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Brief travel guide to Cali

(This is an "approved guide", which means that we think it is very accurate and up to date. It's a "brief" guide which means that we think it can use some more detail - leave comments! Written January 2007.)

Cali is one of the three big cities in Colombia (Bogota and Medellin are the other two). It's most famous for it's love of salsa music: it's one of the best places in South America (and the world) to dance Salsa. It's at a lower altitude (1000 m) and therefore warmer than Medellin or Bogota. Luckily, evening breezes will cool you off in time for the parties. Average temperature is 24 degrees Celcius. Bogota is chilly, Medellin is springtime, Cali is tropical, Cartagena is hot.

Cali is not particularly pretty in any "colonial" sense. In the middle of the city runs the Rio Cali. In the south, around Plaza de Caycedo is the historic part of the city. Avenida sexta (6th) is the new part of town in the north, and a lot of hostels are here. To the north-east is Juanchito, the salsa district.

Things to do.

Avenida Sexta is the modern party district, Juanchito is the place to go for salsa, but only gets rocking after midnight. Taxis to Juanchito are about 10,000 COP. In the south of Cali, around Calle 5 there's a party zone as well. Whereas in Medellin partying means drinking, in Cali partying means dancing - so put on your dancing shoes!

In December, like everywhere in Colombia, Cali has more parties than ever. The Feria de Cali is a huge, multi-day party in December that starts of with a cavalcade - a horse parade where some of the riders are dressed up as Spaniards or criollos. They ride through the strech designated for the cavalcade drinking aguardiente and joking with their friends while people gather on the sidewalks to watch them. Usually the whole thing deteriorates into a drunken revelry with flogged or abandoned horses, garbage in heaps and general chaos and disorder.

A lot of people enjoy partying in Cali, but what do you during the day? Improve your Spanish! To find a teacher, you can ask around at the hostels, or go with an official program at one of the universities.

Universidad Santiago de Cali (http://www.usc.edu.co) has Spanish courses for foreigners, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 7pm to 8:40pm.

Most travelers seem to go to the language center of Universidad Javeriana (http://www.puj.edu.co/departamento/idiomas/efe.html). They charge depending on the class size, about 10 to 15000 COP per hour, and you have to take the entire course (64 hours).

Another option is the Centro Colombo Americano but they're reportedly expensive at 17$/hour for private classes.

ESSO (http://www.estudiosexterior.com/programas/spanish/spanish_dates_housing_prices.htm) offers private classes ("Spanish for life") for US$ 14/hour. They have centers in Cali and Bogota and also offer their program in Barranquilla.

The Zoologico de Cali (Cr 2A Oeste & Calle 14 Oeste, 9 - 5pm, admission 6000 COP) is by far the best zoo in the country.

Places to Stay.

Budget.

There are a few traveler hostals in Cali.

Guest House Iguana (Calle 21N No 9N-22, close to Avenida Sexta, tel 661 35 22, iguana_cali at yahoo.com) is a great hostal run by a Swiss woman. It's in a converted villa in a safe area. They will store your luggage, there are salsa classes and a motorcycle parking. Singles with bathroom are 20000 COP (US$ 8), doubles 25000 COP.

Calidad House (Calle 17N No 9AN-30, tel 661 2338) has dorm beds for 15000 COP (US$ 7), and is a good choice too. There's a shared kitchen and you can do your laundry.

Hostal Santa Rita (Av 3 Oeste No 7 - 131, tel (572) 89 26 143, info at hostalsanterita.com, http://www.hostalsantarita.com/) is in a colonial house and seems like a good option. All rooms have airco.

Hotel del Puente (Calle 5 # 4-36, tel 893-8484, 893 8289) charges 35,000 for a room with bath. They'll store your luggage.

The following hostels and hotels are listed here for your convenience but we haven't checked them. See this post.

Hotel el Prado (Calle 42 # 1N20, tel 4413585) might be the cheapest place in Cali at 13,000 COP for a room with bath and tv.

