Ollantaytambo, Peru

It’s great to be back, Peru. If nothing else I’ve sure missed your avocados. I can finally attempt to prove to Ali all the claims I’ve been making the last two years about Peru’s world class avocados. And I think we can both agree I wasn’t lying! We were a little sad to leave Colombia, as well as sad to leave Fernando there at the airport (Fernando you seemed a little sad too), but have loved every minute since arriving in Peru. We’ve spent the first two weeks entirely in Ollantaytambo (other than an hour or two in the still small neighboring Urubamba), so Ali’s only Peruvian experiences stem from this one essentially large neighborhood, but we really are loving it here. The views in the Sacred Valley are heavenly, the food and drinks are cheap and delicious, and most of all the people are just amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many friendly kids in my life. From the 10 year-olds playing basketball who looked up and saw us and stopped to wave, to the girl selling street food with her mom giggling as she noticed us watching her receive a little family hygiene care on the street, everyone has just been awesomely genuine. I now remember why I’ve missed it so much.

We found the Peruvian Santa Claus!

Two girls pick some wildflowers before their dance performance.

To get in we flew from Bogota to Lima, had a five hour layover in a lounge-less and wifi-less airport (first world problems, especially after United’s 1K status), caught a taxi to Grau Avenue and then a combi straight to Ollantaytambo. The combis are privately owned and operated 3-4 row vans that carry 8-12 people as part of the typical public transportation system. The gentleman in our row started chatting with us as soon as he got in; he was a teacher at the Urubamba Elementary School. After an extremely scenic two-hour ride, we arrived at our home for what would be the next three and a half weeks. We walked up to the main plaza, asked for directions, and showed up at Louise’s door 20 minutes later. Louise is the owner of the B&B, Apu Lodge, we would be volunteering at as part of a work exchange and was putting us up in her house until the spare room at the lodge opened up. She’s an awesome lady, originally from Scotland, that planned on visiting Ollantaytambo for one day but has stayed here for what has now been 10 years. We received a very warm and homey welcome by her, her two daughters Nina and Mayu Rumi, as well as the rest of her house mates. We didn’t work more than a few hours a day while we were living with her, but this gave us a few days to pick up the responsibilities and learn the ropes while we settled in a little, as well as acclimate to the change in altitude. Bogota is decently high on it’s own and offered a nice altitude warm-up, but Ollantaytambo is located at over 9,000 feet and your lungs can really feel it.

The view from Apu Lodge.

A neighbor of Apu Lodge spends a few final moments with her sheep.

The largest Incan ruin in Ollantaytambo.

We started hiking around a few of the what must be hundreds of local mountain trails right off the bat. We had to stop to catch our breath every few minutes, but we could also reasonably blame our frequent stops on wanting to take in the magnificent views . The valleys are unreal with the drastic and dynamic mountainous landscapes that completely encapsulate the small ancient town of Ollantaytambo. The B&B sits under one of the smaller ancient Incan ruins in the area, on the Pinkuylluna mountain side, at the top of a slight hill a few minutes walk from the main plaza; just enough to offer a spectacular view over the town. It’s not far, but the old Incan cobble-stone streets will quickly wear you out on even your shortest trips. There’s a reason we make it a point to advise all the tourists before they try to hall their suitcases up from the train station at 5 o’clock in the morning, or better yet after a full day of hiking Machu Picchu. The views really are stunning here. We’re not sure if it could keep us for 10 years, but we understand the almost magical draw and how Louise has come to make it her home.

Ancient Incan storehouses on Pinkuylluna mountain.

Our first hike of many!

Hiking through the sacred valley.

Are we in Germany or Peru?

The work exchange itself has been quite enjoyable. The locals we work with are all awesome, and Pancha and Carina cook a mean lunch. Our daily chores include working at the reception area, preparing and serving breakfast on our one morning shift per week, washing (in a washing machine) and hanging laundry, picking up around the reception area, and worst of all chatting with friendly guests. We’ve met loads of awesome people and made quite a few friends throughout the last few weeks, and even plan to visit a few along our travels.

