Post 73: When it rains (here), it pours.

Fellow mud trekkers,

Today was another adventure. We woke up early and joined with a group of fellow travelers here at the guest house to meet with a coffee plantation owner to see how the local export is made. The hike up went astray when we went the wrong direction down a hill through a steep river of mud, dirt, rocks and debris. When we finally reached the bottom, we encountered a rickety steel bridge across a raging river. We ventured up another steep muddy hill until we met Pablo, the plantation owner. A few more miles down the road, through muddy puddles and pouring rain, we finally arrived at his house.

A Swede and a french press

We went upstairs and had a cup of his own coffee, which we later found out was brewed and sweetened with local vanilla, as opposed to sugar. It was a treat. He went on to explain the traditions and how coffee was the national drink of Colombia. As we sipped our cups, tropical birds feasted on a dried stock of corn, left out for them to devour.

Afterwards he took us through the forest around Pedro's house and explained the history of the local fauna. We saw the wax palm, the national tree of Colombia, and random coffee plants which we were able to pick the reddish beans from. We descended back towards his house and he showed us the most basic steps of coffee production, the peeling of the bean, and then the seed. We were served lunch by his wife, a mix of pasta, local cheese, tomatoes and spices, with an aromatic tea made with Tomatillia.

The last part of the tour was the end process of coffee, the roasting. We again stripped the bean of its shell and piled them into a machine which broke them down even more. They were then placed into a machine which spun and roasted the beans slowly over the course of 20 minutes, after which the bean was left to cool. Only then did it smell like the familiar bean we drank at home. When all was done, Pedro ground and served the bean we had picked, peeled and processed.

The walk back was the same soupy mess, with non-stop rain and mud. A shower was well needed, and well deserved after such a long day learning, hiking and exploring. I do not think I will ever look at coffee the same way again.

We head to Bogota in the morning, we had desired to stay in the Coffee region another day but the rain does not seem as though it will be letting down anytime soon, so we have to play it safe to make it to the capital in time for our flight to Quito on December 2nd. I have really enjoyed our time in Colombia and will miss it.

Much more ahead,

Gavin (y June)

a few more photos after the cut below, and be sure to check the last post for updated photos!