After our final breakfast in Manizales, we said our goodbyes to Martha at Kaleidoscopio. This has to be one of the most hospitable places we have stayed on our trip so far. In the cable car, on our way to the bus terminal, we were joined by a local writer/joke teller, Carlos, who published his own magazine. We got chatting... well, at least he chatted with Maria in Spanish... and he gave a copy of his magazine - according to him, it was for over 18 year olds and under 120. Apparently part of Colombian folklore is you need to laugh away sorrows and stress. Some of the jokes were funny but others probably required a better understanding of Colombian culture and way of life.

He then showed us where to get the direct non-stop bus to Pereira, our midway point to change to a Salento bound bus. As he walked with us through the terminal everybody seemed to know him and say ´'Hello'. It was a very comfortable one hour journey to Pereira.

We had to wait ninety minutes before the bus to Salento even though we were told they were hourly. To kill some time we went to Dunkin Donuts and had 'Colombian style' coffee and doughnuts. It was just yellow, blue and red coloured sprinkles on the top but Colombians embrace everything to show their national pride.

Just over an hour after getting on the bus, we were dropped off at the central plaza in Salento. Our hotel, Posada Martha Tolima, was just a short walk down the very steep hill. We were given a nice, big, bright room at the end of the corridor with windows overlooking the eastern side of the village.

We walked back up the steep street to the main plaza, and had a look round the church - all very picturesque. Carrera 6 was the main street that was lined on both sides with tourist shops and cafes. We had been told that Salento is a very popular weekend destination for Colombians so the shops were not just for the foreign tourists. We had a sandwich and drink at a cafe while they played some live music. The guys were good but not good enough for us to buy their CD.

We walked further down the street to a 'Postre' cafe, a cafe that only sold desserts. Maria had a piece of tiramisu smothered with fresh starwberries.

Feeling full, we needed a bit of exercise to work off what we had eaten. A walk up the stairs to the mirador was exactly what we needed although a combination of the food and the altitude made it a slow climb. There were nice views over the village to the east and with a short walk, we were at another mirador looking west up the Cocora Valley.