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[sarakuper]

Filandia; a gem in the coffee region

Stop #12, February 19-22

Oh Filandia, we came to love you so fast! 

Filandia is a beautiful and quaint coffee town smack in the middle of the coffee region. The buildings are colorful and kept in wonderful condition. The town is surrounded by rolling lush green hills with magnificent mountains in the distance! We’ve enjoyed so much coffee here and are starting to understand that the coffee we drink at home is not as great as we thought! Even though the best coffee in Colombia gets exported, and we definitely drink it in the states, its not even just about the beans, it’s also about how it’s prepared! Many local coffee shops are starting to sell the best stuff right here in town, and they offer several ways to prepared your coffee. Sean and I have stuck with the traditional way and have yet to get so fancy with it, but we will soon :)

We arrived on Wednesday and walked around the quaint town. It immediately reminded us of Jardin, except smaller and with fewer people and tourists. On our way to the hostel we walked through a bunch of elementary and middle school students leaving school in their uniforms. It was so cute and made me a bit nostalgic! We enjoyed coffee and a snack at the edge of town overlooking the mountains. We walked around the town some more, wandered into their very many and very cute shops, and finished the night with dinner and a very, very highly rated restaurant that is mentioned every single time someone talks of Filandia. The hype got me very excited for this place, especially because a vegan blogger raved about it too (suggesting its vegan!). I was so disappointed in this restaurant :(. The yucca croquettes with their spicy jam was delish, and Sean said he loved the Colombian hot dog he ordered (which looked more like sushi). But when my falafel dish arrived and I want to put some on my fork, the falafel ball was so hard that my fork didn’t pierce it, and it went flying onto my lap with the thick layer of hummus. I’ve surprisingly eaten so much falafel in Colombia that has been the best I’ve ever had, and at this famous restaurant it was so over fried, it was difficult to get on your fork. 

(did you know bananas grew upwards!?)

On Thursday we went Barbas Bremen Natural Reserve to see the howler monkeys. We got picked up in a Willy’s Jeep from our hostel to head to the finca. After a brief introduction of the area and some coffee, our guide Alejandro led us into the jungle. We heard the monkeys from afar, and before we knew it we spotted 5 of them. If fact, we even saw two of them mating! These monkeys howl so loudly, its unbelievable! We were able to stand and watch them for quite some time before continuing the beautiful hike.

The rest of the day was spent at Cafe Cultivar, a cafe that quickly became our favorite hangout in Colombia. The views on their patio overlooked the lush fincas and hills surrounding town, and the few foods we tasted were absolutely delicious. I brought my laptop, and Sean and I spent a few hours there eating, sipping coffee, and working. I spend a lot of time on job applications and getting other stuff in order while Sean worked on stuff for the business he’s starting when he returns to the states! At night we went out for tacos, but within 30 minutes after eating the taco I had a very strong craving for pasta, and so we went out for a second dinner. To be fair, the tacos we had were small and more like appetizers….  :)

On Friday we planned on hiking to a double water fall that many people speak of, sharing that the walk there is very beautiful. But honestly, we loved our time just sitting at coffee shops, walking around, and enjoying the view. It rained most of the day, so instead of the hike we just hung out. Just before sunset we walked to The Mirador for a 360 degree view of town and all the fincas, and at night we went to TukTuk, a Vietnamese restaurant. I essentially ordered a plate of veggies, but they were seasoned to perfection! Also it was an absolute HUGE portion, I’m surprised I even finished half. I love when restaurants have delish veg options!! 

Our last day in Filandia was one for the books. After yet another delicious and healthy breakfast we sipped our coffee and took in the beautiful dining room in this hostel. It feels like you’re outside in a very lush garden. Then we packed up our bags (which always takes me 3x longer than Sean) and began our 10k (5 mile) walk to the well-known Aprisco La Espanola. I had read about this place in a few blogs, the few that explored Filandia, and the reviews of this place sounded amazing. It’s a goat farm in the foothills outside town, and they cook up a huge meal (upon request/reservation) with everything fresh from their farm. A priest lives there and cooks there, but I don’t know how or why that’s relevant. We walked for almost 2 hours, but then hopped into a jeep driving by to help us get there a little quicker. The driver was Colombian but actually grew up and graduated from high school in New York! Anyway, he dropped us off 2k from the finca and we continued to walk. 

Upon arrival we walked around the finca and enjoyed the absolutely beautiful surroundings. Not only were the views gorgeous, but everything about the farm was too- the architecture in the buildings, the kitchen, the dogs-chickens-goats-peacocks-and birds, just everything! Of course Sean went straight to all the puppers to give them love and head scratches. The male peacock was running around with the goats and shortly after opened up his feathers. We were confused as to why, because the males only do this when trying to impress a female, but we eventually saw the female he was after in the distance.. and she was clearly not interested! 

Another group showed up and we were seated for lunch by 3pm. WOW, the food, just wow. The soup, which reminded me of the soup my mom makes on thanksgiving, was absolutely out of this world! It was the best soup I’ve ever had (sorry mamma!). I later learned it was made of pumpkin, carrots, celery.. and other fresh ingredients I cannot remember. Everything was truly delish. 

We rode back in another Willy’s Jeep with the people we shared lunch with. An American guy from Michigan just married his wife who is from Colombia, and they live together in Bogota. They married only a week ago, and so they were traveling around with their parents (who where also there) and a friend. They were super lovely people and we enjoyed our time with them. 

Next we are headed to Salento to visit the famous Cocora Valley!

Thanks for reading fam! I think my posts have gotten pretty boring because I haven’t kept them up to date like I’d like to- please don’t feel pressured to read. But definitely check out the photos :)

Love you all! 

[sarakuper]

Armenia; entering the coffee triangle of Colombia!

Stop #11, February 17-19

We did not do much at all in Armenia, except get a small introduction to the coffee culture! Armenia is a city in the coffee triangle of Colombia, but we are more interested in spending time in the small towns outside this city surrounded by the farms.

We walked around the neighborhood, spent some time in a nearby park (which has some interesting wildlife), and then visited a friendly cafe with excellent coffee. We really didn’t know what we were getting into with the coffee culture :)

In the meantime Sean and I were waiting to hear back from Felipe, the guy who organizes the volunteers back at Colombian Immersion (the language school we went to in Medellin). Our goal was to spend Sean’s last month (and my last 2 months) volunteering and taking classes. We would have had free accommodations and 20% off classes. Plus, our experience with the school was so fun that we really want to go back to learn more Spanish.  I hadn’t heard from Felipe in the time frame he said I would and it was making me anxious/nervous. Here I was applying for jobs 6 months in advance, yet it was super difficult to make plans 2 weeks in advance!

Eventually we heard back from Felipe; even though he tried very hard to make room for us, they currently have too many volunteers. He told us we are like family and that he is sorry he couldn’t make it happen. We were a bit disappointed, but because it took him so long to get back to us, we kind of expected it.

Anyway, everything happens for a reason. But now that we know, we can work on making other plans! All in all Sean and I mostly just enjoyed each others company relaxing, watching movies, and cooking in our empty (but very nice) hostel. And, of course, we drank lots of coffee.

Next stop is Filandia, a small coffee town just 45 minutes away.

Thanks for reading fam, love you all <3

[sarakuper]

Cali; the salsa capital

Stop #10, February 11-17

We landed in Cali late Tuesday night and got to our hostel, The Pelican Larry. Our “private bedroom” was awkwardly filled with one queen bed and two sets of bunk beds… and a bunch of skeeters!

Wednesday we walked around, ate a delish vegetarian lunch, and attempted to go to the river to cool down. After traveling about 45 minutes by bus, we waited for next one we needed to take, but it never showed. There’s a chance this bus only ran on Saturday’s but honestly we weren’t too sure. It was already 4pm by the time we decided to turn around, since we were warned to leave the river by 5 for safety. Even though our plans for the day totally failed, I still thought the bus system here is actually pretty impressive. 

Back at the hostel other travelers, including 3 German girls traveling on their gap year, invited us to visit Cristo Rey to watch the sunset. We ended up being a group of 8, taking two cabs to get there. We enjoyed the views and the sunset, then Sean, myself and two others went for a vegan dinner in town that was cheap and yummy. 

That night several of us played games at the hostel around a big table and eventually got ready to go out for salsa. We went to La Topa Tolondra, a famous salsa club. I thought I knew some salsa from when I traveled in Peru but Cali salsa is so different!!! I knew almost nothing of the dance moves. Cali is known for salsa and their nightlife so even though Sean and I are early birds, I did my best to embrace this. Sean wasn’t thrilled to go out, especially for salsa, but he came for me. 

The next day we slept in late missing the free (and basic) breakfast by the hostel. I spent all day working on some applications for jobs while Sean did Duolingo for hours. I didn’t know it until later but he was very determined to exceed my XP. Only duolingo-ers will understand that reference (Sue gets it)! The rest of the day was spent working on extending our travel visa and participating in an interview to volunteer at the spanish school we went to when we first arrived in Colombia. In the evening I joined the free intro to Cali Salsa dance class offered by the hostel. It was actually pretty fun, and a nice way to meet other travels too. And after learning all the basic steps, of course I wanted to go ahead and practice what I learned! 