Aparta Hotel Plaza Norte (Calle 44N #28N-66 (just off Third Ave), tel: 665 0024 ) is an aparta hotel that opened in 2006. Rooms with bathroom, fridge etc. are supposedly $33.000.

Hostal San Fernando (Calle 3 No. 27-87, tel 011 (572) 556 4818, calihotel at hotmail.com, http://www.calihotel.com/) is an American-owned bed and breakfast. Rooms start at US$ 29 and apartments at US$ 39 per day.

Hotel Royal Plaza in the city center at the Plaza de Caycedo is about 65000 pesos plus tax (roughly 30 USD).

Hotel Aristi (Cra 9 # 10-04, tel 882 2521) charges COP 60,000 (US 27) for single rooms with a fan and COP 80,000 (US$ 37) for airco rooms. This area is not so safe at night.

Hotel Astoria (Calle 11 # 5-16, tel 883 3253) charges 39,000 (US 18) (ask for discount) for a single bed with a fan.

Apartaestudios Segunda Avenida (Av2 N 8-47, tel 667-0426) charges COP 60,000 (US$ 27).

Apartahotel Rivera del Rio (Av 2N # 19N73 Barrio Versalles next to Cali Tower, tel 681 4901) charges COP 70,000 (US 32) for rooms with fan, COP 80,000 (US$ 36) for appartments with airco.

Hostal Casa Centenario (Av 1N #2-23 Barrio Centenario, tel 680 9600 , 661 4805) is in a poorer neighboorhood, in front of the river, and charges 42,800 (fan) or 53,500 (airco)

Hostal Casa Tequendama (Calle 5A# 404-41 near to Imbanaco, tel 551-7198 , 553 4589) charges 43,000 (fan).

Upscale and long-term stays.

Cali Plaza (Calle 15 Norte No. 6N-37, tel: English: (From USA 011+57+) 312-287-9840 (Claude) or 315-537-6934 (Edgar)
Spanish: (From USA 011+572+) 668-2611 (Cali Plaza Reception)) is an American-owned hotel/appartment building with rooms from US$ 55 and up.

Hotel Vizcaya Real (http://www.hotelvizcayareal.com.co) - only 1/2 block away from la 6ta Avenida.. north side - $120,000/night (US$ 55).

Hotel Don Jaime (Av. 6ª Norte 15N-25, tel (57)(2) 667 2828 - FAX: (57)(2) 668 7098, reservas at hoteldonjaime.com, http://www.hoteldonjaime.com) is on Av exta can be very loud at night. Rooms are 128,000 COP/night (US$ 55).

Hotel Granada Real (Avenida 8ª Norte Nº 15AN-31, tel (572) 661 4920, hotelgranadareal at telesat.com.co, http://www.hotelgranadareal.com) is located in the upscale neighborhood of Barrio Granada. Very posh and elegant and also a couple of blocks from la 6ta. Rooms are 130,000/night (US$ 55).

Hotel Plaza Versailles (Avenida 5N No. 17-59, tel 682 27 27, http://www.hotelplazaversalles.com) is very upscale too, only a block away from la Sexta. Rooms are 135,000/night (US$ 55).

Hotel Valle Real (http://www.hotelvallerealcali.com) is probably the most upscale of all but also the most expensive... 2 blocks away from la Sexta - 160,000/night (US$ 80).

Intercontinental (Av Colombia No 2 - 72, tel 882 32 25) and Dann Carlton (Cr 2 No 1 - 60, tel 893 30 00) are some of the even more expensive ones.

Transport.

The Palmaseca airport is 20 km from the city. You can take a taxi (COP 30,000) but a colectivo is just as fast (about half an hour) and much cheaper (COP 2700).

To take a colectivo, go down to the doors where passengers arriving on national flights leave the airport (opposite end from international flights) - there is always a colectivo waiting. These arrive every fifteen minutes up to about nine or nine-thirty at night and go to the bus terminal in Cali.

The bus terminal is in north Cali just a few blocks from Chipichape. You can walk to the bus terminal from the center - just follow the river along Av 2N, or take a bus or taxi (US$ 2).

