The
collectivo was fun. Once again we engage in attempts at using our poor Spanish
to chat with all the locals. They all enjoy it tremendously and everyone helps
us get off at the right spot and then we all wave goodbye to each other. We
checked into the Hostel-Plantation House- where Sarah and Ryan stayed last
year. The owners, Tim (a Brit but raised in Australia) and his wife Christina
(Colombian) and their dog, "iPod", are very nice and the hostel and our room was
great at COP55,000 (about US$30)/night for the room.
Christine and I share some wine with Tim and Christina on their back deck.
The
town of Salento is really great and very cute. A walk across town practicing
our Spanish creates 50 best friends. Trying a foreign language amongst the
locals is a tremendous ice-breaker and very much encouraged by them (I wonder
why I didn’t try it all those years ago when travelling in Europe and when on
business throughout Asia. Too many languages I suppose). All the locals would like
to speak the little English they have but are shy and a little frightened of
doing so. Telling someone “good English!” is quite likely to bring hugs if not
tears of gratitude and another friend for life.
We
had dinner at Café Eliana which is owned and run by Jesus and his wife Luz Eliana.
They have a nice back veranda and make a great curry and breakfasts with
home-made bread and yoghurt and fresh eggs from their chickens. Jesus is
Spanish and also lived in London for many years. He makes his own sausages and
bangers and mash.
He
runs a very well regarded coffee appreciation course of a few hours where he
teaches you how to look after and make coffee. We didn’t manage to attend it
and regret that.
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