Later that night many of us went out again, and since I felt safe to go with this group of people Sean stayed back since it was not interesting to him. The salsa bar we went to this night was called Tintindeo and was so much fun! I enjoyed it much more than the other salsa club because it felt more like a bar you could hang out in and also dance salsa with a lot less intimidation. The salsa club from the previous night was slightly awkward in that you were either dancing salsa or awkwardly watching along the side lines. Tintindeo has fun lights, and all of the salsa teachers were there (probably to encourage people to purchase private salsa lessons with them) and they were amazing to dance with! Of course they know you are learning, but some are better than others in leading and two of the teachers in particular made me feel like I knew what the hell I was doing!! By the end of the night I was super sweaty; I knew I had tried my best! 

Around 1 am the bar came to a close and the group I was with wanted to head to a raggaeton club nearby. Since it was considerably early I went along, but when I got there I felt like it was sketchy and the best of the night was behind us. I’ve learned that usually “the next place” is never as good as the first when the first one was a blast. So why stay out? I decided to leave, and so a friend put me in a cab to assure I’d get back safe. During the ride I followed the blue dot on my phone on google maps to ensure the driver was taking me to the right place. All was good, and even though Sean locked me out of the room on accident, the 24 hour host was able to let me in. 

There had been a lot of talk about ELN, a guerrilla group still remaining in Colombia, engaging in a violent protest from Friday - Sunday, February 14-16. Talk was that the cities were safe, but the small towns outside the city were not. We heard of tourists being told not to take busses between cities for their own safety. Afraid of this threat, we decided to extend our initial 3 day visit to Cali into a 6 day visit. We changed hostels on Friday and stayed until Monday morning, when it was reportedly safe to travel again.

This next hostel, Green House, was very quiet and relaxed. There were only 3 other tourists staying, 2 of them being Israeli’s on their gap year after the army. I love meeting Israeli’s because I feel like I have so much to talk about with them; being jewish, my family in Israel, and having visited the country many times. Usually when I travel to Central or South AmericaI meet many Israeli’s, but being there for 2 months at this point, these two were the first ones we met! 

After attempting to cook some version of the delicious lentil patties we’ve been eating (total fail btw) we got ready to go out to experience another club, this time not for Salsa. After reading a lot about Cali I understand now that their nightlife really is the main attraction of visiting Cali, and so this would be my 3rd night in a row going out! Sean was being a trooper and coming along with me. I had hoped the lack of salsa would make it more interesting for him. 

I had a few drinks with the Israeli’s while we talked a bunch. Sean didn’t feel like joining the conversation even though I tried to include him time and time again, as did the two Israeli’s, he didn’t budge. Sometimes it’s hard because I absolutely love socializing (when I actually like the people), and traveling as a couple makes it slightly harder to socialize than when I had traveled alone in the past. Anyway, Sean and I eventually went out to La Pergola which had a $20.000 cover (about $6). Even though this is quite expensive, we weren’t buying drinks there and were really going for the experience. As we approached the club in our cab we could hear the music from down the street. There was a long line to get in that moved surprisingly quickly. The club was huge and completely open having great views of the surrounding city. There were 3 floors playing different types of music, and really was a sight to see. It was especially fun when a very popular latin song came on and everyone in the club sang it together. We stayed until 1am before hopping into a cab back to the hostel.

The rest of the weekend, we spent our time just hanging out trying to avoid the serious heat of this place. By 1pm it gets so hot, all you can think about is swimming. By 2pm we left for a cab to Acuaparque de la Cana to spend the late afternoon in a children/family water park. We felt like teenagers having fun on all the watersides, walking around in our swim suits, eagerly checking out the next fun thing to do. One of Sean’s favorite was the zip line where you hung (together) on a bar that zip lines above a pool. You have to let go before it reaches the end plopping you right into the water! We did this one several times throughout the day. 

We did other rides as well including a high and long waterslide. Sean and I went on a slide, side by side, and my slide gave me a huge wedgie just before it shot me into the pool. Sean loved that one too, but I could not handle that level of discomfort again and so I chose to pass on repeating it. Another fun one was the toilet bowl (or at least that’s what we called it when we visited waterparks at camp)! We rented a two person tube that shot us through a tube spitting you out into a “bowl” that you flung around and around until you made it to the bottom. That one was super fun :) The last ride of the day for us was the wave pool, since it was 5pm and everything else was closing. It was fun and enjoyable until Sean realized how dirty the pool was and how much hair was in the water (LOL). 

Our last day in Cali we waited for the heat to pass before heading out for a bite and some walking around. We walked through the [very strange] cat statues, as well as a lovely park for people watching. Our time in Cali was fun, but now it’s time to leave (hopefully to somewhere less hot)!

Thanks for reading fam, love you all.

[sarakuper]

Minca, Santa Marta (again), and Palomino

Stop #9, February 5-11

Ugh. Here we go! While I’m writing this post its actually February 18th, and I wrote nothing during our time in Minca, Santa Marta (again), and Palomino, Feb 5-11. So here’s my best shot.

We took a collectivo (a van) about 45 minutes from Santa Marta to Minca. Right when we arrived we noticed two things: 1- everyone here is backpacker (unless you work in tourism, then you’re Colombian) and 2- everyone’s arms and legs looked diseased, but really they were just completely covered in what we thought were mosquito bites, but learned later were bites from sandflies.

We climbed all the way up to our hostel, Casa Loma, which had excellent reviews. It was all the way up in the mountains at the perfect angle to watch the sunset. This place didn’t have a kitchen for the guests but offered meals all day, only serving vegetarian dishes “that will make you feel like you’re eating meat”. We got a private room, but after our first night, and eating their delicious tacos, I woke up not feeling well at all. We had to change rooms because our private room wasn’t available for the 4 consecutive nights we planned to stay. So Sean packed up all my things and moved us to our other room. I hated the rooms. Im sure it was partly because I was sick, but also they were basically huts with no where to put your things. It was only big enough for a bed and nothing else. You couldn’t even stand in it! It looks really nice and rustic (I think so anyway) but while they looked pretty they lacked comfort in so many ways. The mosquito net around the bed was also super small making everything feel claustrophobic. Anyway, I had the same illness in Jardin, so at least I know what to expect. It was also very hot in Minca, and there was absolutely no breeze or circulation in the rooms. There was barely electricity, so asking for a fan was out of the question. Luckily, when Sean told them I got sick, they were willing to give us a refund for our last two nights. We left the morning after our second night and went straight back to La Guaca, my favorite hostel. La Guaca had A/C in the rooms and honestly, that’s what I really wanted while feeling sick in 95 degree weather!

Sean didn’t like Minca anyway. It was waaaaay too white, too accommodating for tourists/backpackers. It didn’t feel Colombian at all. And, while it was beautiful, we felt we had experienced the things Minca could offer but back in San Rafael, the very Colombian town where we did our first workaway. 

So, adios Minca! It was nice knowing ya! Back to La Guaca Hostel in Santa Marta :)

At this point it was the 8th and we had a flight out of Santa Marta to Cali on the 11th. We spent the next few days in typical Santa Marta fashion; slept, ate, relaxed, beached, snorkeled. It was wonderful, I must say. Over this time I became friendly with Ana, one of the receptionists at La Guaca, giving her henna tattoos, and then Ana, her boyfriend Ash, myself, and Sean, hung out and played Uno. 

On the Sunday before we left we headed to Palomino for a day trip. We had heard a lot about Palomino from the backpackers but only made time to go as a day trip. And wow, we are really glad we did it that way! Palomino is basically a long dirt road loaded will hostels. Again, a town 100% accommodating to tourists and completley without locals (except those working in tourism). Once we got to the beach we walked down a long ways and found the most beautiful area. One of the things Sean learned from our summer camping trip is to always travel as far down the path as possible, not stopping when you think you've found a good spot. Then, by the time you've reached the end you will truly know if you've found the best spot. The ocean was so strong, it didn’t seem safe or appealing for swimming. But, we walked to where the river meets the ocean, and this is where all the locals come to spend their time. It was filled with both tourists from all over the world and also from Colombia. We found a spot to lay nestled under tons of palm trees and enjoyed the rest of the day admiring the gorgeous scenery of all the things you didn’t know you could see in one place: The ocean, river, snowcapped mountains, and a forest filled with palm trees. AMAZING. We really enjoyed this day trip. Completely without wifi or technology, in an amazing place. Sean and I were so relaxed and so connected. All was absolutely wonderful. Oh, and did I mention the adorable puppy and dogs running around? We named this cute puppy, Boyle :)

On our last full day in Santa Marta we went to Migración Colombia, to follow up with our visa extension. We are given 90 days of travel without a visa, and apparently you can extend it another 90 days via a form online, but it hasn’t worked for us. That’s a whole mess that still isn’t fully resolved, so I’m not going to bother getting into it! Needless to say, we wasted an afternoon and a morning at the migration office making little progress.

Next stop is Cali, the salsa capital of Colombia! We are heading down there as our furthest point south before making our way back to Medellin. 

Thanks for reading fam, love you all.

[sarakuper]

Santa Marta & Tayrona National Park; the coast of Colombia

Stop #8, January 28-February 5

We arrived in Santa Marta on Tuesday night with little expectation of what Santa Marta had to offer. Blog’s I’ve read had mixed reviews about this city, as were the reviews I heard from friends and other travelers. Either way, we had such an exciting month that took lots of planning up until now, and now we have no plans other than where we are sleeping at night.

