Black Gold

Colombia is known worldwide for two major exports: one legal, one illegal; one black, one white; and neither that I had ever tried. After spending a few days in the coffee region of Colombia, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to tour a small coffee farm. . .

Coffee is the “black gold” of Colombia –it is the crop that has been (and continues to be) the country’s largest legal export (1.6 billion dollars annually). Colombia currently produces 12% of the world’s coffee (second only to Brazil). Colombian coffee is imported the world over but primarily in the USA, Germany, Japan, France, and Italy.

A brief history of coffee: coffee was first used as a beverage in Ethiopia in the 1400's. Supposedly, the farmers noticed that after goats ate the beans from a certain plants they had much more energy. They started experimenting with the beans to see what caused it. The beans weren't too tasty, but after much experimentation, a tasty (this is a matter of opinion) beverage was born. From Ethiopia, coffee exploded in popularity worldwide!

Coffee was introduced to Colombia in the 1800’s and the coffee region in central Colombia has the perfect climate for growing coffee -- Colombia now grows over 100 varieties of coffee.

For some varieties, the beans are ripe when red, for others they aren’t ripe until they turn a certain shade of green. Regardless, in small farms, the beans are all still picked by hand.

I learned a lot about the coffee production process on this tour. Although the vast majority of coffee beans are handled commercially, it’s great to see how a cup of coffee is produced at a local level – from start to finish  on the coffee farm.

After picking the ripe beans, the first step is shelling:  using a hand-cranked machine.

Next, the beans need to be dried using the heat of the sun. This process can take anywhere from a week to a month depending on the temperatures.

Roasting: this is a very important step. The beans must be constantly stirred while over an open flame, to ensure that they don’t burn. For over an hour, someone must stir the beans. . .until they are perfectly roasted. This step has more to do with the flavor than any other.

Finally, the roasted beans are ground to make the product most people buy at the store or put in their coffee machines:

Prior to this trip, I had never tried coffee. I’ve had chocolates with coffee flavors and coffee liquors. The smell just isn’t appealing to me. It's such a shame since it’s such a social thing – not just in the US but in so many countries. I just have never had a desire to give it a try. That said, here I am, in the land of Juan Valdez and his mule. . .when offered a cup of fresh ground as part of the tour. . .what could I do? I had to try it. I’ve always said I’ll try anything once.

So, here’s me having my first ever sip of coffee:

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Got Milk?

While staying in the coffee district of Colombia, I had the opportunity to stay on a dairy farm, La Serrana, in the rolling hills of Salento, Colombia.

The farm has 10 cows and 2 bulls. While I was there, 7 of the cows had recently had babies and were still nursing. (One even gave birth while I was there -- interestingly, women aren´t allowed to be present at a birth as they believe the mother gets "jealous" and the birth doesn´t go well!) The farm offers guests the opportunity to help to milk these 7 cows each morning. I noticed that not many guests were anxious to hop out of bed at 5am, but I had to give it a try!

Horacio has worked on the farm for 10 years and usually milks the 7 cows alone between 5am and 7am (when the milk truck comes to collect the milk for the day to take to market. However, when an eager guest asks to help, he very patiently gives a demonstration and waits as the newbie takes an hour to get the milk he can get in 10 minutes. It’s humbling!

The morning starts with a lesson. However, watching a professional do something without giving it a second thought, while I’m still trying to wake up isn’t easy:

Next, I give it a try myself.

Getting milk was easier than I thought. But so much more difficult to get milk efficiently. Horacio is able to use two hands at the same time and get so much milk every time. I bumble through with one hand and barely get a stream. After about 45 minutes (when he had finished 3 cows and I was still working on my first), notice the difference in our buckets!

Regardless, with 10 years of experience, like Horacio, I’m sure I’d be a pro. Who knows? Maybe I’ll give it a try. There’s something really relaxing about being awake before sunrise and watching the sun come up while communing with nature!

By 7am we had finished (me: one cow, him: 6) and readied the milk for sale.

Horacio carried our efforts to the road and we loaded up the truck! More work than I ever remember doing before 7am!

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Ready.. .Aim. . .Fire!

Nothing says “bar game” like throwing metal at gunpowder, right? 

Colombians are a breed of their own! Most countries try to keep gunpowder and alcohol far apart if not an illegal combination. But here in Colombia, it’s the national game, tejo!

Tejo is played mostly in rural parts of Colombia although tejo bars can be found in Bogota and other big cities. The “sport” originated with the Chibcha people in western Colombia. It is a modern version of a game that is over 500 years old called Turmeque which was played by several indigenous groups in Colombia.