Hasta la próxima vez!

Tayrona Park, Colombia

All throughout Colombia, locals and foreigners alike told us we had to visit Tayrona. It’s a huge national park on the north-east coast, nearing the Venezuela border. It’s got a rather hefty entrance fee, especially for cheap backpackers like ourselves (about 20 USD per person, just shy our daily budget), but we found it well worth the price none-the-less. We planned on hiking in with our new traveling companions, Maarten and Sofie, spending the night in hammocks near the beach, and then hiking back out and returning to our hostel in Santa Marta which was holding the rest of our stuff for the following night. We had our one bag (which Ben’s shoulders later regretted) packed, expectations set, and laxatives flowing…we were ready for the trek (aside from dragging Marteen and Sofie to the grocery store on our way to the bus stop, because we like to procrastinate). If our clairvoyance would have only informed us to bring soap and more clothes for our one night to turn into three. That we’ll need to work on.

We’re on our way, but not before Ben gets shit on first.

Hiking in Tayrona Park with Maarten and Sofie.

Tayrona Park should with certainty be included on anyone’s itinerary visiting northern Colombia. It’s absolutely beautiful. We passed a handful of backpackers along the way, and the campsites housed plenty more, but we still felt the isolation and raw nature of the jungle while inside the park. We saw all sorts of insects, including a scorpion, ornate butterflies and moths, two still unidentified small mammal-ish looking creatures, hundreds of jungle crabs, and a wide variety of birds; though the one animal we wanted to encounter managed to stay clear of our path. Ali was even using her perfected monkey call, but maybe she forgot to translate it into Spanish…The hike took about five hours on the way in, which we later were told should have taken three (or one??), had we not taken a round-about way searching for the 12,000 Peso (6 USD) hammocks we had heard about, but the scenery and landscapes along the way were unreal. We walked through densely wooded jungles, over steep rocky inclines, across a few quite-nice jungle boardwalks, and popped out right on the beach. Not too bad for a half day hike. We did eventually find the cheap hammocks though. We set down our stuff, showered under the stars and then grabbed a beer to relax before bed (er hammock). What we were also not aware of was that the hammocks’ low prices may have been due to the fact that the fees were being split with the fleas that we shared them with. The bites weren’t terrible, but they left a nice little mark on Ali’s forehead, Ben’s nose and his feet still look a little gnarly. But knowing our luck a few dozen flea bites ain’t the worst that could have happened.

Bukaru, where you can get a hammock and flea bites for only 12 COP. What a steal!

Ben prior to realizing his hammock had fleas.

Bird rock.

A little improv rock climbing.

We made it…sort of.

The next morning we hung out at the scenic beaches along the coast, and while we had just decided on staying another night with Maarten and Sofie, we quickly threw a wrench in the plans and chose to head further along the coast in search of surf. We hiked out that afternoon, leaving Maarten and Sofie to fend off the fleas on their own, and somehow this time the hike took one hour…who knows.

A nice escape from the humid forest.

We caught the first passing bus another 7Km to Costeño Beach. We had heard there was a surf-hostel there that rented boards, hammocks, and beds, and that was exactly what we were hoping for. We got in just before dark, after running the last 200 meters to beat the downpour, and grabbed a beer and dinner before bed. Costeño Beach is just as much the hostel we stayed at as it is an actual area; in that there is really nothing else there besides the hostel. They’ve got an awesome little setup though, plenty of boards to rent, a really chill vibe, an essentially private beach, and two cool Canadian brothers to run it.

Keep walking and you will eventually get there.

