{"id":33213,"date":"2020-05-14T15:24:59","date_gmt":"2020-05-14T13:24:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lhonoremagazine.com\/2020\/05\/14\/colombia-between-caribbean-and-mountains\/"},"modified":"2022-11-26T10:50:14","modified_gmt":"2022-11-26T09:50:14","slug":"colombia-between-caribbean-and-mountains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lhonoremagazine.com\/en\/2020\/05\/14\/colombia-between-caribbean-and-mountains\/","title":{"rendered":"Colombia, between Caribbean and mountains"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From the Caribbean coast in the north of the country to the coffee triangle in the west, passing through Bogota, Colombia does not lack charm and even has varied interests. Ballad through the country…<\/h3>\n\n

By Alice d’Intheville <\/h4>\n\n
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Cartagena,\non the Caribbean coast of northern Colombia. It is almost midnight. In this\nSaturday evening in February, the light sea breeze refreshes the atmosphere\nstill warm from the alleys of the historical center of the colonial city. The walls\nof the houses diffuse the heat accumulated throughout the day\nunder the burning sun. It must be said that in this season, under a humidity\nconcentrating 90% of the air, the temperature quickly reaches 35 degrees. For two\nof the bay and the Santa Clara Legend Hotel, a former convent built in the\nXVII century and maintained in the state, \nin the heart of the city, a small and almost confidential bar lets\nthe corner of two streets whose calm is broken only by a few\ngroups of young people chatting on their doorsteps, a subdued light and\nsome notes of salsa. Inside, the atmosphere is quiet. Some\nyoung people are quietly sipping their Club Colombia, the local beer, negotiated at\n3,000 pesos – one euro. Amused by the lively rhythm of the music, Jose and\nhis wife, whose wrinkles and white hair betray a certain age, is\nstand up. First one dance step, then two… sure and precise steps. “He\nthere is no age to have fun,” says the old man, proud to be\napplauded by the amused and respectful teenagers. It is that here, the party is\ndaily and for all. Music is a tradition.<\/p>\n\n

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It\nis six o’clock this morning. The rising sun illuminates the city of orange. The\nThe show revealed under the light of the day that is coming is amazing of\nbeauty: inside the 11 kilometers of walls surrounding the old city\ncity of Cartagena, low colonial houses of two or three storeys are\nlevels, sometimes dressed in blood red, sometimes in royal blue, sometimes in yellow\nor spring green. All of them have balconies made of wood or\nstone, and display a perfect cleanliness. It must be said that for 35 years, the\nThe city is a Unesco World Heritage Site. Walking through the alleys\nof this old port city, once a bastion of the Spanish kingdom in\nSouth America for four centuries, the prevailing calm makes it difficult to\nTo believe that Cartagena has more than one million inhabitants. The city\noutside the walls, seems so far away. Some yellow cabs\ncirculate in the alleys, and the carriages follow them.<\/p>\n\n

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The\nThe city reveals multiple historical monuments or worth the detour.\nCathedral, squares, boutique hotels, convent of San Pedro Claver,\nmilitary castle of San Felipe de Barajas built by the Spanish in\nthe colonial era offering a panoramic view of the city and the sea…\nto leave the walls and its gates surrounded by cannons to enjoy the\nshow. But of course, sea excursions are still possible and, in two\nhours by boat, can reveal other facets of the region. Thus, the island\nof Mucura, which hosts the Punta Faro Hotel, is a perfect example of the\nof a Caribbean island: fine white sand beach, warm sea and\nprotected by the coral reef… The place lends itself to the\na break in time. Mango cocktails and mojitos in the water\nare necessarily in the program, as well as diving or snorkeling\nin the heart of the reef which allows to observe the different species of fish, that\nor a nap in a hammock between two palm trees. Of course, the\nColombian personality of these islands is not marked, but their presence so\nnear the coast remains the opportunity to put a foot there.<\/p>\n\n

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Bogota,\nthe capital of the country, is much further south. Here also, the Candelaria, name\ngiven to the historic center of the city, has kept in memory its colonial past\ncharacterized by narrow and steep streets surrounded by low houses and\ncolored with old doors, emblems and sculptures embedded in the\nthe roofs and windows and reminding the visitor that the place was\nAt the time, it was considered a cradle of the Creole and Spanish aristocracy. It is in this\nhilly district, declared a historical monument in 1963, and in its surroundings\nthat the main part of the tourist offer of the city is concentrated in the 8\nmillion inhabitants. Unlike the rest of the city, the center has\narchitectural homogeneity. To take a break, multiple small\ncaf\u00e9s offer a city atmosphere and are usually invaded by\nartists and street musicians.<\/p>\n\n

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Cathedral at Bolivar square in Bogota, Colombia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Point\nof this historic heart: the Plaza de Bolivar, in the center of which\nstands the statue of Simon Bolivar. It is surrounded by the Catedral Primada in the\nneoclassical style, attached to the bishopric, and characterized by its large organs\nand its magnificent chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, built in the\nright part of the building. Surrounding the square, also the Li\u00e9vano palace\nhousing the city hall, the courthouse and the National Capitol\nserving as the presidential palace. The streets leading from this square give\ndirect access to various cultural and artistic sites in\nBogota, like the Gold Museum. On three levels, it houses the\nthe most important collection of pre-Hispanic silverware in the world and has\ndifferent pieces of the indigenous cultures of Colombia. Also included are\nconcentrated here no less than 35,000 gold objects and as many ceramics, shells\nor bones. Half a day is necessary to visit the establishment. A\nA few steps away, the Botero museum exhibits various works\nas well as a significant number of paintings, sculptures and other works of art.\nColombian objects. It has a collection offered by the master\nBotero and some paintings signed Monet or Picasso.<\/p>\n\n

