Sat 2 Mar. Pereira to Salamina
David got better and Chris got worse. She was not even up to going for a pre-breakfast swim. We had a late breakfast and left the hotel at 10 am, with a new driver, somewhat mentally incapacitated, or with a very broad accent: so communication with zero. Iit was over a three hour drive through gorgeous scenery to get to Salamina, This is a village at 2000 m.
David went on a guided walk which had been arranged between 2 and 4 pm. Chris did not feel up to it.
The hotel, Leyenda, is charming, but the room extremely small and minimalist. We both went out for a short explore at 5 pm. And we stopped at a café. It had been recommended by the guide. It was pleasant, but the cakes were nothing to write home about.
Then we had a snack and some rum and Coke in the room before going down to the hotel café for some food, but they only served sandwiches and cakes, and we decided just to have a beer. An early night and hopefully I will feel more human in the morning
Hotel La Leyenda
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Salamina
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Sun 3 Mar Day trip from Salamina to wax palms at 2900 meters
A noisy night and then woken up by the church bells calling the faithful to prayer at 6:30 6,45 and 7 am. Chris thinks her cold has reached its peak during the night and it should all be all downhill from now on.
We enjoyed our breakfast down in the café, nothing special, but nice surroundings, then we were picked up in a ramshackle Jeep by Careen at 9 am. We drove over an hour down a mainly tarmac, but badly maintained road , climbing for about an hour to reach the village of San Felix.. They were replacing the road around the main plaza and we went into the church plus dogs which roamed everywhere.
Then we had a very nice warm aromatic drink with cinnamon which is just what we needed because we had been quite cold in the jeep. We continued upwards for about another 20 minutes to reach the highest place around this at 2900 Metres. We ordered our lunch and then set off on a walk and being taken far further than we thought it would be. After descending the steep steps, we then found ourselves entering a jungle, and this also was downhill and went on forever. Eventually, we emerged knowing that we had to climb up all the way again, a daunting task for Chris. Anyway, she eventually made it by 2 pm.
The soup was pleasing in the restaurant, but the trout plate was stone cold and unappetising - we think they had cooked it earlier, expecting us to be back before 2. But there was a pleasant aromatic drink again. We then left for the journey back. The Jeep spewing fumes out of the back all the time, a cracked windscreen in front , and now a new screech that appeared under the car.
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Once back in the hotel, Chris had a siesta for over an hour and then we went for a wander to see the metal pictures that David had been shown in the afternoon previously. These were very impressive.
Back in the room we had our Tapas with our rum, read for while and then went for another short wander and before stopping in the hotel courtyard, sharing a cake and drinks.