After a few days in Medellín, we check out of the Welcomm Spa and stuff our belongings into a 13-seater van for the 2-hour drive to Guatapé. Here, surrounded by mountains and glittering man-made lakes, we settle into a relaxed itinerary that doesn’t take us much further than the grounds of our Airbnb.
Category Archives: South America
Medellín: A Photo Journey
Seven years ago, I visited Colombia for the first time, inspired by a conversation with a diplomat on a flight to Panamá. Cartagena welcomed me then, with color-soaked cobblestone streets, sun-warmed beaches, and the bouncy rhythm of Cumbia and Vallenato. This past August, I returned to Colombia, trading sea breeze for crisp mountain air in Medellín.
Cacao + The Coast.
The Coast. 2am. It was late. Too late, I thought, for any of us to happily wake up to head to the beach in the morning. Our call time was terrible. We needed to be down by 7:45am at the latest. I was so sleep deprived that I considered suggesting we move the beach toContinue reading “Cacao + The Coast.”
Planning to visit Cartagena?
Since I posted my first photo from Cartagena, I’ve gotten a number of questions that focused heavily on how I navigated the vacation. What activities I did, how I dealt with safety issues, the language barrier, visa info + more. Although I answered each person individually, I penned this post to consolidate answers to allContinue reading “Planning to visit Cartagena?”
At Home in Cartagena.
I tend to get this feeling when traveling in Latin America; like I left one home and stepped right into another one.
24.5 hours in Otavalo, Ecuador
You know those places that make you want to elope or quit your job? Those cities where you find yourself thinking “I wish I had one more day”? Yeah, Ecuador is filled with them. On our travels, we met a few people who had either visited once and returned to live in the country orContinue reading “24.5 hours in Otavalo, Ecuador”
A Shopaholic’s Guide to Artisanal Markets in Ecuador
…or anywhere else. I can’t count how many times I bought an item from an artisan on the street or in an outdoor market in different cities in Ecuador. I’m not new to artisanal markets, but my trips here in Ecuador were definitely more successful and kind to my pocket because of a few tipsContinue reading “A Shopaholic’s Guide to Artisanal Markets in Ecuador”
A Hard Goodbye
Sunday, July 9, 2017 The Ecuador Journals: #7 Final Part “No, I haven’t tried quimbolito, but I want to,” I said to C in Spanish. “You haven’t tried it because you haven’t come to my house”, she replied in more fluent Spanish. What followed was an invitation to her house which we regretfully turned downContinue reading “A Hard Goodbye”
A Forest of Clouds
Another week, another part of this country ticked off a list I never had. If you had told me in May that I’d get to see this much of Ecuador, I would have asked you where the time would come from. Between our often busy weekly schedules and my graduate research project, I didn’t expectContinue reading “A Forest of Clouds”
Clear Blue Skies
Sunday, June 25, 2017 The Ecuador Journals #6 On some mornings, very rarely, the skies up here in the mountains are an almost crystal clear shade of blue. On days like this, if you’re in the right spot, you can see the peaks of mountains and snow-capped volcanoes. But every day isn’t like this; onContinue reading “Clear Blue Skies”