We stayed at La Guaca hostel and got a private room. The hostel is really nice and clean and overall just has good vibes! This place quickly became my favorite hostel.

Wednesday was our first full day, and after sleeping in and taking our time with breakfast we headed into town. It turned out to be a really wonderful day. We wandered the streets of Santa Marta, both the touristy and non touristy spots. We picked up fruit and water at the grocery store to help out some of the young Venezuelan refugees in the area. We stopped in a suuuuuuuper hippy dippy cafe that was so beautiful; an entire wall was covered in plants! And, I swear, I recall a waterfall.. and mist spraying from the ceiling. Its so hot here in Santa Marta, the mist was a pleasant surprise! We continued to walk around and then we explored the free gold museum which was actually quite lovely. It showcased the lost golf of the indigenous Taironas. Lastly, we walked along the bay before renting chairs on the beach for the last 2 hours of sunlight. We were continuously asked to buy things from several vendors, but I only said yes to a young pregnant woman selling massages. I’ve been wanting one anyway, and I totally have a soft spot for pregnant women!! She is from Cartagena originally and already has one child, but the competition is too high in Cartagena so they now live in Santa Marta. Once it was over I stripped down to my undies, not expecting to swim today, and went for a dip. Luckily for me I was wearing granny panties so this time my white behind wasn’t blaring at everyone.

About an hour later we starting chatting with the family that rented chairs next to us. They are Colombian, living in Medellin, and are on vacation. It was a husband and wife named Oscar and Elisabeth, and their 18 year old daughter Mariana. The family was immediately welcoming and were really impressed with our Spanish. We talked about our favorite foods in the country and when I mentioned the delicious coconut rice in the caribbean coast, Elisabeth immediately invited me to her house in Medellin to teach me how to cook it. Hers, she says, is way better than any restaurants. :) We ended up hitting it off with this family so well that we exchanged numbers and planned to go to another beach together, the next day.

The next day we met at a bus stop at 11:00am to get on the local bus to Tagana, the neighboring fishing village with their own beach. Once we arrived we chatted with the boat companies at the dock and arranged for a transfer to Playa Grande. The boat ride was about 5 minutes, and we appeared on a blue beach with many other locals and tourists. We spent the day reading, drinking, swimming, and snorkeling with Oscar’s basic snorkel gear. I was so surprised by how many fish there were right along this beach! It was a great day with our new friends, and it was especially enjoyable to experience Santa Marta like locals (from Colombia) instead of gringos :)

For the next day, January 31st, we decided to splurge on a tour to a beach in Tayrona National Park. The park will be closing for the month of February, so unfortunately we won’t have time to explore it. They close every year for one month for restoration, and also so that the indigenous people living there can have time off from the tourists to connect with their roots. Our hostel offers a day trip to one of their many famous beaches, and so thats what we did!

Our early morning transport to Tyrona came at 6am. I slept on most of the journey, but once we finally arrived to the coast we took a boat for about 5 minutes to Playa Crystal. There were more people than I thought there would be, but it was a stunning beach none the less. The water is crystal clear (hence the name), and there was fantastic snorkeling. Sean bought some basic snorkeling gear at the grocery store the night before so we didn’t have to continue paying for rentals. It was a smart move, because even if we don’t take them with us once we leave it still saved us money. We made some friends on this tour as well, a couple from Spain and another Colombian couple that live in England now. We shared the cost of beach chairs in the shade and enjoyed another beautiful day on the beach. This beach was definitely the most beautiful one we were able to visit.

The next day we did absolutely nothing! Well, we actually did a lot of important things, but from bed. We had been so sun kissed and tired from the snorkeling this last week we decided to take the day off! I worked on my Colorado license for teaching, booked our next flights, organized our next hostels, uploaded photos (and worked on my tumblr posts), etc. Sean completed both our applications for a visa extension which was more complicated than it probably should be! He also went food shopping for us, buying lots of guacamole ingredients which I planned to prepare for the Super Bowl. We also both did a ton of Duolingo; we’ve been super into it lately, as its the only Spanish class we have at the moment! It was actually a very productive day, and in the evening we took a taxi to meet our Colombian friends Elisabeth, Oscar, and Mariana, for beers and people watching on a busy strip of beach in Rodadero. We danced, ate, drank, chatted, and really just continued to enjoy each others company!

The next day, Super Bowl Sunday, we slept in, went out for lunch, and then headed back to La Bahia de Santa Marta, the bay of Santa Marta. We met our friends again, swam, played Uno (which they gave us as a gift), and headed back with plenty of time to shower and watch the super-bowl pregame. Did the Super Bowl half time show have a lot of Spanish!? We watched the same show, right!? I thought it was a great coincidence that Shakira was one of the performers, because she is from Colombia! And I also loved how JLo held the Puerto Rican flag during the show. YASSSS QUEEN! 

On Monday we finally made it to Sisiguaca, a tiny beach close to Playa Grande in Taganga that the receptionist at the hostel told us about. We took a boat from Taganga beach about 5 minutes to Sisguaca where we shared a small beach with maybe 15 others. We sat in the shade close to the water, relaxed, and snorkeled. At this point our Colombian friends had flown back to Medellin. They invited us to stay in their home whenever we get back to Medellin; we look forward to seeing them again! Anyway, back to Sisiguaca. I ordered my favorite dish, arroz de coco (coconut rice), with a side of patacones at the tiny restaurant along the shore. The snorkeling was fabulous, as was our quiet surroundings. After throwing the nerf football around as the sun began to set, we headed back to Taganga via boat and then bus to Santa Marta. 

As per usual, we stopped at the grocery store on the way home to pick up some ingredients for our go-to dinner at “home”... pasta! But by this point we’ve gotten into the habit of buying water and bananas for the Venezuelan refugees seeking help outside the grocery store. Its became part of our routine in Santa Marta. Bottles of water and bananas/some other food is the least we could do and cost very little. The women with their baby girls were always happy to see us, as was this one disabled man that Sean helped out, every time we visited the store.

Next stop is Minca where we plan to stay for 4 nights before coming back to Santa Marta for a flight.

Thanks for reading fam, love you all. <3

[sarakuper]

Cartagena; Mom & Maria

Stop #7, January 22-28

Well, it’s clear I’ve gotten pretty bad at keeping up with journaling. But just telling you what we did each day is better than nothing!

Sean and I flew from Medellin to Cartagena on Wednesday the 22nd after parting ways with Josh at the international airport. I’m super grateful for the upgraded stay we had at the Hyatt Hotel in Bocagrande thanks to my mamma. My mom and my cousin Maria arrived the next day, but my mom got Sean and I our room a day sooner. After wandering along the local beach in the late afternoon we spoiled ourselves to room service and enjoyed the amenities of the hotel. Then a late night swim in the pool overlooking the ocean, yes please!

Mom and Maria arrived the next day. I decided to surprise them at the airport because even though it is a 15 minute ride to the hotel it’s not easy to get around without any Spanish. Plus, I knew my mom wouldn’t have any Colombian Pesos and exchanging currency at the airport costs way too much! After settling in and unpacking the four of us took a taxi into Old Town (aka The Old City or Walled City) to walk around and grab a bite for dinner. 

Friday morning we woke up for a free walking tour of Cartagena which was supposed to last about 2 hours. After about an hour in we were all terribly bored, feeling like the guide talked so much and yet we learned nothing. We gave him his tip early and ditched the tour, hitting up a local Panadería (bakery) whose smell brought us in from the streets. We bought a handful of breads/pastries for less than $3 and happily indulged. After shopping a little and walking around some more, the heat really kicked in. It was time to head back to the hotel to hang by the pool. Like many days on this leg of the trip, afternoons were spent at the hotel pool sipping mojitos. And again, like most nights, we ate out in The Old City. 

On Saturday we spent the morning exploring Castillo de San Felipe, a castle that protected the old city. There’s a lot of important history in Cartagena, but I won’t even attempt sharing my understanding of it because I only have so much brain capacity to get all the details right... let alone remember them. We did however pay a small price for a private tour guide so we wouldn’t blindly walk around the place making guesses about the history. Thankfully this tour guide was much better than our previous one 😂

The rest of the day, or at least until it got too hot, was about exploring the old city. I have to say it’s absolutely beautiful. It’s full of color, energy, history, tourists and locals and it really is just special. 

And once it got too hot... yup, we spent the late afternoon sun bathing and swimming at the hotel’s pool. 

Saturday morning we headed out to the Aviary, about an hour outside of the city, to check out the birds. It was such a wonderful visit and super cool to see such beautiful birds!! Of course we all loved seeing the flamingos up close. That was probably everyone’s favorite part if I had to guess.

After the Aviary we stopped at Playa Blanca which was super close to grab a quick bite on the beach. We didn’t plan this, and because of my poor Spanish I wrongly understood our driver and thought he would take us to the beach for lunch without extra charge. Well, the water was so gorgeous, it would have been a shame to be at this gorgeous beach and not swim in it! Me and Maria decided underwear would suffice as bathing suits. And even though I was wearing a thong, this is Colombia.. where all the woman dress as sexy as they want and no-one stares, cat calls, or even looks twice. It’s totally normal here to wear a thong bikini, etc. So I thought, no one will look twice at me.. if it weren't for my blaringly white behind. Maria, on the other hand, might as well be Latina with her sun kissed skin.

