¿Por Qué No?

Nazca

2011-05-01T17:14:00.000-07:00

We visited Nazca in order to see the famous and mysterious Nazca lines, carved into the desert by Pre-Incan communities. They consist not only of lines and geometrical figures, but also several designs including a dog, a monkey, birds, a spider, and a hummingbird. The lines were not discovered until the 1930s when planes began to fly over this region. Part of the Pan-American highway cuts right through some of the lines because the lines were unknown at the time.

Do you see the astronaut?

We took a 30 minute flight in a small eight passenger plane over the lines. I was surprised to see so many different areas of geometric patterns and sequences of lines - the desert appears to be covered in them! I was also amazed at the huge size and intricacy of the most famous shapes, given that the Nazca people had no vantage point from which to view their own work.

The flight was a little bit expensive, but it was definitely worth it! Though there is a lookout point where some of the shapes are visible, the best view is definitely from the air. The best time to fly is in the morning when visibility is best. Our flight took off around 8:30 AM. We flew with Aeroparacas airline and found them to be very safe and dependable.

Do you see the hummingbird?

Before the flight we took motion sickness pills, and we were very happy that we did. The pilot makes quick sharp turns and drops so that everyone has a chance to get a good view of the lines, but it can easily make you feel dizzy and nauseated. We’re also glad we skipped breakfast. A Greek woman on our flight who had eaten breakfast was not so happy. She looked very pale and ready to hurl when we got off the plane.

Do you see the hands and tree?

The evening after we had done the flight, we visited the Maria Reiche Planetarium, located in the Hotel Nazca Lines. Dr. Reiche was a German mathematician and archaeologist who studied the Nazca lines for over 40 years. She believed that the lines represent a Pre-Incan astronomical calendar and discovered that some of the lines match the rising of the sun on the horizon on the summer and winter solstices. Interesting lectures are given each night at the planetarium on Dr. Reiche’s theories, and those of other experts.

Do you see the condor?

Nazca is a small, hot and dusty town with not much else to do. We wanted to do a dune buggy tour that included sand boarding and visits to some nearby archaeological sites, but unfortunately it was too expensive for just the two of us and no other people had signed up for the tour at the time we were available.

In our free time, Minh finally got a haircut. It was too hot in Nazca and he couldn’t take the long hair anymore. The stylist did a great job! But it was so long that twice we had to tell her to cut it shorter in the back.

More Photos of Nazca

Where we stayed

Hotel Oro Viejo: We really enjoyed our stay at this hotel. The room and bathroom were very spacious and had lots of nice natural light. The room was nicely decorated and had a comfy bed. All of the rooms surround a courtyard with a nice garden and small pool. We really enjoyed the pool and hung out there a couple of times to cool off - the town is extremely hot during the day. We paid USD $50, which is a great deal for this touristy town. The price included a really nice breakfast of eggs, toast, ham, cheese, coffee, tea, fresh juice and fruit.

Where we ate

La Encantada: We had a delicious fish stew type of dish at this restaurant. Its one of the nicer places in Nazca and appeared to be popular with Peruvian visitors.

Chifa Guang Zhou: Good, authentic and cheap Chinese food. We ate here for lunch. The portions were enormous - one entree was enough to feed us both.

La Choza: Sounds like common sense, but this is where we learned not to go into restaurants where there is a guy outside trying to lure customers in. The service was terrible! We ordered a pizza that took over an hour to be ready. Turns out that right before our order was put in, someone had ordered 5 pizzas to go. However, the waitress neglected to mention this until 45 minutes after we had placed our order. As a consolation, she offered us a free drink, but our options were only water or soda. I asked if we could have a free garlic bread, which was the cheapest starter on the menu, and the waitress said no. We almost walked out but as we were about to leave, the pizza finally came. It was mediocre. Also, the restaurant did not take credit cards - not a big deal, but every other restaurant on this main street accepted credit cards. From this point on we rely on tripadvisor.com to choose restaurants.

Lima

2011-04-15T14:40:00.000-07:00

We did not get to explore Lima as much as we had hoped because we got sick... AGAIN!!! It happened twice in one week, just as we were starting to feel normal after being sick in Trujillo. This time it was after eating some burgers and chicken wings at an American-owned bar, the last place we would have expected to get sick. I was sick for only a few hours, but it hit Minh really hard. But eating some bananas, a trick we learned in Trujillo, helped him to feel a lot better.

What little we did get to see of Lima we really enjoyed! Though Lima is sprawling, polluted and totally chaotic, we both love big cities and Lima has a lot to offer - impressive museums, well-preserved colonial architecture, and great restaurants. We stayed in the neighborhood of Miraflores, and we LOVED it! It´s very pleasant, clean and safe, and there are tons of nice restaurants and bars. Miraflores is located on the coast, and we spent an afternoon taking a really nice walk along the ocean. There are other lovely neighborhoods along the coast that unfortunately we did not get a chance to explore.

Here is a summary of the places we did get to check out in Lima:

Plaza de Armas

Lima’s Plaza de Armas (or Plaza Mayor) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is one of the prettiest main plazas we have seen. Running along two sides are bright yellow arcades containing shops. From here it was easy for us to explore other sections of the colonial section of the city on foot.

Cathedral

We went on a guided tour of Lima’s main cathedral, located on the Plaza de Armas. The Cathedral is beautiful both inside and out.

The tour we took was much longer and more detailed than we expected, but the guide spoke excellent English and pointed out some interesting things. She showed us the site where Francisco Pizarro, the Spanish conquistador that founded Lima, is buried. She also showed us a ridiculous royal family tree that the Spanish had painted depicting them as the direct descendants of the Inca rulers in order to convince the Inca’s of the Spanish’s authority to rule them. I’m sure the Incas thought it was a bunch of BS.

When we stopped by the beautifully carved choir, our guide pointed out little seats that allowed monks to give the illusion that they were standing and singing for hours. Those sneaky monks were sitting all along!

San Francisco Church and Monastery

This is a pretty baroque style church. The monastery is famous for its Sevillian tiles and centuries old murals that were discovered when paintings that covered the walls were taken down for restoration. However, the most fascinating part is the catacombs. People from Lima were buried in these catacombs for centuries before the city had a cemetery. During the tour we got to see thousands of bones in different mass graves. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures inside. Today the catacombs are still used as burial site for the monks of the church.

We took a guided tour during which Minh sneezed repeatedly due to all the dust and mold. Minh´s sneeze is surprisingly loud and it can scare toddlers into crying. On this occasion it caused the tour guides in the church to giggle, after initially being startled.

More photos of Lima

Museo Larco de Lima

This museum has an amazing collection of pottery, gold, silver and textile pieces of Peru´s various indigenous populations. The museum is very well organized, providing information about the customs and beliefs of Peru´s pre-Columbian communities organized chronologically and geographically. You do not need a guide to visit this museum - there are detailed explanations of each piece in several languages, including Spanish, English, German, and French. We were very impressed by this museum, though we did feel a bit overwhelmed with the vastness of information available - its impossible to read all of the descriptions.

The final section of the museum, located in a separate building, contains a big collection of pre-Columbian erotic ceramics, some depicting male or female genitalia, and others showing different sexual acts. We found this to be the most interesting part of the museum - goes to show where our heads are :)

Since Minh's mom reads the blog and looks at the photos, we have chosen to exclude photos of the erotic ceramics :(

The museum is housed in an old mansion and is surrounded by a beautiful garden. There is also a nice-looking restaurant with seating in the garden, but we did not try it out.

More photos of Museo Larco

Centro Comercial Larcomar

This is a fancy mall in Miraflores containing the same type of stores you’d find at Roosevelt Field in Long Island or Tyson's Corner in Virginia. However, the real charm of this place is its beautiful ocean view. The mall contains lots of restaurants and cafes, all with seating that faces the beach. We sat at a cafe and had some coffee and pecan pie while relaxing and enjoying the view.

Where we ate

Due to our stomach ailments, we did not get to explore as many restaurants as we would have liked. However, we managed to have a fantastic sushi lunch at Maido, a Japanese restaurant in Miraflores. It was a hot day so we showed up in flip flops and shorts not realizing this was a fancy establishment - everyone else was in business suits. The staff did not care how we were dressed and the service was excellent. On my way to the bathroom, a waiter gave me a little tour of a large traditional Japanese dining room that can be reserved for special events. We ordered a large sushi platter to share and our mouths could not have been happier! The tuna might just be the best we have ever had - it melted in our mouths! We were so happy with the food that once we were done we asked the waiter to bring back the menu so we could order some more rolls. I´m not sure what Maido means, but the entire restaurant staff sort of yells it to customers as a greeting when they first walk in - I must admit that it startled me a bit. The next time we are in Lima, we will definitely return to this place... probably more than once.