Our first morning there we heard the unfortunate news that there would be no surf that day. While we had already extended our little trek one night, had no soap, and had already sweated through all of our clothes, we came for the chance to surf and decided to stick it out one more night on the word that waves were on the way. And we couldn’t have been happier that we did. Later that afternoon, Ali randomly asked a group walking out of the site where they were headed. “To Rancho Relaxo”, one of the guys said. Weird. But we went; and it was awesome. We hopped in a 84′ POS Land Cruiser with 9 other people and took off. One of the Canadian brothers decided within the past year to buy a plot of land a short drive from Costeño Beach, where he has since been growing all types of fruits and vegetables, raising chickens, and learning to live off the land. They’ve built a little housing area with four basic rooms, an extremely nice open-air kitchen, as well as an area to sleep backpackers in hammocks. They have an essentially self-sufficient, yup, ranch, on the hill-sides of the Colombian coast, complete with a private waterfall and all. They have just been officially accepted into the WOOFING community too, and would love for anyone looking to volunteer for room and board and live off the land to come and join them. We wish we would have heard word earlier and had a chance to volunteer for a few days. Collum toured us around the ranch, telling us about as well as feeding us all of the fruits and vegetables he was growing, explained the challenges they had with different aspects, and ended it with a cold beer and a climb up their waterfall to the view of the coast. While the cruiser ran out of gas twice one our return trip, we made it back in time for dinner, and can add one more successful unexpected adventure to our list.

This land cruiser looks newer than it really is.

Ben enjoys fresh beans from the garden.

The waterfall at Rancho Relaxo.

Literally coasting back to Costeño Beach with our new friends…and a pineapple.

The perfect ending to a great day.

That next morning, which was our last as we were flying back to Bogota the next day, Ben woke up early to grab a board and was the first one out. The waves weren’t spectacular, and we had actually been told us it was the worst they’d been in quite a while, but they were good enough to catch some decent rides, and 8-10 others had paddled out by 10 that morning. By the time the winds picked up and turned the clean waves into annoying chop we had to checkout and be on our way. We were more than happy to arrive back to Hostal Candela y Chocolate, our at the time home away from home.  We were even happier to find that Maarten and Sophie had left us a bag of goodies, as they were just finishing off their 12-month adventure around the world. The bag of smelly clothes could not have come at a more perfect time, and we have since been wearing their clothes, after washing them of course. This longsleeve is quite comfy Maarten. Congrats to you both and thanks again!

Paddling out.

Costeño Beach.

Thanks Sofie and Maarten for the hand me downs!

It was a long “one night” trip, but we had a great time in Tayrona, climbed a waterfall in the coastal forested hills, and even caught some waves.

Not too shabby.

Santa Marta, Colombia

We arrived to the oldest city in Colombia, Santa Marta, after a scenic 4-hour bus ride down the Caribbean coastline; however, we spent most of our time in the area outside of Santa Marta exploring the surrounding areas that offer tourists a wider variety of outdoor activities (our favorite!).

For those of you who know Ali, it is no secret that she loves the water and so it should not surprise you that she convinced Ben to get his Open Water scuba certification the second we arrived. Fortunately for Ben (and our budget), Colombia is known for decent diving at a very affordable price, and is currently one of the cheapest places to get certified in the world.

Despite there being many companies to choose from, we decided to go with Oceano Scuba and we were glad that we did! The staff were fun and professional, and they offer free accommodation for divers at their cliff-side cabana. And when we say “cabana”, we really mean a small hut with hammocks, no running water or electricity and nowhere to go unless you decide you’re up for a 3 mile swim.

La Cabana.

 Since the cabana is only accessible by boat, Ali was dropped off at 9 a.m. when the dives started, was re-joined by the group for lunch at the cabana, and then waited until Ben completed his second day of the  course which was around 3 p.m. It did not take Ali long to become restless and decide to explore the area; and while she thought about climbing UP the cliff, she used her better judgement and decided against it. “How horrible would that be if I got injured, all alone with no one around?”, she thought. Timed selfie photos with a rustic cabana backdrop would just have to do!