After our quick dip in the ocean, lunch was served. It was our first time eating the typical coastal dish of Colombia, which includes black coconut rice. And WOW was it delicious!! 

We headed back to the hotel where the driver told us the additional cost for the stop at Playa Blanca. It was that moment where I realized I better get back to school and learn more Spanish.. ASAP.

Monday was our last full day together and we decided to check our Rosario Islands. We took a speed boat for 1 hour and arrived at the island. Here Sean and I went on a snorkeling tour and mom and Maria held down some chairs at the beach. Snorkeling was fun, even though the corals don’t look as great as they probably should be. We got to see some cool fish, and of course take fun photos under water. 

When we got back to the island the 4 of us sat for our included lunch before relaxing back on the beach until it was time to leave. The boat ride back was a lot more rough than on the way there. Many people got totally soaked, and while my mom was freaking with fear, I couldn’t help but crack up at how soaked we were getting, like we were on a roller coaster in a water park. Eventually she couldn’t help but laugh too. 

That night we had our final dinner, back at the restaurant we loved the most while exploring The Old City. It’s very obviously a small family owned restaurant, and they had the most delicious food with the best service. Plus, it was women owned and run 💪🏽. And so I don’t forget, its called Portón de San Sebastián. 

Tuesday came, and after breakfast we packed, leaving us about an hour by the pool. It was so good to be with my mamma, and I know it was hard for her to say goodbye “leaving me” in Colombia, but I’m really glad her and Maria came and got a slice of our adventure. 

Next we’re headed to Santa Marta. Later fam! Love you all. 

[sarakuper]

Medellin & Guatape; Sam & Victoria

Stop #6, January 12-22

Ugh, crap! I haven’t written at all! Lots of details missing, but jotting down what I remember is definitely better than nothing.

After Jardin, Sean, Josh, and I stayed at an airbnb in Envigado, super close to the school we went to when we first arrived. We spent 3-4 days there exploring and continuing to hangout and have fun. One of the days we hiked to a waterfall, the same one Sean and I hiked to the day we thought we’d die on this hike. This time we just did the lower half of the hike… we didn’t feel like risking our lives this time!

Other times we played catch in La Cancha El Dorado with the Nerf howler football Josh brought for Sean from the US. So many of the local kids running around playing sports stopped to join. They were so curious about this mysterious football and kept asking were it came from and what it was called! They loved it so much.

Another day we checked out Medellin’s free Botanical Gardens, which had tons of huge Iguanas running around!

My bestie from college Sam, and her sister Victoria, met us in Medellin at a different airbnb late on Thursday night. They only had the weekend here, and so we packed it all in!

Friday we explored Comuna 13, and at night we went to this absolutely absurd bar called Dulce Jesus Mio, which means “my sweet jesus”. This place was an absolutely party. I can’t really explain it… but that’s why I have lots of photos and videos :)

Saturday we checked out Parque Arvi, then headed to Dimeli (our favorite restaurant in the neighborhood) for our favorite plate... the falafel burger! Sean and I talked about it so much that everyone ordered it. Seriously, all 5 of us ordering the same thing at a restaurant! But, it was so good that the girls were raving about it the next morning!!

On Sunday we headed to Guatape in our rental car (yes we rented again!) to spend the first half of the day canyoning, then the second half exploring Guatape. We took everyone on the same canyoning tour we did with Manuel from our Work exchange program, and everyone absolutely loved it. It was such a blast, especially to do all together! There was this huge waterfall where we zip lined down last time, but this time everyone decided to jump. I didn’t (HELL NO!) I faced my fears cliff jumping plenty in this last year traveling and didn’t need to push it. This jump was around 40ft tall which is HIGH! Sean and Sam basically had to trick themselves into doing it, meanwhile Josh committed to jumping off before he even saw the cliff. Thats why we call him Reckless Josh!

On Monday, our last [half] day together, we played Tejo. Tejo is the national sport of Colombia that involves gun powder and explosions. I was extremely bad at this game, and everyone else was actually pretty decent. Either way, it was totally fun to play!

Sam and Victoria left on Monday evening, and Sean, Josh and I spent Tuesday shopping and walking around Laureles (our most frequented neighborhood in Medellin). The boys got fresh haircuts and I got a pedicure in preparation for the beach! We went out for Mexican food on our last night together, getting both full and tipsy for cheap. We played cards, of course, and just had fun hanging out.

We headed to the airport together on the next day. Josh left for Colorado, and Sean and I left for Cartagena; it was time to meet up with my Mom and cousin Maria for a long weekend.

Thanks for reading fam! I think once all the visitors leave I will actually have more down time to journal more thoughtfully, although its been a blast having everyone!! :)

Love you all.

[sarakuper]

Jardin; a weekend excursion

Stop #5, January 10-12

We rented a car to head to Jardin, and I just have to say I would never trust anyone to drive a rental car in another country except Sean. I have full trust in his abilities, and feel super safe having him navigate this country and their crazy driving! 

So we headed south to Jardin, and all was well until we were stopped on the road to be warned of a rock fall resulting in a road closure until 3pm. It was about 1:45 at the time, so we decided to stop for lunch. Here’s the biggest mistake I’ve made so far.. I drank the juice at this random restaurant outside of Medellin. The water is potable in all the major cities in Colombia; because this stop was unplanned I didn’t even think twice about it; I ordered the usual and gulped down their fresh juice (made with water). I realized it was a bad idea about half way through the juice, but at that point it was already too late! 

We settled into our hostel and the bad water began to irritate my stomach. It wasn’t anything like being sick in Kenya. It was tolerable. Lots of gas pains and belches later, I was OK. We spent the evening eating dinner and walking around the city. It’s super beautiful, and the square is filled with people eating at colorful tables from both the restaurants and the street food vendors.

I made it through half of the next day as we explored the beautiful Jardin before I couldn’t continue. In the morning, after the boys had a nice long breakfast, we walked around the colorful city and hiked to a nearby charco (swimming hole). The boys swam in the freezing water, jumping in like a bunch of hoolagans, while I took their photos :). They really enjoyed themselves, as I did the people watching. We continued to walk up the mountain with intentions of reaching their small cable car, but at this point I couldn’t make it. Sean got me tuk tuk and I headed back to the hostel. The worst had passed after the nap I immediately took and I started feeling better. The boys went out for a bite and drinks to watch a football game, and I continued to rest.

Sunday morning was much better for my stomach! I was excited to get another day (or at least half a day) in Jardin. We stopped by the famous sweets shop, which was so freaking cute with potted plants all over the walls, as well as some other shops, before we checked out another waterfall. 

Jardin is a really special place! Even with being sick I was able to appreciate the beauty of this beloved town.

Thanks for reading fam, love you all.

[sarakuper]

Medellin again; Josh has arrived!

Stop #4, January 7-10

Arriving back in Medellin from San Rafael was exciting. After a long, winding drive sitting in the very back row of the bus I was eager to get off. Just as we approached the bus station in the center of Medellin we encountered a closed highway. At this point our driver started making abrupt turns and u-turns down side streets since the main road was closed. It was already interesting to watch this big bus navigate the side streets, but I can’t say I was surprised when I heard a noise and then the bus shut down. Soon after everyone rushed out to see what was going on. We aren’t sure what happened but knew there was no reason to wait on this bus (which was clearly going nowhere) just to later transfer to a taxi to our hostels. Let’s get our bags and hop In a taxi now! So that’s what we did. And honestly, it saved us the headache of navigating through the busy and overcrowded bus terminal anyway!

We went back to the same hostel we started at, Backpackers Inn, but this time we got a private room. YAY… so much better, wow. We had one queen and one double bed and a private bathroom. And the best part, since we got 20% off for returning, the cost is about the same as the dorm room, or about $1 more a night. 

Josh landed late on Tuesday night. He and Sean had a few beers nearby before getting to bed and ready for the next day. Our first full day we walked around the neighborhood, went on an exotic fruit “tour” which was OK, but the market and the fruits were amazing! I could go back to that market to hang out there all morning. After that we then rode one of the trains and cable cars to get a view of the city. In our gondola there was another group of 3, 2 who lived in Medellin and 1, their abuela, from Venezuela. I spoke with them in Spanish back and forth for the entire ride up and down, and I really felt proud of myself for holding a conversion in another language. It’s been 1 month and I’ve come a long way, but the truth is there’s much more to go! Sean and I are hoping to go back to school to keep the ball rolling. 

In the evening we went for a delish Italian dinner, followed by beers and aguardiente, the beloved Colombian liquor, with friends we met at the hostel. We eventually made our way to Son Havana, a famous salsa club we had been to twice before. This “club” is filled with incredible salsa dancers and is a super authentic Colombian spot. I danced a bunch of salsa this night (of course because I had the liquid courage!) and had a blast. Even just sitting and watching the pros do their thing (which is what we did as the night went on) was just incredible. Its safe to say we had an awesome first day with Josh!

BUT, one friend that we were at the Salsa bar with, who left with other friends to go to another bar, got back to the hostel around 3am (we got back around 1am) and were sitting outside the hostel listening to music when all 5 of them were approached by 3 people trying to rob them at knifepoint. I don’t know the details, but they basically said no when asked to hand over their phones, and they “fought the muggers off” and eventually they left. Two things to always be reminded of: 1- don’t walk home, always take a cab. 2- never get too comfortable. Our friend admitted she was too comfortable, and this experience taught her not to be. Luckily no one was hurt, and all was OK. It also could have been avoided had she chosen to go inside the hostel right away.