Where we stayed

B&B Miraflores Wasi: We enjoyed staying at this B&B. The rooms were pretty basic, but very clean and comfortable. The B&B is in a great location, on a quiet street in the lovely neighborhood of Miraflores. It was also a great price for Miraflores, at USD $40 for a double room, private bathroom with hot water, and breakfast included.

Trujillo

2011-03-25T10:36:00.001-07:00

We got off to a really rough start in Trujillo. The hostal where we spent our first night, Hosteria el Sol, was a disaster! The “beds” were really more like cots – they had springy bed frames and the mattresses were deeply slumped in the middle, even before we climbed in! The bathroom smelled like mildew. The hostal was full of rowdy backpackers that stayed up drinking and making a racket most of the night.

And then the real kicker - the restaurant where the staff suggested we have dinner made us sick! We had been traveling for three months and had many meals from small hole-in–the-wall restaurants without any problems. Getting sick took us completely by surprise especially because the restaurant seemed like a nice place and was packed with customers. The culprit was either a simple salad of lettuce and tomatoes or the rotisserie chicken with a side of fries that followed. Minh was sick for a few hours, but I had the Inca’s revenge shooting out of me for two full days! Imodium pills did not help at all, nor did a diet of flat coke, toast, crackers and plain rice. What finally saved me were some bananas. I ate two bananas and almost immediately my stomach started to go back to normal.

After an uncomfortable and nearly sleepless night, we got on TripAdvisor and found the number one rated B&B. We checked out and hopped in a cab. I gave the cabbie the address of the new B&B and all he said in response was “Okay.” He neglected to mention that he had recently moved to Trujillo from Chiclayo and had no clue where he was going! He stopped about 5 times along the way to ask for directions, and each time he got directions that conflicted with the previous set. I was freaking out thinking that I might get sick again in the cab, but luckily we made it to our new hostal without a problem.

The new place, Hostal Centurion, ended up being a wonderful hostal with very attentive owners and staff. They gave us the bananas that finally cured me. They also made tea and sandwiches for us, and helped us to get takeout on the nights when we could not make it out of the hotel. After a full recovery we began to explore Trujillo and its nearby archaeological sites. After a rough start, we both ended up enjoying our visit. Here are the highlights.

The Colonial City

The colonial section of Trujillo is small, but very beautiful with lots of brightly colored buildings. You can easily visit this area in one afternoon. We started off at the Plaza Mayor where there is a large, beautiful yellow cathedral.

We then visited some of the city’s old colonial mansions. One of the most beautiful and best preserved is Casa Urquiaga, located on Calle Pizarro by the Plaza. It is bright blue with white window panels, and contains several lovely courtyards and brightly painted rooms with original furnishings. The mansion contains a desk used by Simon Bolivar, who lived here for two years after proclaiming Peru’s independence in 1824. There is also a room exhibiting pre-Columbian ceramics. We took a free guided tour of the house that was short but very informative.

We also visited the Casa Ganoza Chopitea on Calle Independencia, which has some beautiful original murals. The mansion now contains a café with outdoor seating in its courtyard. We met one of the owners of the mansion who told us a little bit of history about the place and showed us the two small lions carved above the main entrance. He told us that his family planned to open an art gallery in the mansion in the coming months.

More Photos of Trujillo

Trujillo’s brightly colored buildings reminded me of the colonial section of Cartagena. Like Cartagena, Trujillo was once a walled city, having also suffered attacks from pirates. However, most of the wall was torn down to make way for a large boulevard that now circles the city. I wonder if the city now regrets that decision.

Huacas del Sol y de la Luna

Our hostal booked an all-day guided tour for us of the nearby archaeological sites that turned out to be fantastic! Our guide was very knowledgeable and spoke excellent English, and the cost of the tour was half the price I had been quoted by some of the tour operators in town. Our first stop was to the Huacas del Sol y de la Luna (Sun and Moon Pyramids), the remains of an ancient Moche city.

We were very impressed by the Huaca de la Luna. Inside the pyramid there are several levels of murals of a Moche deity called Ayapec. We were surprised at how bright the colors still are on many of the murals!

The northern exterior of the pyramid also contains several levels of murals that are well preserved. They depict images of serpents, felines holding decapitated heads of warriors, fishermen, and spider-like creatures.

There is also a level depicting victorious warriors leading the losers, who are naked, to be sacrificed.

Huaca del Sol is not open to the public, but we got a nice view of it from Huaca de la Luna. Unfortunately it was really windy so we got pelted by sand as we tried to take some pictures. Sand got everywhere, even in our teeth!

More Photos of Huaca de La Luna

Huaca del Arco Iris

Our second stop was to the Huaca del Arco Iris (the Rainbow Pyramid). The Pyramid’s name is based on the rainbow carvings depicted throughout the friezes. The carvings are really well preserved!

More Photos of Huaca del Arco Iris

Chan Chan

Our third stop was to Chan Chan, the remains of a Chimu city. Construction of the city began around 850 AD, and it is the largest Pre-Columbian city in South America. The site is very impressive because of its enormous size and interesting murals that depict sea lions, fish and pelicans, amongst other creatures.

More Photos of Chan Chan

Chan Chan is an adobe city and portions of it were severely damaged by rain. Replicas have been created of some sections of Chan Chan, but we were a little disappointed to see so many of them.

Huanchaco

Huanchaco was our lost stop on the tour. It’s a fishing village near Trujillo popular with surfers. It’s famous for its narrow pointed fishing rafts called caballitos (little horses) made of totora reeds. In the afternoon fishermen stack their caballitos on the beach to dry off.

More Photos of Huanchaco

Where we ate

We didn’t get to eat out much since I was sick the first few days. However, we did have a great meal at Chelsea. Though this place describes itself as an English pub, we thought it was fancier than a pub, and the menu included a lot of traditional Peruvian dishes.

Where we stayed

Hostal El Centurion: This hostal is the number one rated B&B on TripAdvisor, and the rating is well deserved!!! The owners were so attentive to our needs, especially when we were sick. The hostal is very clean and the rooms are bright, airy and very comfortable. The bathrooms are modern and were recently remodeled. For USD $40 per night we had a room with a queen size bed, private bathroom with hot water, and a small balcony. Continental breakfast was included, but we could also order additional items, such as scrambled eggs or yogurt, for a very reasonable price.

Do NOT stay at Hosteria el Sol! You deserve better!

Chiclayo

2011-03-15T07:38:00.000-07:00

Chiclayo was our first stop in Peru, and we made it our base for visiting some nearby archaeological sites. Chiclayo is not an attractive city and not much colonial architecture remains. However, it was a pleasant enough city to stay in for a few nights as it is modern, has some good restaurants and its location in the desert makes for some lovely, cool evenings with nice breezes.

Túcume

Located 35 km north of Chiclayo, Túcume contains the remains of 26 adobe pyramids constructed by the Lambayeque people over 1000 years ago. Excavations have revealed that Túcume was a major urban center of a society of farmers, fishermen and sailors, and that its residents engaged in trade with multiple areas of the South American coast, northern mountains and the jungle.

When the Spanish arrived to this region they did not realize that the area contained the remains of pyramids; they though t they were just giant mounds of dirt. Frankly, this is what they looked like to us, and we were not that impressed by the site. Unfortunately, rainfall brought by La Niña over the centuries has eroded most of the pyramids.

However, the smallest pyramid, which was used for religious purposes, does have some well-preserved wall carvings that are quite impressive. The area around this small pyramid has excellent displays explaining the significance of the various carvings.

Visitors can climb a look-out point that provides a nice view of the surrounding area.Túcume is located in Peru’s northern desert, so it is very hot, very dry and there is no shade. Make sure to wear a hat and bring lots of water.

While at Túcume, we saw hairless dogs for the first time. We think they are rather sad looking.

More Photos of Túcume

Museo de las Tumbas Reales de Sipán

This museum contains 1800 year-old funerary objects and mummies of the Moche people excavated from adobe pyramids at the Sipán site. Excavations began in 1987 and have revealed about a dozen royal tombs. One of the most significant findings was the tomb of El Señor de Sipán, a Moche ruler and warrior. His mummy was found clad with various ornaments (breast plate, ear ornaments, bracelets, necklaces) made of gold, silver, copper and turquoise, and burial offerings in small clay pots. He was buried with eight people, apparently his wife and two other women (possibly concubines), a military commander, a watchman, a banner holder and a child. In another tomb were found the remains of what is thought to have been a priest, along with a sacrificed llama and dog.

This is a fantastic museum, and it is much more impressive than the actual Sipán site. We were really impressed with the large volume of well-preserved artifacts that are on display. The museum is shaped like a pyramid, and ramps lead you down to the displays of each tomb, mirroring the sequence in which archaeologists discovered the various mummies. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take any photos inside the museum.

