Cali, Colombia

We arrived in Cali after dark, and after clearing immigration, we went through customs which included declaring the value of our good we were carrying (including our suitcases and the names of our suitcases). Once outside, the first thing we saw was a fruit stand where the lady was selling huge mangos and tree tomato fruit.

Since I had free cellular data, I got an Uber to take us to the hotel in downtown Cali. The Uber driver spoke no English, so not much conversation with we could understand, Just as we left the airport outskirts, we saw a brightly lit hotel; called the “Love and Sex Motel”. Hmmmm, interesting, language we can all understand.

The ride into the town took about ~25 mins and the Uber cost was about $12; very reasonable, and good start to our Colombia trip. At the hotel, we inquired about nearby places to go eat at, but we were told that since this was a Sunday, everything around was closed. So we settled for some room service and hit the sack.

Next day, after breakfast (included) at the hotel, we got some idea from the concierge of where to go and what to sightsee. The hotel was in the La Merced and San Antonio areas, both of which were the original settlements of Cali, so historical. We walked over the La Merced cathedral, thru some nice park areas, which were well preserved and had cat (gata) statues from various artists along the pathways, see pics below

We walked into the old area of La Merced and below are some pictures from the old City.

We came across the “Poet’s square” where there were multiple people that had set up typewriter stands and were typing out documents for customers; not a sight you see very often.

There were several pedestrian only areas here which had all kinds of small business set up and of course, the fruit stands

We then walked over to the National Theatre which was a well preserved old theatre both outside and inside

Next, we wandered over the Cali Cultural Center, opposite the Thearto Municipal; to check out what was happening there. We saw a lot of people there and a lot of offices; and walked into a large conference room where it was air conditioned and therefore cool. (Up to now, only the hotel had been cool with AC). We sat and watched as we thought some kind of a show was going on, but it turned out that this was a prep session for a Pacific coast (Cali is only 60miles for the Pacific coast) culinary festival; and was being attended by mostly local women. So after a few minutes of this; we left to go back to the hotel. Some scenes below are of what we saw on the walk back to the hotel.

At evening time, we decided to visit the Cristo Rey statue on the hilltop overlooking the city of Cali. This statue is similar to the one in Rio, but much smaller (only 26m). So we called an Uber to take us there, and the ride there was all uphill through some interesting neighborhoods. Once we got to the top, we saw that there was no public transport back, so we agreed with the driver that he would visit the Christo Rey statue with us, and then take us back into the City.

Below are some images at Christo Rey

We then went back to Cali, and asked to get dropped off at San Antonio neighborhood, which was part of the old City with good food paces as it was dinner time. The whole Uber ride cost is $10

Once in San Antonio, we walked around and asked at a coffee shop where we could get some good food, and were directed 2 blocks away to Azul. So we walked over to Azul, and to get in, the doorman had to pull a string to a bell, that then got someone to come let us in. Once inside, we realized that this was a small restaurant that specialized in very good food, and was reasonable full with patrons.

Of course, nobody spoke any English, so had to get by on broken Spanish and sign language. Ordered a beer and wine, and then ordered a couple of dishes. It took some time for the food to come, and in the meantime, the owner came and talked to a couple sitting at the table next to us at length. The gentleman at that table got up and spoke to us in perfect English, explaining that our dishes had not turned out to the chef’s quality standards, and were being remade, hence the delay; the establishment wanted to convey their apologies, and give us a dish as complementary.

So we asked for free desert instead. In the meantime, our food arrived shortly thereafter, and both dished were delicious and tasty. We then got desert on the house which was a passion fruit desert. These were the first people we met outside the hotel that spoke English.

We got talking to the couple next to us that spoke good English; Ronny and Martha. Ronny teaches English to local company executives, and Martha owns and runs a bakery near where they lived. We learnt a lot about Colombia, Cali, culture, where to go and what to eat etc from Ronny and Martha, who were at this restaurant for Ronny’s birthday 🙂

After dinner, we decided to walk to the hotel, but the restaurant owner advised us to take a taxi instead. So we called an Uber and left after saying our goodbye’s. The dinner plus drinks etc at this boutique place cost us $30 altogether. Uber rides were also cheap, costing us about $1-$3 within the City, where we were staying.

Next day, we decided to go visit the Galleria Alameda, which was the local market for fresh fruits, vegetables, and more; based on Ronny’s recommendations. Took an Uber there, and the driver told us that the Sancocho was the best thing to have at the market. Below are some scenes from this market

At this market, we saw lots of fruits and vegetables, some that we did not recognize; if anyone can help us name some of the fruits and vegetables, that would help a lot

We then went into an area where there were multiple stalls selling cooked meals; and as we were checking out the menu’s; a lady approached us and told us that she had seen us the day before at the Cali Cultural Center when we had stopped at the Culinary festival meeting! What a nice & pleasant coincidence.

She showed us her Basilica restaurant menu from the Valle Pacifico, and seeing Sancocho de Pescado on the menu, we were sold. We sat down with her and had the local Sancocho; she showed us her operation and the various herbs she uses in her cooking; we did not recognize any of these herbs she was using. New culinary experience in the market 🙂

The Sancocho was indeed excellent soup with fish, Yuca, Plantain and vegetables inside. After saying our goodbye’s, we went outside to do some more touring

So far, the daytime temperatures were in the high 80’s to low 90’s during the day, and in the mid 70’s at night. A little warm but not uncomfortable. Cali is also about 1-1.5hrs from the Pacific ocean, and there may be options for beach type getaways there.

Later that day, after completing our tour of Cali, we took the hotel shuttle to Cali airport, and took the local Avianca flight to Medellin; the base of Pablo Escobar’s operation.

Medellin next