A tejo field consists of two angled pits filled with hard clay.

These are placed about 100 ft apart (for locals) or 50 ft apart (for tourists).

In the center of the pits, wax paper triangles filled with gunpowder (“mechas”)  are placed.

Each player (there are two teams) has a 2kg weight to throw at the clay pit. 

Points are awarded for making your “tejo” (weight) stick and more points are given for hitting a mecha and causing an explosion!

The game is so popular and prevalent in bars that in June 2000, it was declared the national sport of Colombia by the Congress of the Republic!

The best part of the game? Playing is free as long as the team is buying beer! I’m not much of a beer girl, but they have a “beer” called Redd’s which tastes like a combination of beer and Sprite. So, I ordered a few of those and joined in the fun!

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From There to Here, and Here to There. . .Funny Things are Everywhere!

Located in the lower reaches of the Los Nevados National Park in the Andes of central Colombia, is a very unique and beautiful spot – the Valle de Cocora. In this valley, and, apparently, only in this valley, nestled among the misty green hills, lives the tallest species of palm tree in the world, the Palma de Cera (wax palm).

These trees live up to a hundred years and usually grow over 160 feet tall and sometimes nearly 200 feet tall!

This palm species is unique, not only because of its height, but also because it has adapted to high altitudes – these palms live between 8200 feet and 9200 feet unlike most other palms that live at or near sea-level.

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Three Little Pigs

Some volcanoes are beautiful and scary. . .

Others are a bit less attractive, but much more fun!

Colombia is home to several “mud volcanoes.” 

In warm areas with low levels of water, a pool of bubbling mud forms when the little available water rises to the surface near volcanic ash and clay. The warm mud can build up and bubble over forming a volcano-esque eruption of mud.

These mud pools are believed to have healing properties so several of them have become tourist attractions – like the Volcan el Tesoro outside of Tolu, Colombia.

I went with friends, and we were lucky enough to be the only people there for a few hours. After paying our $2 to get in, we put on our bathing suits, and jumped into the pool of mud.

Here’s a before-and-after photo shoot you’re not likely to see in a woman’s magazine:

It’s a strange feeling, the mud is so thick that you are almost suspended – like being set in Jello®.  I’ve never felt anything like it! And it’s not easy to move around so there are ropes tied throughout the pool so you can pull yourself out of the mud. The mud is so thick you can even stand on the rope without falling over:

I also found that the mud is perfect for camouflage – a la Schwarzenegger in Predator:

After getting thoroughly covered in mud and having a blast doing it (for nearly two hours), we headed to the outdoor showers where several young girls helped to wash us off. (Admittedly, a strange part of the experience – likely better if I were a guy?)

But, before getting clean, we stopped to pose with one of our kin. . .funny how he was the cleanest one!

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Down on the Bayou

From Cartagena, I went inland to the small town of Santa Cruz de Mompos. Mompos is located on an island in the middle of the Rio Magdelena – the largest river in Colombia. This river runs over 950 miles through most of the western half of the country.

The histories of Mompos and Cartagena have long been intertwined. They were founded just 7 years apart by two Spanish brothers. Both grew into important port towns, one, within Colombia, the other between Colombia and Europe. When Cartagena was frequently under siege from pirates, the families of those defending the town would flee to Mompos for safety until the town was secure.  Mompos was also the first city in Colombia to declare independence from Spain – followed less than a year later by Cartagena.

I think the sibling rivalry between the two cities continues today – when I asked in Cartagena for assistance in getting to Mompos I was told that it wasn’t possible to get there at this time and I should stay in Cartagena. So much for brotherly love!

Fortunately, it was possible to get there, although not altogether easy to do. My trip involved two buses, a boat, and a taxi. By far, my favorite part was the boat – a water taxi. Just hop into the next taxi crossing the river, give them $3, they’ll throw your bag on top, and off you go.

While technically, the Rio Magdalena is not a “bayou,” Mompos has the comfortable, relaxed feel of a sleepy town on a quiet, slow-moving river. Not quite as glamorous as his older brother, Cartagena, Mompos remains a beautiful , if not a little run down, city. 

In fact, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Colombia’s most famous author and Nobel Prize for Literature winner, based many of his books on Mompos, including “One Hundred Years of Solitude.”

One afternoon I took a boat trip down the river a bit. Just 5 minutes from town we were surrounded by muddy river and thick vegetation. The grand homes with Spanish tiled roofs gave way to the thatched roof huts and dugout canoes of the local farmers and fishermen.

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