Sipán

We spent an afternoon visiting the site of the Lord of Sipán excavation. The site has replicas of the mummies and offerings found so that visitors can see what the tombs looked like when the archaeologists made their discoveries. There is also a nice museum containing the findings of tombs that have been most recently excavated. We enjoyed walking around the site, but the highlight was definitely the museum.

More Photos of Sipán

Where we ate

La Parra: This restaurant serves excellent grilled meats and Chinese food (the Chinese dishes are on a separate menu that you have to request specifically). We really enjoyed this restaurant and ate here twice. We liked that it seemed to be very popular with the locals. During our first dinner we had beef and broccoli and a chicken in tamarind sauce, which was similar to orange chicken. The second time we shared a delicious steak.

La Fiesta: This might be the fanciest and most expensive restaurant in Chiclayo, but is still reasonably priced by US standards. We had a delicious traditional ceviche and a duck dish that was also pretty tasty. We discovered that duck is a popular dish in northern Peruvian cuisine.

Café Astoria: A tiny café with tasty breakfast sandwiches. This place was always busy, but the service is fast and people are in and out pretty quickly.

Where we stayed

Hotel Mediterraneo Chiclayo: We enjoyed our stay at this hotel. It was very clean, the room was spacious and comfortable, and the staff and hotel owners were very friendly and helpful. The hotel is located about a 10 minute walk from downtown Chiclayo. It was perfectly safe to walk during the day, and at night we took taxis, which were inexpensive. We paid USD $25 per night for a room with a queen bed and private bathroom with hot water.

Vilcabamba

2011-03-11T14:03:00.000-08:00

We had not planned on visiting Vilcabamba, but several Ecuadorians recommended that we check out it. We’re really glad that we did because it’s a lovely town with lots of great hikes, beautiful views, and warm weather. Vilcabamba reminded us of Baños because it is located in a beautiful valley and guests tend to stay longer than they had planned.

Vilcabamba is most famous for the longevity of its residents – people in the town live to be well over 100 years old. Our guide to the Podocarpus park, Jaime, explained why the locals live such long lives. First, most of the residents are farmers and the Vilcabamba area is quite hilly so residents get a lot of exercise just by going about their normal routines. Second, all of the food produced in the valley is organic and pesticide free. Finally, the water in the valley is particularly rich in minerals that contribute to good health. Word has gotten out about the longevity of the residents – during our stay there were lots of retired gringos checking out real estate in the area.

Hike to Mandango

We spent an afternoon hiking up to Mandango, the Sleeping Inca, a mountain that overlooks Vilcabamba. The views from the top of Mandango, Vilcabamba and the rest of the valley are stunning!!! The first two-thirds of the hike were pleasant, though it got pretty hot because there are sections with no shade. Along the path we encountered some grazing cows and bulls. I got a little freaked out when one of the bulls stepped toward us as we approached and insisted that we walk off the path to go around the bulls. The last third of the hike was very steep and there were lots of loose rocks. This hike should not be done if it is raining because the path gets very narrow and you can fall pretty far.

Podocarpus National Park

We did a horse-back riding day trip to the Podocarpus National Park. We booked our tour with a company called La Tasca, and they turned out to be great! The owner of La Tasca owns land in the Podocarpus reserve, so we got to enjoy a private tour of this section of the park. Our guide Jaime was very knowledgeable, professional and friendly. We rode our horses from Vilcabamba on a rode out of the town then up a steep, muddy trail to the entrance of the park. During the ride we got to enjoy phenomenal views of the surrounding mountains. We also saw Podocarpus trees that are endemic to the area.

After riding for about two hours, we began to hike through sections of the park. We hiked down to a beautiful waterfall where we had our lunch. Then we climbed back up another path and ended up in the spot where we had left our horses. Parts of this hike were really difficult because of the steepness of the path and the muddy conditions in the park. But the views of the park were stunning!

Though we really enjoyed our visit to Podocarpus, we would not recommend this tour for inexperienced riders. You end up spending about four to five hours on the horse, and the ride to and from the path to Vilcabamba is done at a gallop pace. This was really painful for us novices. I was unable to finish the ride back to Vilcabamba because my lower back was in a lot of pain. We also felt really sore for several days after our visit.

Where we ate

Café Sambuca: This place has good Mexican food and nice outdoor seating facing the main plaza.
Shanta’s: Cool, rustic setting and delicious food. Minh had a filet mignon and I had frogs’ legs.

Where we stayed

Le Rendez-Vous: We really enjoyed our stay at Le Rendez-Vous. All of the rooms in this bed and breakfast face a beautiful garden, and each has a small patio with a table, chairs and hammock in which to relax. Our room was spacious, clean and very comfortable. Breakfast was delicious and included fresh bread baked on the premises, and the option of a fruit salad instead of eggs. We paid $26 for a room with a queen bed and private bathroom with hot water. The hotel has wi-fi that costs an additional $4 per day.

Garden outside our hotel room

More Photos of Vilcabamba

Cuenca

2011-03-02T18:54:00.000-08:00

Cuenca is the third largest city in Ecuador, and has a lovely colonial area that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We spent an afternoon exploring the many churches and plazas in the colonial part of the city. One of my favorite sites was the Catedral de la Inmaculada (the “New Cathedral”), an enormous and impressive Neo-Gothic style cathedral with beautiful white and blue colored domes. The New Cathedral is located in the Parque Abdon Calderon, Cuenca’s main plaza, opposite El Sagrario (the “Old Cathedral”). We also visited the San Blas, Santo Domingo and San Francisco churches.

More Photos of Cuenca

We visited a market at Plaza Rotary where vendors sell ceramics, clothes, furniture, baskets and local produce. At the south side of the market we saw indigenous women performing some type of ceremony on infants and children. On each child the indigenous women rubbed some type of plant all over the head and body, spit water and rubbed an egg on the belly and face, and then drew what looked like small crosses on the forehead and belly. We did not take any pictures because we did not want to be disrespectful. However, I regret not asking one of the women to explain the purpose of this ritual.

Our last stop was to the Banco Central Pumapungo, a museum complex built on the site of Tomebamba excavations, an area settled by the Cañari indigenous group, and later conquered by the Incas. We visited the Museo Etnográfico, a wing of the Museum containing information on different Ecuadorian cultures. We found most of it a bit boring with the exception of a section containing a collection of shrunken heads. We also visited the Museo Arqueológico, containing Cañari and Incan artifacts excavated from the site, and the Parque Arqueológico, containing some ruins from the site. I hate to admit that we were not very impressed. Perhaps we were just too tired to appreciate the museum and the ruins. I do think it is worth a visit if you are an archeology buff.

Ingapirca

From Cuenca we did a day trip to Ingapirca, Ecuador’s most important Incan ruin. The area was originally settled by the Cañari people, and the Incas took over the site during the 15th century. Ingapirca was of strategic importance to the Incan Empire because of its location on the Royal Highway that ran from Cuzco to Quito, and soldiers were stationed there. The site includes both Cañari and Incan style ruins, and part of the Royal Highway is visible. It is best to visit this site with a guide otherwise you don’t get much out of it. We were fortunate because an Ecuadorian professor who had brought a group of students invited us to join her while she provided a tour of the site.

After walking around Ingapirca we hiked down to La Cara del Inca, an area where an immense natural formation in the rock looks like the face of an Incan.

More Photos of Ingapirca

Where we ate

Tiesto’s: Tiesto’s should put Cuenca on the Foodie Map! This was without a doubt the best meal of our trip so far! First we were served bread with a large assortment of different salsas and toppings, ranging from sweet to spicy. Next we had a tender steak served with an AMAZING cream of milk and parmesan cheese sauce! The waiter recommended that we try this dish when we told him we couldn’t decide what steak to order, and we were so thrilled that he did!

We finished with a tasty chocolate mousse with passion fruit gelato for dessert.

Not only was the food fantastic, but the service was also top notch. The waiter was very attentive. The chef and owner brought our main course to the table, and followed up a bit later to see if we were happy with our meal. It was clear that the Chef took a lot of pride in his work. Some of the tables around us ordered a prawn dish. We noticed that the Chef went around showing both children and adults how to get the most meat out of the prawns. This restaurant is the number one rated place in Cuenca (according to TripAdvisor) and has become very popular. Reservations are a must! If you are ever in Cuenca, call and make reservations before planning the rest of your visit!

La Esquina: We had a delicious breakfast at this restaurant while listening to some mellow Rolling Stones covers. The restaurant had a cool ambiance and was nicely decorated. The chef and owner took our order. Both he and the waiter/busboy were very attentive. If we had spent more time in Cuenca, we definitely would have returned here for dinner.

