Before we went to stay with the Buitrago family in the small town of Pueblo Tapao ten minutes from Armenia we spent one enjoyable night in the city itself. Armenia had a very different feel to other cities we had been in during our time in Colombia mainly because it felt safe. It was a nice change to walk around freely in a clean city with wide footpaths and not too many street dogs. We stayed near the university and ate from the cheap uni food stalls which included Mexican for dinner.
The next morning we spent a bit of time on the internet before driving out to Pueblo Tapao to meet the Buitrago's. Our instructions were to drive to the hardware store in town then give them a call, as it turns out the family own the hardware store and the supermarket next to it. They sat us in the office and discussed what we wanted to do that afternoon. Eventually it was decided that we would go and see a local coffee farm as they couldn't believe we had never seen a coffee plant before. We drove out to the farm with José and sons Esteban (17) and Jacobo (15), when we arrived José asked for a quick tour from the owner who obliged. With Esteban and Jacobo acting as translators we were taken through the process of sprouting new plants from beans in sand, then the harvesting of the ripe red fruit. To acquire the bean the fruit is split open mechanically and then the resulting bean with its sweet outer coating is washed in a large tank. The beans are then split into first and second grades and taken to be dried. The drying takes between 12-24 hours to achieve around a 12% water content left in the bean. The bean then has a final outer shell to be removed which comes off like sawdust. The resulting greyish green bean is then ready to be sent to the coffee co-operatives for roasting or export un-roasted. The process is very self sufficient with the red skin of the fruit being used as fertiliser and the dried inside shell being burnt to fuel the furnace that dries the next lot of beans. It was an excellent tour of a real working small scale coffee farm, but there was more to come… Next we were taken to a nearby quality testing coffee lab where we were taught about the further grading of the beans into twelve categories and the roasting process. The girl that worked there said she spent her days preparing and taste testing coffee but still enjoyed drinking it at home. Just as we were about to leave we saw a man loading up his packaged roasted coffee into his truck. José stopped him in his tracks and brought two bags of his very special coffee including one he insisted was a gift for my parents back in NZ. It didn't get much better buying local quality coffee straight from the source rather than from the huge co-operatives, we can't help but squeeze the bag every now and then to get a whiff of the delicious smell inside.
The next morning we spent a bit of time on the internet before driving out to Pueblo Tapao to meet the Buitrago's. Our instructions were to drive to the hardware store in town then give them a call, as it turns out the family own the hardware store and the supermarket next to it. They sat us in the office and discussed what we wanted to do that afternoon. Eventually it was decided that we would go and see a local coffee farm as they couldn't believe we had never seen a coffee plant before. We drove out to the farm with José and sons Esteban (17) and Jacobo (15), when we arrived José asked for a quick tour from the owner who obliged. With Esteban and Jacobo acting as translators we were taken through the process of sprouting new plants from beans in sand, then the harvesting of the ripe red fruit. To acquire the bean the fruit is split open mechanically and then the resulting bean with its sweet outer coating is washed in a large tank. The beans are then split into first and second grades and taken to be dried. The drying takes between 12-24 hours to achieve around a 12% water content left in the bean. The bean then has a final outer shell to be removed which comes off like sawdust. The resulting greyish green bean is then ready to be sent to the coffee co-operatives for roasting or export un-roasted. The process is very self sufficient with the red skin of the fruit being used as fertiliser and the dried inside shell being burnt to fuel the furnace that dries the next lot of beans. It was an excellent tour of a real working small scale coffee farm, but there was more to come… Next we were taken to a nearby quality testing coffee lab where we were taught about the further grading of the beans into twelve categories and the roasting process. The girl that worked there said she spent her days preparing and taste testing coffee but still enjoyed drinking it at home. Just as we were about to leave we saw a man loading up his packaged roasted coffee into his truck. José stopped him in his tracks and brought two bags of his very special coffee including one he insisted was a gift for my parents back in NZ. It didn't get much better buying local quality coffee straight from the source rather than from the huge co-operatives, we can't help but squeeze the bag every now and then to get a whiff of the delicious smell inside.
That evening we were shown to where we would be staying. Not only did the place have a pool but it was five minutes drive away from the Buitrago's house and had a live-in family who took care of the property and opened the gate for us. The getaway was clearly set up for entertaining with a separate kitchen, three bathrooms, over ten beds and large outdoor table. Back at the family's tasteful home we explained that we had never tried an Arepa (a sort of fried corn based pita bread) so mum Sonia decided to take us out to try one for dinner. We arrived at a small local restaurant and were quickly presented with delicious Arepa's stuffed with the filling of our choosing and accompanied by fresh fruit juice. We haven't managed to find one as nice again since. Both José and Sonia made a big effort to talk to us during dinner even though our Spanish is still terrible luckily Jacobo and Esteban helped keep the conversation understood. What an unforgettable first day we had just spent with this family who were little more than strangers the day before.
