Day 56: Medellin to Salento - Sunday January 2, 2011

The drive on and between the western & central mountain ranges was spectacular as usual. The many landslides from the inundation were cleared enough for traffic to be nearly normal. Several bridges are being replaced. We had comida corrida at one of the roadside eating emporiums. Yum! The Colombian beans are our favorite so far. We saw them in the market in Medellin, and they look like huge cranberry beans.

The Colombia we have seen is greener than Ireland. We saw steep mountains with palm trees, and later with bamboo, which made for an entirely new landscape. We drove into the Zona Cafetera, with coffee fincas and homes trimmed in bright red. And now we are in a lovely small mountain town named Salento, which is a popular vacation spot famous for its trout.

Salento is featuring a weeklong equestrian event. People were riding their horses to the very lively town plaza. I can’t overstate the hospitality of the Colombians. The little boutique hotel was full so the proprietors housed us in their own home across the street and offered us other options. They are relations of Marcela Swenson – our hostess in Medellin whose mother is Colombian. We seem to have lucked into a tightly knit family as our hosts. All their children finished college and many are lawyers, doctors, executives and the like.

We enjoyed the lively celebrations in the town square at night and early sleep.