Up very early on this beautiful morning not so much because I wanted to be but because of the barking dogs!  We are in a very neat little hostel with Maria Elena as our host, and she is wonderful, but in the middle of the night the neighbourhood dogs just bark and bark so I’m just a tad cranky.  Nothing a coffee and breakfast won’t fix as we prepare for our longer hike today…….it is one of the top things recommended for this area so it must be done! The Lonely Planet says that in a country of beautiful landscapes(which there are so many) Cocora is one of the most striking.  This is mainly because everywhere you see Palm de cera, or wax palms in our language, which is the largest palm in the world.  They can be up to 60m tall so don’t be surprised when you see the pictures below because, once again, it’s difficult to capture their beauty and their height with the iPad camera.  The Palma de cera is ColOmbia’s national tree and certainly are breathtaking to see.  We were told the hike takes about six hours and of course we didn’t know how long that really meant but decided to do it anyway.  It was described as challenging, and very challenging in parts, but not dangerous so off we went.  It began with a half hour jeep ride from the main square with ten of us in a jeep that carries six……..that meant four were standing and hanging off the back, much like the teenager previously mentioned in an earlier blog.  Sometimes it really pays off to have a head of grey hair because people give you the seats and don’t expect you to hang off the back…..I’m fine with that! Once we arrived at our start off point I looked up and thought ‘holy crap’ that’s steep!  It was already very hot,  and it was only 8am,  so I was really glad to have a little baseball cap to protect my head and face from the sun.  The owner of the hostel told us that it was a steady climb, with some flat terrain along the way, but that at one point it was extremely steep and to be prepared for that at about half way. Many times during the hike I thought to myself this must be the steep part but knew we weren’t half way so I dismissed the thought and worried a little about the ‘steep piece’ ahead. Finally after about two hours into the hike I said “this must have been the steep piece they were talking about’ only to be reassured that we hadn’t come to that part yet……shit I thought to myself! And Dawn agreed but we continued on. On the way we crossed the river several times on fairly shaky bridges (see picture below) and fortunately did not have too many super muddy spots. During the hike I found myself being quite thankful for two things…….mindfulness training and yoga, in particular the ‘tree’ pose which is so great for balance. For me it was helpful to be in the moment on so much of the hike because it sure stopped me from slipping on mud, rolling rocks and more notably horse/donkey crap which was very prevalent on most of the hike. On a couple of occasions I almost lost it, ie. slipped, and was able to find my balance and stay upright. On other occasions I almost lost it as well because I was getting tired and was still waiting for that ‘steep piece’ ahead. Before too long it came and it was straight up and certainly would not disappoint anymore who was looking for a cardiac challenge….which I wasn’t! Dawn and I made a pact to just take our time as there was no need to hurry and our goal was to just get to the top and see the ‘lone palm’ and then the Cocora Valley before our descent back down. Jim and Yves were ahead a little but kept a eye on us to ensure all was well, which it was. So after four hours we made it and by then the fog rolled in and the ‘lone palm’ could barely be seen. We didn’t really care because we made it to the top where all the younger folks were sitting and still eating their lunch and reassured us they had not been there that long so we felt pretty good for keeping up….well just a tad behind! Walking down for the next two hours was a breeze and we were accompanied by new younger friends, for the most part, from Australia, Switzerland and France and of course that sense of accomplishment that we could still keep up….well almost! The pictures below cannot do the hike justice but if you ever decide to come to these parts, which I would highly recommend, you can see for yourself. At the bottom the jeep was waiting to bring us all back to town and I was thrilled to once again get a seat. Another great day in ColOmbia it was and we finished with a delicious supper, cervaza and vino tinto!