Buses to go to Bogota (US$ 22, 12 hours), Medellin (US$ 13, 9 hours - if you take the 10:00am bus you get to see the countryside) and Pasto (US$ 12, 9 hours). The Pasto buses can drop you off in Popayan.

A brief intro to salsa music.

The king of tropical music, salsa used to be regarded as low class music - only poor people would dance it. It's more accepted now though. There are different types of salsa music.

Salsa originated from the Cuban immigrants in New York, which is why NY and Cuba are some of the best places to hear salsa. In Colombia, Cali is the salsa capital, but Medellin has a few spectacular places as well.

It's not easy to dance to though - much harder than the merengue that's popular in festivals in Europe. Some people say it's in the knees, some say it's in the hips, some say it's in the feet. And they keep telling you to feel the rythm. When you start to listen to salsa, listen to the rhythm of the wooden thingies (called claves) that they do tick-tick with. Once you get that rythm you'll be in much better shape.

If you're familiar with New York style salsa dancing (or styles of other countries), you'll notice Colombians are much less "showy". Every city has it's style - Calenas dance different from Paisas.

Some must-hear songs:

Pete Rodriquez (el conde rodriguez): micaela. Get any CD that has this one, you won't be sorry. You can get decent salsa CD's from the street vendors for as little as 5 US$. Micaela is his woman who isn't very happy so goes to dance alone, and quite spectacularly at that, it seems. And so will you! (health tip: try to limit the amount of times you're gonna shout 'move that thing' or 'hug me mama' when listening to this song)
Cheo Feliciano : el raton. Just so you know, raton means mouse. (I thought you should know that, since you'll be yelling it a lot if you get this song). Another classic. I just love that piano driven salsa…
Joe Cuba: Mujer Divina. Yet another classic, this ones gets a bit disco-y at times, but is completely brilliant as well! (corazon is heart, and mulatta means brown girl.)
Ismael Riviera: negro bembon. Seems they killed the black guy just because he had big lips (the title means negro with big lips). Yep, it's a though world in the world of salsa! Boom boom boom!

More salsa artists to look out for in the CD store: Willie Colon, Naty y su Charanga, Grupo Niche, Mon Rivera, La renovacion, Orquesta Colon, El conde Rodriguez, Negro Bembon, Cheche Mendoza, TNT band, Ismael Rivera, Los melodicos, J. Mangual, Joe Cuba, and anything from the FANIA artists. (there's a number of cd's called fania 1 to 9).

More useful information.

The Secretaria de Cultura y Tourismo (the tourist office) is at Cr 7 between Calle 9 and Calle 10.

There are lots of ATMs and banks in the city, and you can easily find internet cafes along Avenida Sexta.

Dentists:

Dr. Jorge Latorre (Centro Comercial Holguines Trade Center, Torre farallones, tel: 331 4504) Bilingual. Aesthetic dentistry. universidad Javeriana, U de Texas.
Dra. Mayeli Sanchez (tel: 5524323, cell: 300 7907863) does general and aesthetic dentistry, emergencies. Universidad Central, Quito Grupo Odontologico del Sur- Spanish only.

Plastic surgeons:

Dra. Angela Guevara (cell 0057- 315 274 2739, email dr_angelaguevara at yahoo.com).

Comments.

Share hostels, things to do and so on in the comments! This guide is way too brief for such a great city :)

By Peter (Moderator) (Trustee board) (Dev team) on Jan 10, 2007, 08:31 in Travel tips.

Peter (Moderator) (Trustee board) (Dev team) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jan 10, 2007, 11:12:

I went through the PBH archives to put this guide together - thanks to everyone who'se ever contributed information! Please share your comments and more so we can make this guide better...

Poor but snappy

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Peter (Moderator) (Trustee board) (Dev team) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jan 10, 2007, 11:26:

One of the main things missing are guides to party places on Sexta and in Jaunchito.. so if anyone is in Cali, feel free to write one. You can excuse your partying by saying it's for "research" ;)

Poor but snappy

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Monita Linda says on Jan 10, 2007, 12:57:

Last week we went to the zoo, and as far as I can remember we paid 15.000 pesos for 2 people (that would be 7.500 each).

