Monita is back

Monita in Bogotá will be away for a week…but will come back with nice things. A little flower is dancing meanwhile.

Chess and flowers

I was just playing with the new camera to discover that I have to learn everything about it… Sniff! I hate my pictures!

I am getting better at bargaining flowers: 5000 pesos (2.5 Euros / 1.8 Pound) for this. Maybe in one year I will be the best!

Wood

Another place we saw to show you how they are using the wood in the design of everyday life in this beautiful region of Armenia.

The wood that looks like bamboo is called Guadua. It used to make a lot of things including walls and floors. They move it aside and they get a flat material with nice random cracks.

Cafe

Coffee is obviously the most important topic of the region. And there are some nice places to go and discover how to grow coffee.

The region and the plantations are quite beautiful… Everything is so green!

I liked very much this cup’s design in enamel. Unbreakable for the drinks of the workers who have to go and work far from the farm.

However, we went to a place that was quite disappointing: they didn’t explain well what happens to the coffee seeds once you picked it up. Except when you drink it. I give you the address in case you don’t find anything or to advice you not to go I suppose. Recuca.

Botanical garden of Quindío

Very nice botanical garden close to Armenia, in Calarcá to be more precise. It looks like a jungle as it is more in a natural state than usual botanical gardens. They also have a beautiful place with butterflies.

This is the coolest bean I have ever seen: you can even sort your waste!

More information about this place, find out here.

Salento

Salento is a beautiful village on the top of the mountain which deserves to be seen.

The architecture is playing with the colours, and I have never seen so many different types of doors. It was quite inspiring to be honest.

In Salento, you can find many craft markets, restaurants, and you have the possibity to go up the mountain and see the whole village from above.

More information about Salento here.

Armenia

Doing a bit of tourism for a couple of days.

This region of Armenia is quite amazing. They have interesting colours on the architecture. The hotel where we were, interesting mix of colours.

If you are interested in the hotel, it was very clean, beautiful, and quite cheap for the region: Mi Monaco.

La Calera

Yesterday, we went to a place called La Calera, a village in the mountain close to Bogotá (16kms). It was a fight between the red and the yellow, with the brown being the judge. From Spanish…

Girasoles (Sunflowers)

I was happy taking pictures of sunflowers I bought in the flower market today. Well, I am a bit upset because I tried to negociate and I did. But another woman we met afterwards managed to get 3 times more flowers for the same price. And she was white like me! Grrr! I still need to learn!

Just training in photography as light in the living room was amazing. The light of Bogotá is amazing (when it’s sunny) at around 4.30/5pm. Just before the sun goes down.

Rubyshoes in Bogotá

Time has come to put a bit of English spirit in Bogotá. Just hang the bunting from Rubyshoes in my house, on the window of the Virrey Park.

If you want to know more about Rubyshoes, please visit their website, which I was very happy to design last year.