 The photo below was taken just moments before Ali decided to make a few giant leaps into the air, causing her to slip on a large rock and roll her left ankle into a very uncomfortable and painful position. This photo was also taken about 3 hours before Ben was expected to return home from his second dive of the day and gave Ali a lot of time to think…about how she should have climbed that damned cliff after all! : )

Add one more tally to Ali’s injury list, thanks to an awesomely timed selfie.

Rubber bands and a bag of drinking water to reduce the swelling!

We spent the rest of that afternoon and night at the isolated cabana snorkeling, cliff jumping, reading and gazing at the stars before calling it a night.

Just hanging out at the cabana.

One of the coolest sunsets we’ve ever seen!

Ben gets some serious air while jumping off the cliff.

The next morning we were picked up by the boat to go diving and were happy to find that our friend from Belgium whom we met in Medellin, Maarten, had decided to join us for the day. The three of us enjoyed a great day of diving, with lots of colorful coral and plenty of fish to keep us entertained. After Ben completed his final exams and was officially Open Water certified, we went out for a celebratory beer with his instructor while we waited for our ride back to town.

Underwater salsa lesson.

Ben and Maarten after our first dive of the day.

Ben picks up trash on the beach between dives.

Benali goes scuba diving.

An electrifying view.

That night we packed up one shared bag for a two-day/one-night (or again, so we thought) excursion to a large national park on the coast. Maarten and his girlfriend Sophie would again be joining us. That night Ben also drank a little bottle of medicine known to help “move things along”, but we won’t get into that one…

Ben looking scared shitless.

Tyrona Park he we come!

Cartagena, Colombia

No Viajo por Llegar, Viajo por Ir

The third destination on our trip through Colombia was the coastal city of Cartagena. We had decided against many a suggestion but to our wallet’s benefit to take the 13-hour bus ride instead of the one-hour flight. The 12 extra hours would save us $8, at the minimum. As it turned out, the 13-hour expectation was also…at the minimum. A loonngg 26 hours after leaving Medellin, we arrived safe and sound in Cartagena. The strikes and protests that some of you may or may not have heard about are happening, and while they were good about keeping our buses away from the “danger zones” (we may or may not have been struck by a boulder-ish object, and 4 cars were apparently burned that night), it did still double our trip time. You can find more on the story here, but to sum it up the local farmers are hurting due to the free trade agreements with U.S. and European nations, as they cannot compete at the same prices, and are seeking support. We didn’t make it two hours before we pulled over to the side of the road at the first strike point, and stayed put while sleeping for the following six. This happened again after a 2-hour drive the next morning, though our second stop wasn’t quite as comfortable, as we sat on the side of the road in what had to have been mid-90’s humid summer heat for seven hours at a country-side pit stop. We did save our $8 though.

Our exciting life on the road.

We really should have brought a deck of cards or something!

We’ve decided Cartagena is a pretty cool city, though not literally, as it is honestly one of the hottest and most humid places we’ve ever been. Our first hostel of two was in an area called Getsemani, which is just outside of the old walled city.

A necessity in Cartegena as we quickly found out.

The entrance to the old city in Cartagena.

These old city walls were constructed in the 17th and 18th centuries, and were just in the last decade added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. And as Wikipedia just informed us, between 1751 and 1810 some 20+ million Spanish reales, the equivalent of approximately 2 trillion USD today, were invested in the city’s protection. So it was apparently a pretty big deal back in the day. Or  so Spain thought? Maybe it had something to do with the double-moon phenomenon that scientists are still incapable of explaining. As seen below, on one night each August, the tilt of the Earth and the relative positioning of the Earth, its Moon and the Sun cause the in-explainable illusion of there actually being two moons.

Look! Two moons.

