Filandia
We took a Willy's Jeep ride to Filandia, about 40 minutes away. We had heard that it was a more "authentic," less touristy small town. Indeed that was true. We found a hostel near the main square, explored town, and found a restaurant serving (overpriced) paella. As with all our other experiences in Colombia, the people in this pueblo were very friendly and warm to us.
The next morning, we caught a bus to Pereira with the express purpose of visiting the nearby hot springs in Santa Rosa. Upon arrival at the Pereira bus terminal, we checked our luggage and caught a bus to Santa Rosa. As we stepped off the bus, a young Colombian couple invited us to share a taxi up to the hot springs. They refused to let us pay our share of the taxi ride. We will have to pay that forward. The hot springs are a UNESCO heritage site. They eminate from a hillside next to a
beautiful waterfall. There are 3 large pools and you could swim under the waterfall itself. The setting is exquisitely beautiful. But it was a mite crowded. We were joined by hundreds of others, primarily Colombians on vacation. It was a holiday weekend. The pools were so full of people that it was difficult to find a place to squeeze in. After soaking for an hour or so, it started to rain, thunder and lightening. We stayed in the water for awhile, but finally decided to leave.
We caught an unusual bus back to Santa Rosa. Roger has pictures on his camera...but we are unable to add them to the iPad photos. The bus was gaily painted and had six rows of benches each holding about 6 people. It's width made it difficult for it to negotiate the narrow road with oncoming traffic. It was fun, though. Despite the continuing rain, we immediately caught a return bus to Pereira...claimed our luggage and grabbed a taxi to our hotel, the Don Alfonso. This is a lovely old home with 11 rooms surrounding a courtyard and a truly gracious host, Jorge.
After a good dinner at a nearby restaurant, we settled in for a great night's sleep. The next day, we returned to the bus terminal for the trip to Manizales, the next town in our coffee region exploration. The countryside between Pereira and Manizales is mountainous with cloud forests and coffee plantations.
Upon arrival at the bus terminal in Manizales, we boarded an aerial tram to the center of town...I did mention that the area is mountainous and steep...even in town. We packed into a gondola with 4 Colombian women and 2 kids, all of whom were eager to learn about us. Such a fun conversation with our broken Spanish. After leaving the tram, we caught a taxi to our 6 room boutique hotel (Hotel Belen). We settled in and then took a walk to find a restaurant for dinner. We ended up at a French bistro, owned by a Frenchman who had lived in New Zealand for several years (so we could share stories) and now lives in Colombia. The food was so-so, but the conversation was great. The next day we set out on another coffee plantation tour.
We were picked up in town by a van and driven to Hacienda Venecia. This time, we learned how a large plantation works. I've always laughed a little when the ad shows Juan Valdez and his donkey, and claims that the coffee beans are picked "one by one." How is that even possible when we all drink so much coffee? But in fact, coffee in mountainous coffee growing region IS picked by hand. About every 20 days throughout the year, the ripe cherries are removed from the branches. The process from cherry to green beans (ready to roast) is extremely complicated and labor-intensive. Packers earn only $2-$3/day for a full day of hard labor. Both of us have gained a lot of respect for the cup of coffee we drink. We will no longer take it for granted.
Green beans ready for export and roasting (top), parchment beans (easy to store before the "parchment" is removed to create green bean ) (right), dried cherries (left) and just picked cherries (bottom)
Ripe red cherries and un ripe (green and yellow) on a coffee plant.
Part of Hacienda Venecia's 500 acres
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