After another 6 hour bus trip, we arrived in Salento about 3pm yesterday.
We took a bus from Popayan to Armenia, and then grabbed a local bus from Armenia to Salento. We were supposed to get the 'direct' bus from Popayan, that leaves at 8am and bypasses Cali. But we got to the bus station a little too early, and found ourselves hustled onto the ready-to-go 7:30 bus, which did pass through Cali. So the trip took a little longer. But it was on mostly good roads, and we weren't in a hurry.
The Bus Station in CaliA Horse Cart in TrafficThe Remains of the National Rail SystemWe are staying at the
Plantation House, another backpacker place. This one is in a beautiful location, and our window overlooks the valley below. It is a typical backpacker place with a bunkhouse, a few single rooms, and a couple of doubles. The people staying here are from all over the world, budget travelers like us. The owner is nice and friendly. It is a little out of town, so no traffic noise or loud music from town. But it seems a little run down and not real clean, compared to the other places we've been staying. If we came back to Salento, we'd look for another place in the same price range. We have seen a few small hotels here, though Googling 'hostal Salento' doesn't bring up anything but references to this place.
The Plantation HouseThe CourtyardThe Plantation House ViewWe had some time in the afternoon to walk around the small town of Salento. It is obvious that it is a tourist town... a whole street full of souvenier shops. The area is famous for its trout, and we saw lots of restaurants advertising trout for dinner, cooked about 20 different ways.
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