We happened to catch Ben’s friend Amy Wharton (who you’ll hear more about later as she hooked us up with the sweet gig in beautiful Ollantaytambo, Peru) in Getsemani, and the three of us spent the day riding beach-cruisers around the area and through the walled city. That was until Ben’s bike crapped out on him, and he had to half walk, half drag it back. Turns out Ben’s old bike, which started out with a more than noticeable limp, was popping spokes like Lil’ Wayne pops bottles, and his tire’s limp quickly turned into a floppy rooster. He was grumpy. But we made it back, drenched in sweat, and walked back out a short distance to grab an already validated cheap delicious lunch, with some fresh local fruit juices. That night we hung around the scenic city walls, and grabbed some pizzas in the rather upscale area. The next morning Amy took off for the last stop of her South American journey as we moved on to our second hostel in Cartagena.

Ali learned it’s not easy taking photos while riding a bike.

Exploring the old city with Amy.

Enjoying a quiet little beach just outside the walled city.

Ben makes biking to the beach look good!

This second spot was in Castillo Grande, in hostel-owner Jose’s family apartment turned hostel.  As he informed us, each residential area in Colombia has an assigned classification, based on how expensive the property and surrounding area is, and his apartment/hostel happened to be in the 6th (which apparently is the most expensive despite the  $9 USD we were paying per night).  So we were in a much nicer and safer area than we had typically been used to. We were surrounded by high-end sky-rise apartments and condos, and were a quick 10-minute walk to Cartagena’s most popular beaches.

A van we found on our walk back from the beach. It roughly translates to “Life is a journey, not a destination.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

It was a different feel there, and not really what we were looking for, but it was clean and quiet, and Jose was very friendly. We met a cool young couple from Bogota who has since offered to show us the local side of their capital city, as well as made friends with 2 English speaking blokes from the other side of the Atlantic. They tipped us off on the “Volcan de Lodo El Totumo” aka the Mud Volcano, which turned out to be one of the weirdest most unique experiences we’ve had yet.

The mud volcano aka ant hill.

Ben does not look amused.

Mud monsters!

Next stop: Santa Marta, where we’ve heard there is not much else to do besides hike in Tayrona park or spend time at the beach. Sounds like our kind of place!

Hasta la proxima!

Medellín, Colombia

We spent our second week in Colombia in it’s second-largest city, Medellin. Once dubbed “the most violent city in the world” in the early 90’s, it is now a thriving and safe metropolitan city with an innovative and urban feel. They even have their own metro! We’ve never seen a metro so efficient, or clean. The DC Metro could learn a thing or two…but we digress. : )

Upon arrival, we immediately got a good vibe from the city. It is located in the Aburrá Valley, one of the most northerly of the Andes in South America, where you constantly have a view of the mountains and city lights. Needless to say, we were hooked.

Medellin: the city of eternal Spring!

The first two nights we stayed in El Poblado, the wealthiest and safest “comuna” in the city of Medellin. It was tough to find things “within our budget” when you’re staying in a city equivalent to the cost of Georgetown. We’ve learned that it’s not easy to spend $50 USD or a less a day for two people, however we’re doing our best! After a 9-hour overnight bus ride from Bogota to Medellin with an inside temperature of about oh, 40 degrees Fahrenheit, we decided we earned ourselves a beer as part of the 2×1 happy hour special taking place at our hostel. Our hostel mate who appeared to be normal (however we’ve been wrong before…) asked us if we wanted to “have the ultimate Colombian experience” and started to pull something out of his pocket.  No, mom(s), it was not drugs, but a container full of…ANTS! Ants with really really big butts. Both options were equally terrifying. Apparently these ants, called hormigas culonas, are a local delicacy in Colombia. Ben and Nathan, our new Australian mate, could not resist and they each popped one in their mouth. “It’s actually not that bad” Ben said at first, “but I think mine had poop in it’s butt.” That was all Ali needed to hear to make her decision to not partake in the Colombian delicacy.

These ants have big butts, and we cannot lie.

