Places We Like to Nomad: Arriba Colombia!

This promises to be a super fun trip. We are now in the mountains of Valle del Cauca, 2 hrs outside of Cali, at Doña Dora's. Cali traffic is quite the rodeo, anything goes any which way! Traffic light vendors make the most of the red light wait, sell anything from floormops to GPS mounts in 30 seconds. Top prize in Cali for a red light entertainer goes to an expressionless guy who zips out in front of the traffic jam, riding high up on a unicyle juggling multiple batons. Viva Colombia!

Doña Dora Avistamiento de Aves is a cracker little roadside stop with rustic lodging two hours' drive from Cali in the luscious, tropical jungle.

Doña Dora is a lovely lady who comes from Meta province near the Venezuelan border. Guerillas forced her to flee South into Valle de Cauca region where she established this humble roadside stop to sell drinks, empanadas (pasties) and meals to drivers on this remote road. Her love of the incredible birdlife here, led her to set up feeders. Word got around locally, then foreigners started showing up and she realised a whole new reason for drivers to stop, was the birds.

Fast forward 10 years and her place now has 6 humble rooms and a steady, daily stream of bird groups, bird aficionados, and hardcore twitchers ogling the bonanza of birds at the feeders embedded in jungle on the back terrace and on the roof.

Elber, Dora's son, is a great host, a talented artist, and has a lovely manner as he picks us up from the airport, shows us birds, and negotiates the usual inconvenience of powercuts.

Interestingly, there is Starlink installed here, something that has radically transformed our life in the Bush in Australia and the remotest regions of South America. As ever, there are positives and negatives. Indigenous tribes in this continent improve health communications at the same time as revealing to the awestruck locals the limitless expanse and gymnastics of porn in the outside world!

Colombia is the birdiest country in the world. With over 2000 known bird species, there are more being discovered all the time.

I love random encounters, that is why I travel. Gen is very deaf, which sadly pre-empts most conversation, and absorbs herself in taking pictures. I very seldom take pictures any more, however I do love to observe and take old style random notes of interest to myself.

Up on the roof I got talking to Miles, an intriguing character, an artist and illustrator of guides to Colombian avifauna, originally from Ireland, with 30 years embedded in South America. He invited me to look him up, and I do not have his address, but he said you will find me, which I trust I could.
He lives with his Colombian wife and kids further South in Nariño region in Amazon borderland with little official oversight, a fabulous wildlands of uncharted fauna and flora like in Victorian times, two roads, and active guerillas who leave him alone until the random day they may decide not to.

Local crops are not your usual veggies. In their midteens, typically fourteen, young machos make a lot of money fast, acquire hot girlfriends, massive 4wd Mercedes, and protective weaponry. Life is short and brutal. Average life expectancy for these hotshots is twenty.

Next day we are up at toucan fart to take the very steep 800m trail down to the cock of the rock lek. Boy, I am out of shape, as I collapse in a heap at the lek. In first light, barely 3 metres away, the splendidly fire coloured birds are displaying, screeching, and totally unfazed by us.

The back terrace feeders are amazing. Dozens of bird species jostle for food. The plumage spectacle is as if an artist had randomly emptied his palette. Gen has her finger constantly on the shutter and exhibits a huge smile like a taster in a chocolate factory.