In the lands of the coffe, from the book, Searching for treasures
Cocora National Park, Quindío, Colombia
That cup of coffee, beckoned the time to let go of the night’s dreams, still asleep in between the sheets, and go forth in the pursuit of a brand new day!
During the typical stretch of one more of those workdays at the office, Jean Marie would drink a few cups of steaming coffee, for that ritual represented an essential part of his character and his nature. For the same reason, early that morning, he got out of bed, eager and impatient to start that day in particular. Indeed, there was a long travel day ahead of him… a brilliant Monday that would convey him to explore the Columbian coffee zone for the first time. In his mind’s eye, he savored the landscapes that lay ahead, at the same, slowly sipping and relishing each drop of his brew in complete anticipation of that most splendid day that awaited him. On his journey, he had already learned to call it a “tintico,” and he loved the sound of the word which felt so typically Columbian. “In France, we simply call it a cup of black coffee,” he thought to himself.
Having prepared everything the night before, he quickly finished all his preparations and boarded a taxi to the Southbound Bus Terminal. He would travel for over five hours, which would be chock-full of the hallucinating scenery fo the Central Andean mountain ranges until he eventually arrived at the Capital City of Pereida, in the heart of what has been called the Coffee Zone.
He climbed into the yellow cab and after a few blocks struck up a conversation with the driver.
Jean Marie remarked on what lovely weather there was, alluding to the climate of the City of Eternal Spring. The conductor immediately turned to face him and without more asked point-blank:
“Pardon me my Dear Sir, but from what country are you visiting us from?”
“I come from France,” he answered as he settled into the back seat, “from the south of the country. I live in a small town, quite close to a city that in Spanish is called by the name of Marsella.”
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