Colombia
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Escobar Tour, Plaza Botero, Parque Bolivar, Cultural Center – What to do in Medellin #2 (Colombia)
At 2am, we are woken up by muffled noises, which come back every 5 to 10 minutes. For an hour. Even if a careful analysis of the noise makes us conclude that it isn’t shooting but rather a firecracker or fireworks… it makes us startle every time. Confirmed by locals during the day who tell us that birthday parties are often accompanied by fireworks or firecrackers… especially at 2am. Unfortunately, this is only the beginning of a day that will end badly. Part 1: Travel Diary Part2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary Escobar Tour We start the day with the Escobar Tour. Meeting at 9am in front of one…
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Local market Plaza Minorista, Parque Arvi, the Metrocable – What to do in Medellin #1 (Colombia)
Today we go (by metro + bus) to the local market Plaza Minorista. It is a huge market, where you can find everything. But we go there especially for its fruits and vegetables section Part 1: Travel Diary Part2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary Local market Plaza Minorista How to get there: We recommend that you take the metro to Hospital (line A) and then take bus 1 to the foot of the market at Minorista station (so pay twice as much because the connections aren’t included in the ticket). Google Maps will recommend walking 10 minutes from the metro – but we don’t recommend it because the neighborhood…
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La Piedra Del Peñol and Guatapé (Colombia): Essential visit at 1h30 from Medellin
If the pollution in Medellín is suffocating you, get on the first bus to Guatapé, a very colorful and charming village, only 1h30 away from Medellín. The weather forecast tells us that it is better to go to Guatapé today (it rains the other days). We are always accompanied by Philippe, the father of JB, for this mini road trip in Colombia. Part 1: Travel Diary Part2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary Medellin Route => La Piedra Today, we take the bus from the Terminal del Norte in Medellín to Guatapé (practical info at the bottom of the article). After taking the 8h “luxury” bus between Salento and Medellin,…
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Cocora Valley in Colombia: Transportation, Trekking Itinerary
We just spent 3 wonderful days in Salento (including 1 day in the Cocora Valley). You will find on our blog the practical information for a successful trek in the Cocora Valley from Salento. Transport Salento => Cocora Valley Jeeps regularly leave from the main square of Salento. The best seats are next to the driver, so get in the jeep right away, instead of waiting for the other tourists to come and you end up standing in the back for 30 minutes. Right click on the image below to save the image and zoom in. The first table contains the departure times of the Jeeps. If there are too…
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Cocora Valley (Colombia): 5h30 walk in the middle of the Wax Palms
After visiting a coffee farm the day before, we leave today for the Cocora Valley, 30 minutes by Jeep from Salento. Always in company of Philippe, the father of JB. Part 1: Travel Diary Part2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary We take a Jeep from the main square of the village. 8000COP/person round trip. We plan to take the one at 8:30 am but as it is already full at 8:15 am, the car leaves right away. Philippe and I are sitting next to the driver so we have a little more room than those sitting in the back (or JB who has to be standing during the whole…
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Timetables & Bus Fares (2020) Airport Pereira – Salento. Transport Salento – Cocora Valley / Boquia / Armenia
Pereira and Armenia have the two closest airports to Salento. We decided to land in Pereira because the flights Bogota – Pereira are cheaper than Bogota – Armenia. Fares and schedules are as of September 2019. In this article, I will show you how to go, very easily, from Pereira airport to Salento. To do so, you need : Step 1: go from Pereira airport to the bus terminal (Pereira transport terminal) Step 2: From the bus terminal, take the bus of the company Expreso Alcalá to Salento Step 1: Pereira Airport => Pereira Transport Terminal Schedules: Monday to Friday: from 4:30 am to 10:45 pmSaturday: from 6:00 am to…
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Three days in Salento (Colombia): a Small Village in the Coffee Region
From Bogotá, we continue our road trip to Salento, with Philippe, JB’s father, who is currently on vacation in Colombia. Part 1: Travel Diary Part2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary How to get to Salento from Bogotá? We have the choice between a bus that takes almost the whole day, or a 45-minute flight. The airplane option was voted unanimously. Very wise decision because the view from my porthole is breathtaking. I think that after the beautiful landscapes seen from the porthole in Colombia, it is advisable to pay an extra fee to choose a place near the porthole (we had not paid the option to choose our place,…
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Where to buy an emerald in Bogotá (Colombia): Our Experience
During our mini roadtrip with JB’s father (Philippe), we were brought to look for an emerald in Bogotá because Philippe absolutely wanted to bring back a pendant from his trip in Colombia. Colombian emeralds are the most beautiful in the world, because apart from a few mines in Brazil, it is mainly in Colombia that natural emeralds are found. With its characteristic green color, and its inlays specific to the mine from which they are extracted. We have researched online to find a trusted seller. Philippe was also able to get information from his jeweler in France. This jeweler is used to go to Colombia to buy emeralds. According to…
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A day in Bogotá (Colombia): Gold Museum, Monserrate, la Candelaria
For his two weeks of annual vacation, Philippe (JB’s dad) decided to spend them with us, in Colombia! Our road trip is composed of 8 complete days of visit (the rest of the time, Philippe has to manage by himself because we work, eh yes). Follow our adventures on the blog! Part 1: Travel Diary Part2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary How do I get to Bogotá from Medellín? We could have gone there by bus (9h of journey) but considering the limited time that Philippe has in Colombia (and that we have outside working time!), we opt for a late departure in the evening by plane. The airplane…
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Attend a soccer match in Medellin – Tickets, Rates & Tips (Colombia)
After Lisbon, Seville, Turin, Istanbul, Montreal and Buenos Aires, I continue my soccer world tour in Medellin, Colombia. The passion for soccer in South America is in no way comparable with what we know in Europe, I have already had the opportunity to see this in Argentina. Colombian soccer is less famous but the atmosphere is at least as electric. There are two professional clubs in Medellin, Atlético Nacional and Corporación Deportiva Independiente Medellín (DIM). Both clubs had their heyday at the end of the 1980s, when they benefited greatly from Pablo Escobar’s drug money laundering scheme. Both clubs play in the same stadium, the Atanasio-Girardot Stadium, which can accommodate…
