A Stone's Throw

practice your aim. you never know when you'll spy 2 birds at once.

Saturday, August 09, 2008

Salento, town out of the past.




I headed north from Popyan into the coffee country where I found perhaps some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen. The mountains rise up from the earth like something out of a fantasy film, dotted with copses of trees and bamboo.

Something around 90% of all of Colombia's coffee is produced in this small region. Which is good because coffee is the number one drink here. And its good. Not just ordinary good, but they really know how to make a cup of coffee. And they make it with pride. They use these antiquated steel machines that look like the early versions of R2D2, but the taste they produce is amazing.
I still protest the tiny amounts of coffee - likely gotten from the Italians - but its cheap and good.


Nestled in one of the valleys is the pueblo of Salento, a tranquil place off the beaten path where I spent a wonderful week and a half of hiking, illustrating, and writing. It's nearly impossible not to enjoy a place with great food (renowned for its Trucha - a delicious river trout), friendly people (they will literally walk you to your destination if you don't know how to get somewhere), not a highway in sight, great old-time billard halls, and some of the best cafe bars playing great collections of blues, latin jazz, salsa, and independant music.

Not for the first time I've been left thinking - if only I had more time...





2 Comments:

  • At 10:55 AM , Blogger Jamie Y. said...

    No highway in sight, great old-time billard halls, and some of the best cafe bars playing great collections of blues, latin jazz, salsa, and independant music, hiking, sketching, warm and inviting people...such simple pleasures we all take for granted.

    I would love to see your sketchings...do you have access to a scanner? LOL...after discussing simple pleasures, I mention a scanner. Continue to have wonderful journey Caleb, can't waiti to read more...stay safe!

     
  • At 11:45 AM , Blogger Caleb Jordan Schulz said...

    actually there are internet spots all over here. in some places there are a dozen on one block. no joke. I am building up a porfolio of my illustrations, which I will scan and post when I get back to the states. Might even get my own website if I can find some sort of reasonable upkeep rate. I enjoy blogging, but I'd rather just have my own site.

    Got some great plans for the impending months of travel...stay tuned..

     

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home