Tag: Music

Salsa Dancing in Cali

Last night I did what they do in Cali: I went dancing! A guy I met at the hostel, Tattoo (not his real name), took a few of us there to meet some friends of his and to dance! Tattoo is Brazilian but has been living in the hostel for a few months so he knows a lot of people in the city. I will never get this night spent salsa dancing in Cali.

We went to this bar downtown called Topa Tolandra. Cover was a reasonable $10,000 COP, which included 2 drink tickets. The place was empty when we arrived at around 9:30pm, but that didn’t last long and the bar started filling with dancers.

Topa Tolandra Cali
The empty bar when we arrived
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Hanging with the Hostel Crowd at Petronio

After the cancelled tour and troubles with Avianca, I’ll admit I was feeling a little down yesterday evening. I didn’t want to spend my Saturday night in Cali alone, so I did what I came to a hostel to do: went downstairs and grabbed a beer and started talking to people in the lobby. Within ten minutes, my plans for the night were set: Petronio Music Fest with about ten 20-somethings from all over the globe who were visiting for the festival itself. Being a solo traveler, you have to put yourself out there and when I did I got to spend my Saturday night hanging with the hostel crowd at Petronio.

Petronio Festival

Yes, I got lucky and came to Cali during an amazing free festival called The Petronio Álvarez Afro-Colombian festival. It is held in a large sports complex across town and includes free live music and a huge food tent and today is the last night. So you see how good my timing is!?

The Music

I have been to a lot of music festivals, and this one was a great new experience. I saw 4 different musical acts last night, starting with the incredible Pacifico Sinfonico, a Colombian symphony orchestra.

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