Four Wheeling in a Bus Through the Coffee Mountains

We spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday taking various buses along one-lane, eroded gravel and mud roads through beautiful terrain where coffee and bananas are cultivated. It was the bumpiest ride ever, but simply gorgeous! Unfortunately it is impossible to get a picture of the travels because everything turns out fuzzy from the movement.
When you look at a map to plan your travels in the Andes it's very easy to underestimate travel time or difficulty. Little did we know the route we chose would be so rough! Our backpacks were totally covered with dust when we arrived in Medellin, I'm planning to wash them with a hose today and leave them in the sun to dry out before repacking.

The first night we stopped in Salamina, colonial town hanging on to the top of a very steep mountainside. It had a lovely park in the historical center and our hotel was located only 1/2 block away. It is the place with the flags, our room had a porch to watch all the action below. We found a bakery across the street with a very friendly shopkeeper where we enjoyed 'bombas', coconut-covered balls with a fruity center along with the great coffee from the area.

Saturday, another dusty ride up and down and around took us to Aquadas, again perched on the top of a mountain with a colonial center. Our hotel room here was very comfortable and affordable, $15.00 US.
Yesterday we decided to skip our last planned little town stop in Santa Barbara and we came back to The Art House in Medellin where we had a fun BBQ with Todd, the owner, Brandon, a long-term guest, and a local woman, a systems engineer, who had lived in Spain for 7 years. Dinner conversation was in Spanish and quite lively.
Our plans here include visiting the national park high in the mountains, just a tram ride away. We also want to meet up with Fernando for lunch. Carmen at the Art School will also be on the list of visits we hope to make while we are here.
On Wednesday we will fly to Panama City where Shana Jan will meet us! Lot of exciting adventures are still ahead!