Our next day with Josh we sent him on the free 4 hour tour of Medellin which Sean and I did on our first day. When it ended around 2:30 we met him downtown and took the tram through another beautiful neighborhood, and rode the metro cable up and down at the end of the tram. Sean and I had also explored this area before while on the field trip with Colombian Immersion. We remember eating the absolute best papas empanadas (potato empanadas, 100% vegan) from women cooking them on the streets, and luckily we saw them again on our way down. We caught these woman, who are 3 sisters, just as they were setting up shop. We waited 20 minutes for the first batch of empanadas. A batch of 7 empanadas cost $2 mil, which is about $0.65 USD. Between us three and another traveler Josh met on his tour, we ordered 4 batches and enjoyed them with glass bottles of Coca-cola. Oh yeah, the Coca-cola tastes soooo good here… they use real sugar!!! Anyway, the women were so friendly and kept giving us extra empanadas without charge, and we happily accepted.

We headed back to the hostel to relax and shower, and by the time we were ready for a late dinner, we all agreed we should go back to the same restaurant as the night before so we could splurge on their desserts. Their dessert menu looked so good, but because it was a bit on the expensive side we didn’t want to get too much the night before. I kept my meal light so I would have extra room for dessert. Well, we had such a hard time deciding on the desserts that we each ordered our own… plus another one to share. Yes. Thats what we did. And we didn’t regret it!

Our next stop is Jardin, a small Colombian town 3-4 hours south of Medellin. We decided to rent a car because between the 3 of us its pretty affordable, plus we can avoid the nausea and cramping from the bus. 

It feels awesome to have a friend travel with us, and we’re already having a blast! I think Josh is really loving it too :)

Thanks for reading, love you all.

[sarakuper]

San Rafael; Work Away

Stop #3, December 21-January 7

Our time in San Rafael was very relaxing, thrilling, and interesting. Some days we spent doing little to nothing, which was nice for a few days but too boring for me at some points. Other days Sean and I did some awesome activities pushing us both way out of our comfort zones. Lastly, we experienced authentic Colombian culture first hand. Being there for holidays and festivals meant we were there for some of the most quiet and exciting days of the year.

When we arrived on Saturday we had no idea what to expect. This stop being our first WorkAway, we wondered…what work would we be doing? How many hours were expected of us? Are any meals included? For that first day we hung out and enjoyed the beautiful location at the hostel, which is located on a steep hill, completely open and overlooking the city. It’s totally lush and absolutely beautiful. The view alone is a reason to spend all day in the hostel relaxing. 

There are 3 people who own the hostel, all Colombian, and all in their 20’s. Lili was there when we arrived, Manuel arrived the next day (Sunday), and Laura arrived after spending Christmas with her family in Medellin. Immediately after arriving Sean and I fell in love with their cat Canela, which is “cinnamon” in Spanish. We thought she was a kitten because she isn’t full sized, but it turns out she is an old lady! She lived on the property with the previous owner, who was thought to be not very kind to her. When Lili, Laura, and Manuel bought the place about a year ago, Canela was pregnant with a dead litter. They paid to have them surgically removed, and since then Canela has been their beloved pet. She is so cuddly and sweet. She jumps on your lap for pets or a nap, and she answer to your calls. She’s the kind of cat that acts like a dog. We immediately fell in love with her. It’s not like we are trying to fill a void or anything... :)

When Manuel arrived on Sunday we discussed the work we would be doing; we would redo the kitchen (and it really needed it) and lunch would be provided. We started making plans for this work Monday morning. I was going to repaint the kitchen and organize it differently while Sean would build some cabinet doors and shelves. Our work load was different each day. Sometimes we felt good with the work we were doing that we spent hours doing it. Other days we did little to nothing. Either way, Leidy and Karen came every morning to clean the hostel, and during our first week Leidy cooked us lunch too. And wow did she cook us the most delicious healthy food!!!

Leidy and Karen live in the same building as the hostel/language school in a separate apartment. Leidy is probably in her late 30’s or early 40’s, and Karen is her 10 year old daughter. Neither of them spoke a word of english, but they quickly became a big part of our trip in San Rafael. Since Karen was off from school she came to help her mom cook and clean every morning. One morning I was doing some henna on hands and legs when Karen told me “linda!” which means “cute” or “pretty” in Spanish. I asked her if she wanted one, and when she said yes I told her to ask her mom first. Next thing you know, I was giving henna tattoos to both Karen and Leidy; mandala type flowers on their legs and their names written on their wrists. I wish I took a photo of this, but I didn’t :(. I did however take a picture of my henna, and finally took a picture with Leidy and Karen on our last day.

From then on, Karen and I would hang out together almost every morning. She would help me study Spanish while also helping her mom work. I would pull up a new vocabulary word I wanted to learn from an app on my phone, and she and I would practice using that word in a sentence. She would then correct my awful grammar before moving on to the next new word. Some evenings after that I saw Karen and Leidy hanging out outside or walking into town. We always talked and all made efforts to communicate as much as possible. My broken Spanish was enough to connect with both of them, but what it really highlighted was that you don’t need to speak the same language to express love and kindness.

Over Christmas Eve we joined Lili’s boyfriend, Brandon, at his house where he was hosting a BBQ. And that’s exactly how Colombians celebrate Christmas; they BBQ on the street with beers and loud music. And they were kind enough to grill lots of veggies for me :)

During our time in San Rafael we experienced some epic thunder storms. It rained almost every night, and being in a hostel where the common area is wide open made the storms so fun. Normally when we went into town we did so in the evening and nights, only because the days were so hot, and so walking up and down the hills to the city center was a bit warm… but, every time we went out at night it was like a guessing game if we would get poured on. Every night was cloudy, so there was really no telling. It made it a little more fun :) I love rain in warm weather! 

Another day, after working and panting in the morning, we went to the nearest watering hole for a quick swim. Lili’s mom was in town, so we went together plus Bendzhi, a Chinese girl staying at our hostel long term. The watering hole was amazing for people watching. So many locals go there to cool off and swim. Kids ands dogs run around everywhere while vendors sell snacks from fresh fruit to churros. I wish I had photos, but it was better to bring little to nothing since we were ditching our stuff to go swimming.

Steve was another guy at our hostel, probably in his mid 40’s, and from Canada. We spent a good amount of time with him, especially after hiking to a waterfall with him, and Manuel. The hike was pretty short but beautiful. We walked right by horses and cows/bulls before approaching the waterfall.

Just before NYE Lili left to spend time in San Carlos, another town about an hour west, for the next month or so. Laura and Manuel both went to meet Manuel’s family, and so Sean and I had the hostel to ourselves. We went out in town and hung out at a bar until midnight, when everyone got up to hug and kiss each other. Soon after Sean and I went home to hit the hay. Neither of us were feeling great (my throat was sore and he had an allergy attack), plus we don’t particularly care much for this holiday.  

Something I loved about staying at this hostel was that on most days a group of small monkeys would come looking for food. Of course we bought bananas in preparation of this, and fed them quite often. They are so small and so cute!!! They would call at us until we fed them their beloved bananas.

The most exciting thing we did during our time in San Rafael was a canyoneering trip with Manuel, his sister Julianna, and her husband Freddy. We hiked to a spot along a river, got into wet suits and harnesses, and began our decent in the river. We slid down the rocks, jumped off cliffs, and repelled our way through the river. Sean’s fear of heights kicked in during the last part of the activity. But, there we were.. and there was no turning back! This trip was short, but seriously one of the coolest things we’ve done. We were so high on life from the awesome adventure it was!

Another day Manuel and Laura invited us on a fishing trip again with his sister and brother in law. We fished along a river, and although Sean and I both didn’t catch anything we still enjoyed the experience very much. Colorful birds where flying all around us, calling out to each other, and it was really beautiful to watch. Eventually we made our way to a waterfall where we “parked” our boats to go explore. We climbed to the top of the waterfall where we found a beautiful swimming hole to enjoy all to ourselves. We explored deeper, climbing up the next small waterfall. It was absolutely stunning, and easily the highlight of the fishing trip. We swam and jumped off the rocks (don’t worry- Manuel, a certified guide, checked to see that they were safe first) while enjoying all the beauty around us.

The next day we had the opportunity to visit a Panela farm, watching its production from start to finish. Panela is the natural sweetener widely used here in Colombia, and I think a lot of Latin America. It comes in thick blocks that are chipped at and use as sweeter for many of their drinks, specifically chocolate (the drink) and natural juice. We started by crushing the sugarcane using a machine, followed by a long cleaning process to purify the juice before it crystalizes into a sugar. The colombian family that owns the farm has been making Panela all their lives. The whole operation is run between 4 siblings; 3 brothers and 1 sister, all in their 70’s. The abuela welcomed us into her beautiful home and made us breakfast, and then lunch once it got late enough in the afternoon. I am so grateful to have been welcomed to this family’s farm and home with arms open wide. The love they put into this work, and the history behind it all makes it so special. For so many reasons this day was one I will never forget.

