Phot-o' the Day: Wax Palms in the Valle de Cocora, outside Salento, Colombia

Wax palms are the Burj Khalifa of the palm tree world.* They are the tallest of the palm trees, which means they are very tall indeed. They are able to survive strong winds because of their slender shape. The place to see wax palms is the Valle de Cocora Nature Preserve in Quindio province, near Salento, in Central Colombia. This is the western slope of the Central Cordillera that runs through the middle of Colombia.

(Geology lesson o' the day. In southern Colombia, the Andes mountains split into three ranges, or cordilleras, as the mountains move northward to where the South American tectonic plate bangs up against the Caribbean. Or, if you prefer, the three mountain ranges that run like spines, north-south, through Colombia merge to form the single mountain range we know as the Andes, continuing all the way down to the very southern tip of the South American continent.)

Visited September 2012.
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 *  I have never been to Dubai. I have never seen the Burj Khalifa. I hear that it is tall. Hence the analogy.

A Disneyesque Afternoon in Salento

The colors of Salento

Afternoon break time in the colorful town of Salento, Quindio, Colombia. at the gates of the Valle de Cocora.

The town is known for a few things other than its colorful downtown.  First, there is Iglesia de Nuestra Senora del Carmen, in the town's Bolivar Square:

Iglesia de Nuestra Senora del Carmen

Ironically, even though all of the houses are bright bright vibrant primary colors, the church in Bolivar Square is a tasteful medium tan.  In a way, it stands out precisely because it is an earth tone.  Now, about that whole "Bolivar Square" thing.  Every town in Colombia has got one, named after El Liberatador Simon Bolivar.  And every Bolivar Square has a Bolivar statue:

Bolivar in his self-named square

And every Bolivar Square is the social and commercial epicenter of every small Colombian city:

Relaxing in Bolivar Square

The town is also known for its unique Stations of the Cross, which is a steep 250-stair climb to the top of Mirador de Salento:

Climbing the 250 stairs to Mirador de Salento

At the pinnacle:

The final Station at the peak of Mirador de Salento

Now, I could say that I did the climb and that my legs and lungs were aching after walking each of the 250 stairs.  But this is not just a tall stairway, it's a Stations of the Cross.  So I have to admit:  we cheated.  Our driver left my guide and me off in the parking area just below Mirador de Salento.  OK, there was a bit of a climb to get to the Cross here, but it was no 250-stair climb.  So, moral of the story is:  if you find yourself in Salento during a Lenten season, it would be much easier to do the stations from XIV to I, from tomb to death sentence, rather than the temporally correct order.

Still, even a 250-step descent can work up a man's appetite, so it was time for lunch.  I wanted the typical local cuisine and this is what I ordered:

Trucha al ajilloa la plancha

Trucha al ajillo a la plancha!  Trucha = trout.  The local method of preparation is a filet of trout grilled, served on a wafer-thin giant plantain.  I ordered it in a garlic cream sauce.  Squeeze some lemon on it and it was incredibly delicious.  Maybe the best freshwater fish dish I've ever eaten.  And after I finished with the fish, I could break off pieces of plantain, which, because it had been pounded so thin, had the texture and crunch of home-cooked potato chips (but a whole lot more flavor).  Even the accompanying side salad was good (and Colombians can do some weird things to a salad).  It was a simple vinegary cole slaw.

Why did I say that this was a Disneyesque afternoon?

A parade down Calle Real

Because we were wandering the downtown, walking along Calle Real, the Main Street Salento, and -- all the sudden -- a parade broke out!  A colorful, noisy, fun parade, just like in Disney.  Only without Mickey, Minnie or Goofy:

Here she comes ....

But it did have ... a young Miss Wax Palm!

The young Miss Wax Palm

A colorfully-dressed but normal-looking young local lass, not tarted up Honey Boo Boo or, worse yet, Jon-Benet style.

Floats!

The parade them seemed to be, "We in Salento love our wax palms."  The floats all were decorated in wax palm recreations.

Wax Palm Parade float

All of them:

Wax Palm Parade float

Five floats in all turning out for the Wax Palm Parade.

Wax Palm Parade float

It all ended with music, dancing, and wax palm recreations in, of course, Bolivar Square.

Even Though I Walk Through the Valley

Valle de Cocora

This is Day ... ¿Qué? ... ¿Nueve?  Nueve, I believe.  La Gran Aventura Colombiana Conmigo.  Homestetch of the vacation has now been entered.  I am now at the third of my four Colombian destinations, the Zona Cafetera, the Coffee Triangle, where the bulk of Colombian coffee cultivation takes place.

But the focus of the day is not coffee, but a certain palm tree, the Palma de Cera, the endangered Wax Palm, the national tree of Colombia.  And when you want to get your Wax Palm on, where do you head?  Valle de Cocora near Armenia in the Zona Cafetera.

Entering the Valle de Cocora

Did I mention before how incredibly beautiful the land is in Colombia?  It's even better when the sun is out!  And this, Day Nueve (nine for those of you not habla-ing your espanol), is the first day in country that I have had to break out the sunglasses!  A milestone day.

It was sunny, but very windy day.  So it was nice to be greeted at the destination point with a hot beverage, a canelazo, which is sugar cane juice, orange juice, passionfruit juice, cinnamon and either ron (rum) or aguardiente (fire water, the national anise-flavored tipple).  I opted for "ron."  It was smooth and sour and sweet and a couple of dozen kinds of tasty.

The elevation is quite high here, so I will once again choose as my excuse for not hiking an extensive amount.  My guide Alejandro and I started on the upward path to get up close and personal with the Palma de Cera.

A mule

My lungs and legs soon vetoed that selection.  A gentle hike to the river it would be!

Horses crossing the river

We hiked along the river back to the Pena de la Virgen, a shrine to the Virgin Mary built into the rocks right at the point where there is a steep climb up the rocky slopes to get to the lands of Parque de los Nevados.  You would give a prayer for protection as you began the steep ascent, or a prayer of thanksgiving for surviving the steep descent.

Virgen de la Pena

The Wax Palm is an interesting tree.  It is the only type of palm that can survive at this elevation, protected by its wax.

The path out ... which was the path in ... only facing the other direction

It can live for about 200 years -- which ain't much in tree years -- and grow to heights other palms can only dream of (presuming, of course, palm trees dream).  They are endangered.  So, us tourists are enlisted in the cause of planting of new baby Wax Palms.  (I was going to type "saplings," but I'm not sure if a young palm is called that.  It doesn't seem like it would be right.)

First, it was forced labor as I was ordered to dig a hole:

I dig Wax Palms

Flashbacks from my days on the chain gang.  I am then introduced to the baby Wax Palm whom I shall plant in said hole:

Meet the Wax Palm

The tree is then planted, more by the park ecologist than by me, but I can live with that:

Planting season

And it all ends with an awkward hug from the park ecologist:

So very awkward

Hey, he suggested it.  Not me.  He said it was traditional.  Given the obvious awkwardness here, I suspect the tradition is about to die.

Leaving the Valle de Cocora

The tradition may die, but my Wax Palm shall live.