Where we stayed

Posada Todos Santos: We really enjoyed our stay here. The rooms were very clean, had modern bathrooms and comfortable beds. The hotel is within walking distance of restaurants and bars, but just far enough away to be very quiet. The hotel also has free Wi-Fi. I don’t remember how much we paid per night, but it was no more than USD $30.

Riobamba

2011-02-28T19:19:00.000-08:00

We spent one night in Riobamba to break up the journey between Baños and Cuenca. The city has some pretty colonial buildings and churches, but many look run down and are in need of restoration.

In the afternoon we walked to La Loma de Quito, a park on a hill from where we could see the Chimborazo, Carihuairazo, Tugurahua and El Altar volcanoes.

More Photos of Riobamba

Where we ate

The highlight of our stay in Riobamba was dinner. We had a fabulous dinner at a restaurant called Bonny (there are two locations in town – we ate at the one on Primera Constituyente and Darquea). The restaurant was elegant with chandeliers and waiters dressed in black and white. The waiters were very attentive. The food was delicious! We shared a steamed corvina fish and a steak with a pepper sauce.

Where we stayed

Hostal Oasis: We really enjoyed this hostal. It was very clean and comfortable. There was free wi-fi that worked well in our room. The hostal is run by a friendly and helpful family. We paid USD $20 for a room with a queen bed, private bathroom and hot water.

Baños

2011-02-28T15:31:00.000-08:00

Baños is a lovely, relaxing, gringo-friendly town where visitors always end up staying longer than they had planned. It's nestled in a beautiful valley with a view of a waterfall, has warm t-shirt and shorts weather during the day, and many of its restaurants serve delicious, healthy and inexpensive food. Baños is named for the thermal baths located around the city. These baths are a great place to relax.

Chiva Waterfall Tour

We went on a chiva bus tour of the nearby waterfalls. It was a really fun and easy way to see the area around Baños.

At the first stop we rode a cable car that stopped in the middle of a deep canyon to get an up close look at a waterfall.

Next we stopped at a bridge where people could bungee jump off. Minh wanted to do it, but I insisted that he not do the jump since we had not done any research on the bungee operator to ensure that they are reputable company and take all of the necessary precautions.

After the bridge we visited the Manto de la Novia (Bride’s Veil) waterfall. Here we took a cable car down to the bottom of the canyon then crossed a suspension bridge that led us right to the bottom of the waterfall. The view from the bottom was very impressive, but also very wet.

As we drove between stops, the guide pointed out lots of other waterfalls along each side. At one point the road led us right under a waterfall. At our final stop we hiked down a canyon for about 20 minutes and came to the bottom of the Manchay waterfall where a large rainbow forms every afternoon. After we hiked back up, we had some delicious fresh grilled trout for lunch.

El Pailon del Diablo

El Pailon del Diablo (the Devil's Caldron) is the most famous, and perhaps the most spectacular waterfall in the area. It is by a town called Rio Verde, located a 20 minute drive from Baños. To reach it we hiked down a beautiful canyon for about 20 minutes before arriving at a serious of platforms from where you can view the waterfall. Photos can’t capture how powerful the waterfall is. The water thunders down with such force that it jumps back up and you get drenched on the platforms.

The highest platform is reached via a narrow, cramped path in a crack of the canyon, called the Grieta del Cielo. We had to crawl through most of the path, but once we reached the platform we were able to stand behind the waterfall. This view was very impressive and the roar of the waterfall was deafening.

Near the platforms there is a small suspension bridge from where we also got a nice view of the waterfall and the surrounding canyon.

Statue of the Virgin

We spent about an hour one morning hiking up to the statue of the Virgin that overlooks the town. The hike was not too bad in that the path is well marked and a large portion of it consists of stairs. However, the entire hike is very vertical, so we stopped a lot to catch our breath. The statue itself is nothing to write home about, but the views of Baños and the Tungurahua volcano are spectacular!

More Photos of Baños

Baños de la Virgen

We spent an afternoon relaxing at the Baños de la Virgen thermal baths, located at the eastern end of the town. The water was nice and warm, and there is a great view of the Manto de la Virgen waterfall from the baths.

Where we ate

Café Blah Blah: Great sandwiches, fruit salads, and natural fruit juices.

Casa Hood: The menu of this restaurant is quite eclectic, offering Latin American, Asian and vegetarian dishes. But the food is very tasty, and the atmosphere is artsy and cozy. I had a falafel platter that came with some delicious hummus, and Minh ate a Chinese chicken and noodles dish that was seasoned with a tasty soy and ginger sauce.

Swiss Bistro: This is the number one rated restaurant in Baños on Trip Advisor, and the credit is well deserved. The food is delicious and authentic (the owner is Swiss). We shared a roesti (traditional swiss dish that tastes a lot like hash browns) prepared with gruyere cheese, sausage and onions. The restaurant also had a good house white wine.

Café Hood: Same owners as Casa Hood. This restaurant also has an eclectic menu, but the food is delicious. At dinner I had tacos with ground beef and Minh had a Pad Thai. We decided to go back for lunch another day, and I had a chicken curry sandwich and Minh had a hamburger served on a baguette.

Pizzería El Napolitano: Great pizza.

Where we stayed

Hostal Chiminea: We highly recommend this hostal! It was quiet, very clean, and the bed was comfortable. Our room had a small balcony with a view of the Manto de la Virgen waterfall. The hostal has a roof top terrace that provides great views of Baños. The terrace also has a café where you can get a delicious breakfast for about USD $2. The hostal is run by a family and they were very attentive. There is free wi-fi in the lobby and three computers where guests can check email. We paid USD $17 per night for a room with a double bed, private bathroom and hot water.

Galapagos Islands

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Our week long trip to the Galapagos Islands was INCREDIBLE!!! While we’ve seen and experienced many memorable moments on this trip, the Galapagos Islands lived up to the hype. We can say without hesitation that it’s been the best part of our trip. Here are the highlights from each day.

Day 1

Our flight landed on Baltra Island. We were surprised at how dry the island was, with lots of drooping cacti, wilted bushes and tons of rocks. It looked like a desert surrounded by blue and turquoise waters. We rode a bus across Baltra, took a small ferry to Santa Cruz Island, and then one more bus to the port where we joined our boat, the Galapagos Adventure II, and met our guide Julio.

In the afternoon our guide took us to the highlands of Santa Cruz. First we hiked, and also crawled, through a large lava tunnel. At one point, the tunnel became extremely narrow (I wish I got a picture of when Minh got stuck). Next, we visited a tortoise reserve where we saw lots of giant tortoises. At first, we were a little afraid of them as some of them they can weigh up to 500 lbs. We got over it though. It was amazing to see these large, slow-moving creatures so up close!

More Photos of Santa Cruz Island

Day 2

We awoke to find a sea lion hanging out on the back of our boat! This would be the first of many sea lion encounters.

More Photos of Champion Island

Later in the morning we snorkeled in two different areas of deep ocean. We snorkeled near sea lions, a shark, a sea turtle and tons of colorful fish. The visibility was incredible! Unfortunately, the water was very cold and Minh got worried when he noticed that my lips were turning purple. I decided to rent a wet suit for the rest of the trip – it helped a lot in keeping me warm.

More of Hayley Kennedy's Underwater Photos

In the afternoon we visited Punta Cormorant, where we encountered a small group of napping sea lions.

There we hiked a trail to a beach with enormous sting rays.

Our guide had us stand in the ocean with our legs spread apart and warned us to stay very still so that the rays would not sting us. Each time the waves came in they brought tons of sting rays near the shore, which swam between our legs.

Our guide indicated that on this beach sea turtles come to lay their eggs in the evening. We did not get to see this, but did see trails left by sea turtles that had come ashore to lay their eggs.

More Photos of Punta Cormorant

Day 3

In the morning we visited Gardner Bay, home to a large sea lion colony. We were greeted by some mocking birds that began to inspect our bags for bottles of water. Our guide explained that in the past, visitors were allowed to give water to the mocking birds. As a result, in about 10 years, the mocking birds had begun to lose their ability to drink water by pecking at eggs. Visitors are no longer allowed to give water to the mocking birds.

The sea lions were all over the beach, sleeping, eating, nursing and playing in the ocean. The little ones were adorable, but all of them smelled and barked very loudly.

It was amazing to be able to get so close to them. After taking tons of pictures of the sea lions, we walked to a section of the beach where we first saw marine iguanas crawling along the rocks.

More Photos of Bahia Gardner

We then snorkeled from the beach. We found this to be difficult because there was a strong current and we did not see much because of low visibility. However, Minh and I did encounter an enormous sea lion that barked angrily and scared the hell out of us when it swam straight at us. I tried to swim away quickly; Minh assumed the fetal position. Thankfully the sea lion swam away. Later that day we snorkeled by a small rocky island with an underwater cave. We snorkeled near the cave and saw sea lions, sting rays, a sea turtle and more colorful fish.

