Blog Archives - WANDERING WITH WILLIAM

Last Day in the Coffee Triangle

1/31/2019

We spend most of our last full day of the Coffee Triangle in our hotel room, hoping to rest up and feel better.  We do step out for lunch at a nearby restaurant, jostling our way on the city streets with the locals.

Toward evening we go up to the hotel rooftop where we enjoy a nice sunset with the rain in the distance.  Then we make a stop at the lobby bar for a piece of torte.  William has been eying the chocolate torte on the counter for the past two nights, but alas, tonight it is banana.  Luckily it is very good and he is happy.

The evening is rough.  I am guessing that I get an hour's sleep and William gets two.  I am fairly confident that I now have and ear infection and maybe a sinus infection.  Thankfully we always ask our doctor for a round of antibiotics to take with us in our travels.  I break them out and hope for the best tomorrow with our flights.

Although I have been sick, I really liked the experience of the Coffee Triangle. The city of Armenia is not very interesting but the small towns and countryside are beautiful. I can see why the Columbians and many others who vacation here prefer to stay at the fincas that now offer Bed and Breakfast services.

Certified Coffee Skills & Filandia

1/30/2019

Juan and Rolando pick us up at 9 am. On our drive out of the city Juan tells us that he used to live in Bogeta and was a SAP programmer. He wanted a different lifestyle so moved to this area, worked basic jobs and while working studied to become a tour guide. He's been a full-time guide for three years.

Rolando drives us through many back roads. Along a stream we see people swimming and also filling water jugs. We guess that they are bathing and bringing water back to their homes for flushing toilets as the Armenia remains without water. 30 minutes later we arrive at Finca El Ocaso. Juan has arranged for us to have a personal tour with Arles, the coffee roaster at Finca El Ocaso. While we wait for Arles we have a chance to enjoy the gardens.

Arles discusses the three types of coffee beans: Arabica, Robusta and Liberia, and that the finds (as well as most all of Columbia) grows Aribica. We go into the field to learn about the growing processes and pick a few ripe coffee cherries. The fields are also planted with banana and avocado, so the finca actually has three products and the banana and avocado help to shade the coffee plants. Arles discusses the crushing and fermenting processes which we relate to wine making. Finally we see the drying and roasting operation.

We have learned quite a bit, but we are only half done. Now we go to the lab where we learn about the taste wheel and different brewing methods. We "cup" two different coffees and attempt to explain their aroma and taste. Of course with my cold, I am a bit challenged. As a last step we enjoy cups of Finca El Ocaso's high-end 300 coffee. While we are sipping Arles presents us with our Recorrido del Proceso de Café y Minicurso de Habilidades Sensoriales (Coffee Processing Tour and Sensory Skills Mini-Course) certificates. Perhaps with these certificates in-hand we will be able to start new careers. :-)

Next we are off to Filandia, a town of 7,000 people. The primary industry is agriculture, with tourism a distant second. We have a fantastic lunch at Helena Adentro - very creative cuisine. Afterward we walk through the colorful town, which so far does not appear to be heavily altered by tourism. Of course the town square has the main church on one side and a park n the middle, Half the fun is watching the locals.

We finish our sightseeing at Mirador de Filandia. The structure was built a few years back when the owner or the land realized that the site offered such a wonderful view of the countryside and nearby towns. It does offer some great views, including great perspective of Filandia's town square with it's church and park. The countryside is dramatized by the sun streaming through the clouds.

Juan suggests some additional activities to fill out a hour or two, but I am feeling worse from my cold and am very happy with what we have seen today. Rolando points us back to Armenia. When we arrive back in To the city Juan accompanies me to the pharmacia to get some cold medicine.

Solento and Valle de Cocora

1/29/2019

Our flight on Avainca Airlines from Cartagena to Armenia, in Columbia's Coffee Triangle, connects through Bogeta.  Both flights are reasonably on time and we arrive in the afternoon to a rainy Armenia airport.  We have a 30 minute ride in a taxi through fields' then industrial buildings, then city to the commercial area of Armenia and the Mocawa Plaza Hotel, our home for the next four nights.