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Peter (Moderator) (Trustee board) (Dev team) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jan 11, 2007, 15:08:

Arthur Brode added: Museo de la Caña de Azucar(not to be confused with parque de la caña) Its located just outside of Cali in "El Cerrito"(about 40 minutes in bus.) Its best to go in bus because the bus drivers know where its located.Most taxi drivers have never heard of it.Once you get off the bus you hop in a taxi that will take you along a dirt path to the park.The taxi ride from the main road to the park is 10,000 pesos.Admission to the park is 5,000 pesos.Museo de la Caña is an old sugar cane plantation that was restored and converted into a museum.While you walk through the trails you learn how they processed sugar in the past.While there you can buy a cup of cold sugar cane juice(Guarapo) for 1000 pesos or 3000 pesos for the bottle full.

Poor but snappy

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www.calirentals.net (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jan 11, 2007, 16:26:

Museo de la Caña de Azucar (not to be confused with Parque de la Caña) Its located just outside of Cali in "El Cerrito"(about 40 minutes in bus.) Its best to go in bus because the bus drivers know where its located.Most taxi drivers have never heard of it.Once you get off the bus you hop in a taxi that will take you along a dirt path to the Museum.The taxi ride from the main road to the Museum is 10,000 pesos.Admission to the Museum is 5,000 pesos.Museo de la Caña is an old sugar cane plantation that was restored and converted into a Museum.As you walk through the manicured trails you will learn how they processed sugarcane in the past.While there you can buy a cup of cold sugarcane juice(Guarapo) for 1000 pesos or 3000 pesos for the bottle full.

http://www.calirentals.net/

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Bobb42 says on Jan 12, 2007, 13:12:

A SURPRISE FOR ARTHUR BRODE IN CALI? Bob

Hello everyone, Ever notice that many people find plenty of time to bitch, moan, groan and complain but never seem to have the time to say "Thank You" when someone helps them or does something nice for them?

I've been on this fantastic site for a few months now and am planning on retiring to Cali. I'm a fairly thorough person and don't like surprises. So, when I read many of the posts, I particularly enjoyed the comments made by Gator, PatsyGringo and Arthur Brode.

Why did I select Arthur to see if he could help me? Because he has a unique ability to find ways around some of the red tape to become a pensioner in Colombia. I also learned that he is bi-lingual (I'm not bi-lingual but Art promised to help me find a Spanish teacher!) He also helps people with their relocation needs, apartment rentals or purchases or finding you a home or farm. For me, Arthur's many talents were everything I needed. When we first got acquainted I had a hundred questions and Arthur answered nearly every one of them.

I'm leaving for Cali on Jan.18 for 10 days and Arthur has offered to help me find and purchase an apartment in Cali. I thought that was extremely gracious of him.

As a footnote, I think many of the folks on this site have offered to help others with the multitude of questions that come up and nobody can get a straight answer from any of the Colombian consulates here in the US. And, that's what makes it a great site for me. Kudo's to all of you who have lent a helping hand with some advice to someone who needed it. For me, a very special "Kudo" and Thank You to Arthur Brode!

Bob

PS As a former Senior Vice President for the one of the largest cell phone companies in the US purchased by MCI in 1993, I hired people throughout our 23 offices based on their competence, character and customer service skills. If you're looking for somebody competent, honest and responsive, you can contact Art at:

arthurbrode at aol.com

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honey says on Jan 21, 2007, 22:09:

Yaku This is a "must-see" in Cali...YAKU...