Last night at dinner we also mentioned that our rear brakes were badly worn so in the morning we followed José and the boys into Armenia to get our brakes replaced. They took us to the best guy in town and he begun work immediately which is not something we have experienced in South America very often, if at all. The brakes would be resurfaced, as factory replacements for the Dodge's rear drum shoes weren't available. Then it was back to the hardware store to discuss what we could do that day. However our plans to see one of the Buitrago's farms were put on hold after a worker at one of the farms badly cut his finger needing a trip to the hospital so we were dropped off at the coffee park or Parque Nacional del Café instead. We weren't sure what to expect at the coffee park but we didn't imagine so many theme park rides. We decided to make the most of it and blew the budget by buying a seven ride package deal. We went on the roller coaster, racing cars and got soaked on the rapids and log flume but the highlight was the coffee show which depicted the history of coffee through a spectacular local dance performance. That afternoon we picked up the Dodge and immediately noticed the huge difference the new brake pads made to our stopping ability. That evening the family were each doing their own thing but recommend we try the Asado steak house in town and we are glad we did! The service was excellent and the food even better, we would go as far as saying they were the best beef steaks we have had in South America.
The following morning Esteban picked us up and took us out to one of their farms or finka's. We passed many old Willy's Jeeps on the way that were suddenly everywhere in this part of Colombia and Will was dying to take a ride in one. At the farm we wandered around in the sun looking at their crops of plantain, oranges, yuka and pumpkins as well as admiring their fine horses. Over a coke on the porch Will mentioned how much we would love to go on a horse rinding adventure and Esteban said we could maybe go the next day! Back at the family house we had lunch of fish, salad and platano followed by a home made tiramisu cooked by José's mum that we quickly finished off. Afterwards we drunk coffee with José and Sonia and admired the interesting wooden furniture they had around the house especially the big square table outside. José explained that they had brought it all from a local wood worker and asked if we would like to go and see his workshop. We quickly agreed and spent the afternoon being wowed by the unique designs of the mans tables, chairs and bed heads. While relaxing over a drink in some of the wooden chairs we discussed the possibility of going horse riding the next day. José jumped on the idea and gave us a cheeky smile when we said that we would like to do a real trek not some sissy half hour around a paddock. Immediately Sonia was on the phone organising things.
In the morning we were picked up early and taken into town. In town Sonia brought up large for our picnic lunch of empanadas, chorizo and potatoes. We tried to pay for something but they so kindly insisted otherwise. Then with the boys on the back of the truck along with a heap of saddles we drove out to the farm where we found that lots of organisation had already taken place. The horses had been brought in and more saddles were hanging up on the fence ready to be put on. About an hour later all seven of us were ready to ride including José, Sonia, Esteban, Jacobo, Me, Will and the families friend/worker who carried the lunch. Some of the horses were a little frisky at first as they hadn't been ridden for a while, but the experienced riders handled them with ease and I was glad to have the older calm horse. We lined up for the mandatory photo and then set off down the gavel road passing through small villages before stopping at a local eatery for a cold drink. We felt like we were in a movie with the horses tied up in a line outside, sombrero and ponchos on and Spanish music filling our ears. For the next couple of hours we rode down a steep section of hill country with both José and I once needing to quickly dismount after our horses got stuck in some deep mud. Down at a stream we splashed around with the horses and my strong horse even lay down in the water for a moment with me on it then stood back up all like it was nothing. Then we had lunch under a huge tree and the watchful eye of some nearby cattle, all this and the trip had only just begun. After lunch we crossed a long bouncing swing bridge on horseback then meet up with another family at their farm who also planned to go riding. We stopped for a short time and were quickly offered fresh juice before we remounted and headed off in a group of about thirteen. We road down more steep hills, through shallow rivers and between jungle vines before returning to the friends farm. My legs were starting to hurt a little at this stage, I'd never ridden a horse this far before let alone on uneven terrain and for those that don't know I'm actually allergic to horses so I took a few antihistamines and packed plenty of tissues but other than a few sneezes I was fine. After Will had a cooling swim in the river it was time to make our way home, the view unreal as the setting sun cast a stunning light over the picturesque countyside. The horses knew it was home time and started traveling a lot faster even galloping down the road which was a little scary for me but fun all the same. We arrived back at the farm in the dark and quickly un-saddled the horses before returning to the Buitrago home for pizzas and a selection of exotic fruits. Under Sonia's instruction we tried to speak only Spanish and throughly enjoyed our last evening with the family. What an unbelievable day we had just had! They certainly gave us the horse trekking adventure we were after and more.