Tourism Part 3: Interdepartamental Connections

This will be the last part in this series, although I will likely write again about tourism in the future, it just so happens that we had three days of discussing, contemplating, and living a tourism experience with a couple of educators from Risaralda. On Friday we took them up to Murillo for a fantastic day of birding, which went really well.

It was quickly clear the importance of a good guide; this couple had come to Murillo twice before and wandered around, not seeing much in terms of birds. But upon entering the town @ecoinstante stopped us at a bush she knows well, and all were able to capture Encifera encifera (longest beak to body ratio in the animal kingdom) and Coruscans (one of the largest overall hummingbirds in the world) immediately, marking a fantastic start to our day.

The now yellow-alert Nevado was available for photographs in the late morning as well, we had really great weather.

After some coffee and almohabanas we walked freely to the nearby hidden lake, where several Andean Duck males were defending the honor of a female amongst themselves. Also a llama, and dozens of dipping and diving swallows scooping up insects.

I took a nap on the grass. Did I mention it was great weather?

The thing about a guide, they cannot promise a good day. But walking around with someone experienced enough gives everyone more calm and confidence, exactly the attributes needed to take maximum advantage of the perfect day when it arrives.

After taking another loop around town and visiting some locals, including an impromptu meeting with a friendly park ranger and the friendliest grandma who knits wool socks, we ambled into a generous fish lunch. Mountain raised trout and mojarras - a local staple and healthy dish for those who might need the energy for wandering around.

From here we were prepared for what was next, a 1.5 km journey to the nearby Cascada del Silencio, which has been the subject of some local controversy - the subject of our continuing discussions around tourism and local development.

After finding the new entrance, we made our way down to the agrotourism farm that manages the waterfall as part of its offering. A nice man and his small family has made the third set of stairs with local materials after the local church cut off the traditional access through the flowered cemetary.

Crossing the field, the bkrders marvelled at another set of stars, including a gaggle of loud Cyanolyca Armilata, south american cousin of the North American Blue Jay.

After making it down to the falls, I spotted a pair of aquatic Myrlas, Cinclus leucocephalus, climbing the waterfall and looking for bugs - everyone immediately spun around and whipped our their cameras again.

Climbing out at the end of the day, and walking back to the car, we all agreed that the perfect day such as this cannot be purchased, with any amount of money. It certainly cannot be guaranteed, and thus it is complicated to sell.

The tourism model of development for developing nations like Colombia has more than a few holes, but in the meantime, great discussions and marvelous days can be had, as we work within a growing community to figure it all out.

Freedom and Friendship