Planning Notes: Cali, Colombia

http://wikitravel.org/en/Cali

Cali is a city in southwestern Colombia, capital of the Valle del Cauca department. It has about 2 million inhabitants and is a significant industrial and commercial center of activity in Colombia. Being at around 1,000 meters above sea level it tends to have a warm midday and afternoon with nice Pacific Ocean breezes while nights are cool.

It’s best known for its salsa music.

http://www.quora.com/South-America/What-are-some-cool-places-to-go-in-South-America

Salsa capital of Colombia where lessons can be had on the cheap. Hot climate. Also contains a celebrated zoo.

http://www.quora.com/What-are-the-best-places-to-go-in-Colombia

Cali is the third largest city and known as the capital of Salsa. Go there if you want to dance all night and listen to great bands.

Getting In

• Mini-van from the airport to the Terminal de transported is 4000COP.
• Taxi is 45,000COP.
• Takes about 20 minutes.

Safety

• Avoid shopping centres.

la Feria de Cali

December 25-30 2013. The Salsa Fair.

• feriadecali.com
• schedule

Eating

Lulodka (shit)

• Lonelyplanet top pick. Apparently shit on tripadvisor though.
• Set meals at 7500COP, mains 15,000-30,000COP.
• Calle 2 No 6-17.

• 110 (3 1/2) on tripadvisor

Clubs

Garden Lounge

• South Cali.
• Calle 16 # 103-58 in ciudad jardin cali

Tin Tin Deo

• Salsa club.

• 1 in the city.

• tripadvisor
• website
• Calle 5 #38 - 71, Barrio San Fernando, Cali
• +57 2 514 - 1537

Zaperoco

• zaperocobar.com

Special Events

Delirio

• website
• Salsa music + acrobats + carnival performances.
• Last Friday of every month.

Sleep

Calidad House

• 6 (4 1/2) on tripadvisor

• No rating on hostelworld
• Calle 17 Norte # 9AN-39, Barrio Granada
• Double private 40,000 COP ($20).
• Single private 25,000 COP ($12.50).
• website

Colombian Hostel

• 1 on tripadvisor.

• 95% rating on hostelworld.

La Pinta Boogaloo

• 3 on tripadvisor

• 89% rating on hostelworld
• Dorm $12/night 8 person. $13/6, $16.50/4.
• Private $45/two people. $64.50/three. Shared bathroom.
• Breakfast included.
• Prices increase during high season (December, January, July & August).
• Towels for rent in dorm. Included in private.

El Viajero Hostel

• 8 on tripadvisor

• 90% rating on hostelworld

Casa Cameleon Hostal

• 90% rating on hostelworld
• $22.50/night for a private.

Sunflower Hostel

• 9 (87%) on tripadvisor

• 82% rating on hostelworld
• Neighborhood: San Fernando.
• Carrera 27 #3 - 07

By Taxi: 15 minutes from the main terminal buses. Col Price $ 6000 (U.S. $ 3,oo) By bus: 25 minutes from the main terminal bus, get off at the MIO ‘Square Know ‘and walk 2 blocks. Col Price $ 1500 (U.S. $1, oo).

The hostel is near the Carulla supermarket, Dog Park (‘Parque del Perro’), the MIO station (transport system), the church San

Fernando Rey, the Pascual Guerrero stadium, park the flags and the Hospital of the Department.

The Pelican Larry Hostel

• 10 (76%) on tripadvisor

• 89% rating on hostelworld
• Close to the clubbing district.
• $11/night 10 bed dorm.
• website
• jpierre@hostelpelicanlarry.com
• (572) 420 39 55

Casa Blanca

• Not very welcoming.
• 62% rating on tripadvisor
• 80% rating on hostelworld

Iguana

• Sold out.

• 7 on tripadvisor

• 90% rating on hostelworld
• Dorm $9/night 6 bed. $10/night 4 bed.
• Private $22.50 w/o bath.
• Private $27.50 w/bath.

La Feria de Cali Schedule

Every Day

3PM: Feria Rural y Comunera

8PM: Piso 41 - Disco Club de Temporada presenta: Cali Salsa Show

• 40,000COP ($20) for the first 100 tickets.
• 55,000COP ($27.50) for the day of the event.
• Piso 41, Torre de Cali Plaza Hotel(Floor 41 of the Cali Tower).
• tickets
• http://www.feriadecali.com/portal/cali/nota/3650/

December 25

2PM: Salsodromo

• 80,000 COP ($40).
• Sold out.
• South Highway.

