Since this is the coffee region, I think exploring something coffee-related is fairly crucial to seeing the area. Most people searching for coffee inspiration head to Parque del Cafe, which is a giant theme park devoted to coffee. I must admit, I'm a bad coffee-region resident, because I have never gone. Another popular place is Panaca, which is basically a giant farm. I haven't been there, either. Here's why.
Although people rave about Parque del Cafe and I do intend to go there before we leave, it's still a theme park. That means it's a commercial business, and the money isn't being pumped directly into the pockets of local farmers. It's also very expensive. Plus, since it has roller coasters, ski lifts over the coffee fields, and various other rides, it's a bit inauthentic. I don't doubt that it is fun, it just wasn't the version of Colombia I wanted to share with my family. As for Panaca, well, my guidebook describes it as a place where people from the "city" (i.e. Bogota) go to see what life is like on a farm. Hello, I'm from the Midwest. I know what a farm looks, feels, and smells like. Skip!
So... what did we do instead?
3. Hike through a hillside of coffee!
I researched this part of our trip for a long time, and although we ended up spending a lot of time walking through fields in the rain and we learned way more about coffee than I personally needed to know, it was definitely a beautiful, interesting, and authentic afternoon, which is what I wanted. We went to Hacienda Guayabal, which is near Chinchina. Chinchina is considered the heart of the coffee region, which is considered the heart of the Colombia by many people, so basically, we were knee-deep in the heart of Colombia. Almost literally, as it was a pretty muddy experience! The Hacienda offers tours (call ahead) in Spanish and English. (25,000 pesos for Spanish, 30,000 for English.) The tour takes you through numerous hillsides of coffee and the guide instructs you on every aspect of the coffee making process. Don't be afraid to ask questions, because our guide seemed to be bubbling with information.
At the end of the tour, they gave us a cup of coffee and then a really cool dessert. We also got certificates that said we were now coffee experts!
The next day we had to go to school (what???), but LPV is sort of like a mini adventure all by itself! My brother and his girlfriend had a great time...
And that brings us to number 4: Spend time with the locals.
My family mostly spent time with our friends and our students, but I think that's a pretty safe sample of Colombian people in the coffee region. I mean, I have 16 students alone who are happy to tell you anything you might ever want to know about Colombia. So my family could get to know them better, and so we could hike around in the mud "experiencing" the ecosystems in Colombia (science unit), I took my family and my class on a hike through the school's sendero, or forest path.
5. Experience the flora.
On Wednesday, my family and the entire LPV primary went on a field trip to the Universidad Tecnologica de Pereira (UTP)'s Jardin Botanico... Botanical Gardens. There are a lot of other ways to experience the botanical abundance of Colombia and this region, and I'm not sure this is the first one I would recommend, although it made a decent field trip. It was definitely pretty, but I personally enjoyed Medellin's Botanical Gardens more, and any hike around this region will basically be just as beautiful. The La Florida region (catch a chiva from the center of Pereira) is supposed to be incredible, for example. Even so, it was a fun trip.
6. Go to Juan Valdez Cafe. (McDonald's is optional, but encouraged.)
Juan Valdez is the symbol of Colombia's coffee growers, and Juan Valdez Cafe is truly a fun place to hang out. Great coffee, cute sweatshirts, and wireless internet. It's a must for experiencing the coffee region. Pereira's largest and nicest Juan Valdez is on Circunvalar, which is like our Zona Rosa, and is conveniently located up the street from our new McDonald's. What what.
7. Go to a working farm.
I took my family to a friend's trapiche, which is where they grow sugar cane and process it so it becomes panela, which is then used for desserts and drinks in Colombia. (For more information and to see my post from our visit there last summer, see this post.) I love this place because it's as green as can be... everything is sustainable. The workers live off the farm (and live on the farm), the horses eat the discarded leaves from the sugar cane, the woody substance from the cane provides fuel for the fire, and absolutely nothing is added to the cane. It's just cooked over and over and the molded into panela blocks. Cool!
8. Spend time eating pineapple in Cerritos, or at least see the mansions.
Cerritos is a little town super close to LPV, and many of my students live there. It's known for two things: money and pineapple. For real. A number of huge subdivisions filled with fancy houses have popped up in the past decade. The biggest industry for all the non-nouveau riche is pineapple. Cerritos is supposed to have the best pineapple in Colombia, and it produces more pineapple than any other region of the country. I can attest that it is truly delicious, and worth a stop if you are ever in the area. Cerritos also has some very nice hacienda hotels, and if you are looking for a nice, luxurious place to spend the night, this would be a good area to look. After our trip to the trapiche, the owners of the trapiche took us to one of the local haciendas for dessert, and then drove us to their home in Cerritos for a warm cup of panela.
Well, that's all for my recommendations today. I'm in the middle of finals at school, but I'll try to post again soon.
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