CityView Magazine - Fayetteville, NC
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1498193
CityViewNC.com | 31 Machete Pelao, which literally means "unsheathed machete," saw boom years during the so-called bonanza marimbero in the 1970s and '80s, when small farmers moved into the hills to cultivate marijuana for the American market and dollars flowed into the region. None of the town's rough past is evident today, replaced by the tranquility and stability of the tourist trade. Aer lunch, we strolled the streets and entered the countryside. In short time, the trail turned steeply upslope and our physical challenge began in earnest. At our first rest stop, the guides pointed out a rough line in the vegetation where the forest began. Below was more or less open land. e line marked the area where many years ago illicit crops had been sprayed with herbicide in eradication efforts by the government. e trail meandered up the valley, climbing through open country and into the forest, across ridges, then back down to the river at the foot of the ruins. Accommodations were simple but felt like luxury at the end of a long day of hiking: a cold shower and a bunk for your bedroll. e food was fantastic, and there was always plenty of cold beer and so drinks. Four days later, our group was back in Machete Pelao, tired but celebratory. Getting there We flew to Miami, then on to Bogota, Colombia, to reach Santa Marta. Landing at the spiffy, clean Simón Bolívar International Airport, we took a taxi to our lodgings. Along the way, the taxi driver took us on a quick tour of the city and a side excursion down a rugged gravel road to the beach at Bahia Concha, where we took our first dip in the Caribbean Sea. Rising from sea level to a height of 18,700 feet in just 26 miles, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta are the second tallest coastal mountains in the world. Situated at the far northern tip of South America, the massive snow-capped peaks stand alone, separated from the Andes range to the south by broad plains. Fed by glaciers at the highest elevations, dozens of rivers flow down the mountains, supplying water to a vast region. e Sierra Nevada are home to indigenous peoples whose ancestors were some of the first to encounter Spanish colonization and who today are among the Home to over 200 Businesses, restaurants, and Attractions. DOWNTOWN MAP