On my way to the Valle del Cocora located between Armenia and Pereira and near the town of Salento. While driving between these two cities I was stopped by the police. There are many roadblocks and police searches of vehicles throughout Colombia. However, this stop was for a bicycle tour that was headed our way. I told the policeman since the bicyclists are behind me that continuing on won’t interfere with their or my trip. Such logic (the real kind), however does not work in Colombia. The policeman said it would only be about 10 minutes. More than an hour later the first bicyclist arrived, and thirty minutes later the last straggler. We were then allowed to follow, but not pass the bicyclist.

The valley floor is almost 8,000 feet, This beautiful national park provides many scenic views of the central Andes mountain range. The park is frequently cloudy or rainy and high enough to be chilly. The many tall wax palms are rare outside the valley and the palm is the national tree of Colombia.