We arrived in Cali late in the evening and went straight to a hostel that had been recommended. The following day we took my friend Ken's advice and went for a day trip to Park Nirvana. The park wasn't in the book but that just added to the fun. We started on a bus in town to the main bus terminal which was an adventure then the 45 min bus to a small town outside of Cali called Palmira. Unfortunatly the bus went passed the city without dropping us off but the guys were so nice they pulled over on the side of the road, flagged a bus going the other way and put us on it. Once on that bus everyone, literally everyone, on the bus was helping us figure out how to get to the park. We got dropped in town and a guy actually walked us over to the right street then told a woman waiting for the same bus to make sure we got on. Wasn't actually a bus though but a Chiva which is kinda like a bus but Colombia style and I have been wanting to ride on one since I arrived...FIRST CHIVA RIDE!! That was about 40 minutes into thejungle where we were dropped off basically in front of the park. Ken had said they serve great lunch so we went straight to the restaurant for the special, rainbow trout, which is farmed on site. There was no one in that park and we asked about it. The guy said on the weekends it is packed with people so it was cool to have it literally all to ourselves. We hiked up to the amazing vista and explored the beautiful flora and fauna then had to head out as they were closing and we still had to figure our way home. To get from the park back to the small town we hitched a ride on a moto...both of us on one..I was on the tail bumping my ass pretty hard and we were all laughing. Then we were loaded into the back of a pickup truck with 15 other adults (think sardines in a can) and taken to a different town. We weren't sure where to go once we got there so 3 of the guys from our truck ride walked us to the correct corner and told us which bus to take. Then another woman helped us actually locate the bus. Everyone in these towns were so friendly it was so nice and cool. Then we finally got back to Cali and took a cab to our hostel. Such a great adventure!!
That night we had our first salsa lesson. It was 5 guys and the teacher who was really nice and cool. He showed us all the basic moves. When we finished both Towe and I were dripping sweat and ready to practice our moves! Later that evening we were picked up by Ken's cousin-in-law, Christian, and his friend. They took us out on the town which was really fun. We started with beers at the mall then headed to a massive salsa mega club. This place was HUGE! We were escorted to a booth then brought two bottles of Aguardiente. Ok, here was our chance to really get the taste of it. After a couple shots each we started dancing. It was a new and interesting experience for me. When a song comes on you can just walk by and tap a girl on the shoulder and then head to the dance floor to meet for a dance. When the song ends it is not mixed and there is actually a break for people to walk back to their seats. Towe had predicted that if we went out with these guys we would wind up at a strip club and he was exactly right. Late in the evening, at the club, two stripers (one of each sex) got up on stage and did their thing. We left that club and went to another which was far more shady. By that time we were all pretty toasty and we decided to bounce home. The following day we realized the downside of Aguardiente. Both Towe and I were completely hungover for most of the day and just lounged about the hostel feeling bad for ourselves. That night we went for an early dinner of tapas and crashed.
Being that we were asleep early on Friday, we were up Saturday around 8AM feeling brand new. We decided to walk up to the zoo as we had heard good things about it. The zoo was super cool. The monkeys were amazing and they had a bunch of different species. They also had two condors which I have never seen that close and a very cool enclosed butterfly garden. It was well worth the 5 bucks to enter. After the zoo we walked back to our hostel just in time for the free salsa lesson. This was a new teacher and we definetly learned different dance moves than the first guy. This was more of a jazzercise thing with us bouncing and waving our hands around. It was all guys in the class and I think the teacher liked making us do all these wierd moves just to watch us...it was funny and a great workout. After jazzercise we went to our favorite lunch spot that serves a set meal for 3 bucks...and it is quality food.
I forgot to mention that on Saturday before we went out to salsa, Towe and I went to the casino where Towe watched me gamble for a bit and DOUBLE UP!! WHOOOOOPPP!!! So yesterday we wound up hanging with the couple all day we had met in Tayrona Park a few weeks earlier. They picked us up and took us to the Jewish Country Club outside of town. It was sooooo relaxing. We went for a walk and wound up walking in the golf course that was empty. Their favorite place for a nap is the green on a hole in the back of the course so we stopped and all layed down on the soft grass. Then we had an amazingly good and cheap meal then headed up to the pool and I got a massage.
We flew from Cali to Medellin but only for 24 hours and on a Monday. It was on the way, we had friends there and we wanted to see the town so we stopped. It was great to meet up with our travelling friends and we took the opportunity to have a nice dinner and walk around the happening part of town. Being Monday and rainy, it was slow but we did have some fun at a shot bar. They had all kinds of wigs and hats to wear. We ended the night with beers on the roof of our hostel. The following day we walked around the touristy parts of Medellin and did all we could given the bad weather and lack of time. I definetly want to return to Medellin when I have more time as I can tell this city has a lot to offer.
No comments:
Post a Comment