Odd one out
Last weekend in Bogota
I wanted to travel to the Coffee Triangle at the end of last week but then decided against as I really wasn’t feeling the greatest. At this point my chest was hurting every evening when coughing, so 6-7hr coach journey wouldn’t have done me any good. I instead checked into a aparthotel which erm… had the kitchenette right to the bed. Despite hearing every single thing that happens on the road, it was quite a comfortable stay. Laundry facilities were on site, which I was desperately in need of and a lovely rooftop for co-working and chilling. I was in town, everything I needed was nearby. Smart TV and a comfy bed. What else did I need to chill and recover?
I was watching Everything Now on Netflix after having the best portion of buffalo wings and chips (with carrot and celery sticks - is this a thing?) when I got an invitation to go out from a Bumble BFF potential. I was so comfortably slumped and cosy in my loungewear but at the same time thought, weekend in the capital city, perhaps I should check out the nightlife. And you know what, it didn’t disappoint. Zona T was so lively and full of people. Music from clubs and bars where coming from all directions. Options galore. There’s a main strip of about 250m long, but the interesting thing is, that there are different bars across the different levels. Literally spoilt for choice, until you realise that most of these bars/clubs require prior reservation.
We asked a ‘Taxi Coordinator’ if he could recommend a spot where we could pay on the door and he took us on a merry go round to a place away from the strip that did not have a door handle on the outside. Nor was there a banner or sign of the same of the place. Suspicious much? As you can guess, it was a strip club. Though we were welcomed with open arms, we were not about that life and basically walked out as fast as we could. The ‘coordinator’ followed us and insisted to take us to an alternative place on the strip were we could at least shake a leg. He was putting in the work for that tip.
It was overall a good night and I got on so well with my buddy that we decided to meet the next day for brunch and a stroll. I am noticing a trend in my Bumble BFF meet ups.
I agreed to meet my cousin in Cartagena, so I had to postpone my flight, leaving me with about 7 days to fill. Perfect for a trip to the Coffee Triangle, which I was initially planning on doing so later in the year.
Hello Coffee Triangle
Armenia is 268km away but it took about 8 hours with a stop in Ibague and a refreshment stop to get there due to the mountainous route. What baffled me was the transition in weather, from being 18 degrees in Bogota, to 31 degrees in Ibague to then 20 degrees in Armenia.
I really liked Armenia. Maybe because it is the first place I visited after being in a big city. Let’s be honest, big cities, especially capital cities, are quite samey. So I enjoyed the seeing and feeling the difference. I only spent a full day in Armenia where I did a coffee tour which I found on Airbnb Experience. Since it was just the two of us, the tour was very intimate and detailed. The finca was beautiful. We were shown everything in the coffee growing and production process and had to guess the flavours of over 30 aromas. Luckily the other attendee also liked coffee as much as do and his Spanish was on a similar level to mine so we were able to communicate really well.
I spent most of the afternoon on Plaza Bolivar, the main square of Armenia. There’s something about that square I just loved. I can’t put my finger on it. People of all ages and walks of life were passing through and pausing on this square. Food vendors every 50m and shoe polishers who offered their client a chat whilst reviving their shoes. There was just something about it. It felt very local and familiar. I sat on the terrace for over an hour just people watching. Really taking in my surroundings. The sounds, the chatter, the people.
On the day I left Armenia, I went to Parque del Cafe, which is a theme park located approximately 17km out of town. I wanted the convenience of going there by with an Uber which about 45,000 COP at time of the morning, but then I remembered how I ended last blog so I took two buses which costed me 5,600 COP.
Parque del Cafe was so much fun. I went in about 6 attractions, including a water one [this is not something I thought I’d do but I had to remind myself to let my guard down and have some fun. Plus my hair is in braids IYKYK]. Upon entry, there was the statement sign that I queued quite a bit for to get a picture only for it to come our horribly. I can’t lie, I held a slight grudge because the pictures of I took of them were fantastic only to get rubbish in return. Anyway, I made sure to have those pictures retaken when I left, low-key looking around in the hope that the person who took the original pictures didn’t see me posing at the sign again.
Salento, Salento, Salento.. that late afternoon I left for Salento with a local bus similar to a tro tro which they have in Ghana. The bus dropped me off right at the entrance of the village. My hostel was located a 15-minute walk away on the other side of town. Not bad you may think.. but add walking uphill with a suitcase and a massive backpack, you may think different. I regretted declining the offer of a lift from a family when I realised that there were no taxis around.
Through the sweating and huffing and puffing, I quickly realised that this village is a stop on every backpackers’ itinerary with hostels everywhere and shops and bars targeted at tourists. I mean.. I came here for the same reason. The purpose of a hostel is to socialise right, so I decided to accept the host’s invitation for a group dinner out and a game of Tejo after a long ass day.
Apart from seeing the quant colourful houses, Valley Cocora is what really brought me here. It is a 12km looped hike an elevation of 2409m with a view of the famous wax palms. I left early-ish, since the hike was expected to take 4 to 6 hours to complete, to catch a jeep from the village square to the entrance of the trail. The square was filled with people with the same plan, but I couldn’t help but notice that there were no people colour among them, let alone black.
Though I didn’t feel stared at as such, I did feel a type of way. I started to wonder whether the locals often come across black travellers and hikers. The imposter syndrome was definitely kicking in and it made me think of episode 11 of the podcast where I touch on the demographically stereotyping of hobbies. Active hobbies in nature is one of them.
Access to nature should be a right. I feel like, in the UK at least, it is a luxury. Hell.. access to private outside space is a luxury as so many flats do not have balconies. This still blows my mind. When I say nature, I don’t mean city parks, I am talking nature reserves, lakes and national parks etc.
I don’t often hear of black people taking active holidays, whether it is cycling, hiking, skiing etc. I understand that these come with a price tag, but so do city breaks and more relaxed holidays. Perhaps that’s it. The words ‘break’ and ‘relax’. Perhaps because as a community, in the west, we are one of the most hard-working members of society and yet at the lower end of the socio-economic scale due to many reasons, I can understand how active holidays may not appeal and that the hard-earned money is spent towards relaxation instead.
Or maybe, the barrier to those activities are perceived to be high or maybe we’re confident enough to engage in those activities because ‘that’s a white thing to do’. Who knows. Either way, I am happy to see the emergence of groups dedicated to breaking those barriers and creating a safe space for connecting black people to nature.
Back to the hike.. I completed the full 12km through sunshine and very heavy rain in 3hrs and 47 minutes. Trust me I am extremely proud of myself. Annoyingly but not suprising, this news came as a shock to a white Dutch guy who immediately assumed I hiked the shorter route. This just validated that imposter syndrome I had at the start of the day *sigh*