Had a great time during "Pesca Nocturna"- Night Fishing - which is once a month on a Friday. There are three stocked artificial lakes where you can fish with your own equipment or you can rent/buy whatever you need from them. Then you pay per pound at the end of the night for whatever you fish and you can get your fish cleaned in the parking lot. (of course you can fish in the day as well) There is a petting zoo (large) with all kinds of farm animals, and an aquarium as well. There is a food court with plenty to choose from. Very family friendly. The night I went (August) it was not packed like I expected, if you go on a Sunday in the daytime it is hard to find a spot. I know there are other places like this, but this is close by and the night fishing really is a blast.

Parque Yaku 665-0227
Autopista Cali-Yumbo Kilometro 4

Life is what happens when you're busy making plans - John Lennon.

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honey says on Jan 21, 2007, 22:13:

You should know... On Sundays there is free round-trip bus transportation from Cosmo Centro to the Zoologico de Cali 892-7474
www.zoologicodecali.com.co

Life is what happens when you're busy making plans - John Lennon.

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honey says on Jan 21, 2007, 22:26:

Parque Recreacional Menga Pa' Ca...A place to spend a Sunday... One of my favorite places to go to with kids in Cali is Simon Parrilla, which is actually the main restaurant (typical "Paisa-style" restaurant - everything comes with frijoles) of a much bigger amusement complex. You name it, they have it...mini-golf, go-karts, paint ball, roller skating and a lot more. There are plenty of places to have a beer while the kids explore. We once went for lunch and didn't leave until well after dark. The only complaint I always have is that they charge for parking.

http://www.mengapaca.com/home.htm

Life is what happens when you're busy making plans - John Lennon.

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Monita Linda says on Jan 24, 2007, 02:20:

I'm having the ticket in my handnow, and we paid (2 adults) 14 mil pesos for us (meaning each person 7 mil pesos and not six ;)

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Precortesiana says on Feb 22, 2007, 20:44:

safety level in Cali so..........the beauty of Colombian women has piqued my interest yet again. what is the safety level of a white man in Cali? when I went to Bogota in 2005, the taxi cabs were suspect. I can imagine the same in Cali. If I missed a thread that covers this, I apologize for creating a new one. I want to go in early April. Any input or suggestions would be appreciated.

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issa1269 says on Feb 26, 2007, 23:30:

Good Hotel in Cali Hello, I'm traveling to Cali for a third visit. My first two visits I stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel. Great hotel I might say but the rate has gone up from $88 (Feb'06) to $121 (Mar'07). I'm just wondering if anyone here that had stayed at the Intercontinental but would recommend something similiar but a bit cheaper. Like Hotel Valle Real or Hotel Plaza Versailles? From the site, it appears that these two hotels are nice(r).

Thanks in advance!

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captain1010 says on Mar 13, 2007, 21:51:

Security, no problem. If you want safe transportation to and from the airport contact us. We'll have our private driver greet you and escort you safely to any area hotel in Cali. We have a client staying with us there now.
Cali isn't as big a threat as some of OUR larger cities. Just don't let on that you are from the states and most folks will not know. Watch how the locals dress and dress accordingly. We went up to el Cristo Rey ( Christ the King) against solid advice, several years ago in a rented car, and were enjoying the view, until one of our friends shouted out from across the plaza how great the view was in English.
Needless to say we gathered ourselves and went to the car rather promptly. If you need help with anything, let me know, I am familiar with Cali quite well, and fully able to advise.
Regards,
Steve Davis
Oklahoma City

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captain1010 says on Mar 13, 2007, 21:54:

Hotel Valle The hotel Valle is clean and the rooms are spacious. You dont have the movie star accomodations that you have at the intercontinental or access to the casinos or the great Pizza in the outdoor restaurant that you have at the Intercontinental, but you can snooze quite well.
If you have any questions, you may email us anytime
Klassikars at aol.com
Steve Davis
Oklahoma City

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Buongone says on Mar 15, 2007, 21:22:

What kind of fish can you catch there? Trucha, Catfish, or what kind. thanks

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KIRA1978 says on Mar 24, 2007, 05:51:

Best Places To Eat What are some good restuarants in Cali? What would be the price of a sensible dinner? Is room service at the hotel reasonable?

