COL: Tequendama Falls and Coffee Experience Tour
Cundinamarca, Colombia
We had the opportunity to try our hands at coffee picking.
The next step is to dry the coffee seeds under the sun for about two weeks.
After enjoying delicious coffee and lunch, both my stomach and heart were full.
During our trip in Colombia, my BFF and I decided to book two tours to take a respite from the bustling capital city with Beyond Colombia, a highly rated company that's been operating since 2013. The first tour we chose was a half-day trip to marvel at Tequendama Falls, followed by a visit to a coffee plantation called Hacienda Coloma.
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COL: Tequendama Falls and Coffee Experience Tour <YOU ARE HERE!>
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For the tour that cost each of us COP 210,000 (~S$64.45), we were picked up at Hotel Vilar America at 7.00am.
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| The journey to Tequendama Falls took about an hour and a half. |
Standing at 132 m, Tequendama Falls is located about 32 km southwest of Bogota in the municipality of Soacha.
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| It's named after the adjacent settlement of Tequendama, known as one of Colombia's earliest permanent settlements. |
Since we could afford a bit of time to wait for the mist to dissipate, our driver treated us to a beloved local beverage.
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| You can also grab breakfast from a few food sellers there. |
Made from unrefined cane sugar, aguapanela was the perfect way to warm up in the cool morning air. I was so intrigued when our driver mentioned about adding cheese into the drink, which apparently worked in an oddly delightful way.
We were relieved to be able to catch a clearer view of the falls before departing.
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| Our driver, Mr Aravelo, is such an amicable gentleman. |
From there, it was a 20-minute drive to Hacienda Coloma for the coffee plantation tour. With quite a number of visitors at the site, we were divided into small groups for the tour.
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| Straw hats were given out, making us feel like real coffee farmers. They had to be returned later. |
The tour began with a visit to the interior of a charming small house.
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| I wonder how frequently do they change the bedsheet. |
There's another house, though locked, that belongs to the owner of the plantation who only comes down once in a while.
Before we delved into the world of coffee, our guide took us on a scenic walk around the plantation.
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| That tree is over 500 years old. |
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| The orchid Cattleya trianae is the national flower of Colombia. |
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| Those are maracas flowers. |
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| We greeted a few animals at the plantation. |
We saw a really tall tree with spikes protruding from its trunk. In the southern hemisphere, the spikes naturally orient themselves to point south, and vice versa.
At the coffee nursery, we were introduced to the early stages of coffee cultivation, where seedlings begin their journey before being transplanted into the ground.
We had the opportunity to try our hands at coffee picking.
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| Our guide mentioned that a skilled coffee picker would typically harvest 100 kg a day. |
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| The yellow ones were apparently sweeter than their red counterparts. |
Subsequently, we were brought to a two-storey building. There's a coffee husking equipment downstairs.
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| Imagine removing the husk by hand... |
Once the coffee seeds have been adequately dried, they undergo threshing to remove the outer layers encasing the beans before being separated based on size.
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| Ear muffs are necessary while operating the machines that generate significant noise. |
While waiting for the other groups to finish learning about roasting and grinding, we went to the cellar where coffee liquor is produced and stored.
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| I must tell this story to my students that pipette is used in testing coffee liquor. |
The roasting process is controlled at 210 degree Celsius for 40 minutes to bring out the fullest flavour and aroma in the coffee beans.
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| The rich, toasty aroma was simply irresistible, |
At the end of the tour, everyone was treated to a cup of freshly brewed coffee and a shot of coffee liquor.
Before leaving the plantation, I just had to get a bottle of the coffee liquor and a small pack of ground coffee to bring home.
After half a day of fun, our last stop was La Dora Restaurante Campestre for lunch.
After enjoying delicious coffee and lunch, both my stomach and heart were full.
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| Moo~ |
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| Hey, it's Felix the Cat! |
The return trip to our hotel took longer due to the traffic jam in town, stretching to over two hours.
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