From Montezuma Road to Manizales to the Paramo

We left Montezuma Road after a beautiful morning.  We found 2 rails on the grounds.  We drove through the mountains.  In Pueblo Rico all the farmers were in town on Sunday to get their provisions for the week.  They would stuff more people in a car than you have ever seen.  Attached to all surfaces of the car are their purchases.  Then we got outside of Manizales and I had a sweet corn arepa with cheese for dinner.  It was very good.

Driving to Manizales in the dark was beautiful.

Manizales at night.  We stayed in a very nice hotel with hot water for showers. 

The Andean duck at the Paramo.  It was getting cold here.  My jacket was in my car at the Houston airport.  But I put on a tshirt, shirt and rain jacket.  Bill kept losing his binocular cap and finally Arley duct taped it on. 

One curve on the way up had at least 100 crosses. There was road construction going on so I can only hope they were making the curve safer.  Somewhere we were stopped by the police because Arley had a crack in the windshield.  They took our passports but eventually let us go.  Two places were closed for lunch because the ladies went into town. 

The Bearded Helmetcrest is spectacular.  Bryan has fantastic pictures of it.

This tells it all

This is an abandoned hotel.  I really needed to use the banos so Jose took me in there.  I thought I was in an episode of the twilight zone.  There was a creepy caretaker  As I passed his room, it was the size of a pantry with a bed and TV and some shelves.  Then I got to the hot springs pool and this really tall Brit was jumping in.  Jose talked to him and he had taught English in Korea and then decided to bicycle around the world.  He spent 7 months in Mexico learning Spanish and is now making his way through South America.  Today I googled this hotel and found his blog, www.onebikeoneworld.com  I corresponded with him, very interesting person. 

A new road was built to the top of the mountain and this hotel lost business.  But people still come for the day despite the fact there is no furniture.  At one time it was very nice.  There is another hot springs hotel in Manizales now.