Visiting Cali the Japanese way....

You should admit... Spending almost seven hours, some of them reflecting your life, is a bit long to wait for a flight that hardly takes forty minutes! Even the taxi ride from the airport to Cali took longer! Paloma's brother, driver at service, was entousiasticely explaining me the different parts of the city on my way to the south, or was it the north, no, it was the west or maybe the east of Cali!? Paloma and Andres waited impatiently for that guy finally arriving from the other side of the ocean, with a flight from Bogota delayed for more then two hours. We shared some drinks in a local restaurant making initial plans for the next day. My two hosts delivered me safely to Vivian's (doing a PhD in Down Under) house, a place that will be my HC for the next three days. Only one goal for now... Sleeping... Not thinking. There is no wifi so no internet. My only contact to the world is a mobile phone to call and send messages locally. I'm alone for the first time since three weeks. Not able to localize myself immediately at wake up, opening the curtains and seeing surrounding mountains bring me back to reality. I start to operate doing basic stay alive things what differs significantly from the five star service and "feeling protected environment" of the last week in Santa Marta. Waiting for some bell to wring or a knock on the door I'm promising myself but more to my friends to enjoy the day...

Viv's place

Andres Toro is there to pick me up and we start a trip with three different bus lines going from quiet luxury (blue Mio) through less luxury and ending in a shake and rolling towards our destination: the Faralones National Park. Our first climbing starts and ends on the closed gates of the park. A guardian tells us we need a special permission to enter but that we can buy those in the camping we probably crossed a bit earlier. 45 ' later we are back with the requested paper. I'm wondering why they don't sell tickets at the entrance but the feeling is now that we are (the only) special guests in paradise. I have to face more climbing and with my toe that still hurts I don't like the idea but I have the feeling that something special is waiting for me. Andres keeps telling me that next the road is flat again....smart guide! I can hear water but I don't see it till the next stop where i see a first waterfall... From there two tubes are leading water to a small community somewhere in the mountain and an ingenious construction is made to regulate the precion of the water into it. More climbing follows and while I have more attention where to put my feet Andres tells me that if i wanted to see water I should look in front of me. A world wonder is caressing my eyes, a huge waterfall , I guess hundred to hundred fifty meter is throwing masses of water down. We are at 1500 meter altitude.......... Sitting on a rock we stay there listening to the heavy water music and I understood that I'm one of the few that Andres brings here.

Faralones National Park.

 There is another waterfall somewhere in the park reserved for tourists and weekend holders, this one here is pretty hidden and more spectacular. I'm really thankful Andres brought me here and despite another roller coaster drive back to Cali It was worth to visit the park.
On our way back we cold even enjoy a Gallito de roca, a rare bird extremely beautiful posing for the camera, unfortunately only from the side and the back but with red feathers to make any cardinal in Rome jealous.

Gallito de roca

After this I spend an hour at Paloma's place. Juices, cake internet... The dinner experience with Paloma, Andres and Daniel is at Fritanqa JyJ: a local food restaurant where they serve us a basket of marranitas, aborrajado, chicharron, bofe, empanada, rellena. Great food aroused with stories from Delft a.o.

We end the evening after a digestive walk to the 'heights' of the Capilla de San Antonio in a fantastic coffee house 'Macondo'...postres y cafe! Ask Paloma about the postres! The message for the night is: el amor es el triunfo de la imaginacion sobre la inteligencia. Paloma does not agree... I' m to tired to think about it ... Mi sole imaginacion is my bed after a great first day in Cali. Tomorrow I plan to visit town, getting lost in the streets of the center, trying to forget what is permanently bothering my mind in the background.

Archaeological museum La Merced 

Paloma's brother picks me up at 10 and delivers me in the center of the old town. Archaeological museum La Merced & La Merced religious complex. What an important collection of ceramics exposed in thematic exhibition rooms. Normally I don't like to much this type of exhibitions but this is amazing.

Museo del oro Calima

Museo del oro Calima. This is the third museum about gold that I visit and every time I notice a different approach because of the regional differences. Smaller then the previous ones the presentation is so well done and it shows and explains very well the in and outs of the Calima culture.


















Further I spend my day in the streets surrounding the financial center of the city, having lunch in a typical coffee house, enjoying fruits on the Cazeydo Plaza, uploading pictures to FB. Breathing the city! Late in the afternoon I have an appointment with Carlos Martinez. He insist to show me a few touristic attraction points. So we visit in a rush the Sebastian de Belalcazar (another conquistador - founder of the city) and the spectacular panorama on the city. From there we have a closer view to the monument of the Tres Cruses on a nearby hill, erected to protect the city and now a pilgrimage place.

Next stop, the Gato del Rio monument, in the Gato Tejada Park a monumental sculpture by Hernando Tejada, surrounded by a lot of female cats decorated by other well known artists. I take pictures from all of them and a local police officer takes a picture of Carlos and me and was so kind to allow me a picture of the Gato, himself and me.

Then Carlos takes me to taste the ULTIMATE fruit sensation: The Cholados! Why was this hidden for me all this time? If you imagine something as a full fruit meal than you have only half of your imagination fulfilled. I' m Full and tired and Carlos brings me home.




A long night without sleep, to much thinking, neck pain... Only at sunrise I can sleep a bit. Today I plan to walk around a bit in the area where I am residing, having lunch with Andres and this afternoon I will visit La Tertulia Museum of Modern Art before heading back to Bogota. I feel I will miss a large part of this city's culture e.g. the salsa part, but it gives me a reason to come back one day, because of so many more attractions I couldn't see this time.