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chester says on Mar 24, 2007, 07:11:

I looked on the internet but I could not find a website to make resevations for The Feria de Cali and flog a horse in a drunken frenzy.

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Buongone says on Mar 27, 2007, 00:08:

Horseback Riders Yo, You need to make reservations with the people at the stables in southern Cali. My friend has contacts for next year. If you want the numbers, let me know. I was going to do it a couple of years ago. Let me tell you, It is not cheap. Like $400 USD a horse. Last year it rained big time. So all the riders got soaked. But if paying 4 bills, drinking rum, having water baloons thrown at you, then raining on you is your gig, let me know. I'll have my novia get the numbers for you. Chao !!

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honey says on Apr 8, 2007, 22:15:

Buongone... At Yaku you catch tilapia roja, hope that helps.

Life is what happens when you're busy making plans - John Lennon.

Life is what happens when you're busy making plans - John Lennon.

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Buongone says on Apr 9, 2007, 00:50:

honey Donde esta Yaku? Que clase de cebo usted utiliza?

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honey says on Apr 9, 2007, 23:43:

Yaku Info... Parque Yaku 665-0227
Autopista Cali-Yumbo Kilometro 4

Buongone...they give you quelele for bait (I think that's what they call it) which looks like dry dog food to me. It seems to work.

Life is what happens when you're busy making plans - John Lennon.

Life is what happens when you're busy making plans - John Lennon.

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tim hickman7 says on Apr 16, 2007, 11:03:

overnite in Cali Just a note to say that I had problems finding a place in Cali that would take a small dog. So I turned to Art (arthurbrode at aol.com), of course. He came up with a reasonably priced hotel and I paid by PayPal - Art arranged everything.
Tim

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NELHENAO (☼Travelguide writer) says on Apr 22, 2007, 10:31:

information on cali 2 good local website with info about cali are:
www.caliescali.com
www.barriogranada.com
My parents live in Cali and I grew up there. Im currently living in Florida.

nelson henao

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astroanne says on Apr 24, 2007, 15:45:

Great reasonably priced new hostel in Cali Casa Aguacanela

Carrera 24A no 2A - 55 Barrio Miraflores, in the centre but quiet, near some of the best dance spots, craft markets and the old town. 12USD the night, really lovely. Recommended.

The owners email is etrujil at yahoo.com, her name is Esperanza

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astroanne says on Apr 24, 2007, 15:54:

Political eco-travel near Cali: Growing the other white powder. ....that's legal but just as lethal.

Most of us know at least a bit about the huge damage that coca-leaf cultivation and the hypocritical US-led `war`against it has done to the forests, animals, waters and people for Colombia. Yesterday I met a group of men and women in Pradera, a little town near the city of Cali, who told me about the cultivation and processing of another white powder that actually does more damage – and it`s all perfectly legal. Yes, I am talking about White Sugar.

As a vegetarian I've always tried not to consume white sugar (or the 'brown' version which is just the white stuff with added dyes) but after this meeting yesterday I'll make sure I never go near the stuff again in any shape or form.

Pradera is a small hot town at the foot of the mountains, near Cali. I was invited to come and meet a group of local people who are part of the Polo Democrático, a fusion of all the progressive left wing parties in Colombia. I expected the meeting to be about the persecution these people are suffering because recently the government and the FARC guerrilla almost arrived at an agreement to demilitarize this area in order to exchange prisoners of war. But Uribe, the cold-blooded madman-president of Colombia, finally twisted the hard-won agreement (which had been worked on for years by several European embassies) to make a humanitarian exchange of prisoners impossible and began putting local leaders in jail for no reason, saying they had to be member of the FARC. Ironically many of these people have been threatened by the FARC because they speak out against guerrilla-committed crimes.

