Tag: travel

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.

Continue reading “Hanging with the Hostel Crowd at Petronio”

Cali Colombia Street Art

I did so much on my 5 hour self-guided tour of Cali and saw so much street art that deserved its own post. Here are my best photos and observations of the Cali Colombia street art scene.

Street Art Movement in Cali

I didn’t know very much about Cali until I walked around and saw it for myself. Now I know, with some online research, that graffiti in Cali is part of a growing movement with local and international artists adding to the tapestry.

I am a big fan of street art in general and am fortunate to live in a great neighborhood for it in Toronto, so it was fun to take some photos of the work in this cool Colombian city and just wander and explore the Cali Colombia street art.

san antonio barrio

Much of the Cali Colombia street art is located in the centrally located San Antonio barrio, which is where I photographed most of these works.

The San Antonio barrio is highlighted by it’s old historic church and beautiful big park. It’s colorful and artsy, with cute shops and artisan craftspeople. Plus it’s easily accessible from hotels in the heart of downtown.

Now, onto my photos!

Continue reading “Cali Colombia Street Art”

Loving Cali Colombia

So I got to Cali late last night – too late for me to go out, I was beat – and woke up early today to see the town. From my searches online and with my trusty Lonely Planet guidebook, I found a lot of good things to see and do! Here’s a travelogue of my first day here and why I am loving Cali Colombia.

The Hostel

I started with a taxi from my hostel, Pelican Larry. I have a private room and access to a shared bathroom, which is all I need. Clean and with hot water! My room has a fan which had the dual purpose of keeping me cool and drowning out outside noise.

Getting Out of the Hostel

The taxi to downtown was quick and cheap and I got dropped off at the Modern Art Museum, which wasn’t open until 10am (it was 9:30am) so I went in search of a café. I found a good one thanks to Google Maps!

Downtown Cali

Let me explain downtown Cali first. It’s dominated by the Rio Cali, which has walkways on both sides, and a lot of the tourist sites are there or nearby. This walking route is great with lots of scenery, and compared to Cartagena, the weather here is GORGEOUS! Warm but with little humidity. Heaven after almost two weeks of non-stop sweating.

Cute Cafe in Cali

Cute Cafe Mulato was on a side street and full of locals. I was the only tourist and it was nice and homey. The waitress had a list with everyone’s name on it and what they ordered, that’s how local a joint this was.

Cafe Mulato in Cali Colombia
Cafe Mulato in Cali
Continue reading “Loving Cali Colombia”