Cali, Colombia's Salsa Dancing Capital

I finally crossed the Colombian border.  After biking through the mountains of Baños, Ecuador, crossing rivers in cable-cars that flew down ziplines, getting drenched in waterfalls with caves that lead behind the splashing falls, and relaxing in hot thermal baths, Cali is a startling change to nature and an interesting first impression of the infamous country.

Cali is the salsa dancing capital of South America, known for its nightlife and provocatively dancing women.  But on the outside, the city is a dreary cement landscape.  The buildings are tall, solid faces of grey cement that allow for surprisingly few windows.  As someone who has a high tolerance (or recklessness) for entering zones known for urban danger, I've been nerved by the fact that streets empty the second the sun starts to set, leaving an eerie warning to travelers to stay indoors.  At the famed salsa bars, large signs loom outside stating that women are not permitted entrance without an accompanying male, which I'm not sure if that's in response to the frequent problems of taxi drivers preying on defenseless single women or if it's to force out the high amounts of prostitutes.  And night clubs in the city legally must close before one am, a strict curfew even tighter than in Boston.  It doesn't help that newspapers are filled with news about a police commissioner outside of Medellin who was just assassinated two days ago by the still present FARC rebels or the two police witnesses who were shot today by anti-governmental paramilitaries.

Once inside these salsa palaces, the repressed life from outside becomes forgotten and excitement comes alive.  Scantily dressed women move their hips to the fast rhythms that neatly dressed men set with their feet.  The mixed smell of sweat and rum and frenzied fervor vibrate throughout the small bars.  Between every song, partners change, then new pairs organize madness and romp across the dance floor.  Cool men and sexy women team up with calm faces as their bodies cut elegantly through seas of novices who bob to the same rhythmic waves that rock the wooden floors to the smooth Spanish music.

Although Cali has very little to offer tourists during daylight hours, the hostel sponsored salsa and yoga classes have been great introductions to Colombia's free spirited night life and to a nation emerging from its lingering violent past.

Cali, Colombia's Salsa Dancing Capital