Hangin’ in the Highlands
Salento is a small mountain town in the coffee-growing region of Southwestern Colombia. With only a handful of tourists, it still oozes old school charm.
On any given day someone is riding a horse through town, stopping to show off in front of the kids.
The town is colorful and the mountain setting is beautiful. The food is almost exclusively trout and plantain.
Bode found a place where he could play Wii, so for about a dollar, he enjoyed an hour of game time.
The men walk around town in black rubber boots (it rains here every day, and the streets and fields tend to be pretty muddy) , straw hats and ponchos. I love seeing men in ponchos, and the Colombians in this area do it with style.
We went looking for the local Tejo hall, but it turns out this one was closed permanently. This game is high on our list before we leave Colombia.
We ended up a billiards hall with some new friends. Although it was clearly the local hangout, no one seemed to mind the gringos invading for a few hours. The only “regular” pool table was unused and waiting for us in the corner. It seems that proper billiards is the Colombian mainstay.
It was another rainy night, and the power went out a few times while we were there. No one minded. Back home, the lights going out in a pool hall might produce a notably different reaction. Here, things just move even slower.
i love the photo of the guy in the poncho that matches the dusk. magical.
Somehow in Latin America they manage to do colourful without it looking too shrill; I love the house with the bright yellow eaves and green-blue doors.
Enjoy the colonial towns in Colombia – there aren’t many like this further south (except in Brazil).
Wow! Salento looks awesome! Looks a lot like some of the small towns we saw during our adventures together, but cleaner and even more charming. Your photos for this post are absolutely AMAZING! Like Bree, I especially love the poncho guy at dusk, as well as the church square at dusk photos. I even love the simplicity of the dog under the park bench. It’s quintessential Central and South America. Of course it goes without saying I’m completely jealous of your trout and plantain lunch plate, which probably cost you next to nothing, and was probably one of your best lunches ever. That’s what I miss the most about traveling with you guys: sampling the local cuisine, mingling with the locals, and exploring off the beaten path. I’m always jealous of all your adventures, but this time, I’m really, really jealous!
Fantastic adventure! Love the ominous clouds in the bottom left image.