 With the Olympics finishing up this week in South America we figured it was time to also bring you the last part of Christopher's amazing trip to Colombia. Today we wrap up with Parque del Cafe and take in some of the amazing sights (and coffee). If you missed the first two updates be sure to check them out. - Colombian Adventures with Chris: Part One - Colombian Adventures with Chris: Part Two Written by Christopher DeRosa  They had go-karts, and you didn’t have to be explosion-proof, so we rode it.  I totally won lol.  This whole part of the park was kind of hidden.  And I was super tempted to ride my first enterprise,  But I didn’t because sometimes, I can be lame like that.  We went back up to the top of the hill to walk down the Coffee Trail.  See? Learn all about coffee. You know. When in Rome and all.  The trail zig-zagged its way down the hill past various different types of coffee.  Wait, What? (we've seen this movie)  About halfway down, there was this bizarre exhibit that displayed the various ways that indigenous people were buried back in the day.  Coffee and Krater  Random chickens were kind of all over the place.  And cats, just kinda chilling in random areas.  They harvest the coffee grown at the park, and the next part of the trail was all about that. This part of the coffee process smelled terrible, so, we kinda rushed through without pictures.  They had this cool looking bridge in a jungle.  So we found it, and took some pictures.  So gangsta  While you can’t see it here, it turns out that the ‘Tren del Cafe’ actually WAS running, but we never rode it. I know what you’re thinking…  More Montaña Rusa!!  It’s hard to believe it’s relocated. It fits in so well here.  The queue was well organized, and they didn’t allow the individual rows to crowd up. Actually, every coaster in the country was like this…where they only let one trains worth of people into the station at a time.  It was a sweaty and gross process getting into those snuggle seats.  And these girls thought we were just hi-lar-i-ous squeezing into one section.  It’s a beautiful coaster, well landscaped.  Danny asked why I took this picture, and I told him that some enthusiasts get excited by footers. So here ya go, footer freaks. (you know who you are)  Everybody SCREAM!!!  It was getting late, so I took a random picture of a flag and we got back in the teleferico for the last time.  By the time we got to the top, we were in the middle of a torrential downpour and had 45 minutes before we were to be picked up.  Fortunately, there was a very comprehensive museum at the top. It was about coffee.  You have to have serious face when posing with these guys. It’s the only way.  This is a Colombian Coffee vending machine found in Japan, apparently.  And then we stumbled upon this. What?! A 4D theatre?!  Score!!! Well, not really. There was definitely no “4th dimension,” and the 3D was some of the cheesiest I’ve ever seen. But to me, that made it all the more awesome.  The last order of business was to climb up the tower at the front of the park that I’ve seen in so many pictures. I mean right? Thunder, lightning, climb a tower!  View out to the street. Yes, this is the “major” street the park is on.  View back into the park and beyond.  That’s the museum, coffee shop, and in the distance, the upper station of the teleferico.  And that about does it for Parque del Cafe. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip. I wouldn’t say ‘Come to Colombia for this park’ but I would definitely say ‘Come to the park if you’re in Colombia.’  That about does it as far as parks go. If that’s all you’re here for, you’re done. I’ll quickly go through some other Colombia highlights for those of you that are curious about the place. This is a famous statue in Pereira. It’s on trip advisor as the #1 attraction and it was right in front of our hotel.  There was a protest here the next day. The US Embassy sent us an email to steer clear. Kinda hard when you’re staying across the street.  BIG STATUE!  We made sure we followed the rules when we went out…  We marveled at the ridiculous looking prices of things…  …bought beer through a fence at 2:30am…  …stayed at an apartment right on the ocean in Cartagena…  Checked out a town that inspired the sets for Pirates of the Caribbean.  It’s called The Walled City. At least to the gringos.  We walked on top of the wall built to keep the pirates out GYARR!  We went to night clubs…  And thought this church looked really cool late at night.  We ate amazing food…  And wondered in the middle of the street in Bogota during Ciclavia.  They do it every week on Sundays, and on Holiday Mondays as well. Every. Week.  We finished out the trip in true Colombian fashion, with slabs of meat.  I thought their armored vehicles looked like the Child Detection Agency from Monsters Inc. Yeah? Nah?  And that’s it! Finished with Colombia! I got really good at sleeping on airplanes. Colombia was an awesome place, and I’ll definitely be going back. As far as safety is concerned, we felt good the whole time. It all depends on how you carry yourself and your confidence when in public. We loved Colombia, and I hope my trip report maybe showed you a perspective you didn’t know about! Thanks again to Chris for the awesome report from Colombia. We truly enjoyed putting it together and thank you for think of us to share it. If you have any updates you'd ever like to share with us drop us a note on our social media or send an email to admin@parkjourney.com Related Updates:
 Last weekend while spending some time in New York Renée stopped by Coney Island and Luna Park. Home to some unique coasters and rides with a great seaside setting. Lots of wackiness and good food. Written by Renée Girard Click any of the pictures below for a larger version We're at Luna Park at Coney Island on this hot summer day in Brooklyn, NY!   Had to check out Thunderbolt first! 
Thunderbolt was more intense than I expected, a little rough, but a unique coaster to ride. 
 Remember the 9 hour+ waits for these at Fun Spot America? No lines here!  I guess I'll brace myself for a journey on Soarin Eagle while we're here. 
Yup, I'm good with just one ride on Soarin' Eagle.  Rode the Tickler several years ago, but it's a decent wild mouse coaster.  I remember riding WindstarZ at IAAPA last year, and here it is now at Luna Park. Fun ride!  Air Race is another one of a kind ride that you can find at Luna Park 
Saddle up for Steeplechase!   Another fun and unique ride that you can find at Luna Park! We loved Steeplechase!  And of course Coney Island is home to the world famous Cyclone  Having already done the Cyclone several times, we skipped it this time around. But it's always good to see it! 
 It's pretty clear that you sit where you're told on the Cyclone at Coney Island  Checking out some of the sights along the Coney Island boardwalk 
 And if you're hungry, there's always the original Nathan's to grab a hot dog  Instead of hot dogs, we opted for fantastic beer and pizza at Coney Island Brewing Co
 And our afternoon was complete with beer cup towers and sword swallowing at Coney Island Brewery.
Our summer afternoon was a blast at Luna Park at Coney Island  Related Updates: |
Categories
All
Archives
September 2023
|
RSS Feed