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Its been a week now that we´ve been staying at Casa Felipe and there is an old saying “company is like fish, after a few days it starts to stink” and Connor and i were well aware of the fact that although Felipe is my boy, we didnt want to overstay our welcome. That having been said we made our plans to leave early wednesday morning, but come tuesday night Dr Dueñas (Felipe´s dad) was hellbent on us staying another day to check out their famillies small coffee farm, and then his freind Carlos´ massive coffee farm… and we were more than happy to oblige.

It was an early start to the day by our standards, on the road at 7:30 with the whole crew in tow. Myself, Connor, Dr Dueñas, Felipe, Daniella, Miguel and Carlos Escobar, our hilarious and energetic lookingglass into the crazy world of coffee, plantain and yucca farming. We made tracks to the Dueñas farm about an hour and a half outside manizales. Its a modest, but beautiful property on a monutain crest overlooking steep hills packed with big coffee bushes (that have a red hue to them when the wind picks up exposing the beautiful coffee “cheries” hiding under the foliage) and even bigger trees slightly bent over under the payload of massive green platains. This farm is used solely for growing and harvensting the cherries where they are sent off to be washed, peeled, dried and processed for sale all over the world.

Then we headed off to Carlos´ farm where they take the coffee from plant, to dried beans shipped out for toasting and grinding to even farther corners of the earth. Another two housr down the road and lots of terrible roads later we arrive at the foot of the mountain on which the farm apprears to cascade down. switching the small SUVs into four wheel drive we make the asscent over roads made of dirt and loose rock. You even need to cross the stream that runs down the mountain at three different points, none of which have a bridge.. which makes things really interesting. but when you finally get to the top and look out from the house perched cleverly overlooking the beautiful landscape, the only thing you can think of is “lets go fishing and catch some lunch”.

Sure enough we hit the pond with bamboo rods hoping to snare a few mojarra rojo for gloria (our cook for the day) to fry up for lunch. With ten people, and ten fish cought, we dropped the load off to gloria to prepare while we  mounted up for a tour of the farm on horseback crusing past coffeee fields, thru plataine forests and even having a race or two. we saw how to harvest plantaines, how to pick, wash, peel, remove, dry, and process coffee beans and even chatted with a bunch of the workers who were all hilarious and had an awesome outlook on life on the farm.

After a few hours on the horses out bellies were grumbling something fierce so we hightailed it up to the house in hopes if a tasty meal, and what a spread it was. Whole friend Mojarra, patacones (mashed and friend green plantaines) yucca root, limonada de panella and an amazing salad. Have you ever heard of the 100 mile diet? lunch that day was the one mile diet, and it was UNREAL.

Followed quickly by a rum and coke and a siesta in the hammock, i layed there drifting in and out of conciousness thinking to myself  “am i ever glad we decided to stay another day”

Dylan