We have a late lunch in the hotel restaurant then check into our room.  We lay down for a nap and 20 minutes later the bed and building are shaking.  It turns out to be a 5.2 earthquake centered in Pereira, 46 km away. Woah... Much of the city of Armenia was destroyed in 1999 with a 6.2 earthquake!  Obviously 5.2 isn't that dramatic and the good news is that our hotel (and other Armenia buildings) have been rebuilt to be earthquake resistant.

Tuesday morning at 9 am we meet Andres in the lobby.  I contracted through ToursByLocals for him to act as our guide.  I found ToursbyLocals on the internet and have communicated with Andres a few times via WhatsApp, and I am hoping for the best.  He introduces us to our driver, Rolando.  As Rolando eases into mid-morning traffic I whisper to Andres that I have lost my voice. But William and Andres have a good discussion as Andres explains the area and our first stop, the town of Solento.

Rolando drives for about an hour, much of it on back roads. We arrive in the colorful town and stroll to Cafe Jesus Martin to enjoy the best coffee in the area. Jesus Martin's father is a premium coffee grower and together they decided to open a cafe. Jesus Martin is the coffee roaster and barista who has won national and international awards.

We walk through the the town with it's brightly colored classic homes. The doors were built tall and wide in order to allow the horses inside - mostly to stay within the inner courtyard. Andres explains that the windows/balconies are designed to open on the top for two purposes. When men called upon a young women of the house they were not allowed inside. The window design allowed the women to talk with their suitors yet still be safe from their advances. Also, depending upon the configuration of the house, the windows allowed the horses to stick their heads out for fresh air.

The town has the typical colonial town square, with Our Lady of Carmen Catholic Church in front of Parque Bolivar, complete with a statue of Simon Bolivar. Along one side the Jeeps are lined up waiting for riders. The drivers fill them to capacity whenever possible and it is not unusual to see four or five people standing on the rear bumpers holding on for dear life as they bump down the road. The town square is also the hub of social activity, with many small businesses lining the street and several sidewalk cafes. There's also a four block main street, again lined with small shops and colorful houses.

Our second stop is Valle del Cocora, 11 km out of town. It is an area of cloud forest with towering Quindio Wax Palms. They grow to a height of over 60 meters. As we approach the trail two Andean Condors swoop overhead. They are magnificent! We also see some of the local farmers and their burrows. A lifestyle so different than ours!

We hike through the forest for about an hour with the trees towering above us then return along the same path. The changing clouds as well as view to the east rather than west makes it seem like a whole different area.

We've worked up an appetite and Ronaldo and Andres take us to a perfect restaurant for a late lunch - Fonda El Escobal (the broom). The setting is close to Valle del Cocora and we find a table on the huge porch with their lovely gardens out front. Their specialty is trout as well as avocados grown on their hillside farm. Our meals are fresh and delicious.

During lunch Andres explains that there is an issue with our plans for tomorrow. The water for the city and area around Armenia has been shut off since last night and they are estimating that it will not be on again until Thursday. We did not noticed because the hotel maintains a reserve water tank. Our planned coffee tour and cooking class will not be possible. He offers some alternatives and we choose the coffee tour and and visit to the town of Filandia with his colleague Juan.

Enjoying Our Last Day in Cartagena

1/27/2019

We awaken and look outside our window to find a a vulture perched on the next building spreading it's wings. An ominous sign?

Luckily no, our day is fine other than my lack of voice due to a cold. William laughs and says maybe the day is perfect. We spend the day enjoying the beach, pool and watching life from the balcony. We all do some pre-packing as we have flights tomorrow, us at 9:30 am and Charlie and Elsie at 2:30 pm.

William makes up some of his Italian hamburgers for dinner and the four of us enjoy our last meal together for a while. After dinner we sit on the balcony again enjoying our surroundings and talking (or whispering in my case) - good friends.

Chillin' Out and a Sunset Cruise

1/26/2019

Saturday is a very relaxing day. Charlie and Elsie have 11 am massage appointments and come back so very, very relaxed. Charlie's curiosity gets to him and he and Elsie check out some of the condo's that are for sale. They're not going to buy, but it is fun to look. After their tour they decide that we are staying in one of the best condo's. In between these activities we spend time on the beach and at the pool. We also sit on the patio watching the birds, ultra-lights and kite surfers.

