I’m now two months into my teaching post in Belén de Umbría and it’s been very interesting so far. I work at Colegio Nuestra Señora del Rosario every day except Thursday. It’s got over 800 students in grades 6 through 11. The school is just one block uphill from the plaza in Belén. It’s got an amazing view of the green mountains from the second floor.
Every year for one week, Belén de Umbría celebrates a week of fiestas to commemorate the founding of the town. The fiestas usually take place in November. This year, they were moved a month earlier to October.
Quinchía is a town in the coffee region of Colombia and part of the UNESCO World Heritage listed Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia. It has been described as one of the more beautiful towns in the Coffee Region, and has a large indigenous population.
Nothing really stands out about the town of Guática except for its dramatic setting among green mountains of the Colombian Coffee Region.
Anserma is a town in the Coffee Region of Colombia and part of the UNESCO World Heritage listed Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia. I spent a lot of time in Anserma because Marisol’s parents lived there.
There are some good choices for food in Anserma. Most restaurants are located along La Avenida, a nice entertainment zone just outside of the main part of town.
One of the oldest towns in Colombia, Anserma doesn’t offer much for tourists, but it’s an authentic coffee town. It’s part of the UNESCO World Heritage listed Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia.
One morning, I was picked up at my school in Belén de Umbría and taken to a rural school in La Tribuna, a tiny rural village about 45 minutes away. The ride through the mountains was down a narrow one-lane muddy road. It was slippery and dangerous. The road had no guardrails and it was a straight drop down the mountain.
Lashae and I were invited to go on a hike through Santa Emilia Municipal Park (Parque Municipal Natural Santa Emilia) one Saturday with an adult English class from Belén de Umbría. The park is located about 20 minutes from Belén. It has a nature trail through a dense forest that leads to a few waterfalls.