The flight from Bogota to Periera was super quick and unsurprisingly I slept the entire journey. From the airport to Salento we got on our first bus and it reminded me that there is nothing quite like the hustle and bustle of a Colombian bus station. People swarming everywhere and hundreds of empanadas to pick from. Luckily buying a ticket was pretty easy, just look for the long line of gringos.

The bus itself was fine, they sell it to you as “a deluxe bus with wifi, tv, bathroom, and aircon” but of course there was neither air conditioning or seat belts. However, there was definately a loo…

The journey itself wasn’t meant to take more than an hour but as we crept nearer to Salento the traffic jams starting building and we were told it was their annual festival. Annoying but also exciting.

Our hostel, called the Coffee tree boutique hostel, was just on the outskirt of the tiny town but not far at all. As soon as we arrived I felt sense of stress lift off from me. In Bogota you countinuously had to be super switched on which can be exhausting. Honestly, it takes a while to acclimitise to the slower pace of life.

The hostel itself was a huge beautiful wooden building with lots of land, including a swing, bbq and hammock section. Best of all, we were greeted the two most beautiful St Bernards. We got comfy in our first dorm and were obviously welcomed by two couples from Brighton – you just can’t escape home.

The first evening we strolled to a local restaraunt reccomended by the hostel, who were amazing with giving us tons of information on what to do in the area. I had the trucha (trout) and Ollie had some creamy chicken thing, both delicious. I think the travels took it out of me so we quickly called it a night. Anyway, we had to be bright eyed tomorrow morning for a coffee tour we had booked. Ollie (the coffee enthusiast) was very excited.

I wouldn’t say I was super stoaked to wake up so early but I definately felt less tired than the day before. The hike to the Osaka Coffee was about an hour and Ollie should not have mentioned it was downhill as I instantly dreaded the uphill walk back. Also, we seemed to be the only ones who dared the hike.

Ollie is an absolute coffee nerd but I’ve got to give him some credit as he was very knowledgeable. During the tour he became quite buddy with the guide, answering questions and finishing sentences. The coffee picking was super fun and I got way too into it. I regretted it the next morning when I looked down to see my insect bitten legs.

I love people watching and group tours are best for this. The group itself was an interesting mix of people. We had two nice Swiss girls, a funny New York family whose Dad loved making cannabis jokes, and finally a German dad and daughter who could not take a joke.

The tour itself was really interactive and we finished wiith a free cup of yummy black coffee. Of course I recieved a bollocking for liking milk and sugar in mine.

After the dreaded uphill hike back we went to the town centre and grabbed some quick food. Although, nothing seems to be quick in Colombia.

We ate some empanadas and fried ravioli… the fried ravioli was delicious. I did think if I continue eating like this I will get fat.

After we headed back to do some admin at the hostel and ended up being tempted by a slice of banana cake. They love cake here, as do I.

Then I messed up. We were meant to go to Etnia (another restaurant recommended by the hostel) but I wanted to have a drink in the square. By the time we got there it was fully booked and we ended up eating more fried food, which included lots of chicharron (fried pork crackling) and chips. Not the healthiest but delicious.

Day 2, it was time to do our big hike around the Cocora Valley. We woke up at 6:30 and were on a jeep by 8am.

You have to get a jeep to the Corora Valley and they squeeze about 11-13 people onto each one. Unfortunately, we were person number 12 and 13 which meant I had half a bum cheek in the jeep and Ollie was holding onto the back for his life. Note, do not put suncream on just before.

The trek itself was amazing. We went to a hummingbird sanctuary, saw waterfalls and obviously the huge palm trees. Ollie loves the hummingbirds and was especially grateful as Seb gifting him a mini telescope before we left.

However, Ollie and I are rather stupid. We only spent about two minutes in the Cocora Valley, not realising we were acutally there. It wasn’t until later when we were confused on directions that a Dutch couple told us. It is definately easy to climb up the wrong mountain.

It was a lovely hike, up and down, easy and hard, cold and hot, but it definately reignited my love for trekking. Every trek is training for the Lost City. Oh and we bumped into the Switz girls from the coffee tour.

On the journey back we managed to secure seats inside the jeep. In our jeep was a group of Spanish and a family of Colombians. I am really enjoying listening in to people’s conversations and I am impressed with home much I actually understand. On the other hand, Ollie freaked out when they asked for a picture and said “Soy English”, embarrassing.

In the evening we finally got to go and try out Etnia, we made sure we were early. For 22 COPS (£3.85) each we got a very authentic menu del dia and it felt like we were in a abuelas kitchen. I even got a try before you buy experience with the spinach cream which I chose instead of the chicken soup.

On day 3, we decided we were going to have a lazy day but Ollie rudely woke me up at 6:30am as he was bored. We then climbed up to the viewpoint, which was nice but nothing sensational as Salento itself is so small. Then we had some avocado for lunch as our body was craving greenery.

During lunch, we spoke to these two guys who were about to climb the Volcan Nevado Del Tolima all on their own. It is inspiring how good some hikers are and brave. I am definately a total novice and have a way to go.

We finished our stay in Salento with a lovely Argentinian meal. After our Argentinian empanadas we are convinced they have the best food. We ordered a green salad (my bowels singing with joy) and it was absolutely delicious. Afterwards we strolled back to the hostel but decided to go for one last drinks which turned into us partying with some Canadian cousins.

Next stop, Medellin.