Coffee Tour

Today began with a trip into the mountains around Salento to begin a coffee farm tour. Although I had already done one in Africa, this was promising to be a new experience where we learnt the traditional techniques for harvesting, and I could evaluate how it was different to those done in Uganda. The greatest differences arose in how the plant grows and the supplementary crops they utilise to provide different flavours for the coffees in such high altitudes. The harvesting started off quite similarly by removing the red coffee seed from the tree and taking it to the farm for refining. It is then crushed in a machine to extract the husk. Where it can then be dried. After drying, it is once again crushed to provide the coffee seed where it is roasted into coffee. The machines utilised, although traditional, are more elaborate than those used in Africa. Nonetheless, the process is very similar. In the end, we enjoyed our coffee and admired the beautiful little farm where the coffee plantation was situated. After this, we began the hour walk back to town because no Jeeps came by to pick us up, but the views were incredibly nice and made for some great photos. By this time, it was afternoon, and we relaxed for a bit before going to play a traditional game of Colombia, Tejo. Essentially, like cornhole but with explosives, it was a lot of fun and exciting. We had some drinks, threw rocks at explosives, and had a fun night. I must add, despite dominating all night, Sarah came back at the end to win our only game. I got complacent. Although a lot of fun, this was the end of our day as we grabbed a quick dinner and headed to bed.Read more