Just returned from Sevilla, Valle

[Lostagain]

Well we just got back from Co. night before last. My wife and step-son went in mid-July and I joined them month later. We spent most of our time in Sevilla, Valle, a small town north east of Tuluá in prime coffee growing country. (For those of you who don't know where Tuluá is, it is about an hour and a half by bus north of Cali.) Sevilla is in a contested area and there have been a lot of problems there from time to time with the FARC and AUC, though on this trip it seems that that is history, at least for now. The weather is about as perfect as you could ask for; relatively cool, somewhat rainy at times but usually at night, and rarely ever hot. Ahh, those cold water showers every morning, what a way to wake up.

The scenery is spectacular. On the south end of the town, you have an incredible view of the Valle del Cauca. The live scenery is incredible too, but I you must know someone there to be introduced. This is a town where the local people all look at strangers with a suspicious eye.

We spent some time in Quindio where we went Salento, another very small town, which is north east of Armenia about an hour. This is a very touristy spot with a lot of little shops that carry artisenias of all types. On the weekends it is crowded and the streets are filled with people and vendors of all types. There are only two places to stay and they are on the pricy side for Colombia. The one we stayed in was a colonial era home and was very comfortable, cold shower and all. Unfortunately, we can't come up with the full name at the moment. It is La Casa Posada, or something like that. This is a place to take someone to spend a weekend, not a place to go pick up on someone. Also keep in mind if you go there that there are no credit cards or ATM's there, so bring the cash you want to spend because you'll have to go all the way back to Armenia if you want more. As for security, this is in an area where you are exposed to possible guerilla contact, but it is a remote possiblility. You will see army (the guys in the jungle camaflage uniforms) patrolling the streets. There is a wonderfull day long hike you can take that goes up into the mountains that is that really gives you a taste of the natural beauty of Colombia. You can also rent horses for this adventure.

Salento is a place to go with someone; not to find someone. In fact, all of Quindio is filled with tourist attractions which you can go to with relatively good security. When you arrive in the bus terminal, there is an information booth where you can get materials about the vaious tourist attractions in the area, including hiking, camping, white water rafting, fincas, museums, national parks, etc. They will also let you know places to avoid due to security problems.

For our brief time in Cali, we stayed at the Valle Real Hotel, on Av. 3N. It is centrally located for the Av. 6N area and is a close walk to the famous, or infamous, Mansión Rosada (reputedly one of the best casas de citas in Cali) in case you strike out and Johnson demands you put him in a dark wet place. The room (really a full suite w/ AC and lots of hot water) was $150,000 a night for two.

The only complication we encountered was in gettin the permission from my step-son's father to leave the country. He and my wife had a huge fight over a parenting style difference and she told him to go f. himself. He refused to give her the permission papers. He came to the hotel to pick up the little one's clothes which we had already packed. I had to intervene in a verbal tug-a-war between them but finally reason prevailed and they each agreed to end the war. We left without incident the following morning. But, the situation is certainly a reminder that if you want to marry someone with kids, you have to be prepared to deal with this sort of conflict.

Lost Again

[HonkyTonk]

Well LA, that sounds like quite an adventure. Very few gringos have been where you were. I'd love to see the entire country of Colombia.

I was awaiting a request for help paying the ransome when you finally posted.

Now I can go buy a bottle of beer with what I was going to contribute instead

[Clay]

Si, senor Tonk, you always were a generous fella!

"This is a town where the local people all look at strangers with a suspicious eye."

Possibly they think that you have come to murder thier children.
LA, man you gottabe careful up there dude!
A lot of times the local police are involved in all the bs that goes on. Have you seen any of this?
good trip report, thanks for the tips

[LAI]

my mom was born in sevilla!

[Lostagain]

Sevilla is not a place to go if you don't kow people there. Since my wife is from there and one of my brother-in-laws lives there now and a lot of people know the family, I am not a complete outsider. Fortunately, my brother-in-law is a very well liked person with a lot of friends and few whom he would consider enemies. Also, the security situation there has improved significantly since they re-paved the highway to get there. It's funny how that can change things, but it does.

Caicadonia, which is about 15 km further up the road is still a very dangerous place and you should not go there. The AUC and FARC are very active there and if they find out you are in town, you will most certainly receive a personal invitatin from one of those groups to stay for an extended visit.

Tonk, I knew I could count on you to help out with the "rescate" and that Schlits is pretty pricey beer too.

The local cops in Sevilla were fine. They have a permanent reten in a little village you pass through on the way and though they search you and often you luggage, what I saw was that they were inquiring regarding who you were and what you were doing, they were extremely polite. I wish our cops would take some manners lessons from these guys. The only time I ever got hit up for money by the cops was when I lived in Co. and the cops in Sevilla stopped us at a reten and asked for gas money when I didn't have my certificate of gasses (smog). I bought them $5K worth of gas, back then about 2 gals. I think the problem with the cops there is as much that they are ineffective and don't have the confidence of the public than that they are corrupt.

[Clay]

LA, did you take a bus from sevilla to salento?
Are there glaciers in the nevados?

The AUC and FARC are very active there and if they find out you are in town, you will most certainly receive a personal invitatin from one of those groups to stay for an extended visit.

Fred, enjoyed reading your trip report.

Speaking of the FARC, you guys remember when they kidnapped 20-30 politicals from centro(Cali) in broad daylight four years ago? I was there, just over the bridge from the old Church.

Well, we just found out today, those kidnapped victims are still living in the mountains waiting for whatever, I assume ransom money. One of the victims was a female running for Mayor of Cali. Rumers say she´s still alive.

The FARC is now hi-tech, they have accountants, engineers, etc. Their profit margin is outragous. How much you ask? Double what Pablo made in the early 90´s.

Colombia can be a dangerous place. Use caution when traveling in any foreign country.

[Lostagain]

Clay, I took the bus from Sevilla to Armenia, then caught another bus at the terminal for Salento. Didn't get close to the high mountains. The bus goes throug Caicadonia, which I don't really recommend as it is a pretty dangerous town.

Ray, I was a couple blocks away from where the kidnapping took place while it was going on... on my way home from work. I found out about it when I got home when one of our neighbors told us about it. We spoke on the phone when you were in Cali that time, but never made connections to actually meet.

L.A.

[SCourt]

I just got back from a two-week vacation from Colombia visiting relatives. We went to Bogota, Cali, took a mini-van to Pereira (Avianca doesn't have service from Cali to Pereira) and then flew back to Bogota.

Comparing this trip with one I took 8 years ago:

1. Pereira is AWESOME. There's a lot of new construction, very nice malls and very low pollution levels when compared to Cali and Bogota. It's not too big, not too small and the weather is just about perfect all year around. I'll probably wind up semi-retiring there one day.

2. Bogota is improving greatly. It appears much safer at night. The Transmilenio bus system and the relatively new odd/even license plate system they have to keep half of the cars off of the streets during weekday heavy traffic hours is helping.

3. Cali is getting worse. They're letting the condition of the streets degrade and the pollution is just as bad as ever. Many of my wife's friends have also noticed that the quality of life overall in the city is not as good as it was in the late 90's.

I too took a one-day trip to Salento for the famed trucha (trucha) dishes. If you're in that region, visit this town and the Parque de Cafe nearby in Armenia.

For overall quality of life, I don't think there's another city in Colombia that can match Pereira. It's just going to get better and better there.

Steve

[Lostagain]

Both Armenia and Periera are two of the nicest cities I have ever been in in Co. And the countryside around them is breath taking and accessible to everyone. If I were ever to return to Co. to live, those two cities would be on the top of my short list.