7PM: Concierto Inaugural Feria de Cali 2013

Lugar: Canchas Panamericanas - Baloncesto. Hora: 7:00 p.m Artistas: Cali Salsa Big Band, Guayacán, Matecaña, Richie Valdés y otros. Mira los detalles AQUÍ

9PM: Cabaret Salsa Show - Vive la Feria de Cali

• 55,000COP ($27.50)

December 26

12PM: Cabalgata

• 30,000COP ($15)

5PM: Encuentro de Melómanos y Coleccionistas

Mayito Rivera vs Mayito Valdes

• 30,000COP ($15)
• La Clave Night Club (Cra 39 #18-69 Sameco)

Roberto Blades en Favela Club Menga

• 40,000COP ($20)
• VIP: $1,000,000 ($500)

7PM: Delirio

• 160,000COP ($80)
• Carpa Delirio, Parque del Amor

7:30PM: Ensalsate - Salsa y bailes del mundo

• 122,000COP ($61)
• Dann Carlton

December 27

7PM: Superconcierto

• Estadio Olimpico Pascual Guerrero

Bussing from Medellin to Cali

We bought tickets from the Empresa Arauca bus line yesterday for the 8AM bus.

Calidad House

Just arrived and it’s pretty empty here. The room’s decent (no seat on the toilet though, haha).

We ended up leaving early though because our room didn’t have circulation or hot water and we were paying quite a bit.

My tripadvisor review is here:

We were here for one night when we first arrived in Cali. The staff welcomed us with smiles and showed us around the place. Overall it’s a nice home with plenty of space and a decent kitchen. They also have a rooftop deck with a nice view of the city.

What made this place average for us though was the room. There wasn’t a toilet seat on the toilet in the private bathroom and no hot water in the shower. There also wasn’t any circulation in the room at all, making it noticeably warmer in the room than the rest of the house. For the price we were paying we didn’t feel it was a very good deal overall, so we decided to move hostels after the first night.

Judging by the other reviews it seems like we may have just not had the best room, but given our experience compared to other hostels at similar price-points it was just ok.

Feri de Cali

We’re at the opening parade! We grabbed casados for 5000 COP each! Cheapest casado plates we’ve found yet: La Colmenita.

We arrived at the parade street at 2PM when the festival was supposed to kick off and attempted to find a spot with good visibility of the parade. We didn’t end up seeing any part of the parade until close to 4PM and by that point we were somewhat over being in the sun and crowds. We walked up the street to try to see more of the parade and then settled on meandering back home.

Asadero El Hornito

Decent burger and chicken skewers.

Zaperoco

After hanging out at the main festival grounds til they shut we headed to Zaperoco, a tiny locals bar that was packed with people dancing salsa together. The atmosphere was electric with everyone dancing and smiling and laughing.

I made an attempt to start learning how to salsa by watching the locals moving their feet. The locals were getting a kick out of watching me try to figure it out and encourages my efforts with cheers (for when I’d start figuring it out) and laughs (for when I’d monstrously fail).

Solsticio

My tripadvisor review:

This place was a surprise for us because on the outside it looks much more expensive than it is. We ended up eating here twice because the food is so good and the menu is so big.

The salmon with passionfruit was super freaking delicious and both of the chicken plates we had on the first night were also good. Our waiter was attentive and the food was served quickly. The smaller serving size (the default) for the chicken plates was a little too small, so it’s a good idea to order appetizers and/or the bigger portion.

On the second night we ordered one of the salads and were blown away by how delicious it was. It had nuts and apples and a light cream sauce that made us inhale it. It was almost a dessert for how sweet it was, but it was a perfect start to the dinner. I ordered an asian-style plate that was just ok. I would probably choose the chicken or fish over it.

We also had drinks the second night that were ok. The mojitos were a bit too sweet and I added tabasco to my bloody mary to give it a bit more bite.

Overall the food here is great for the price and the staff are wonderfully friendly, so it’s definitely worth a try during a visit to Cali.

Casa Blanca

A hostel off the beaten track. Half-decent rooms that get incredibly warm at night. Filthy showers with no hot water.

My tripadvisor review:

We (three) stayed here for two nights in one of the private rooms. The staff were generally nice when we checked in and throughout our stay. We chose the private room upstairs because it had a lot of light and a big window.

The room had A/C though it would have been fine to have a fan in the room.

The showers were advertised to have hot water but any time we took a shower the water was glacier cold. Turns out there is one shower that has hot water, but any time we used it the hot water would disappear within seconds. The bathrooms were also completely filthy any time we used them. Asking the staff about this we were told simply that we should “use the shower with hot water in it”. This proved quite difficult given that this hostel can have 30 people in it and only one working shower.

The location is also far from the more happening streets in the city, so be prepared for a walk or cab to any clubs or restaurants.

The Cali Zoo

After seeing that the zoo was the number one attraction in Cali we obviously had to make a point to visit it. A quick cab ride from our hostel brought us to the front gates of what turned out to be a very happening place.

Once we paid the (very reasonable) entrance fee, we walked in and started exploring. Overall we were actually delighted to see many animals we hadn’t seen before: anteaters, many colorful parrots, iguanas all over the place, plenty of turtles, and pelicans hanging out with the flamingos. There was even a movie theater near the exit that was completely dedicated to leaf cutter ants, complete with synched lighting and scale models of ants in the walls.

We spent about two hours at the zoo overall and had a blast seeing kids getting excited by the monkeys and then getting excited ourselves (like kids).

Flying from Cali to Cartagena

Heading back to Cartagena for New Years! Flying Avianca.