In the afternoon we visited Española Island where we saw tons of marine iguanas. There were so many that you had to be very careful not to accidentally step on one.

Our guide explained that the males were larger and more brightly colored, whereas the females are small and black. On Española we also saw blue footed boobies, including a mother with two baby boobies. One of the babies looked a lot smaller and weaker than the other. Generally only one of the babies survives because the stronger of the two prevents the weaker one from getting any of the food provided by the mother.

On Española we also saw lots of different other types of birds including frigates, Galapagos sea gulls, albatrosses, golden warblers, and other types of boobies.

More Photos of Punta Suarez

Day 4

In the morning we rode the dingy to Tortuga Bay, a mangrove where we saw baby sharks, spotted sting rays, and sea turtles. We also saw frigate birds, herons, and golden warblers.

More Photos of Tortuga Bay

Afterward part of our group spent some time hanging out on a private beach while our guide accompanied the people who were heading home. It seemed like a great idea at first, but there was no shade and the water was too cold for swimming, so we basically baked on the beach for 90 minutes (I wish we had taken a picture of all of us huddled underneath our beach towels). In the afternoon new people joined our group. We went snorkeling and saw some sharks, huge schools of fish, and some sea lions.

More Photos of Baltra Island

After snorkeling we hiked on North Seymour Island. There we saw land iguanas for the first time, which are yellow in color.

We also saw a male frigate bird attempt to lure a female frigate by puffing up the red pouch on its chest and calling out to her. However, she rejected him.

We also saw a sea lion with a shark bite injury, though our guide thought the injury was not too bad and the sea lion would likely survive. We also saw a baby blue footed boobie and some swallow tailed gulls. Our guide explained that these gulls eat by stealing food away from other birds. Also, here's yet another picture of a cute, baby sea lion.

More Photos of North Seymour Island

Day 5

In the morning we hiked on an island called the Chinese Hat.

Chinese Hat is covered with lava tubes

We visited a sea lion colony guarded by a large male. We saw the male scare off a bachelor sea lion by chasing and barking at it very loudly. We also saw marine iguanas, a dead sea lion, and some hawks, including one that was eating a crab. We then went snorkeling by James Bay and saw lots of colorful fish and our first starfish.

More Photos of Chinese Hat Island

In the afternoon we hiked around lava pools.

We also visited a section of the island that had fur seals. Our guide explained that compared to sea lions, fur seals are smaller, have smaller ears, and thicker necks and fur. They also prefer rocks whereas sea lions prefer sand.

More Photos of James Bay

Day 6

In the morning we hiked over pahoe hoe lava. Our guide pointed out small chimneys formed by the lava, and the limited plantlife that is able to grow in the lava, including some small cacti. Later we snorkeled near the Pinnacle Rock. We saw a sting ray, flounder, pirate fish, porcupine fish and some starfish.

Our guide explained that Pinnacle Rock used to be one big rock but became separated because it was used for target practice by the U.S. Military during WWII. The U.S. set up bases on Baltra and Isabella islands during WWII to defend the Panama Canal and the Pacific.

In the afternoon we hiked up to a lookout point on Bartolome Island where there is a small lighthouse and from where we had a great view of other islands in the Galapagos. During our hike we saw lava tunnels, cacti growing in the lava, and a lava lizard eating a grasshopper.

More Photos of Bartolomé Island

Day 7

In the morning we hiked on South Plaza island. I found this to be one of the most beautiful islands we visited because it was covered in bright red and orange shrubs and the cacti plants had yellow flowers. Our guide indicated that on this island land iguanas and marine iguanas live in close proximity and sometimes interbreed. Unfortunately we did not get to see any of the hybrid iguanas.

We visited more sea lion colonies, including a bachelor colony. Our guide indicated that the bachelor colonies are located on stretches of islands that are considered least desirable by the sea lions. Next we walked near cliffs where we saw nests with adult swallow gulls raising baby swallow gulls.

On our way back to the dingy we saw two male marine iguanas fighting. Minh got some great shots of them butting heads.

More Photos of South Plaza Island

In the afternoon we went snorkeling near Santa Fé Island. It was one of the best and most exciting snorkeling trips we did! We saw sharks, eagle rays, other large rays and sea turtles. In the afternoon we hiked through a tall cacti forest on the island.

We saw a different type of land iguana from the type we had seen before with red, beady little eyes.

We also saw another sea lion colony. I promise, this is the last cute, baby sea lion photo.

More Photos of Santa Fé Island

Day 8

On our last morning we visited the Charles Darwin Research Station, located on Santa Cruz island. There we saw pens where baby giant tortoises were being raised.

We also saw different sub-species of giant tortoises from the various islands, including lonesome George who is the last tortoise of his kind.

Lonesome George (he's a little shy)

More Photos of Charles Darwin Research Station

Some closing thoughts and tips

Eight days was a little too long and expensive, but the alternative of four days would have been too short. We heard that some agencies may start offering 6 day tours, which allow you four full days on a boat – we think this option would be ideal.

If you have flexibility in your schedule, book a last minute trip in Quito, or for an even better deal fly directly to the Galapagos Islands and book your trip in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island. We were able to save over 40% by booking last-minute, but of course, you’re taking a risk that there might not be any vacancies. However, you should have no problem doing this if you are traveling by yourself or as a couple. For example, our boat always had four extra slots available.

We booked our trip through the Happy Gringo agency in Quito, which found us spots on a cruise run by Gap Adventures. We thought both companies were excellent and highly recommend them.

The snorkeling is phenomenal so invest in a good underwater camera (Hayley, thank you very much for sending us your fantastic underwater photos!). Bring plenty of sunblock (we went through two SPF 45 bottles), sea sickness pills, and some warm clothes because it can get chilly on the boat at night.

Quito

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We had a great time in Quito! We were very impressed with the beauty of its colonial area, the wide range of international cuisine available, and its tourist friendly atmosphere. Here are some of the highlights.

The Old City

Quito’s colonial district is beautiful and amazingly well preserved. We started our day at the Plaza de la Independencia (or Plaza Grande), where there is a large white cathedral with a green tiled dome. The outer walls of the cathedral contain plaques listing the names of the founding fathers of Quito.

We spent the rest of the morning walking around the colonial city’s plazas and churches. My favorites were the church of La Compañía because of its ornate and richly sculpted façade and the Plaza de San Francisco because its large open area reminded me of the main plaza in Villa de Leyva, Colombia.

More Photos of the Old City

Cerro Panecillo

Cerro Panecillo is a hill containing an enormous statute of the Virgen located a few blocks south of the old city. The hill provides great views of Quito and of the surrounding mountains. We had planned on walking up the hill, but as we headed in that direction I overheard a woman say in Spanish “Those poor tourists are going to get robbed climbing up that hill!” So we decided to take a taxi. At the top I asked an employee whether it would be safe to walk down. Without hesitation she said “No, you will get mugged!” So we took a taxi back down to the old city as well.

Pichincha

Pichincha is a volcano located just west of Quito. We rode a teleférico (cable car) that took us up to the flanks of Pichincha at about 4100 meters above sea level (13451 feet, over twice the altitude of Denver at 5280 feet). The views of Quito and the surrounding area are spectacular! We spent the afternoon hiking one of the trails to get better views of Pichincha. During our hike we saw some beautiful valleys and cliffs. You must visit Pichincha if you’re ever in Quito, but I suggest waiting a few days after your arrival in order to get acclimated to the altitude. Even though we had already been in Quito for a few days, we felt very winded during our hike and had to stop every few minutes to catch our breath.

More Photos of Pichincha

Parks in the New City

Quito has several nice parks with lots of shady spots to relax. We spent an afternoon walking around Parque Alameda, which has the oldest astronomical observatory in South America (though we did not visit it), and Parque El Ejido. Both parks were filled with families and young people enjoying the nice weather.

Photos of the New City

New Year’s Eve

We spent New Year’s Eve in Quito. For New Year’s, Ecuadorians create enormous puppets satirizing politicians and other famous personalities. For most of New Year’s Eve day and night the puppets are on display along Avenida Amazonas, where thousands of people gather to buy food from street vendors and to listen to live music. At midnight all of the puppets are set on fire, and people continue to drink and celebrate while the puppets burn.

More Photos of New Year's Eve

Where we ate

We did not eat much Ecuadorian food while we were in Quito. We simply could not resist all of the ethnic options available, some of which we had been craving for several weeks. We also figured we would have plenty of chances to enjoy local food during the rest of our time in Ecuador.

Chandani Tandoori: Simple, no frills place with delicious authentic Indian food. We liked it so much that we ate there twice.

