The main thing we noticed is that this felt like the REAL colombia. Bogota is fine, but it is a big city like any other. The people outside of Bogota are so lovely, and helpful, they really want to help you out. There is also a much clearer divide on the poverty line here. This is where you can see the truth in the statistic that 50% of Colombians are living below the poverty line. Its a bit of a shock especially when everyone is so keen to help you.
BUT! like most major problems you forget them when you see the beauty of Colombia, enjoy the pictures, we hope this makes you want to visit.
The journey through the clouds from Bogota to Armenia
On the first full day in the coffee region we went to a town called Salento up in the mountains about a 50 minute bus ride from Armenia. It is a beautiful place because it has changed very little over the years and keeps a very traditional Colombian look.
Next we went to Manizales about a 3 hour bus ride from Armenia. It took some time to find a hotel because it was the towns party time. Apparently for the first two weeks of January there is a party every night and we eventually found place to stay right next to party central! Then the next morning we left at 6am to go to Parque Los Nevados which has active volcanoes and snow capped mountains!
So after walking up a mountain of 5000m plus and taking a picture of the plaza in Manizales we travelled back to Armenia and went to a theme park based on coffee to finish off the week!