We gathered in a room above a homely, scruffy old peoples home they manage to run on donations and to my surprise what they really wanted to talk about what the damage the sugar-cane growers have done to what was once an incredibly fertile plain worked by small farmers who produced just about everything. Over the last 40 years the small farmers have been driven into the cities by paramilitary violence against them, the rivers and the water table are being sucked dry by the sugar cane plantations and recently the government sold the local river, el Bolo, to an undisclosed multinational who will pipe the water to the port of Buenaventura for shipping to Japan….. A local teacher cried openly when he talked about this. The air stank of burning, and they told me that I was lucky it was not a glyphosate-spraying day. Monsanto Ready Round-Up (glyphosate) is sprayed regularly when the sugar is fully grown as it dries up the green part of the plant and only the sugar-filled canes need to be transported to the refineries.

I had crossed blank seas of sugarcane plantations to get to Pradera, there are none of the rich smells of countryside here, only of burning and chemicals. Here and there small plots still survive,and grow an incredible variety of fruits and vegetables, but the rest in very mono indeed.

Yet in the midst of all the bleak news of destruction, this group of new friends gave me one of the best days I have had in a while. A black friend, a leader from the Pacific coast, who had accompanied me sparked off an impromptu party by singing her own songs about resistance and then local creativity took over. A huge and extremely beautiful black man created a play on the spot that we all had to take part in, home-grown poetry sprouted from all corners of the room, an acrobat took the floor, we all sang and danced to our own songs.

Later they brought in the refreshments, coffee, cheese and….white sugar. I raised my eyebrows and coughed pointedly. Embarrassed, they explained that that's all they could afford, 'panela' - solidified whole sugar-cane juice that still has the molasses in it – has become too expensive to buy locally…..

This small group of people are just beginning to organize protest and resistance, in spite of the danger that this means for them. They would gladly receive visitors, interested in their situation. For foreigners it's not a dangerous area to visit, just an easy hours bus-ride from Cali. You can contact me at astroanne at gmail.com or directly with them at pdapraderavalle at yahoo.es They are trying to protect the headwaters of the Bolo river by buying the lands around it's source and start a locally-run ecological organic panela production plant. As I know nothing of getting funds for projects I promised I'd send these requests out into the world to see if they land on fertile ground somewhere…

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tulip365 says on May 2, 2007, 15:10:

Looking for Activites in English
Hello all!
I have recently moved to Cali and I am interested in activities such as cookng/dance classes etc. I don´t care about meeting other Americans, but I would like to find a way to meet other English speakers as I am not yet fluent in Spanish and it can get rather lonely. Any ideas are really appreciated.

Muchas Gracias,

Gringa Lisa

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www.calirentals.net (☼Travelguide writer) says on May 12, 2007, 08:23:

http://www.parqueyaku.com/ .

http://www.calirentals.net/

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la campiña (☼Travelguide writer) says on May 23, 2007, 08:52:

place to stay my name is Paul I have a house with pool close to sexta, it has five rooms, at the moment 3 english and 2 north americans live here but soon 2 rooms will become available, big friendly place, mail me if interested, long term, month or more prefered cheers Paul

guesthouse,dragonflycali,huge house with swimming pool,safe,quiet area minutes from restaurants,bars,boutiques,clubs.Private ensuite rooms,free laundry,internet,wifi,local calls,sat TV room,chill area with hammock,dart board,bbq,Paul 3165544187

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Marielle says on May 24, 2007, 18:35:

Safety of Bus Travel Does anyone know how safe it is to travel by bus right now (by day) from the border with Ecuador, or from Pasto, to Cali? I´ve heard a lot of people say it´s fine, but some say it´s too dangerous. Any thoughts or opinions appreciated, thanks!

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la campiña (☼Travelguide writer) says on May 25, 2007, 17:09:

travel its fine no problems its like saying is london safe to walk around

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la campiña (☼Travelguide writer) says on May 25, 2007, 17:11:

stuff to do mail me Ive been here for 5 years on and off cheers paul

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jcketchum says on Jun 5, 2007, 11:54:

Hotel Valle Captain1010: What is the nightly rate in US dollar of this hotel for a good average room?

jc

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jcketchum says on Jun 5, 2007, 12:05:

Two nights in Cali Any recommendation for two couples planning to stay in Cali for tow nights in mid June?

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