Hurray for Jarabacoa

At the prodding of Spanish teacher Jacqui, some friends and I planned a Saturday excursion to Jarabacoa, a town in the Cordillera Central mountain range about an hour and a half from Santiago. Jacqui wanted us to take public transportation, but some cultural experiences are just unnecessary when you have a car, so I drove. We started our day off with a tour of Belarminio Ramírez e Hijos coffee, followed by two waterfall hikes. 

It takes approximately three years for coffee plants to start producing beans. 

A Zen garden of coffee beans, with outer layer #1 removed, drying in the sun. 

It smelled like chocolate in this room!

Small batch roasting & brewing equipment in the QC lab. 

Working hard or hardly working?

 After the beans are sorted by size and weight, 12-15 workers (all women) labor for 6-8 hours at a time sorting them by hand. Only the best are roasted, packaged, and eventually, brewed. 

Jo, Natalie, me, and Alba. 

Our search for the entrance to waterfall hike #1 resulted in a leisurely, winding drive with spontaneous stops when we came across vistas like this. 

Our first adventure together 💚

Cutest. Colmado. Ever. With a moto parked outside...the DR in a nutshell! 

Gorgeous blooms outside the house in the photo above, a short walk down the hillside next to the Colmado Piña. The owner pulled up (on a moto) right after I snapped this photo and told us that if we liked them, we could cut some and take them with us. We opted to let them be for others to enjoy. 

Waterfall Hike #1: Salto de Jimenoa I. A short (~ 20 min.) but steep, slippery hike got us to this spot. I'd have to watch it again to jog my memory, but you might recognize this view from Jurassic Park. (Yes, there is a Salto de Jimenoa II that I will have to check out another time.)

#picnicgoals

Waterfall Hike #2: Salto de Baiguate. With legs still feeling like JELL-O after the ascent from Salto de Jimenoa I, the relatively flat, paved walkway that led here was a welcome sight. 

Jacqui had prepared us for it to be chilly, but we couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather. It was refreshing to trade the noise and exhaust of the city for fresh air and sounds like rushing water...or at times, silence. 

Until next time, blessings!