One of the last events that went on while we were gone (and yes, wow, a lot has really happened) was Festivo del Rio, festival of the river. We are not sure how the name is related to the celebrations, but what we do know is that this small town fills up with tons of Colombians from all over the country to come celebrate this festival at San Rafael. Restaurants were packed, the hostel we stayed at was fully booked, and the streets were crowded with happy people. On Friday night we watched part of the parade, where structures of mythical creatures ran the streets breathing fire and pure fun.

At the beginning of this post I wrote that times during this leg of the trip I was bored, yet I didn’t get to writing any of this post until the bus ride out of town. I didn’t realize how many special experiences we had until it was time to write about it. But thats exactly why I do this :)

And now that I am writing this while on the bus leaving San Rafael, it feels bitter sweet to leave. This town is so authentically Colombian. The only other English speakers we met were 3 others from our hostel, one Canadian, one American, and one Chinese who spoke English fluently. Saying goodbye was so sweet, as Laura told me that seeing my face is like getting a dose a diabetes. There’s a bit of a language barrier there.. but what she was saying is that I’m so sweet and she feels that every time she sees my face 😂. As for Leidy and Karen... well Leidy starting to cry. I told her “I miss you” in Spanish because I have no idea how to speak in future tense to say “I will miss you”. Karen, her 10 year old daughter who was my best friend on this leg of the trip, gave me hugs goodbye. I will miss practicing Spanish with her very much. She actually knows how to explain things to me better than the adults!

Anyway, I am so looking forward to Josh’s arrival! This is just the start of what I think will be a very fun month with friends (Sam and Victoria next week) and then my mom and cousin Maria in Cartagena! 

Thanks for reading fam, love you all.

[sarakuper]

Envigado; Spanish School!

Stop #2, December 8-21

We started Spanish School!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!

On Sunday afternoon we arrived at our Air BnB in Envigado. After settling in we walked within 2-3 blocks from our place and did some grocery shopping. We pretty much ate out for all our meals since we arrived, so I was really looking forward to cooking and eating healthy. On Monday we start Spanish school at Colombian Immersion, which is about 25 minutes away walking. Envigado is a more residential city just south of Medellin. This city has all Medellin has to offer including its beauty and liveliness, except without the crowds, tourists, AND it’s much safer :). We are now surrounded by locals and traditional Colombian life, enjoying the slower pace than the center of Medellin and the freedom to explore the entire town without worrying about walking into a sketchy neighborhood. Don’t worry, we are still being cautious, as you must be in any foreign city. Colombians like to say “don’t give papaya!”. It means “don’t give opportunity”; don’t bring more attention to yourself, because if you do your asking for trouble. Walking with your phone out and talking loudly, using fancy electronics in public, etc, are all examples of “giving papaya”. 

So, Day 1: We arrived at the Evigado campus for Colombian Immersion at 8:30am, just in time for coffee, buñelos (typical Colombian fried dough, often eaten for breakfast), and a short orientation before our classes began. We met other tourists from the US (including NYC!), New Zealand, England, and China who we shared the class with. Our first 4 hour class got me so excited and left me feeling super motivated to learn Spanish. I’m also a much better student now than I was when I was in high school and so I won’t be taking it for granted. Anyway, it was an amazing amazing day. Colombian Immersion offers actives every day after classes to really immerse you in Colombian culture and force you to practice your Spanish. 

Between our first class and the afternoon activity, a walking tour around Envigado, Sean and I walked around the neighborhood of the school and found a healthy plant based restaurant called Tulsi. And yes, I’m working on being vegan! I haven’t been perfect with cheese because EVERYTHING is made with cheese here, and I’m only now learning how to order vegan food in Spanish, but it’s a work in progress for me. Anyway, after a yummy and healthy lunch we walked back to our apartment to relax before the activities. During our walk we pass a large park that contains a soccer field, running track, exercise equipment, and a basketball court. Every time we pass it there are so many Colombians playing sports, working out, or just socializing. I was surprised by this because it really feels like Colombians all together live modern lifestyles, which I haven’t seen as much in other Latin American countries. Also, they LOVE their dogs in Medellin. Everyone has a dog, and they are all so cute! (WE MISS YOU JAXON <3)

Anyway, our cultural guide from Colombia Immersion, Felipe, took us on a tour of Envigado. We tried a delicious and also very strange fruit called granadilla. Ive never had to hit a fruit several times before in order to get it open! We also went to the park where there were tons of Christmas lights. Its super lindo (cute) and excellent to see at night.

Our first day left me on cloud 9. We felt like we were part of a community in a new community, getting out of our comfort zones in many ways and exploring this city from a local perspective. And this was all just our first day. I felt just as hyped and excited the entire 2 weeks we did it.

Instead of going into details of every singe day, I’ll give you a quick run down. Every day classes were from 9am-1pm, and at some point in the afternoon or night we participated in an activity with the friends we very quickly made in the school.

Tuesday- a barista came in to explain the coffee production process in Colombia and show us different methods of preparing for different tastes! Yes, we sampled 3-4 coffees as well!

Wednesday- we learned how to make Patacones (YUM) which is fried plantains smashed and then fried again. This was super fun and also extremely tasty! It was definitely my favorite activity this week.

Thursday- NADA. We took a breather and relaxed.

Friday- Every Friday there is a language exchange at the school from 6-10pm, and then everyone usually goes out dancing afterwords. It was a fun night out!

Saturday- We slept in, hung out, and explored our neighborhood. I found out that our local Panaderia (pan=bread, bakery) was absolutely DELICIOUS and cheap (like most things we find here. Starting that day I ordered fresh fruit juice and smoothies from them every day, and sometimes their baked goods with a chocolate drink. I often brought my notes to study, and even practiced with a local a few times.

At night we met up with our Australian friend Grace who was our classmate this week. 

Sunday- We met with our other friend Ari from class (also Jewish, also from New York, and happens to be a famous comedian…. ) and went hiking. This hike was super cool, but also A LOT more dangerous than we expected. We hiked to several waterfalls, but at one point we had to climb down something so steep, I wondered why we chose this hike. In the end, it was absolutely gorgeous and a great day.

Week 2 at school! Almost everyone in our class was the same (me, Sean, Ari, and Mason), except we lost Grace (our Australian friend who was traveling onward) and gained another student, Brian, from Texas. Week 2 was just as great. We learned how to make buñelos and another classic Colombian desert specifically eaten around Christmas time, sing typical Christmas songs, play a competitive game of soccer with some local kids, hiked and walked through more barrios in the city, and more. In our time here Colombian Immersion made us feel like we were all family, and I really wished we didn’t have to go.

Next we are heading to San Rafael, a small town about 3 hours east of Medellin, for our first Workaway experience.

Thanks for reading fam, love you all!!! Kisses to Jaxon!!!!

[sarakuper]

Medellin; Our first few days in Colombia

Stop #1, December 5-8

After a long night of travel and little sleep we finally arrived in Medellin, Colombia, around 10:30am on Thursday. Using the airport’s wifi I called an Uber to take us to our hostel, Backpackers Inn, about 45 minutes away. Uber is actually not legal in Colombia, but it’s the recommended form of travel for tourists. Local taxi’s aren’t always safe, and we were carrying too many heavy items to take the local bus. Since Uber technically isn’t legal, it’s important that we don’t behave as if we are getting into a cab. Basically, our driver must appear as our friend and one of us must sit in the front. Our 45 minute ride into the city was beautiful and affordable ($18). The scenery of the city is unparalleled to any other I’ve seen. Both the greenery and the neighborhoods lodged alongside the mountains makes the city jaw droppingly beautiful. When we arrived at our hostel we rested a bit, walked nearby for a very delicious and super cheap lunch ($3) before taking a nap. Only having gotten 3-4 hours of sleep we were both wiped out, so we spent the rest of our first day just hanging out and getting settled. 

At first we were not overly pleased with our dorm room in the hostel. Either I’m getting too old for this, or… actually yeah I’m just getting too old for it! We were in a 4 person dorm room and we both got top bunks which weren’t the easiest to climb (yeah, too old for that). There was also little room for our stuff, and the lockers large enough for my laptop were all being used. We did, however, enjoy the shared indoor and outdoor space where travelers from all over the world can meet and hang out. Over the course of the weekend we came to appreciate the hostel much more compared to our first impression. Mind over matter, always! 

The next day, our first full one in Medellin, was spent taking a 4 hour walking tour around the city. We took the metro to the tours’ meeting point, and were blown away by their metro system! On the tour we learned of the city’s history, including that talking about Pablo Escobar is like talking about Voldemort. You cannot just speak of him so casually and publicly. We also learned how cheap it is for us to shop here; they have every name brand you want but fake and high quality! We were warned to keep an eye on our belongings. Pickpocketing and petty theft is very common here, especially around Christmas time.

Earlier in the day we ate at what was soon to be our favorite spot for lunch, Dimeli. It was a middle eastern cafe with the most delicious food! As it turns out, our waiter is Jewish and from the Netherlands. We ended up eating at this spot almost every day while staying in this area :)

Saturday was spent exploring Comuna 13, which used to be the most dangerous barrio in the city. Now the barrio represents hope for a better future, and portrays this through their street art. The barrio is along side the mountains, and there are now escalators that take you up and through the barrio as a way to make the area more accessible to tourists. Not only was the art beautiful, but the people who lived there were so kind. The moment we got to the top it started to pour, which was not a surprise since Medellin is the City of Eternal Spring! Everyone crowded under an overhang to stay dry, but once it got too crowded Sean and I decided to split. We ran to a little market (like a tiny bodega) to buy some cervecas to drink on the street, staying dry underneath their awning. Another Colombian family from Bogota did the same, and we communicated mostly in english with their 12 year old daughter as the translator. She’d  been learning english in school. 