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Other\nmuseums give Bogota an important cultural dimension, but the city\nmodern, clearly westernized, has more working-class neighborhoods\nfocused on celebration and music. Near the huge shopping center\nbars, restaurants and big fashion stores,\nmainly invaded on weekends. Dance and music lovers\nfind their happiness at Andres Carne de Res, the local institution with the\ninternational reputation. This brand, which has two locations in Bogota and\nChia – 40 minutes from downtown – is one of the most popular restaurants in the world.\nof the country. In an eccentric atmosphere based on a\ndecoration half kitsch half baroque composed of hearts, pious images, of\nmasks, flowers and objects of all kinds, Andres Carne de Res allows to\nenjoy the local cuisine cooked on a wood fire and listen and dance to the sound\nrumba, salsa, merengue or vallenato. With its 900 tables and\nits 5,000 seats, the Chia site is sold out and bewitches both locals and\nthan tourists. <\/p>\n\n

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Around Bogota, the region is full of historical sites. For example, the small colonial town of Zipaquira, 50 kilometers from the capital and founded in 1600, which houses the amazing Catedral del Sal – Salt Cathedral. This marvel, erected in 1995 after the closure of a first similar cathedral built in 1954, is entirely built under the rock by salt miners. In a play of light and shadow, this site, which lies 200 meters under the ground, can receive some 800 faithful for the weekly mass, said every Sunday. Due to its magnetism, this site is not designed for batteries of electrical appliances. In return, it provides a unique calm in a welcome coolness. Around the site, there is no shortage of traditional restaurants where you can easily find supple corn and other local specialties.<\/p>\n\n

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Cap\nwest of the capital, towards the Coffee Triangle. This vast region, center of\nof rubber production until the beginning of the XXth century, is at the\nboth an economic lung for the country and a gigantic ecological lung,\nwhose landscapes and culture have been classified in 2011 as world heritage\nof Unesco. It is a must for travelers. The image is worth it\nof eye: at an altitude of 2,600 meters, a few hours drive from Pereira,\nin the central Andes of Colombia, we are surrounded by palm trees!\n“These are palma cierra”, explains the driver behind the wheel of his\nJeep. “A unique species in the world. We do not find it\nthan here! “True that at this altitude, exotic trees are not\nThere, the winding and deserted roads offer a 360\u00b0 view of the city.\ndegrees on the mountain range and its sharp and tree-covered mountains. <\/p>\n\n

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A\na few minutes drive up the hill from Salento, we arrive in Valle\ndel Cocora. In the middle of the mountain, a small complex houses a restaurant and\ncoffee production. Calmness reigns. And at this altitude, the sun is shining hard.\nThe perfect place to rest, but also for horseback riding in the\nin the middle of a generous and green nature. Crossing rivers, galloping\nin the fields in the middle of the palm trees or on the long, stoned roads of a\nand with a bit of imagination, take yourself for an actor\nNot far away, down in the valley, the village of Salento is only a few kilometers away.\nnot without charm. Considered as the most touristic village of the region in\nDespite its small size, it is organized around a large central square and\nof a few alleys in a straight line. The stalls are invaded by merchants of\nand fresh fruits, welcome under this sun. The interest of the site is not\nnot so much the village as the view from its highest point,\naccessible after a few hundred steps, on the coffee region and its\nbeautiful mountain. Salento, lost in the nature, is a few hours away\nof Pereira, the main city of the region where the most important places are\nnightclubs, gourmet restaurants, etc. <\/p>\n\n

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More\nfar away, lost in the nature, the name of coffee region takes all\nits meaning. The plantations follow one another and the smell of coffee is omnipresent. Not\nof doubt, this is where it happens. And this is where we should stop\nto understand how coffee production and harvesting works.\nSaman, hotel property in Armenia with two architectural buildings\ntypical of the Antioquia region, has its own production. The place\nis ideal for the visit, and from the planting fields to the tasting, allows\nto understand the whole process. In its huge site, Armenia proposes other\nactivities, such as the seven zip lines installed above the\nplantations. The longest of them, with its 400 meters, allows to\nfly at 100 meters above the coffee fields up to 80 km\/h. A show\nbeautiful as well as unusual. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From the Caribbean coast in the north of the country to the coffee triangle in the west, passing through Bogota, Colombia does not lack charm and even has varied interests.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":31946,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[745],"tags":[1105,1104,1106,984,777,1103],"powerkit_post_featured":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/lhonoremagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/co_ctg_san_pedro_claver.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lhonoremagazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33213"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lhonoremagazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lhonoremagazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lhonoremagazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lhonoremagazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33213"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lhonoremagazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33213\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33214,"href":"https:\/\/lhonoremagazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33213\/revisions\/33214"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lhonoremagazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lhonoremagazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lhonoremagazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lhonoremagazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33213"},{"taxonomy":"powerkit_post_featured","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lhonoremagazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/powerkit_post_featured?post=33213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}