Colombia
Report October 2005 (First few days)
The trip to this South
American judging assignment had us traveling from
Toronto to Miami and then another 8 hours to Pereira,
Colombia. The flights were long and exhausting and
we were very appreciative to be met at the airport
by two smiling club members with a beautiful arrangement
of local flowers which are the National flower of
Colombia, called the Orquidia Catleya. Our hosts
from the Club Canino Eje Cafetero, Sandra Betancourt
and Jose Mesa, drove us the short ride to the Hotel
Dann Soratama centrally located on the main square
of the city. It was very late and it was off to
bed in anticipation of a day of sightseeing with
Sandra the next day.
We awoke after a great
nights sleep and had a delicious breakfast in the
hotel restaurant before meeting Sandra and setting
out on our day's sightseeing. We were going to the
famous Parque Nacional del Cafe to learn about 'All
things coffee". As everyone knows Colombia
is a major producer of some of the world's finest
coffees. The park is located about a 45 minute drive
from Pereira in the middle of a coffee plantation
outside the small town of Montenegro. We enjoyed
the drive in and out of the valleys and hill tops
throughout this rural area. We were in the lower
ranges of the Andes Mountains and the landscape
was awash with luscious green vegetation and colorful
flowers in this coffee farm and cattle raising region.
The park was a combination
museum, educational institute and amusement park.
It was well laid out and manicured to perfection.
We strolled for hours amongst the various kinds
of coffee trees, lush vegetation and flowers. As
well as gaining an excellent history of the coffee
industry in Colombia we were also treated to an
unbelievable stage show called appropriately 'The
Coffee Show' featuring colorful dancers who related
the history, culture and beauty of this coffee growing
country and people. We were also impressed by the
friendliness of our fellow tourists, the majority
of which were Colombian as they too enjoyed the
spectacular park.
On the trip back to
Pereira we visited another smaller city called Armenia
and soaked up the color and sounds of the fun loving
country. Colombia is a very colorful nation including
the people, buildings as well the buses which were
the most colorful we have ever seen. Sandra treated
us to a a scrumptious dinner at one of her favorite
haunts before we toured the local mall which equaled
any from home before retiring for the night.
We were picked up at
the hotel in the morning for what was billed as
'Extreme Sightseeing' by Carlos Enrique Diaz a local
veterinarian. Carlos and his wife Jimena Mejia,
as well as their many other responsibilities, run
a hog raising operation on a farm in the rugged
Zona Cafetera region outside of Pereira.The plan
for the day was to travel to the farm accessible
primarily by 4-wheel vehicle and deliver supplies
and feed to the operation, while getting a glimpse
of the country that few tourists ever see. We were
not disappointed as we wound our way amongst the
steep hills and valleys of this majestic mountainous
region. The landscape is so severe that the only
practical crop to grow is coffee and raising cattle
and hogs on farms scattered throughout the area.
Carlo's hog farm was quite an experience and although
in it's early stages with around 50 breeding sows
plans are to continue expanding. Another interesting
side note was the unique form of public transportation
in this scarcely populated area....It consisted
of Jeeps more commonly called "Willy's",
which transport 6-8 people at at time over the rough
roads which we in North American refer to as 'seasonal'.
We visited many small
towns along the way, including Filandia and the
most notable was Salento, located in a picturesque
valley with spectaclar views. We had lunch with
wife Carlos's wife Jimena, son Pedro and a few of
their friends and relatives at a quaint local restaurant
which served typical Colombian food which consists
of plenty of pork, beef and chicken with accompanying
rice, vegetables and potatoes. Colombian food is
very delicious and reminds me a lot of traditional
Mexican food without all the hot spices and salsa.
After some shopping in this small town's artisan's
shops and additional sightseeing we were off to
Jimena's grandmother's to await additional guests
for a Colombian birthday party we had been invited
to attend that evening in Armenia. Her grandmother
welcomed us as if we had known her for life in to
her home. The welcome, warmth and love shown towards
us and all the other visitors by this matriarchal
grandmother is typical of the Colombian people's
friendliness and love of family.
Next we were off to
a fabulous restaurant and entertainment spot called
El Solar where we were met by several other friends
and relatives of Carlos and Jimena's. The awesome
food, great service and atmosphere led to what can
only be described as 'extreme partying' after the
dinner. The combination of the live band playing
Colombian music, too many drinks of the local favorite
drink of 'Agvardiente', a potent schnapps type drink
made from sugarcane, the fun loving Colombians frolicking
and dancing prompted us to break our normally early
bed time the night before judging and party into
the wee hours. We finally rested our heads on our
pillows at 1:30 am knowing we would be awaken at
6:00 am to start our day. We had few regrets as
we had had a great time and unique opportunity to
share a fun evening with some special people.
Click
here for Club Canino Eje Cafetero National Show
Saturday, October 15, 2005
