Cali

It wasn't entierly logical but having gone up as far as Medellin from Bogota, I then caught the bus back down and across towards the Pacific coast to see what Cali was like. Cali coffee, salsa, music, I had to visit.

I had teamed up but accident (more like he was following me but I didnt enjoy babysitting a grumpy, slow moving, English guy who was pretty much only motivated to drink vodka when night fell). I wanted to suit myself for the rest of the journey, I tried to shake him off several times but was utterly unsucessful in my various attempts. We fought and disagreed a lot and generally it wasn't easy or pleasurable. A nasty contrast to my other friends where we nearly always agreed, wanted the same things and worked well in a team to get from A to B and enjoy yourselves and each other's company whilst we were at it.

Cali was humid and sweaty, not at all pleasing to look at, in fact decidedly ugly. Once there, we weren't sure what there was to do. Salsa? There were some parks and waterfalls nearby but we stuck to the city centre. I explored in my usual fashion, even went running a couple of times. Nights in salsa clubs were fun, although I was intimidated by the amazing moves everyone had. In one place they even stopped the dancing for about 15 minutes whilst we watched a professional couple. I wish I could dance, not even like that just reasonably well.

I think my strange highlight of Cali was walking into the centre with some travel friends and not really finding anything to see or do, instead happening upon a small sunken square where there were several typewriters and men typing at them. We asked what they were for and were told that they were for love notes of messages for people, you could go to them if you wanted to tell your loved one something but didnt have the right words. This notion struck me both as brilliant and bizarre. For a personal and romantic note you need someone else to do it for you? This is a message from the bottom of my heart...haha. But at the same time it's hard to put certain things into words and do it well. The notion struck me as typically Latin and I loved it. I wondered how long this square had existed, how much money they made out of their trade and how much longer people would be typing messages and notes for clients and passersby. I wondered if this little scene reverberated around the country in other towns. The square of typewriters...

I found Chontodoro (a strange red fruit that tastes to me a little bit like potato but you eat it raw, just peel off the skin). I've never seen it anywhere other than Costa Rica before. I ate it EVERY time I saw a street seller offering it, knowing I could wait years or never get the chance to eat it again. In Colombia they eat it with honey or salt, it's tasty with either, both or by itself. In Costa Rica I ate it with mayonaise. When I have my own garden, I might try and cultiate my own chontodoro. I dont even know if it grows on trees or plants, I imagine it comes from some sort of palm but that is a WILD guess.

Met some nice people in Cali, got quite sweaty in the humidity and all the moments that I captured with my camera will be posted once I get my laptop issues sorted out.