Once the rain cleared we walked through the barrio, talking with the locals as much as possible. They worked hard to make money accommodating us by selling drinks, taking photos, cooking food, or performing. These kinds of opportunities decreased the crime and violence rate in the neighborhood tremendously. 

The sun set just as we got back to the metro, and we decided to ride one of the cable cars round trip. The cable cars, part of the metro, were built to connect the poor and the wealthy areas of Medellin, to allow people from different parts of Medellin to come together. Its hard to imagine, but without the cable cars there’s not much getting around the barrios. There is mostly only space to walk, but no roads connecting the neighborhoods through this city! The cable car also reduced crimes in these barrios tremendously, proving the people with more work opportunities and just opportunities in general. We rode the cable cars and had a 360 degree view of Medellin, with all the Christmas lights lit up and the silhouettes of the mountains everywhere. What a freaking cool city!!! And WOW do they looooove Christmas here! They go ALL out with very tacky Christmas lights and set ups outside their apartments and houses.

That night happened to be the “night of lights” (different lights) where Colombians hang out outside and light candles all over the street. We never ended up leaning the significance of this, but it has something to do with Christmas. Apparently the entire month of December is a big party. We ate our favorite dinner back at Dimeli before hanging out with other travelers and drinking mas cervesas throughout the night. 

Next stop: Colombian Immersion Language School. Wahoo! 

Thanks for reading, love you all.

[sarakuper]

Meanwhile...

November 13 - December 4

Our road trip came to and end and we spent a few days just outside of Denver to get some errands done to prepare for Elkhorn, New York City, and Colombia. After Sean did some work for his customers we went to our storage unit to pick up some bags we packed (right at the door) to bring with us.

Our next stop was Elkhorn to spend time with Sean’s family and take care of a few things... a few major things! The boys all built a fence in Sean’s parents backyard, and maaaaan was that more work than I expected. And, more time consuming! While Sean was doing that, I went through every inch of the camper getting rid of what we didn't need, storing what was staying put, and packing us both for Colombia. Depending on the part of Colombia you are in, the weather is very different. The equator passes through the southern part of the country, but even with that the temperature ranges from 40-100 degrees. So, we had to pack summer clothes with just a few warmer layers. I did read that Colombians mostly wear jean pants every day, no matter how hot it is. Well, I guess we’re packing plenty of jeans! 

After a lot of hard work, the fence was finished. Saying goodbye to Jaxon was so so sad. But honestly, Sean and I wouldn't have felt comfortable leaving him with anyone else. He is in the absolute best hands! Thank you so much Mike, Sue, Caite, and Jesse!!! 

In New York we did the usual; we saw all of my fam, some friends, and ate A LOT (including proseco and apps). Shocking, right? Well, over the course of the plane rides from Nebraska to New York, I became a vegan. Regardless, we still ate a lot :) 

I had been learning about and playing around with the idea of being “plant-based” over the last month or so. But watching the documentary “What The Health” on Netflix turned me into a vegan JUST LIKE THAT! My family was not pleased with this announcement; what would I eat for thanksgiving!? Well shortly after, Sean decided to be vegetarian, or at least vegetarian most days out of the week. He decided that after watching “Game Changer” which is another dope documentary on Netflix that talks about the power of plant based diets! Anyway, enough of that.

Thanksgiving (and my birthday) came and went. We did some last minute shopping for our trip, packed up our backpacks (I had to redo this about 3 times because I was packing too much), and before we knew it, it was time to go.

Next stop: Medellin, Colombia! (But first, a long layover in FLL).

Thanks for reading, love you all.

[sarakuper]

Capitol Reef National Park, Utah; Our last stop on the road!

Stop #36, Nov 9-11

I’ve fallen VERY behind and never actually posted about our last stop on the road trip, Capitol Reef! In my attempt to get caught up, here’s what I journaled at the time.

Capitol Reef is the least visited park out of Utah’s 5 (Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches) and probably one of the least visited in the country. There was no “pay station” upon the entrance, and almost everything felt very untouched. In general, it was very remote… and we absolutely LOVED it. There was no service which I deeply enjoyed. No matter how much I want to detach from my phone, I have a very hard time doing so unless I’m forced to. No service = no mindless scrolling. 

We arrived on Saturday to the campground in the park surrounded by canyon walls and the remnants of fall, with crunchy colorful leaves still hanging on to their branches. Our surroundings were absolutely beautiful and there were deer EVERYWHERE!! Our campsite was along an apple orchard, and even though there are no apples right now we believe the deer are used to coming to the area for food, and so they are very comfortable here. The orchard is right along the river too, making it an even better place for wildlife. And, of course, Jaxon was freaking out. We pretty much had to keep the blinds closed at all times otherwise we would hear his high pitched cry the entire time. We figure he’s saying “DAD, MOM, DID YOU SEE THAT DEER. DID YOU SEE IT? I NEED TO SEE IT. WHERE IS IT. WHERE DID IT GO. THERE IT IS. SEE IT?”  

Since we got to our site pretty early we still had some of the day to explore. We stopped by the visitors center to get a map and a feel for how to best spend our time here. We drove to a few scenic spots to watch the sun set. At one beautiful spot in particular we saw a bride and groom photoshoot and I thought how gorgeous those photos will be! Shortly after, back at camp, I prepared for some astrophotography. I snapped a few pictures of our view for practice, and while the moon was too bright for the star-filled night shots I was going for, I was still satisfied with the practice shot as it shows some of the beauty we were surrounded by. 

The next day I woke up early and completely well rested. I took Jaxon on a walk (Sean usually does this every morning since he wakes up to use the restroom around the same time every day), made coffee, read some of a book, and journaled. I did this with the blinds wide open enjoying the peace and beauty only early mornings can offer. Sean slept in (usually that’s me!) and so we both had a very relaxing morning :) 

By 10am we were on the move; Sean took the lead and planned a fun filled day with a handful of short and easy hikes, rather doing one long and difficult one like usual. I was very tired of those long hikes and wanted to take it easy while still exploring, so this was perfect! First we hiked 2 miles out and back to Hickman Bridge. The leaves were bright, the river was flowing, and our time here felt so relaxing. The bridge was very cool as well as some of the other features we saw on the way.

We stopped back at the camper to cook some lunch and hang out with Jaxon before going out again to continue exploring. This time we drove to Capital Gorge for a short, slot-canyon type hike. Again, it was another peaceful and relaxing hike to enjoy our surroundings. 

Lastly we stopped at the Narrows where only Sean went on a quick 1-1.5 mile stroll. I was too tired and tried napping in the car, still enjoying the scenery from the windows. 

It was our last full day exploring on our road trip, and sadly it has come to an end. We left the next morning for Denver to take care of a couple things before spending time with family back in Nebraska and New York. 

Thank you for reading about our wonderful journey across the US! I only hope it continues while we are in Colombia! 

[sarakuper]

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Stop #35, Nov 6-9

Unfortunately, my drafts on Bryce Canyon and some of our next stop both got deleted. Since I write these as my “journal” its kind of hard to replicate, so I will just summarize what we did and how we spent our time. 

We arrived at our free camping spot in Dixie National Forest after a short drive from Zion feeling like this forest reminded us of Colorado. It was surprisingly filled with other RVs/Campers considering it was the middle of the week and temps were reaching 20 at night. We spent the first afternoon exploring parts of the National Forest with Jaxon admiring the hoodoo’s from up close, which you can see in the pictures below. 

The next day we slept in, cooked a nice breakfast, and I cleaned up the camper while Sean worked on Big Red (the truck). By noon we finally got it together to start our day, and we planned on renting ATV’s to explore the park or forest to do something different than hiking. But, unfortunatly, all the ATV rental companies closed for the season on Nov 1. We were 1 week late!  We decided to drive through the National Park instead and stop along the rim for some viewpoints.

Bryce Canyon, although beautiful, cool, and different, wasn’t overwhelmingly interesting to us. We planned to do a hike the next day which boasted amazing views, and so we were looking forward to that. 

We began our hike along the Fairlyland Loop which was about 8 mies long and had 1,600 feet of elevation gain. For whatever reason, I was very tired on this hike from the start. And while there were cool views of hoodoo’s, both Sean and I agreed that we would have enjoyed this hike more if it were 3-4 miles instead of 8. I was wiped from the hike and was eager to get back to Jaxon. 

We left on Saturday morning to head to Capital Reef, which will be our final road trip destination. I can't believe its so close to the end! 

Thanks for reading, love you all.

[sarakuper]

Zion National Park, Utah (again!)

Stop #34, Nov 3-6

For our second time in Zion on this trip Sean and I had a truly unforgettable experience as we completed two bucket list hikes. If my only mother knew what I was doing, she would have killed me…. but don’t worry Ma! We did it all very safely and came back in one piece. 

