Wax my Palm
Now everyone knows the sorry story of my numb ass but boy was it well worth it. The goal of the team was to wake up in Salento, no matter what the odds against it happening were. This is a truly dreamy town in the mountains that I had fallen in love with instantly despite the annoying fiesta. Damn these effing Fiestas…Salsa music so loud it surpasses any rock concert I have ever been to. It physically hurts the ears yet every person (except the gringos) meanders on with their normal business like it is OK to eat dinner next to 4,000 decibels of horns.
Well moving on Salento another one of those perfect Spanish Colonial towns; set in rolling green mountains lush with vegetation and copious rain it become obvious why this is Coffee Country. The setting is idealic and enchanting. I spent hours in the hammock reading and enjoying the peace and quiet (only during the day…damn fiestas) while glancing up from my book every once in a while to admire the mountains.
However all the relaxation aside Greg and I did want to go see the fabled Wax Palms. Now apparently this is the national tree of Colombia (hey anyone actually have a clue what is the US’s national tree? If you use google that does not count) and the Colombians are quite proud of this behemoth. I say behemoth b/c this monster of a Palm stands up to 200 feet tall and is in fact the world’s tallest palm. Furthermore, this tree only exists in one single solitary canyon on the entire globe and you guessed it…off we went.
So Parque Nacional de Cocora is just a short jeep ride away, but that is not to say it wasn’t an interesting ride. On the way there we somehow got 11 people into a Jeep Willy (WW II surplus Jeep) and I believe we had 14 on the way back. So if you imagine people sitting on the roof, hanging off the back, and basically crammed in like sardines you are spot on. To add to the “adventure” we were told it was muddy enough that we should use knee high Wellington boots and it prob was not a bad idea at all.
As with all hikes it was crowded until we hit the 90% point–the point at which 90% of the population turns back b/c they are either too out of shape or do not get joy from exercise. However it started to break up when we entered the jungle…many hours later and much mud later we were at the summit. 2860 meters in elevation and still it was lush jungle and a cloudy one at that. Yep as we were hoping for amazing views the cloud forest has us socked in.
It was not until we started descending and found a valley opening up in front of us did we truly understand what all the hype was about. Just amazing is what i would say…never seen anything like it and i doubt i ever will again. I was taken back by the natural beauty that felt prehistoric in nature, and was waiting for either King Kong or a brontosaurus to come crashing through the trees.
I know there is more to write but I am exhausted and going to bed shortly…currently in Popayan and facing yet another god damned 8+hr bus journey. It’s easy traveling here as the bus system is organized and simple to understand…but to say it is highly inefficient is an understatement
Chirp zzzzzzzzzzz
Tags: Colombia, Travel
dirtcricket
wow, that is an amazing shot of those palm trees. insanely gorgeous!
Those pics of Salento and Cocora are ridiculously beautiful. I am giggling because I can see you covering your ears and rolling your eyes at all the loud fiesta music!
Yeah, amazing shot Fred! You are reeeaaally talented.
Hi Fred! I’m still living vicariously through you!! Except the pisco sour part, those make me gag every time, sorry. Looks like an AMAZING trip. Love that your surfing!