Colombia – Cali – Capital of salsa and a little too close to FARC guerillas

Colombia 🇨🇴 Cali – the capital of salsa 💃🏼 and a little too close to FARC guerillas.

This is one tough and intense town.
I literally worried for our safety when the taxi driver looked so worried that he insisted on parking his car at a small manned space and then walked with us to two churches with squares in front in the city centre. What should have been beautiful squares were smelling of hash, and filled with homeless where many were displa ced from there villages because of the guerillas.

Sun set while we were in town and all traders packed down in a rushed atmosphere, that worried me.

We got to experience the top of our bucket list as inspired by the series in NomadMania which we use for planning.

So what to do after dark ? Do as the locals. So we took two hours bachata lessons at Havana Hostel & Dance School and the went to a Salsa Nightclub with the others from our hostel.

Ella got in despite age limit for the nightclub is 21, and for alcohol it’s 19 as I understood. She just turned 17, but then we are tall. Especially compared to people here. Needless to say she loved it.

I found someone that looked the age / well, at least 40/ and not totally as a cool dancer and made sure I at least got to dance once.

Some were really good. Of course the best are not at this club, but to me, there were some amazing dancers. We enjoyed this.

Dancing lessons was fun. I can recommend the place as the prices are low. The dance lessons are good. The rooms are clean. There is a kitchen, a co-working space, hammocks, terraces with a great view of the city, restaurants downstairs along the road, stunning murals and an actual sense of community! The community sense, I love.

Boris and Antony made me feel special and that’s always a good thing 😉 When we came for the dance class, they greeted me and knew who I am. They had researched me, knew I had traveled to every country, are know to travel extensively with my children, and invited me for a talk. They even knew, I just participated In Pyongyang maraton. They had both researched me and maybe do this with guests and maybe just us whom they wish to increase markets with – they have a vision to bring those is us with the cold winters here. Also tuens out we have common friends as Lars stayed here too.

Boris has a Jewish – Eastern European- Israeli 🇮🇱 background and opened this hostel as three rooms in 2016. He has created a community of young people. Dancing salsa. 💃🏼 backpackers. Going together for the clubs, for lessons, for hiking the mountains, for sightseeing and with co-working spaces. A great atmosphere.
… he is on the poster himself dancing – and I have a total Dirty Dancing flashback.