Salento

Our first stop in the Coffee Zone was Salento, a quaint, hilly town with colorful houses and quite a few tourists.  Saturday morning we took a leisurely stroll through farmland to tour the Ocaso Coffee Farm.  The dog below joined us from the start and stayed with us throughout our tour, even getting jealous of other dogs coming too near.  

The tour lasted about an hour and ended with a sampling of their coffee.  Unfortunately, we all agreed it was nothing to write home about and were quite disappointed.  The views were amazing and our tour guide friendly, so all was not lost.  

Close to the center of Salento, there is a decent-sized stairway with the Stations of the Cross at various intervals for the devout.  Needing more exercise, we climbed to the top a couple times during our trip.  Thank goodness it was cooler here!

While touring around town, we kept passing these citizens with guns.  For some reason, I believed they were protecting the town so tourists would continue to support the businesses.  I was wrong, of course.  Dad finally asked a lady what the deal was.  It turns out that it's a shooting darts game where you try to hit the bulls-eyes on the green board.  Costing just a buck for seven shots, we decided to give it a go.

Dad was up first.  Looking like a pro, he proceeded to hit close to the targets but nothing worth the awesome prizes they were offering.  Obviously, the gun was rigged.  My aim wasn't any better, and I am relieved to know that I will never have to hunt for my food.  

When Mama's turn was up, a small crowd started gathering.  Every time she aimed, the people would take a giant step back....just in case.  I cannot even tell you how Mama shot because it would literally take her three or four minutes to fire each time.  By the time the dart finally departed from the gun, my eyes were exhausted from staring at the green board for so long.  

Of course, the gun lady was loving all the attention for her game, so she wasn't complaining.  

One of the most irritating parts of this trip was how Mama's hair and makeup were always done perfectly.  Are you kidding me?!  (Yes, Dad always looked good, too, but he's a guy and has a much easier time of it.)

Two nights in a row, we ate at this fusion restaurant that a young man and his wife started a year ago.  The food was excellent (especially the filet mignon), and the bottles of wine that accompanied the meals were a treat.  It's so nice to have people around who appreciate wine!

After dinner on Saturday night, we sat in a nearby bar and listened to Johnny, an attractive young man with a soulful voice, sing many of the popular songs playing on the Colombian radio now. It was the perfect way to end the evening.