The following day we decided to venture out to see one of the less touristy tourist attractions, Piedra del Peñol. La Piedra, Spanish for “the stone” was formed in Antioquia approx. 70  million years ago and is quite a sight, even from afar! It took us about 2 hours to get there by bus and was well worth the wait. It’s a 10,000 COP entry fee (about $5 USD) to climb the 740 vertical steps and takes about 20-25 minutes and  to get to the top (or 9 minutes and 45 seconds if your name is Benjamin Price and you are acclimated to the elevation and in great shape).

That’s one big ass rock!

 

We decided to walk to the town of Guatapé (a little over 2 miles) rather than pay another 10,000 COP to take a Tuk-tuk and the scenery was unreal. If we could go back and do it over again, the only thing we would have done differently was stay a night or two in this quaint little town outside of the city. That and Ben would have made Ali get her own ice cream instead of sharing, because it was seriously the best ice cream we’ve ever had, and only 700 COP (approx. 40¢!).

 

 

Ben says, “Get your own!”

As we approached the weekend, we decided to move into a quieter neighborhood called Laureles to avoid the temptation of the bar below our hostel in El Poblado and the many requests of fellow backpackers to go out and party. It was there that we stayed at the Urban Buddah, which turned out to be the one of the coolest (and cleanest) hostels we’ve ever seen, and lucky for us, it was only $12/person a night! We really enjoyed our stay there and highly recommend it to anyone traveling through that area.

A little piece of paradise in Medellin.

The Urban Buddah Hostel in Medellin, Colombia.

Another reason why we loved Medellin was because the metro has cable cars that take you to various locations at the top of the mountain. We decided to spend our last day in the city at Parque Arvi nature reserve. Unfortunately we got a late start and didn’t get to explore as much as we would have liked to, but the farmers market and FREE bike rental (we love free things) kept us entertained for the short amount of time we were there.

We were sad to leave this amazing city but were looking forward to visiting Colombia’s caribbean coast. While numerous people HIGHLY recommended we fly due to the increased number of strikes, we elected to travel by bus to save a few bucks and make the most of the 13 hour ride from Medellin to Cartagena. Or at least we thought it would only take us 13 hours…

Hasta luego!

Bogotá, Colombia (cont…)

1 week down. Plus or minus 31 to go.

Our first week has officially come to a close, though this post will just cover Bogotá for now, and while we’ve yet to have any crazy experiences, we at least have some interesting ones to share. So here’s to you, Sebastian!

For those of you that know Ben well, you know that he tends to attract some crazies (and those of you that don’t , they’re usually not of the female persuasion). We’re happy to inform you that this inherent skill (?) of his is still working like a charm, and that the language/cultural barrier does not inhibit it in any way shape or form. So without further hesitation, begin Day 3.

Saturday morning we decided to visit the famous church that overlooks Bogotá; Monserrate (go ahead and ignore ¨The Curse of Monserrate¨ part…) It involves a quite monotonous climb up a seemingly endless stair set (500m high), but the spectacular view from the top more than makes up for it.

Llama!

Ali enjoying a much needed break on the way up!

There is also a funicular that you can take to the top, but we’re cheap, of course, so we hiked.

As we walked back, we happened to spot our newly made friend in the street right outside of our hostel, and visibly (even from afar) quite drunk. We hesitated on going back, as we were looking to just lay down and relax, and not have to deal with a very friendly but somewhat overbearing drunk, but decided to just head in. This is where the long foreshadowed story enters the picture, but we’ve got other less intriguing but generally fun/interesting updates to take up your time with, so for the full story please contact Ali or Ben. But, for a brief 7-step recap:

