SANTIAGO DE CALI: the world´s capital of Salsa

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Have you ever heard Salsa music?  I assume you did. Now a more difficult question, do you know where does it come from? some will say the rhythm comes from Cuba eventhough it was called differently; others will say Puerto Rico. For most New York will be the right answer and even some will call Colombia salsa's birthplace. There is more than one city in the world that claims to be the place where salsa was borne.
But when it comes to the world's capital of salsa, there is only one answer (so far): Cali. The city will host this year's international festival and judging by the number of dancing schools in the city, it will be a BIG event. 

Flights in Colombia are not so expensive as in other countries I visited in this trip. Having seen the central part of Colombia from Manizales to Bogotá I decided to avoid another 12 hours drive and flight instead for 1. This went all very smooth and I was in Cali by noon the same day.  I took a taxi and went straight to the hostel. Musical and dancing tourism is now a big industry in Cali and even the hostel I choose (El Viajero) offered a daily salsa course for free. The first evening I had no other choice than to join the crowd and attend the salsa hour; lucky enough photos and videos were not allowed.

My visit to Cali started the next day from the top, that is, I used the morning to go up to the Tres Cruces hill that is located at walking distance from the center of the city. The path is considered "a dangerous place" I was told, due to some small crime in recent past. In my case I saw a strong police presence the whole way and time (from 9am to 12) and had no worries nor problems. In fact I met a few locals using this path for their morning gymnastic.

A good view of Cali is possible from the top. It is a big city with not much esthetic to be mentioned. It´s charm lies in its kind and welcoming people, its central location good for Colombia visitors and its events even though I didn't visit any.

Santiago de Cali (most known as Cali) is the capital of Colombia's Department of Valle del Cauca and third largest city in the country. It was founded in 1536 by Sebastian de Belalcázar and is one of the oldest cities in America. Today Cali has a population of 2,5 million people.

The number of historical places is not large when compared to Bogotá or Cartagena. The downtown area has some old buildings, churches and small museums. 

A curiosity of Cali (and some other Colombian cities) is the "jeepon", willies jeeps that are converted and used for public transportation in areas too steep for regular vans such as the poorest barrios uphill.

The hostel was very good and had two big patios as social places, including a small pool. There was even a "sapo" board for those who know the game; this is however not the same as it's played in Peru.

A last point to mention is the number of cultural events, film festivals and similar that take place regularly in the city. As I left, the following film was promoted as one that presents Colombia's new face after all its bad years. I must see it.