Toward evening we taxi into the port area for a sunset cruise aboard Bona Vida Catamaran. It's a new catamaran and very nice. Included in the 66,000 COP ($21) fee is one cocktail. As the boat pulls out of port Elsie finally gets her sangria while I have a glass of cava and they guys drink cervezas. We enjoy sailing around the tip of Cartagena and watching the sun go down. The staff serves up tasty appetizers as the captain heads back to port and the city lights up.

After we arrive back in port we are ready for dinner. We don't really know where we're going within the Walled City, which we enter near the Clock Tower. Eventually William engages with one of the guys displaying menus on the street. He leads us to a very local place where we all order typical fish dinners for the area. They are okay, but nothing like the delicious fish we made in our cooking class.

Cartagena in More Detail

1/25/2019

After dinner last night we sketched out a game plan for the day. We get started early and by 8:15 am we are in a taxi on our way to Castillo San Felipe. We are hoping to see most of the castle before the sun beats down too heavily. We walk up to the top and work our way down the castle, which was originally built in the mid-1500's and expanded or rebuilt through the 1700's. It's well preserved, having gained UNESCO world heritage status in the 1980's.

As we are walking out of the castle around 10:30 am we see the Hop-On Hop-Off bus approaching. We wave to the driver and take it to one of the entrances to the Walled City. Wandering the narrow streets we find an air-conditioned restaurant and coffee shop. Time for breakfast!

While we sip coffee we Google Map the locations of things we want to see, which includes Iglesias Santa Catarina de Alexandria, the gold museum and the Inglesia y Santuario San Pedro Claver. Off we go! In addition to our plan, in the square in front of San Pedro Claver we find a a number of small sculptures and several people in the square displaying interesting character.

We pay to go into the Museum of San Pedro Claver, otherwise we will not be able to get into the church until 5 pm when it opens in preparation for evening mass. We go through the museum cloisters and garden before entering the church. We learn that Pedro Claver was a Jesuit priest who devoted much of his life to evangelizing and improving conditions of the black slaves of the area. On the alter are the remains of the Saint who died in 1654. That's a little unique.

Along a side street of the church we find a series of small shops. William spots a cigar shop and Elsie finds a store selling chocolate covered coffee beans. Yeah! I am developing a cold and starting to lose my voice, so I sit in one of the comfortable chairs and watch them shop. Charlie joins me in also watching the people walking through the street.

Hop-On

1/24/2019

About 3 pm we taxi to the Walled City. Our plan is to take the Hop-On Hop-Off bus this afternoon for an overview and return tomorrow to spend time with what interests us.

We have the taxi drop us off at Stop #1, pay a deposit to a vendor, then stand waiting for the bus which should appear in 30 minutes. There is no shade and it's 85 F (30 C) with the sun beating down upon us. A street vendor selling bottled water points us toward a park two blocks away and points to the Hop-On Hop-Off timetable to show us it's Stop #4. We figure he must know something and start walking that way. However, we can't find the Hop-On Hop-Off stop. Charlie engages with a taxi driver, acting out that his feet are his taxi today and also that we have Hop-On Hop-Off tickets. The driver laughs and walks us to the stop. He smiles broadly when Charlie shakes his hand providing him with some peso's.

The bus soon arrives, thankfully with an awning over the top. We ride the 90 minute loop, seeing the clock tower, Castillo de San Felipe, the city walls, the Bochagrande beaches and the port amongst other sights. Some of the people we spot along the way are also great entertainment.

We spot a bar on the city walls which is close to Stop #4 and agree we'll go there after we get off the bus. It's a 15-20 minute walk in the Getsemani area, an up-and-coming neighbood. At the bar William uses the wi-fi to search for nearby restaurants. He finds an Italian Trattoria 15 minutes away. We arrive a little before sundown and are able to get a table with no problem. The food is great and by the time we leave there are about 20 people waiting for a table. The streets of the area are now full of people - the nightlife is starting!

Cooking Typical Cartagena Food

1/23/2019

We spend the first part of our day at the beach, pool and sitting on the balcony.  So relaxing!