Tex Mex: Great burritos and margaritas. The service was slow because the same guy seated us, took our order, and also prepared the food. But it was worth the wait.

La Chacha: Cozy little restaurant with good Italian food.

Uncle Ho’s: Good Asian food with several Vietnamese inspired dishes. We enjoyed our dinner a lot, and decided to return the next day for their great lunch specials.

Turtle’s Head: An authentic British pub with good fish and chips and its own great microbrews. They play great British and American rock, and have both a pool table and foosball table, where Minh kicked my butt :-(

Where we stayed

Quito is divided into the Old City, containing the colonial district, and the New City. We stayed in the New City in a neighborhood called La Mariscal, also known as Gringolandia. We loved Gringolandia because it has everything a gringo could want – lots of great restaurants, bars, internet cafes, cheap laundry services, and a wide range of hotels, hostels and bed & breakfasts for every budget. We also felt very safe there. We enjoyed our stay at Hostal Alcalá, a bed & breakfast located on a quiet street but within walking distance of everything we needed.

Christmas lights in Colombia

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Colombians LOVE Christmas lights! Every city we visited had tons of Christmas lights displays in parks, plazas and shopping areas.

Medellin is known for having the best, and also the most, Christmas lights in all of Colombia. We were very impressed with how elaborate the city’s Christmas lights were.

More Photos of Christmas lights in Bogota, Armenia, and Medellín

Cali

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Cali is Colombia’s third largest city, its self-proclaimed Salsa Capital, and my dad’s hometown. It has summer-like weather all year round and many great places to go dancing. Minh and I spent a couple of days in Cali between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. We spent one afternoon exploring the San Antonio neighborhood, the colonial part of Cali. It reminded me of the Candelaria in Bogota. San Antonio also has a park on a hill that provides great views of the city.

That same afternoon we also visited some of Cali’s churches and plazas. One of Cali’s most famous sites is La Ermita, a gothic-style church located on the river Cali.

The best places to go dancing or out for drinks in Cali are Avenida Sexta and Barrio Granada, both located in the northern part of the city. We spent both of our nights in Cali in Barrio Granada. The first night we went to a Mexican restaurant that had delicious tacos and served enormous margaritas. We sat outside and enjoyed listening to a lot of the music that Minh posted earlier in the blog. Our second night we went to Archie’s, a Colombian pizza chain, with my cousin Laura and her best friend. We were all very impressed with how good the pizza was. After dinner we went to a small bar where Minh and I danced salsa and merengue.

More Pictures of Cali

Salento

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Salento is a pretty colonial town located about a 45 minute drive from Armenia. Most of the buildings are white with brightly colored doors, balconies and window shutters. We enjoyed strolling around the town and checking out some of the many handicraft stores on Carrera 6, the main street.

There are also a couple of miradores (lookout points) accessible from the town where we enjoyed spectacular views of the Corcora Valley and the Cardenas River.

We ate a traditional lunch of trucha con patacon (trout served over a large fried and crispy plaintain) at an outdoor restaurant in the main plaza, and then had some coffee and tea at a charming café/restaurant called Barroco. In the late afternoon, a group of street musicians began to play some traditional Colombian music on Carrera 6. Almost immediately a bunch of Colombians began dancing along on the street, including two adorable small children.

More Photos of Salento

Armenia

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Armenia is a city located in the heart of Colombia’s Zona Cafetera, and it’s the place where my mom grew up. Minh and I spent 10 days in Armenia visiting my family. Armenia is a pleasant, small city with springtime weather year round. Several blocks of Carrera 14, Armenia’s main shopping Street, are pedestrian only and contain lots of nice little cafes with outdoor seating. Tourists come to Armenia to visit nearby coffee farms, the nearby colonial town of Salento, and the Parque Nacional del Café (National Coffee Park).

We spent a day at the Coffee Park with my cousin Laura. In the morning, we did a hike on a trail surrounded by coffee plants and local flora. Along the way there were stops where park employees demonstrated different steps in the coffee making process. We also walked through a small bamboo forest. In the afternoon we went on the rides in the amusement park section, including a really cool roller coaster. At the end of the day we rode a cablecar from one end of the park back to the main entrance, which provided great views of the park and the surrounding area.

More Photos of Parque Nacional del Café

Finca Villa Martha

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We spent two nights at Finca Villa Martha, a coffee farm located about nine kilometers from the city of Pereira. We had a wonderful time! The owners of the farm, Martha and Rafael, are fantastic hosts! All of the meals they cooked for us were hearty, delicious, and accompanied by a glass of fresh natural fruit juice. They served fresh tinto (black coffee) sweetened with panela (a form of raw sugar) all day long. Martha and Rafael have very warm personalities, and enjoyed telling us about how they came to own the coffee farm, and some of the interesting guests they’d had over the years. Rafael also gave us a nice presentation on the coffee making process and showed us how coffee beans are dried, de-shelled, roasted and ground up.

The farm is a lovely property surrounded by lush green hills, banana trees and other coffee farms. The owners place birdfeeders with sugar water around the house and cabins that attract lots of beautiful little hummingbirds. The farm also has a nice swimming pool and jacuzzi at the bottom of a small hill. We found that the beautiful and tranquil surroundings made it a great place to relax.

More Photos of Finca Villa Martha

Medellín

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We LOVED Medellin!!! When you visit Colombia, you should spend at least 3 – 4 days there. It’s a lovely city with spring like weather all year round. It has great museums, restaurants and nightlife. It’s easy to get around on the city’s great metro system, and taxis are inexpensive. There are also some nice day trips nearby. These are the highlights of our visit.

Museo de Antioquia

This museum has a wonderful collection of paintings and sculptures by Colombian artists, including an entire floor dedicated to the works of Medellin’s own Fernando Botero. Minh and I used the audio guide during our visit and it provided good historical and political background to the various works of art.

Plaza Botero and Parque San Antonio

Located in front of the Museo de Antioquia, Plaza Botero is full of statutes created by Fernando Botero. Parque San Antonio, located a few blocks away, contains Botero’s Pájaro de Paz (Bird of Peace). In 1996, the statute was severely damaged by a guerilla bomb that killed 25 people. Botero later created a new version of the statute, but insisted that the damaged one remain in the park as a symbol of the futility of violence. The new statute is located alongside the damaged one.

Catedral Metropolitana

This is a beautiful, brick cathedral located at the Parque de Bolivar. According to my guidebook, it is the third largest brick building in the world.

Cerro Nutibara

This is a park on a hill in the center of the city. There is a replica of a traditional Antioquian town at the top, but the best reason to visit the park is for the great views of the city.

El Poblado

This neighborhood reminded me of Adams Morgan in DC, though it felt about three times larger. There are tons of restaurants, bars, clubs and cafes, which all seem to get pretty packed on weekend nights. In the center of El Poblado is a nice little park called Parque Lleras. On the Friday night when we were there it was full of young people hanging out, listening to music and having drinks. The park also had some lovely Christmas lights, and there were several street vendors selling Colombian snacks, jewelry and handicrafts.

More Photos of Medellín

El Peñon and Guatape

El Peñon is an enormous rock located about a 90 minute drive from Medellin. We climbed its 635 steps and enjoyed the spectacular views that it provides of the surrounding hills and the Peñon reservoir.

More Photos of El Peñon

Afterward we headed to Guatape, a lovely town located nearby, for lunch. All of the homes and buildings in Guatape have pretty designs painted on the bottoms of the fronts of the buildings. Unfortunately, it started to rain so we weren’t able to take many pictures.

Santa Fe de Antioquia and El Puente Occidental

Santa Fe de Antioquia is a well-preserved colonial town located about a 90 minute drive from Medellin. We spent a morning strolling around its streets and various plazas.

More Photos of Santa Fe

Located near Santa Fe is the Puente Occidental, a suspension bridge built in the 19th century across the River Cauca. Minh and I walked across the bridge and enjoyed the nice views it provides of the river and surrounding hills.

Our Hosts

During our visit to Medellin we stayed with my friend Monica’s uncle and aunt, Rafael and Teresa. They were wonderful hosts!!! They showed us around Medellin, drove us to the day trips described above, fed us a lot of very delicious food, and made us feel very much at home at their place. We are very thankful that we got to stay with such fun, kind and generous hosts. Muchisimas gracias Rafael y Teresa! And thank you Lina for putting us in touch with them!

Our (Very Rough) Itinerary

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For those who are thinking of visiting us (and you should be), here's our tentative itinerary including sites we're planning to visit in each country. If you've already visited these countries, please feel free to provide any suggestions as well.

