El Eje Cafetero - Days two and three

The Second Day

After breakfast, we witnessed first hand coffee production as it happened many years ago. The guide, Carlos, dressed us up in the traditional attire of the coffee pickers and explained to us how the coffee plant was started from the bean and then transplanted into the ground. (Note: We had this tour in Spanish so if I use the wrong terminology in English, please forgive.) We then worked our way through a lot of underbrush and picked the coffee berries. We took those berries and took off the first skin with a machine that looked something like an upright food mill. The berries then dried and we used a mortal and pestle to take off the second skin. The coffee nut or seed was then toasted and ground. Normally, at this point people brew the coffee they just produced. We were the first people Carlos had taken on the tour that actually did not drink coffee. He was amazed. It was fascinating how labor-intensive Coffee production is. It all has to be picked by hand. The only part that can be mechanized is the part where they take off the two different skins. Coffee is normally exported without toasting since every country has different tastes as far as the type of toasting they prefer.

We spent the rest of the day at a huge petting zoo, Panaca. It covered many acres and included a number of different stations. The first station was the goats, cows and sheep. BLP absolutely HATED the goats. I really thought she was going to have a coronary when one of the goats was a little zealous for the food and worked itself half-way out of its pen. The pig station was next. There was pig there that was probably longer than seven feet from b to q. The smell there was disgusting even though it was very clean (by farm standards). The birds came next. There were a number of chickens and pigeon/dove species. BLP was pretty much over it at this point so she and TSP sat this one out. Next were the dogs. BLP really likes dogs so she perked up for the dogs. They had a number of different large and small dogs. Finally, we went to the horse and donkey station. The horses were beautiful. AJP went on a pony ride around the barns (about five minutes). He loved it. One of the interesting animals was the Zebroid (horse/zebra hybrid). It looked like a horse with subtle stripes. At the end of the horse station, it started to rain so we hopped in the van and went to the hotel to relax and eat dinner.

The third day

This was the best day for AJP. We woke up, had breakfast and decided to do the zip line. The zip line was seven different “flights” that zigzagged across ravines. The most remarkable aspect was that it is one of the few zip lines with a second or safety wires. However, the breaking mechanism was a little tricky. We were issued a thick leather glove as our brake. One of the guides gave us a signal and we put the glove on the wire to slow us down. The back-up break was a leather-clad rope that one of the guides would use if we did not slow down in time. JTP and TSP were very excited to ride the zip line. AJP was not so sure. He debated back and forth and finally decided to go! When he got back from the last flight, he said, “Can we go again?”

The final adventure of our trip was the Botanical Gardens of Quindio. The gardens featured a number of different varieties of almost extinct plant life and many other interesting flowers and trees. The highlight of the trip was the Mariposera (butterfly house). Our guide helped AJP get a huge butterfly to land on his finger. The butterfly stayed on his finger for almost the whole time we were in the Mariposera. Like all of Colombia, the Botanical Gardens were absolutely beautiful. One of the great parts was that they offered guides that explained the trees and flowers, their names, origins, and their uses. We did not have nearly enough time at the gardens. We left there to catch our flight back to Bogotá.

I would like to add a few final thoughts. Colombia is an amazingly beautiful country with varied terrain and warm open people. It is definitely worth a visit. We could have stayed at least a week in “Coffee Country” alone. We could have gone river rafting, horseback riding or kayaking as well as tours of the cities/towns in the area. There are also opportunities for eco-tourism such as, visiting an experimental bamboo farm and an experimental organic farm. These are in addition to all the activities at the hotel and, of course, relaxing! This was a great trip. We would recommend it to anyone looking for something different especially if you like coffee.