Arriving in Salento

Once we arrived in Salento, we were supposed to park up in the town's bus station as the narrow streets can't cope with a truck as big as ours! However, the bus depot manager wouldn’t allow us to, so we had to negotiate some tight corners to get to a car park in the centre of town. Once there, Nikki organised 5 Willy Jeeps to take us to our hotel.

These Willy Jeeps were first acquired immediately after the second world war by Colombian coffee farmers as all-terrain workhorse vehicles. Now, they are painted in bright colours and used as a taxi service for tourists.

Our hotel, El Patio de mi Casa, was just off the main square and was as pretty as a picture. We were allocated our rooms very quickly (a private one, I'm pleased to say!) and then we went out to explore the plaza. It was very attractive and full of bars and restaurants. We found a bar with really friendly staff and had a couple of drinks. We weren’t hungry after our big lunch, but we did order a starter portion of mixed empanadas to share.Read more