January: Ecuador

Quito
Otavalo
Baños
Cuenca
Guayaquil
Galapagos Islands

February: Peru

Lima
Cuzco
Machu Picchu
Lake Titicaca
Arequipa

March - April: Argentina & Chile

Los Glaciares National Park
Patagonia
Torres del Paine
Chiloé
Lakes District
Santiago
Valparaiso
Atacama
Mendoza
Buenos Aires
Iguazu Falls

May: Brazil

Curitiba
Sao Paulo
Rio de Janeiro
Salvador de Bahia
Fortaleza
Amazon

♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫

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Special Guest Blogger - Minh Nguyen

A motley mix of music for the New Year!

The title for this song literally translates to "Drunk Until Dawn"

Don't be intimidated by the colorful, older woman. In Jane's words, "It's Celia Cruz and she is a LEGEND!"

This song, without fail, makes all of the Colombians want to dance:

This song is played EVERYWHERE!!! In the bars, in clubs, in taxis, on the party buses, ring tones; you get the idea. Jane hates it. It's mildly annoying yet really catchy at the same time.

And for those who like dance/club music:

Santa Marta

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Santa Marta is a great place to visit in order to enjoy the nearby beaches. It is also the place where the great liberator Simon Bolivar passed away on December 17, 1830.

More Photos of Santa Marta

Parque Nacional Tayrona

We spent a day visiting Tayrona National Park, a park that has many gorgeous beaches with mountains and lush green jungle in the background. The park’s main entrance is located about a 45 minute drive east of Santa Marta. From the main entrance we took a colectivo (small van) to the first beach called Cañaveral. From there we had the option of either walking (one hour) or riding a horse (45 minutes) to reach the next beach, Arrecifes. We opted for the horses because it had rained the night before and were told that the path would be very muddy. I’m really thankful we did, otherwise we would have been ankle deep in mud in some areas of the path!

Arrecifes is one of the most beautiful beaches in the park, and the jungle comes right up to the coastline. However, the beach is not safe for swimming, and a sign at the entrance to the beach warns that over 200 people have drowned at Arrecifes.

Fortunately, there is a nice beach called La Piscina that is safe for swimming, located about a 40 minute hike from Arrecifes. The water at La Piscina was warm and the sand was very soft.

More Photos of Parque Tayrona

Taganga and Playa Grande

Taganga is a small fishing village set in a little bay about a 15 minute drive from Santa Marta. Taganga is a fun, relaxed beach town full of backpackers with lots of little restaurants and kiosks along the beach serving delicious fresh fish and natural fruit juices.

On the way to Taganga our cab driver offered to stop at the Taganga mirador (lookout point) so that we could get a nice view of the town. The view was spectacular!

In Taganga we enjoyed walking along Carrera 1, the street parallel to the beach, and had some delicious robalo (snook fish) at a restaurant called Bitacora. After lunch we walked to the eastern end of the town where there is a path over a hill leading to the Playa Grande. Minh got some great photos of Playa Grande from the top of the hill. The walk to Playa Grande took us about 30 minutes. We then spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing at Playa Grande and enjoying the ocean.

More Photos of Taganga

La Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino

La Quinta is a 17th century hacienda (plantation) where Simon Bolivar spent his last days before dying of tuberculosis. The room where he passed away is on display, and many of the hacienda’s furnishings from the time of his death have been well preserved. La Quinta is also surrounded by nice gardens. We spent an afternoon exploring the Quinta and learning a bit about Bolivar’s final days.

More Photos of Quinta De San Pedro Alejandrino

Where to stay in Santa Marta

Minh and I were not particularly impressed with the city of Santa Marta. We both found it to be rather dirty and a bit seedy. We were glad that we decided to stay in El Rodadero, a beach town located a 10 minute drive south of Santa Marta. El Rodadero is very clean, very safe, and full of Colombians on vacation. I didn’t see any other gringos there during our 4 nights in El Rodadero. We really liked our hotel, Hotel Betoma. The room was spacious, very clean, had a nice balcony, air-conditioning and hot water in the shower. And it was a bargain at $50 USD per night.

El Rodadero had some nice restaurants. We really enjoyed eating fresh fish at Pez Caribe, and were pleasantly surprised at the quality of the pizza at Pizzetta. We also found a cool little bar that played Latin, American and British rock. I can’t remember the name, but it’s located on the corner of Carrera 4 and Calle 9, across the street from Pizzetta. We drank Mojitos while listening to the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Soundgarden and Metallica. The highlight for us was when the DJ played Don McLean’s American Pie. Yes, we are gringos.

Taganga also seemed to us like a fun and safe place to stay. Taganga has a lot of hostels with very low prices.

Cartagena

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Cartagena is a beautiful city, and should not be missed during a trip to Colombia! Cartagena is famous for its colonial walled city and fortress, which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. We really enjoyed exploring the narrow cobble-stone streets of the walled city and admiring the many plazas, churches and brightly painted buildings, many of which date back to the 16th and 17th centuries. We also strolled along the perimeter of the wall, which provided great views of the colonial city on one side and the Caribbean Sea on the other.

More Photos of Cartagena

We spent an afternoon visiting the Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, the largest Spanish fort built in the Americas, located about a 5 minute drive from the walled city. We enjoyed walking around the fort and its underground tunnels, but our favorite aspect of the fort was the great view it provides of Cartagena.

Playa Blanca

Our guidebook indicated, and friends in Bogota confirmed, that the beaches in Cartagena are not very nice. So we decided to spend the day at Playa Blanca, a beach on Isla Barú located 45 minutes by speed boat from Cartagena. The beach is gorgeous with white sand and turquoise waters. I recommend taking one of the speed boats that goes directly to Playa Blanca in the morning from the Muelle Turistico, the boat harbor located near the clock tower entrance to the walled city. The beach is very quiet, secluded and relaxed for most of the day. However, beginning around 2:00 PM large ferry boats full of tourists visiting the Islas del Rosario (Isla Baru is the final stop on the tour) begin to arrive and the beach becomes crowded with lots of vendors offering food, jewelry and massages. They can be quite persistent, so it can be a bit harder to relax. Minh and I avoided them by spending most of the afternoon in the ocean.

More Photos of Playa Blanca

Restaurants and nightlife

Cartagena has many restaurants. These were our favorites:

La Mulata - Restaurant on Calle Quero. We had some delicious robalo (snook fish) in a seafood sauce, and shrimp in garlic sauce. This restaurant also has great natural fruit juices, and Minh had a delicious limonada de coco.

Torre Luna - Restaurant on Calle del Curato with a great selection of seafood and vegetarian dishes. We had some great fish with coconut rice, but were particularly impressed with how delicious the hummus was that we had as a starter.

La Cocina de Carmela - Lunchtime only venue located on Badillo Segunda. We enjoyed salmon salpicon, and pork with mora (tart berry that grows in Colombia) sauce. We also had tomate de arbol (tree tomato) juice.

Pizza en el Parque - A hole-in-the-wall place in Parque Fernandez de Madrid with fantastic pizzas. It’s basically a take-out place, so everyone enjoys their pizzas in the park across the street. We actually found this place because there were so many people eating pizza in the park and it smelled really, really good. Once we sat down, we saw that the same thing happened to others passing by.

Cartagena also has great nightlife. We loved having drinks at Cafe del Mar, a bar located on top of the wall at Baluarte de Santo Domingo with stunning views of the old city and the ocean. We also enjoyed a bar called Donde Fidel, located at the Paseo de los Dulces, that has lots of outdoor seating and plays great Salsa music. We also enjoyed a few beers at a place called Whisky Bar with outdoor seating facing the Parque Fernandez de Madrid.

On our final night in Cartagena, Minh and I rode a Rumba Chiva. Chivas are rustic, colorful buses originally used for transportation in rural parts of Colombia. A Rumba Chiva is a party bus, and the ones in Cartagena take you on a tour of the city at night with a final stop at a dance club. Rumba Chivas include a band that plays cumbia and vallenato music, all the Colombian rum and coke you can consume during the ride, and fried Colombian snacks - in our case, arepas de huevo and empanadas de queso. We had a great time drinking, listening to the band, and occasionally dancing on the Rumba Chiva. We also had a lot of fun at the club dancing to salsa, merengue and reggaeton.

Why We Could Never Live in Bogota

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Although we had a great time in Bogota, there are certain qualities about this city, some serious and others petty, that makes us glad to be moving on to new places.

Our lungs wondered what they did to deserve this punishment

The air pollution in Bogota is terrible. It is very unpleasant and feels very unhealthy to walk on many streets because of all the car and bus exhaust. We really missed fresh air.

It’s always rush hour in Bogota

The traffic is always terrible, regardless of the time of day. This aggravates the pollution problem. Most drivers seem very aggressive, and pedestrians never have the right of way.

The Transmilenio is cheap, runs often, and is a great way to get around Bogota, except for the fact that it just isn’t enough for the millions of people that use it. Every time we rode the Transmilenio it was almost always packed to capacity. The system also has a lot of kinks to work out.

