She Wears the Pants, He Looks at Plants: Coffee Break

After our amazing jungle experience it was off on another boat from Iquitos to Leticia. We opted for the speed boat this time and the journey was only 12 hours instead of three days. We zoomed through the murky waters of the amazon once again and arrived in a place called Tres Fronteras. The river divides Peru, Colombia, and Brazil. Our destination was the border town of Leticia, Colombia. After the long, fast boat ride we boarded a canoe to go to customs in Peru, and then to Leticia. The driver beached the boat in Leticia and since its the dry season, the water was low and the boat didn't reach the dock. This meant walking in through the mud to get to the street. Armed with all of our belongings, we disembarked and made our way to the street. I had sandals on since the amazon is one hot and sticky place. This meant zero traction for me and coupled with my tendency to trip did help matters. I had almost made it to the wooden planks when I felt my legs slip from underneath me, landing me sprawled out sideways on the muddy shore. Like Andy said previously, the parts of the river close to the populated city's is full of trash and feces and any other human waste you can think of. Once I made up to the street, a Colombian man asked if I had torn the skin on my arm when I fell. I said, "no", and he said, "que suerte!". I think I really dodged a bullet on this one!

Next stop was Cali where we planned to meet Keith, our friend from home. It was so nice to see a familiar face and catch up with an old friend. We spent the next few days learning Salsa and taking a few day trips outside of town. We were recommend a place to visit called San Cipriano. It is a town that can only be reached by moto, rail platform. This means you have to take a bus to a town and from there, board a wooden platform attached to a motorcycle that has been retro-fitted to transport people/luggage down the railroad tracks. We boarded one of these contraptions for a 30 minute, exhilarating ride reaching speeds of about 40 kph. There is only one track so when two carts meet going opposite directions, the drivers size up one another. The general rule is the cart with the least amount of people/luggage will move off the tracks so the other can pass. Although we didn't find it to be so easy. There were often arguments. One guy would say he had more luggage, the other would say he has more people, then the other guy would say there is another moto right behind us with a lot of people. Eventually a decision is reached and one cart unloads, people get off, the moto is lifted off the track and the other passes. Once in the town of San Cipriano, you rent tire tubes and tell one of the local women running a restaurant out of the family kitchen that you would like to eat lunch in a few hours. With tubes over our shoulders, we hiked for about an hour via trail and swimming holes to get to a place in the river to tube down minor rapids. The five of us (Andy, Keith, Lou- Keith's friend from home, and our new friend Yogi from Switzerland), floated down the river. Too much fun! We returned for lunch and had the best soup and fish of the trip.

Moto cart

Three hours north of Cali lies the coffee triangle and through recommendations, we found ourselves in a the high jungle town of Salento. Being avid coffee drinkers, we couldn't pass up the chance to visit the region where 12% of the worlds coffee production comes from. You would think that South America would have great coffee wherever you go but unfortunately, that's not the case. South America does not have a large coffee culture so almost all of the high quality beans are exported. We stayed on a very small organic coffee farm that only produces beans for the farm and for guests. Our tour guide, Ricardo, showed us the entire process from seed to warm beverage. We even roasted, hand ground, and brewed our coffee. Delish! After about four cups and discussing Colombia's politics and reputation with the coffee plantation works, we headed up the hill to see a spectacular sunset. Thanks to an ex-pat aussie, our craving for summer BBQ was fulfilled. We stumbled upon the one year anniversary of his restaurant and what better way to celebrate than with a BBQ and beers and an aussie drinking game called 4-2-1. Had a great night here with good food, great company, and funnels.

Coffee Farm

These are the beans in every stage of production.

Ricardo gives Blue Bottle a run for their money!

The next day, Colombian Independence Day, the main plaza was filled with people and celebration. We climbed on the back of jeep to get to the neighboring town famous for their wax palm forests. On our way up one of the trails we ran into our friends Tom and Sheetal that we met climbing Machu Picchu. They could spots Andy's blonde locks from a mile away. It was a gorgeous hike that overlooked a jungle valley full of wax palms. When we returned we tried one of the more interesting items of the trip....aguapanela con queso. Its hot honey tea water that comes with a piece of cheese on the side. Unsure how to eat or drink that dish we observed others around and found that each person has a different way to eat it. Some put the entire piece of cheese in the mug to let it melt. Others dipped a small piece into the honey tea and some like the two completely separate. Regardless of how you like to eat it, aguapanela con queso is surprisingly tasty. I wish we had more time to enjoy this amazing town.