Armenia.
May 2011.
In the coffee area, all is order and beauty.
The villas, often built on hilltops, compete in originality.
Their architecture is really special, but we love it.
Charlotte, who has not drunk coffee for years, enjoys a cup of Colombian coffee!
In order to know more about the coffee activity, we visit the finca "the Recuca".
After a tour of plantations, we discover the folklore.
The children are delighted to be dressed like that.
Then each plant its coffee plant with special care.
Then we are dressed to harvest. Depending on the season, workers must protect themselves from rain or sun.
We do not pick the green cherries: only those that are red or yellow.
Kids love it and do not want to stop.
Then, the pulp surrounding the seeds must be removed.
It's faster by turning the crank that by rubbing them with a stone!
The beans are dried for several days on large trays which can be protected from the rain.
The coffee is then roasted during 40 minutes: the green grains become dark brown and get the coffee aroma.
And finally, we must grind it.
The result is excellent, but children find it a bit strong.
This highly interactive visit was really great.
We have lunch in a small restaurant, and since we do not understand anything of the menu, we order sausages and chips.
We visit a research center on the promotion of Guadua, a kind of huge bamboo, in construction.
They are widely used in Colombia, and help make buildings strong and economical.
Colombia is a very large country and we have to drive late at night.
After a terrific storm, we cross a flooded village:
it does not stop people from having a beer, both feet into the water !
After nearly six months of travel, we spend our first night at a petrol station.
We ask the attendant if the place is safe and the latter answers: "No problem".
Only later did we discover that he walks around with a huge shotgun hidden in his back.
The north of Columbia is hot and humid, and we speed up towards Cartagena.