1. New friend somehow figures out Ali’s lock combination, and recites the numbered combination to us drunk and half passed out, asking Ben if he knew what the significance was, and adding ¨guardalo, Benhameen¨
2. We were creeped out BEFORE we realized what number he was reciting over and over (and over)
3. But we were even more creeped out after Ali realized that it was the combination to her padlock
4. We told the hostel staff that we wanted to leave, staff said we needed to pay as it was past check out time, we were cheap and didn’t want to, Ben had to explain
5. Staff decides it is best to wake up the drunkie after Ben’s explanation
6. 20 minute awkward conversation in Spanish commences, new friend makes up random lies about the number he was reciting, tells Ben he would never do this to him, tells him they are close friends, slaps himself a few times, tells Ben that he would do anything for him
7. New friend pays for our half-night’s charge while still denying it and we leave…we have yet to run into him again (thankfully!), but knowing our luck…

Our next spot, Alegria’s Hostel, however, we loved, and would recommend it to anyone traveling to Bogotá. The señoritas that run and own the place are super friendly, and also have two awesome dogs, Mocha and Poker, which helped Ali get over her longing for Tucker (as has Emily’s regular doggie updates; thanks Emily!). The interior itself is rustic, eclectic, and just all around cool. We made a handful of new friends, were invited to a free local theater event, walked around a Sunday flea market (with tons of cool, useless things we would have loved to be able to take back), and in general had a great few days.

Our walk from Alegria’s Hostel

Mocha and Poker eagerly awaiting Alegria’s return.

We walked the wong way at the Flea Market and discovered the Wong Kok!

The highlight of the Bogotá stay, though, had to have been trekking a little further out into the city to visit El Jardin Botanico, which was recommended by Alegria (hostel’s owner) and in the process unknowingly stumbling upon what can only be described as the largest gathering we’ve ever seen of genuinely happy people. It was a Monday, and a holiday, which may have added to the effect, but Simon Bolivar Park was filled with (we’re ball-parking here) 50,000 people. Kids, teenagers, adults, old fogies, whole families, you name it, and 50% of them were flying kites…The rest were literally, just playing. Throwing frisbees, chasing dogs, chasing each other, playing soccer, eating ice cream, tickling each other (not really, but we wouldn’t be surprised). We had to have seen at least 4 or 5 different groups of teenagers playfully wrestling and laughing (sans drugs or alcohol we think, although this is Colombia!). And everyone, and we mean everyone, was happy. Ali said she recently read an article about Colombians being the happiest country in the world, and while Ben would have probably previously disagreed, because he does that (and yes, Ben is writing this), he has since been persuaded otherwise, and now agrees with Ali. We were just absolutely stunned while walking around for hours seeing so many people just…playing. The beautiful day helped, as did the breeze for the kites, which literally filled the sky. This pictures in no way do it justice, but does show a glimpse of what we saw. It was cool.

Ben stops to smell the roses at El Jardin Botanico.

Let’s go fly a kite!

A few things we’ve learned about Bogotá, 1. Tiene muchos colores 2. The people are very happy and 3. They love their kites.

Hasta luego!

Bogotá, Colombia

Hola, amigos y familia!

Colombia, here we come!

We have arrived at our first stop on our itinerary: Bogotá! Aside from leaving almost everything to the very last minute, we had some much needed help that allowed us to arrive to the airport early enough to enjoy a cold (and free!) cerveza at the United lounge. Life was good!

Ali handling some last minute business before our departure.

Today, however, has been a completely different story. Ali quickly realized that speaking Spanish is not optional, and her usual chattiness has been significantly subdued in the very short time that we’ve been here. She thinks it’s no bueno.

As we ventured out into the city with a Colombian hostel mate of ours, Ben got something in his eye that scratched his cornea and so we cut our tour short. Sightseeing is just not the same without sight!

No sabemos que paso a los ojos de Benhameen.

We then decided to make use of our time in the hostel to book our upcoming travel, and realized that things are not as easy as we thought; especially when most Colombian airlines and bus companies do not accept international credit cards. It seems that we have our work cut out for us over the next 8 months!

Nevertheless, we are happy to be here and are looking for the many adventures and misadventures to come!

Enjoying Ajiaco, a typical Colombian dish with our new friend, Sebastian!