge and breathtaking. There really is something special about this town. i feel good here. everyone in town is happy, you greet everyone that passes by, hellos and goodbyes. Salento still feels like a Spanish town, at times i really felt like i was in Spain walking through one of their many old towns, yet with a different culture, and better music!
everyday we just sit at the hostel, or in town, and talk for hours..dreams, aspirations, everything. more and more i am learning about my roots here in Colombia, rhythms, sounds, smells, commotion, and then the peace and tranquility in the mountains. everything. everyday i would wake up here and go for a day hike, through the mountains, to the river for a swim, and best of all, through all the coffee plantations around town. I did a tour through one, and learned the coffee process, and then had one of the best cups of coffee ever right from the garden.
this town also has its own gang of street dogs, but man they are the coolest dogs. for some reason they love tourists, and for no reason they stick can stick with you for a whole day. we had this little dude follow us all day while hiking the cocora valley, and since we couldn't afford a guide, so we decided the little dog was the one.
This life of always exploring, learning, knowing and then leaving brings faces which become so familiar. there are those which are soon to be forgotten, and then those which bring a certain charm, philosophy, and are never to be forgotten. you meet people while traveling that just capture your attention in such weird and different ways. you see they are trying to explore new things, or are running away from something, but in the end we are all just choosing to live a life so extreme and so different. i feel we are all trying to find new ways of life, perspectives, and to find what happiness really means. this is the way i have chosen to find my life, my purpose, and what i want most.
I am back in Bogota now, my card and things finally arrived!!!! ill be here for the weekend, and then im heading to the pacific coast of Colombia! i met this guy from australia and we decided to go.
until next time.
Happyness is not just a feeling.
It is a way of life.
