I hopped on an overnight bus from Bogotá, arriving in Armenia at the crack of dawn—4 AM. I then bided my time until 5 AM, waiting patiently for the first minibus to Salento. By that point, exhaustion had taken over my body.
I checked into El Mirador, Salento’s famed hotel, though to be honest, it wasn’t quite worth the price tag.
On my first day there, I joined a coffee tour guided by a well-versed expert from Argentina.
He explained that Colombia exclusively grows Arabica coffee beans, which boast a mere 0.5% caffeine content. In contrast, Brazil and Vietnam’s Robusta beans pack a punch with 5% caffeine, favoring quantity over quality.
Honestly, this distinction seemed to mirror the laid-back nature of the locals here…
It was during this tour that I discovered something surprising: dark-roasted coffee is often considered inferior. Yet, after giving it a good sniff, I couldn’t help but admit it smelled divine. Maybe I’m just a simple soul who can’t appreciate the finer nuances—personally, I still prefer Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk.
Hahaha, old habits die hard!
The following day, I caught the 6:30 AM bus to Cocora Valley, where I had the entire valley practically to myself. The short loop trail took only about an hour and a half to complete, and afterward, I indulged in a two-and-a-half-hour horseback ride. My steed was named Inquieto, Spanish for “restless,” and he lived up to his name!
Despite his boundless energy, we clicked instantly—perhaps because his spirited demeanor mirrored my own. Saying goodbye to him felt almost bittersweet.
Salento itself is a quaint little town, so small that by the end of my stay, I felt like I’d visited every shop at least five or six times. And let’s not forget the torrential afternoon rains that were as predictable as they were drenching.
That evening, I boarded another bus, this time bound for Medellín, reaching my destination once again at the ungodly hour of 4 AM.