We arrived Sunday afternoon at the same dispersed camping site we stayed at back in July when we visited the first time. This time we camped at a spot higher up with views overlooking another beautiful canyon.  We set up camp, cooked dinner, played Kaluche (yes, I won.. again!), and mapped out our next day. We talked about doing Angel’s Landing, a very popular and difficult hike, about 5.4 miles long, that challenges anyones fear of heights. This hike boasts incredible views of the Zion Canyon and the need to use chains to climb all the way to the top of Angel’s Landing. A large majority of the hike is your typical, but also gorgeous, steep hike with several switchbacks. The last quarter of a mile (sounds short, right?) is where you risk your life holding onto chains and climbing up a steep and narrow cliff. 1-2 feet off the “trail” in either direction and splat, you’re dead. Honestly, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. It’s such a popular trail, people are basically waiting in line to climb to Angel’s landing! On average one person per year dies on this hike, but thousands of people hike it each year. Possibly hundreds of thousands. While we were discussing the possibility of this hike, Sean was unsure he would do it. He doesn’t fear many things (or at least doesn’t show it), but his fear of heights is real.

Monday morning came and we started our accent. Several switchbacks later we reached Scouts Lookout which is a plateau just before the risky climb to Angel’s Landing. This area was super crowded, and Sean and I were thinking “Let’s climb to the top and then come back here for lunch”. Angel’s landing is literally 0.5 miles away, so I thought this would be quick and we’d be eating lunch in no time. I also thought the portion of the hike we did was pretty much as risky as it gets… maaaaaaan was I wrong. 

Here is where the chains just begin. It was so crowded in this area, but we are so close right? I thought it was just around the bend. We started using the chains and I turned back to Sean where he shook his head at me. He didn’t need to use words; I knew this meant he wasn’t coming. I nodded back and continued on thinking to myself “this will be quick!”. Well, I got around the bend passing a large majority of the crowds, and there it was.. the scariest view I’ve ever seen. Reality set in as I actually saw the treacherous 0.5 mile hike ahead to the top of Angel’s Landing. At this point I thought “I’m already here. I made it this far. I’m doing it.”. 

A few minutes into the climb I made friends with the people immediately ahead and behind me. Most of them also came with a parter that stayed back at Scout’s Lookout. We encouraged each other and thought out loud “holy shit this is so dangerous and sketchy”. I don’t have a particular fear of heights, but I couldn’t even look to the right or left of me. All I could do was look down at my feet and the immediate steps ahead. I was terrified. This is where I thought to myself… if my mother knew what I was doing…  

I wanted to turn back. I was actually thinking this hike is so freaking stupid because of how dangerous it is. How is it possible that its crowded with hundreds (and maybe thousands) of people doing it each day!? There was no turning back now. We scrambled up the entire way, using the chains to pull ourselves up and to hold onto for dear life. But I did it. I made it to the top. I was so shook, I barely took any photos. I sat down and stayed down feeling the comfort of the ground below me. After the first set of chains I had to put my camera in my backpack because I needed it out of the way during the climb. One of the girls I climbed with forced me to get up and take pictures, and so here they are. 

I was very anxious to get down and be reunited with Sean. This “short” climb took way longer than I expected and I had already been gone for an hour. So, with most of the same people I climbed up with, we began our decent back to Scouts Lookout. I thought the way down would be way worse for 2 reasons; 1- navigating around the uphill traffic. There was NO room for two way traffic, and the large amounts of people doing this made it extra dangerous. 2- going down you are looking directly at the cliffs beside you. You are looking at how you will fall and die if you misstep. So yeah, thinking about the downhill made me even more scared. But as it turns out, and I’m not sure why, the decent back was actually less scary than the way up. I made it back to Scouts Lookaut and found Sean, immediately running into his arms for a huge hug. I wasn’t sure if he was worried about me because I was gone for so long, but he gave me a huge smile and high five. He actually climbed up to a different viewpoint and was watching me climb up and down through his binoculars. He was very proud of me and also felt reaffirmed that he didn’t do it because of what he saw through the binoculars and because of what I shared about it. This might have been the craziest thing I’ve ever done and I will never do it again. But damn I DID IT!!

After the hike into the Grand Canyon my legs were absolutely fried. I was very excited that after completing Angel’s Landing my legs and body felt strong and were not aching in pain. I guess the South Kaibab hike to Skeleton’s point was a good warm up hike after all! 

That afternoon and evening we prepared for our next adventure, hiking to The Subway from the bottom up. We rented water shoes and socks from a local rental shop. A few days prior I inquired with the Wilderness department at Zion about a getting a permit to do this hike. It’s a non maintained trail in the backcountry that takes route finding, scrambling, and hiking through water to complete. I tried to get a permit for this hike back in July but was denied because they reached the maximum number of people to permit for that day. Looking back I’m so glad I was denied then; I was not a strong enough hiker to complete this challenge! Looking at the stats this hike is 9.1 miles and 1,500 feet in elevation gain. I’ve completed hikes with more challenging statistics, so I was confident that I could do it. But this hike is a lot more technical and complex than that. And no matter how much we read about it, I didn’t realize how challenging this hike actually was until we were there doing it. 

The trailhead was almost 1.5 hours away, and so we hit the road before 7am to get a decently early start. We started the hike on a normal path for about 0.5 miles before completing a very (and I mean VERY) steed downward climb to the river. Once we made it to the river we placed neon rope around the area as a marker so we knew where to get out of the river on the return. We didn’t see a “trail” at this point, so we hiked through the river upstream. As long as we follow the river we will make it to The Subway.

After about 30 minutes navigating around rocks and trying to not to slip, we realized we were moving very slowly. We needed to find the trail so we could get a move on. Sean found the “trail”, which came and went every few minutes. We crossed the river, climbed, and jumped over large rocks and boulders to make our way through. It felt very strenuous, and was taking much longer than a typical hike. This gave me a serious appreciation for maintained trails where all I needed to do was “follow”. But Sean was our guide that day, and when I wanted to turn around because it was too hard he gave me the tough love I needed to make it to the end. It was me who wanted to do The Subway so badly anyway! Well, after 4 hours (yes, it took 4 hours to go 4.5 miles!) we made it to The Subway. And WOW, this place was absolutely spectacular. I will let the photos speak for themselves.

We took enjoyed the scenery, took photos, ate lunch, and began our hike back in hopes to make it back for Jaxon before sunset. It turns out the hike back was a lot easier and went by much faster. Maybe that’s because we actually found the “trail” and did a lot less hiking through the river and scrambling compared to our way up. Oh, and did I mention there are dinosaur tracks right along this trial? Seriously! They are very hard to find, but with our AllTrails map we were able to spot them!

We made it back to the car around 4pm taking us a total of 7.5 hours to complete this hike. We were proud of ourselves as we left the trail feeling very accomplished! I could never have done this hike without Sean and am grateful for his ability to navigate us safely and push me  with tough love and encouragement when I needed it most.

What an incredible two days we just had. What an amazing 4 months its been.

We have another week of traveling in the trailer and visiting national parks before we begin preparing for the next chapter of our trip. Once we get to Denver on Nov 13(ish), this amazing part of our journey will come to an end.

I’m feeling very grateful for all the new places we’ve seen, experiences we’ve had, and for the time me, Sean, and Jaxon have spent together just us in the small quarters of our trailer thats become our home. It will be hard to say goodbye to our mobile home, but significantly harder to say goodbye to Jaxon. That is something we are really not looking forward to; my heart breaks just thinking about it.

Thanks for reading, love you all.

[sarakuper]

Page/Antelope Canyon, Arizona

Stop #33, Oct 2-3

We stayed in Page, Arizona, and paid for camping to do some laundry, fill up on water, and charge the trailer’s battery. Luckily temps were above 32 degrees, so we were able to use and keep water in our tank! Also, at this point we desperately needed a shower. Its been too many days for me to admit, but we also had no choice… kind of. Now that we had water in the trailer I was ready to get clean!!!! As soon as I turned on the faucet water started spewing everywhere! Clearly, while the pipes froze, something broke in our shower-head. I was very grateful we were at a campsite that included hot showers in their amenities.

On Sunday morning, while Sean was walking Jaxon, he noticed that there were hot air balloons everywhere. Turns out we stayed in Page during the hot air balloon regatta and so we watched for a while before heading over to Antelope Canyon for our paid tour. Meanwhile, Jo and Bert were also in Page watching the balloons from the opposite side of us! Sean and Jo were texting pictures to eachother.

Antelope Canyon, we finally did it! It’s definitely overpriced, but WOW this slot canyon is absolutely STUNNING. It was a clear day with no clouds in sight, which is perfect for this tour; the light from the sun reflects off the walls making every perspective and angle extremely colorful and photogenic. This place makes any amateur photographer feel like a total pro.

Even with the price, I’m really glad we did it! It made me want to explore more slot canyons, which we are trying to do at Zion (if we get our allotted permit). What’s also crazy is that during monsoon season these canyons experience flash floods where the entire canyon fills up with rushing water, killing anyone and anything in it. Because of this (erosion), the shape of the canyon is always changing. Scary, and also cool. 

Well, we are headed back to Zion! This time, with cooler temperatures, we should be able to explore much more of it. I felt that the last time we were there 1- it was too hot to hike/keep Jaxon in the trailer, and 2- I wasn’t as good of a hiker as I am now, so I avoided the challenging stuff. That place was so gorgeous. I’m pumped we’re going back!!

Thanks for reading, love you all.