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Bizarre Prelude To The “Feria De Las Flores”

By on 8. August 2009 in Colombia
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Santa Elena, an hour’s drive from Medellin, high up in the hills, is the center of the local flower industry. It is also there that the “Silletas”, are skillfully assembled at various fincas

Santa Elena, an hour’s drive from Medellin, high up in the hills, is the center of the local flower industry. It is also there that the “Silletas”, are skillfully assembled at various fincas. The silletas are artistic compositions of flowers attached to a large oval piece of plywood. On its back is a kind of harness that allows it to be carried in the “Defile de los Silleteros This parade is the highlight of the “Feria des Las Flores”.

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Feria De Las Flores – Si O No?

By on 7. August 2009 in Colombia
THE highlight of the festival is the ?Defile de Silleteros? on the Friday of the last weekend. Huge arrangements of flowers are carried through the centre of town by farmers from Santa Elena, where the ?Silletas? are ?created? of at least of 15 different kinds of flowers. The best are awarded and put on display on the Plaza Mayor for the last two days of the festival

THE highlight of the festival is the “Defile de Silleteros” on the Friday of the last weekend. Huge arrangements of flowers are carried through the centre of town by farmers from Santa Elena, where the “Silletas” are created

If you like sharing a city of 2.5 million with 400.000 visitors attracted by the festival with little or no information available for the foreign visitors, continue reading! Here are a few tricks and tips, learned the hard way, to make a stay in Medellin for this busy festival enjoyable. Continue Reading →

Medellin – The “City Of Spring”

By on 6. August 2009 in Colombia
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The most fascinating means of transport in Medellin are the two cable cars, one climbing the western hills, the other the opposite side

Who does not have a pre-fixed image about this former violence ridden stronghold of Pablo Escobar and its drug cartel? Well, reality could not be more different! Medellin is a very modern city with lots of quiet, beautiful neighborhoods down in the valley and up on the hills. Its moderate temperatures year-around and an excellent infrastructure make it a great city to live. An ultramodern metro system zips through the valley and allows tourists to explore also the outer barrios. Continue Reading →

“Hostel Hunting” – During The Feria De Las Flores

By on 5. August 2009 in Colombia
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In the “Zona Rosa”, the “Party Zone” of Medellin…

Being two persons among 400.000 visiting Medellin for the “Feria de Las Flores” between July 31st and August 9th puts your abilities to find a livable accommodation to a test. Gilles succeeded in getting a “pre-reservation” for a private room at the Palm Tree Hostel. They would not confirm it during such a busy week, so we were relieved to find our misspelled names on the board in the reception area. Continue Reading →

Bucaramanga – KGB’s Cooperation With The Country Club

By on 4. August 2009 in Colombia
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Relaxing in Bucaramanga

The “Bienvenido” sign at the bus station in Bucaramanga announced another “Ciudad Bonita” and we simply grinned at each other: we had to stop here for the night to catch a flight to Medellin. What a nice surprise to find a strikingly clean and very modern city. This positive image certainly was enforced by the welcoming Kasa Guane Bucaramanga, best know here as K.G.B., full of cozy corners and a very helpful staff. Lot of the guests set camp here or at the sister hostel out of town to take lessons in paragliding. So far, this is the best hostel in Colombia we have seen, even though we wondered how we would have managed if it was only halfway full, with only one bathroom for 3 dorms & 2 private rooms… Continue Reading →

El Canyon Del Chicamocha

By on 3. August 2009 in Colombia
For those wondering if it is worth dishing out the 30.000 COP or 15 USD for the 6 kilometer ride down and up to the other rim, La Mesa de Los Santos, well, the best view of the canyon is actually from the ?Mirador? high above on the side of the entrance gate, because you have a 360 degree view and can see the river?s meandering around a mountain

For those wondering if it is worth dishing out 15 USD for the 6 kilometer ride down and up to the other rim, La Mesa de Los Santos, the best view of the canyon is actually from the “Mirador” high above on the side of the entrance gate

The road between San Gil and Bucaramanga partly follows and even descends into this majestic canyon, providing a stunning vista with Rio Chicamocha snaking along more than 1.000 meters below. The area is desert-like, with lots of thorny shrubs, cactuses and even more goats climbing with ease through the steep terrain, tugging at twigs. Continue Reading →

Barichara – “El Camino Real” To Guane

By on 2. August 2009 in Colombia
Again we enjoyed being emerged in complete tranquility and were quite surprised to reach Guane only after a leisurely 2 hour walk. Guane is an extremely quiet hamlet gathered around a plaza dominated by a small church made of the same okra colored blocks of stones like the churches in Barichara

We enjoyed being emerged in complete tranquility and reached Guane only after a leisurely 2 hour walk. Guane is an extremely quiet hamlet gathered around a plaza dominated by a small church

Well, there is one more major activity to do in Barichara: hiking the old “Camino Real” to the tiny village of Guane. From the viewpoint behind the cemetery, the path descending down the canyon and across the plateau below can be seen, as well as the Rio Suarez in the distance. Continue Reading →

Barichara

By on 1. August 2009 in Colombia
This is the perfect place to relax and & chill out: quiet, very few travellers, at least during the week when Colombian visitors are not around and no party hostels. The whole purpose of coming here is to stroll through the cobbled streets, marvel at the unique colonial architecture and drop in a few churches

Barichara: quiet, very few travellers, at least during the week when Colombian visitors are not around and no party hostels. The whole purpose of coming here is to stroll through the cobbled streets, marvel at the unique colonial architecture and drop in a few churches

“El Pueblito Mas Lindo De Columbia”

Nothing less does this colonial village claim to be. So after “the land of adventure” we set camp in “Columbia’s most beautiful village”. When we arrived on a Sunday at around 03:00 pm you could hear a pin drop: nothing, no cars, hardly any people, no music from bars or backyards, the town had simply shut down for the hot hours. Continue Reading →

San Gil – La Tierra De Aventura

By on 31. July 2009 in Colombia

 

There is more challenging rafting down Rio Suarez, but Gilles wanted more, he reached for the sky. Tied to an instructor he took to the air over the ?Zona Tabaca? for about 20 minutes. This is the first time Heidi felt that she really missed out on something, because of her own mental limitations

Reaching for the Sky: tied to an instructor, Gilles took to the air over the “Zona Tabaca” for about 20 minutes

This rather unremarkable little town chose this high-flying title “the land of adventure”, because it attracts lots of tourists who sign up the various adrenaline-pumping activities. White water rafting ranging from a comfortable class 1 to a frightening class 5 is high on the agenda, followed by kayaking, caving, paragliding, abseiling, horseback riding, mountain biking, paint ball, bungee jumping and eco-walks are others we can remember. Continue Reading →

Baby Kronosaurus & Miniature Stonehenge

By on 30. July 2009 in Colombia
El Fosil is a must excursion from Villa de Leyva. Here, a 120 million year old baby ?Kronosaurus? fossil is on display, at the very place where it was found in 1977. Since its tail went missing, it is only 12 meters in seize, making it the world?s largest complete fossil of this pre-historic marine reptile

El Fosil, a 120 million year old baby “Kronosaurus” fossil is on display, at the very place where it was found in 1977

El Fosil is a must excursion from Villa de Leyva, which you can do either on horseback, as we did, or with a jeep. Here, a 120 million year old baby “Kronosaurus” fossil is on display, at the very place where it was found in 1977. Since its tail went missing it is “only” 7 meters in seize, making it the world’s largest complete fossil of this pre-historic marine reptile. Continue Reading →