At 2:30 pm we catch a taxi into the Walled City for a 3:30 pm cooking class.  Since we arrive a little early we wander around the streets and happen across a small grocery store.  Yeah, we find coffee filters! They also have a small bakery in the front so we have to try some of their pastries.

The cooking class is held at Origines restaurant.  We arrive 15 min early and are greeted by Ricardo.  We are joined by a woman from the Bronx and a married couple from Dublin, Ireland.  The wife is originally from Mexico and the husband is originally from Poland.  Interesting!

Ricardo provides aprons and hairnets then escorts us to the restaurant kitchen where we're greeted by Chef Cesar. We make a typical Cartagena meal consisting of juice, coconut rice, empanadas, arapas, pantacones, and a whole mojarra fish per person. Throughout the preparations we each participate in making every dish. This is different than other classes we've taken, where normally the class is divided up to make different parts of the meal and is a lot of fun. Ricardo speaks excellent English and he translates the chef's instructions for us.

Around 6 pm the best part of the class arrives: we sit down to eat. The meal is plated and served by Ricardo and Chef Cesar. There is way too much food for me finish so I prioritize the delicious fish and nibble through perhaps half of the rest. This is a fun experience and one we'll talk about with Charlie and Elsie for years to come.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

1/22/2019

Here in Cartagena (Cartagena de Indias from colonial times) our neighborhood is the condo/hotel complex and the beach along with the other hotels and condos lining the shore. A short walk on the beach starts the day and then we meander into the buffet breakfast at the restaurant. Eggs, sausages, rice and beans, yogurt, breads, lots of fresh fruit and of course coffee and tea! We are stuffed and find the cost of $12 US quite reasonable. I am sure to many Columbians it is expensive.

A deficiency in our condo is that it has two coffee makers but neither have the required paper filters. There are also some other provisions we could not find at the mini-mart or ARA store, so we decide to take a mid-day jaunt into town to the Super Mercado, which turns out to be the equivalent size to an old IGA store in the US. It must be hysterical for the locals watching four gringos scattering about, pulling items from the shelves and bringing them back to the shopping cart, excited about their find. The good news is that it has a fresh meat department and also coffee filters. The bad news is that when we unpack back at the condo the coffee filters are missing. Seems that if the scanner did not come up with the price the clerk just put the item aside and didn't include it in the order. We caught her do this on one item, but missed others. Good thing William has packed his single-cup coffee maker, although it won't be very efficient with three coffee drinkers!

We spend the rest of the day taking a dip in the pool and watching the kite surfers as they skim across the water. After dinner at home we sit on our balcony talking and laughing into the evening.

Adios Costa Rica, Hola Cartagena

1/21/2019

Freddy arrives at 9:30 Sunday morning to drive us back to San Jose. Paul and Kara have a 2:30 pm flight, while James, William and I fly out early Monday morning. We say our good-byes to Paul and Kara at the airport then Freddy drops us at the Country Inn and Suites.

It has been a wonderful 10 days with the family and we have all enjoyed time and our experiences in Costa Rica. We miss everyone already!

William and I catch the 5:30 am shuttle to the airport on Monday. We are flying Avianca airlines for the first time. We have to connect through Bogeta to reach Cartagena and everything goes smoothly. The airline looks ok - which is good because we have two more flights (each with two legs) with them over the next two weeks.

In the Cartagena airport we meet up with our friends Charlie and Elsie, who have arrived about an hour before us. Elsie's smiling face is waiting after we claim our baggage and Charlie is finishing his coffee close by. With all the cautions about using official taxi's we fumble around a bit trying to understand the process. Eventually an unofficial taxi driver show us the machine to get the slip for the official taxi prices. He's disappointed that we won't ride with him, but we want an official taxi.

We have a short taxi ride to the condo we have rented for the next week, a 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath overlooking the beach. It's in a complex that includes a Sonesta Hotel, two pools, a restaurant, poolside bar and small mini-mart. It looks great! Next door is an ARA Market, a small grocery chain in Columbia.

It's been a couple of years since the four of us have been together in-person. Over dinner at the restaurant within the complex we begin to catch-up. Although we're excited to be here, it was an early morning for all of us and we are tired. We call it an early night.