One weekday evening we were trapped on a platform because the buses that came by were already packed and couldn’t pick up more passengers. However, people kept pushing their way into the station, and the Transmilenio staff did not stop people from entering the station even though the platform was filled to capacity. We eventually had to push our way off the platform, and in the process I experienced my first ever panic attack. Someone accidentally elbowed me in the chest, and I felt the wind knocked out of me. It suddenly became really hard for me to breath and I thought I was going to be crushed to death. I lost it and started crying hysterically. Minh was able to push us through and we eventually made it off the platform, but it was truly a terrifying experience for me. Please note that I have ridden mass transit at rush hour in New York, Washington, DC, London, and Manila and have never come remotely close to to experiencing the level of fear I felt that day on the Transmilenio.

Credit card - “No soportada” (Not supported)

Sometimes our credit card will not work for days on end. Some of the credit and ATM support networks (Cirrus, Star, etc.) sometimes go down in Colombia, but you have no way of knowing when this will be. So you must always carry enough cash in case your credit card is rejected, or else you may be forced to depend on the kindness of strangers. Muchisimas gracias to the two gentlemen who helped us out at El Patio!

You call that a beer?

Colombian beer is terrible! They lack flavor, strength and complexity. The only saving grace is Bogota Beer Company, a local microbrewery that produces good beer. Unfortunately, BBC beers are not available everywhere, only at BBC pubs and at a limited number of restaurants and bars. So most of the time our only option was the crappy stuff. I must note that our vacation to Belgium last year spoiled us and left us with a level of beer snobbery that is just a tad above obnoxious.

Also, wine is surprisingly expensive. Aguardiente, a sugar-cane based liquor, is not terrible, and it won’t give you a hangover even if you drink half a bottle by yourself. You just need to make sure to eat some greasy food on the way home.

Things That Surprised Us About Bogota

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In search of the best empanadas

We tried many empanadas at several bakeries all over Bogota, and we weren’t able to find empanadas that are as good as the ones you can buy in Jackson Heights, Queens. Some were pretty good, but none measured up to the empanadas that my mom buys for us from the Seba Seba bakery whenever we visit New York. The best we have found so far were in Zipaquira (a town located about an hour north of Bogota) at a place called Empanadas del Valle right off the Plaza del Independencia. We plan to continue our search for the best empanadas as we explore other cities in Colombia, and we’ll report back.

Where are the beans?

Almost none of the Colombian restaurants we went to in Bogota serve beans. Any Colombian restaurant in New York serves rice and beans as a side dish with most entrees. But here we are given rice and french fries (which are not particularly good) or oven-cooked, salted potatoes (which I do enjoy). Our Colombian friend Yolanda informed us that we should order a Bandeja Paisa if we want some beans. While this dish is delicious, it includes a lot of other items that we should not eat everyday, like chicharron (fried pork skins), fried sweet plantains, and a fried egg.

It was also a bit difficult to eat enough vegetables. Minh, not normally a big fan of vegetables, exclaimed after our first few days in Bogota that he had never wanted a salad so much in his entire life. We decided to eat at vegetarian restaurants a couple of times a week because we got tired of eating chicken or beef all the time.

Minh blends in with the Rolos, sometimes

Although Minh is taller than virtually everyone, for the most part Minh was able to blend in with the Rolos (people from Bogota). People would sometimes ask him for directions, and he just looked confused and told them that he doesn’t speak Spanish. The only time people really knew that he is not Colombian was when he was taking pictures.

However, Minh did get accosted by strangers when I wasn’t around. Apparently he’s an easy mark when he’s got his camera out and no Colombian bodyguard (a.k.a. me). In my absence, beggars always asked him for money, Jehova’s witnesses started to tell Minh their schpiel, and once in Villa de Leyva he got stung by a huge bee on his neck. I’ve decided he should always have constant adult supervision.

Being accosted by overly helpful employees at stores

Our first weekend in Bogota we went grocery shopping at an Exito, a large supermarket chain in Colombia. Nearly every aisle in the store had at least one employee who wanted to help us, pointed out any special items on sale, and offered to answer any questions we might have. It was a bit overwhelming at first, but one Exito employee did help us figure out the best deal available on yogurt, and gave us some free samples, so thank you Exito!

Want to buy a puppy? Head to one of the 30 pet stores on Avenida Caracas. Pajamas? Try one of the 25 pajama shops on Carerra 15.

There are entire blocks of streets where all the stores on those streets sell only one category of items. During our time in Bogota we came across the streets for buying pets, suitcases, eye glasses, flowers, shoes, and pajamas.

La ñina put a damper on our travel plans

It rained every single day that we were in Bogota. This is not normal weather for Bogota, but rather is due to the phenomenon of La ñina. Sometimes it was only a drizzle. But generally there was at least one big down pour a day, and sometimes there were three or four huge down pours in one day. We had to use the waterproof/fast drying clothes we bought for the Amazon all the time, and we were really glad that we bought waterproof hiking boots at REI.

On a serious note, the harsh rainy season has had some devastating impacts in Colombia. Over 200 people have been killed by floods and landslides and approximately 1.5 million people have been affected due to damage to their homes and/or livelihood caused by the heavy rains. If you are interested in making a donation to help the flood victims, you can do so through an organization called Conexion Colombia.

Great Day Trips from Bogota

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The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá

Minh and I spent a Friday afternoon visiting the Catedral de Sal de Zipaquirá, an underground Cathedral built within the tunnels of a salt mine in the town of Zipaquirá, about an hour drive from Bogota. The Cathedral has 14 small chapels representing the Stations of the Cross each with a cross carved out of salt rock, a sculpture replica of Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam, and a large nave with an enormous, illuminated cross carved into the wall. Religious services, concerts, baptisms and weddings are held in the Cathedral. Our guide told us that the bride gets to ride into the Cathedral in a car, but the groom has to walk in with the rest of the guests. We really enjoyed our tour of the Salt Cathedral - It is a unique and beautiful place!

After visiting the Salt Cathedral we spent a little while walking around the town. Zipaquirá has a pretty main plaza with a large cathedral and Spanish Colonial buildings.

We discovered a great empanadas place off of Plaza de La Independencia called Empanadas Tipicas del Valle. My favorites were the carne and ranchera empanadas.

More Photos of Zipaquirá

Lake Guatavita

The Laguna de Guatavita is a sacred lake for the Muisca indigenous tribe and is the source of the legend of El Dorado. Once a year, a Muisca chief was coated in gold dust and taken out on the lake in a ceremonial raft. The chief would plunge into the lake and emerge with the gold washed off. The Muisca also made religious offerings of gold, quartz and emeralds into the lake. The lake is located in a crater amidst beautiful lush green mountains near the towns of Guatavita Nueva and Sequilé, about 90 minutes north of Bogota. The lake is part of a Colombian National Park and can only be visited with a guide. Our guide led us to three different lookout points along the rim of the crater where we could view the lake. She also told us about Muisca religious rituals, the debate over the origin of the crater (opinions differ as to whether the crater is volcanic or due to the impact of a meteor), and attempts by the Spanish to drain the lake in order to take all the gold. The lake is very pretty, but for us the highlight of the hike was getting to see the gorgeous surrounding countryside.

More Photos of Guatavita

Villa de Leyva

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Villa de Leyva is a beautifully preserved colonial town located about a four hour drive north of Bogota. It has narrow cobblestone streets, and all of the buildings are painted white and have red-tiled roofs. Minh and I spent a long weekend there. We enjoyed walking around the town, buying fruit at the farmer’s market, and eating delicious meals at some great restaurants, most of which are located inside beautiful old colonial homes. Our favorite was a restaurant called El Camaleon, located in the Casa Quintero. Our visit coincided with Villa de Leyva’s annual Festival del Agua, and we got to watch part of the festival’s concert in the main plaza.

More photos of Villa de Leyva

We spent most of Sunday visiting the Iguaque National Park, located about a 45 minute drive from Villa de Leyva. The main attraction of the park is a hike through a forest that leads to a lagoon near the top of a mountain. Minh and I attempted to complete the hike, but it was very difficult due to the high altitude, the fact that most of the hike is vertical, and the rainy weather left the path extremely muddy and slippery. I hurt my knee a little more than half way through the hike, and we ended up having to turn back. Nonetheless, we still enjoyed hiking through the forest, breathing the clean, fresh air, and Minh got some fantastic photos of the surrounding mountains and streams.

More photos of Iguaque National Park

♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫

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Special Guest Blogger - Minh Nguyen

We've been listening to a lot of great Latin music since we've arrived. Either on TV, in the bars, or just on the street, Colombians love music. Here are some songs that we really like:

Whenever this song comes on, Jane makes me dance with her :-)