The next morning, I caught the early bus to
head to Pereira, another city in the Coffee zone, and on the way to the thermal
baths I wanted to get to. I was quite struck by the highway which was lined
with pink roses in the middle. Climates change so quickly too in this country.
Pereira was hot! And only an hour away from cold Salento. I eventually made it
up to San Vincente, the higher up of two thermal baths near Santa Rosa, a
village near Pereira.
The next day and a half I spent bathing in
thermal baths in the incredible valley, surrounded by 5 waterfalls and thick
forest. It was very empty...perhaps about 5 or 6 other Colombian tourists.
Humming birds randomly took dips in the hot water pools...of which there were
quite a few. I also ended up having a couple of relaxing spa treatments, one of
which included being buried under hot mud by a small waterfall, natural sauna
and thermal bath...being left there for a few minutes, and then having the sand
massaged and scrubbed off. After that I sat in the natural sulphuric sauna for
bit, and had to wash everything off under freezing water from the waterfall. It
wasn't that pricey either...setting me back about 5 or 6 pounds.
At dinner,
I befriended a Colombian couple making a road trip around the coffee zone. I
got on really well with them, but was a bit taken with some of their political
views. Like most Colombians they are very supportive of Uribe and his iron fist
politics. They all seem to say the same thing about him, as if they have all
read the same papers and heard the same rhetoric. Was quite surprised they
agreed with social policy, education and health taking a back seat whilst the
government sorts out security as a priority. They feel that Colombia has become
much safer in the last few years, and give credit to the fact that the
government have been spending a lot on military to defeat the guerillas. They
also spoke a lot about the demobilisation of paramilitaries and had the
impression that a lot of the m had given up arms and been forgiven for past
crimes...now occupying comfortable positions in g overnment or corporations.
They agreed with the recent government massacre of the FARC in Ecuador...
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Pereira Hotels
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