Adventures in Cali, Colombia

In September, I travelled to Cali, Colombia with my friends, the Brendas.

The Brendas, as I call them, are mother-daughter and are both my friends. The younger, Brenda Italia, is a veterinarian and decided to take a one-month course in veterinary dermatology in Cali, so Brenda the mom decided to go along. I joined them for the first week of their adventure to keep Brenda company while her daughter was in training.

I had no expectations about Cali or Colombia except for the typical warnings about being careful. Well, duh. I am always careful.

Brenda Italia rented an Airbnb within walking distance of the clinic where she would be studying. The location was excellent (although I can’t say anything really positive about the apartment itself). It was very close to several shopping centers, lots of parks, markets and places to eat.

On the very first day, Brenda and I went searching for a place to have breakfast. Not knowing our way around, we decided to ask a couple walking by — Rudd and Jorge. Not only did they tell us where to go, they went with us and ended up spending the entire day with us, showing us around the area and introducing us to some local cuisine.

What an amazing happenstance to meet two new friends on the very first day in a new country and city. I cannot say enough wonderful things about Rudd and Jorge! For the rest of the week that I was there — and the rest of the month that the Brendas were there — Rudd and Jorge were central to our enjoyment of the city.

So, what did we do?

Well, the first day, we pretty much just walked around the mall and got an idea of what was there. We ate in a number of small restaurants and found a perfect spot for margaritas where we could sit under some shady trees and watch people. At the end of the day, as you can see in the pictures above, we had front-row seats in front of a large TV set up at the mall for people to watch a World Cup youth soccer match that was being held in Cali. Brenda Italia joined us after her first day of class, too. What a wonderful way to start our trip.

Sightseeing in Cali

Cali is a fairly big city with a number of historical and cultural sights to see and things to do. Our first foray into the city on our own was to take a city tour. The first two hours we drove around to some key sights in the city, such as a “mirador” where you can see the city from above and get a closer view of the Cristo Rey statue that overlooks the city. Unfortunately, many of the sites were being renovated preventing us from truly seeing them. Cristo Rey was one. But I’ve got pictures!

Cali is considered the Salsa World Capital. In one plaza, there is a museum in honor of one of their most famous band leaders — Jairo Niche — and his band Grupo Niche. The “Plazoletta Niche” features an enormous brass trumpet that spells out “Niche” and under which you can listen to salsa music.

My favorite part of the tour, however, was the Parque de Los Gatos (Park of the Cats) — a winding path along the river that features a number of cat sculptures. The first one — el Gato del Rio — is a bronze sculpture made by a local artist, Hernando Tejada, as part of a beautification project in the city.

To keep him company, a number of female cat companions were added. While each is shaped the same, they are painted differently by each artist. Originally 15 girlfriends were to be included, however that number has grown over the years. I believe now there are 22 (but I could be wrong).

The downtown area of Cali is quite lovely. We walked a bit around the river in order to see some of the theater district and the main cathedral (La Iglesia de la Ermita) before wrapping up the day. One of my favorite parts was when a theater group came by to take photos with us to promote the district.

Unfortunately, my phone ran out of battery so I don’t have as many pictures as I would like! However, it was a great time and a great tour of a vibrant and lovely city.

The trip home was a bit more complicated as it was rush hour. We weren’t able to find a taxi and ended up ride sharing with our tour guide. I cannot stress just how friendly and nice the Colombian people are! They go way out of their way to make you feel welcome and help you make the most of your visit.

The Mercado

The mercado is a central part of Latin-American life. There are many here in Mexico, as well. In Colombia, we went to a mercado downtown surrounded by a number of stores for local handicrafts. We spent some time shopping and wandering around the mercado, which was surprisingly clean! I’m not a big fan of some areas of the mercado where they sell the fresh fish and meats. The smell can be overwhelming, as can be the sights of the poor creatures heads hanging by hooks. Call me tenderhearted, if you will, but I don’t like seeing these things. I prefer my meat and fish cleaned and wrapped neatly in plastic at the supermarket.

Friday night, SALSA!!!!!

One of Cali’s traditions is to host a live salsa night on the last Friday of each month. After a day of shopping and walking, we went to experience it for ourselves. The event was held in front of a commercial shopping area that includes a movie theater and a supermarket. We got there early in order to get a decent seat and grabbed some food from the food court.

While the live music didn’t start until about 7:30, the recorded music was enough to get people up and dancing. Most of the people were older — 40s and up — although there were a few children and teenagers. I think most of the 20- and 30-somethings probably prefer to go to the clubs, of which there are many.

While I can’t “salsa,” there was a very nice woman sitting next to me that got me on the dance floor. It was fun, awkward, and made me realize how much I miss dancing! Brenda and Jorge took several spins around the dance floor, as did Jorge & Rudd.

We ended the night by walking back to our respective apartments and collapsing into a deep sleep.

There were several men that made it their mission to dance with everyone. One even asked me, but I declined. I didn’t want to make that much of a fool of myself in just one night!

Hacienda Piedechinche & Hacienda Paraiso

What you realize after a short time in Cali is that the city is very lush and green. Outside the city is even more so.

On Saturday, Rudd & Jorge took us to a Sugar Cane Plantation Museum (Hacienda Piedechinche) about an hour outside of the city. It was interesting to see how they processed sugar cane over the centuries. It looked like it took quite a bit of work by many people and some animals. Take a look at these pictures from around the plantation and you will get an idea of just how green everything is!

From that hacienda, we went down the road to the Hacienda Paraiso. While it is similar in concept to the first, this hacienda was made famous in the story of Maria — a tragic tale of unrequited love — written by Jorge Isaacs around 1867. In the story, Maria was the young niece of the plantation owner who fell in love with a cousin who also lived at the hacienda. To keep the two apart, the plantation owner sent the boy to Europe; however, the two lovers continued their affair through letters that often took months to arrive. Sadly, Maria developed tuberculosis. She eventually succumbed to the disease just three days before her lover returned.

We ended the day — and the week — with a meal in a local restaurant. The following day I headed back to Merida.

I have to say that the one thing I didn’t like that much in Cali was the food. There were a lot of fried foods, which upset my stomach. I did, however, have a delicious pan de elote (cornbread) while waiting to enter the Hacienda Paraiso.

The Adventure Continues

Despite leaving the following day, I continued to experience new things. Once back in Cancun, I took the Tren Maya back to Merida. My friends all thought I was crazy. People worry that there isn’t enough underneath the tracks to support the train. Remember, this area has many cenotes that open up to an underground river system. Apparently there have been a few accidents, but I didn’t let that stop me. I figured if we fell it, we would fall into a beautiful blue eye of god (what the cenotes are considered). How refreshing!

Of course, nothing happened. I found the Tren Maya to be a delightful experience! The cars and seats were clean, comfortable and spacious. There was a section where you could get snacks and drinks, too, which was great. And, the train is powered by a combination of Solar, Electric and Diesel, making it both quiet and ecologically friendly. The trip took around 4 hours, which is about what it takes to drive. The cost for me was $367 MX (about $15, v. about $50 for the bus). As someone over 60, I get a discount on the fares for the train and bus systems. I also get access to all the archeological sites, museums and other attractions pretty much free.

This year has definitely been filled with lots of adventures. There is one more coming up — Lyn and I are heading to NY for a weekend just to go to my 50th high school reunion. How fun is that!! Stay tuned! I’m sure there will be pictures!

Besos y abrazos!