Una Boda en Colombia – Cali

15-20 June 2023

No, not that Cali. My cousin invited Maggie and me to his wedding in Cali, Colombia. This wasn’t necessarily intended to be a destination wedding. Rather, his fiancé (now wife) is from Cali and it made the most sense for the American invitees to make the trip instead of the reverse. Maggie and I had such a wonderful time in Chile and Argentina that we had to say “yes” to another adventure in South America!

Maggie was in Montana, I was in New Mexico. After overnight flights, we met in the Miami airport at 5 am then flew over the Caribbean together. My cousin was waiting for us at the airport. His wife, Stephanny, has an uncle who owns a cab company in town, so transportation was covered for the long weekend.

Into the city, we were reminded of the controlled chaos that is Latin American traffic. Motorbikes and mopeds are pretty popular in Cali, adding to the hectic traffic, but our cab driver took it all in stride.

Most wedding guests were staying at a nice hotel near the center of the city. Maggie and I opted for an AirBnb around the corner. The exchange rate in Colombia is excellent for the US Dollar, so our room only cost $28 per night – quite a bargain if you ask me! However, there was no air conditioning, forcing us to acclimate to the humid, tropical heat.

Despite our tired eyes, the first night turned from casual dinner at the hotel to bar hopping around downtown. My cousin, Craig, is always up for one more beer, and we were happy to join him and his buddies out on the town.

The next day we were free to explore Cali until the rehearsal dinner. Maggie and I walked to a small bakery/café for breakfast, which was fantastic. Maggie is always inclined to find an archeology museum, and sure enough, there was one less than a mile from where we were staying. The museum collection on display wasn’t particularly large, but it was super interesting to see pottery and other ceramic art from cultures we had never heard of. The animal figurines were my favorite, including little parrots and armadillos.

The museum had a lovely courtyard flush with tropical life. Birds fluttered around, which we tried to identify with the Merlin birding app. Quick side note – the bird guide for Colombia contains over 1700 birds, while the guide for all of the continental US and Canada contains a paltry 700 birds. The biodiversity in Colombia is incredible!

We continued our self-guided walking tour along the Cali River. There is a small park along the river dedicated to cats. Statues and a variety of themed cat installations line the walkway. The plants, birds, and iguanas along the way continued to impress us. Like all the cities we visited in Chile, there was an installation of large, white letters – C A L I – where we had to pose for a picture.

Eventually, the time came for the rehearsal dinner. It was nice to finally see the rest of my cousins, aunt, and uncle. Maggie and I also got to meet some of the bride’s Colombian family, whom we talked in Spanglish with. Overall, it was a very pleasant evening.

Finally, wedding day was upon us. Early afternoon, we piled into cabs to get to the venue. Leaving the busy city center behind, we stepped out to a quiet compound. The wedding ceremony was held beneath a sprawling tree. Some iguanas watched with us from the branches above.

Of course, we all go to weddings for the fun part – the reception! The floral arrangements were incredible, towers of greenery pulled fresh from the jungle. Speeches, the first dance, confetti – all your classic reception traditions were there with some added Latin American flare.

Once the dance floor opened up, Maggie and I learned how to party Colombian style. In the tropics, sunset is always around 6pm, so by 7 the party was in full force. The DJ was killing it and everyone was dancing the night away. Thankfully we got some breaks with the MC occasionally pausing the dance party, and with a professional salsa performance. Salsa dancing is central to Cali’s culture. The dancers brought everyone on stage for a sort of salsa square dance. Suffice to say my gringo feet couldn’t keep up.

The sweat was dripping, legs were aching. It felt like we had been dancing for an eternity when the first offer for a ride back came up. It was just after 11pm, but Maggie and I were spent.

The next day was pretty relaxed, hanging out pool side at the fancy hotel. In the evening, Stephanny and her parents walked a group of us across town for a sweet treat unique to Cali – lulada. The lulo fruit grows in the region, which has a citrusy tart, gooey center. The fruit is finely sliced and mixed up with ice and syrup sort of like a smoothie, but a little chunkier. Maggie and I both enjoyed the sweet taste of Cali!

Our last day in Cali, we arranged a ride to Chorerra del Indio, or Indian Falls. Maggie and I were accompanied by two of Craig’s friends, Meredith and Kinsey. The waterfall is a small local hangout up in a narrow mountain valley. We got there around 11 am and wandered around. It was more of a resort than we expected, with a concession stand, picnic tables, and a small dam in the river to provide a swimming hole, complete with a little water slide.

The waterfall itself was quite impressive, perhaps 50 feet tall. I couldn’t resist standing underneath it. A few other people were standing close, but no one was actually standing in the falls. I stuck my hand out to test the water and I couldn’t keep my arm up under the force of the falling water. I stuck my head under for a moment and immediately experienced a fierce series of slaps to the head. And thus I learned why no one was standing under the falls…

Maggie, Meredith, and I explored down stream a little further, away from the crowds. It was a bit of a jungle bushwhack as we clambered over the rocks. Not far from the falls, we found the confluence with the main valley stream. The water was cool and clear, flowing swiftly from the mountains. We swam and looked at all the interesting tropical plants. It was a lowkey adventure, but all around enjoyable.

I wish I could say the flight home was uneventful, but severe thunderstorms in Miami left us grounded for two extra nights. Maggie and I made the most of our bonus vacation day by wandering around the botanical gardens and spending the afternoon soaking up some sun on Miami beach. We left with wicked sunburns!

Overall, Cali was wonderful! While the trip was more so centered around the wedding than a typical “Russell and Maggie” style adventure, it was really great to reconnect with family and make new friends in such an interesting place. The wedding was beautiful and tons of fun! Everyone was incredibly nice and welcoming. The flora and fauna were unbelievable. There is so much more of Colombia to see, so it’s safe to say we would happily go back someday!

Other cool stuff which didn’t make it into the story: leaf cutter ants working through the night, trying fresh passion fruit, 89 Butterfly, and a Meriania flower1

¡Chao!