Carnaval de Negros y Blancos (Blacks and White Carnival)

January 11, 2017 memweaver90@gmail.com

Ever have the burning desire to shoot shaving cream in a 10 year old kid’s face while simultaneously getting a handful of talc powder thrown in yours? Welcome to White’s Day at Pasto’s Carnaval de Negros y Blancos! The Carnival takes place annually in the beginning of January, and we were pretty pumped when we learned about it and we would be around to partake. The festival’s origins go back to Spanish rule when the slaves had the day to be free and celebrate – and today it serves to unite the city’s people from all backgrounds during the naturally joyful time of the year. The 2 main days are Blacks Day (where faces are painted black) and White’s Day (where faces are painted white). We were there for White’s day which sees the whole city of people laughing and dancing and covered from head to toe in shaving cream (we think) and talc powder.

By the way, the 10 year old’s had way better aim than us.

First powder in the face, we were such rookies.

Again, we thought this was bad. Rookies.

Groups of teenage boys were the scariest

Our Time in Salento

January 8, 2017January 8, 2017 memweaver90@gmail.com

After spending our first few weeks on the coast, and my Michigan blood boiling from all the hot days and air conditon-less nights (well, some of them), we headed south to the mountains. After a couple memorable days learning about the country’s history and transformation in Medellín, we continued south to Salento. One of our new favorite places.

It was a bit of an adventure getting to Salento. We found a bus line in the Terminal de Transportes Sur, Flota Occidental, that claimed to have a direct route from Medellín to Salento 3 times daily. Most other companies you need to travel to Armenia and hop on a Collectivo back to Salento. We were lazy, so we decided to try and go direct. As our departure time neared and then passed, a woman finally told us they cancelled our bus and we had to take the Armenia bus anyways. We thought we were going all the way to Armenia when a man told us we were at our stop – a lonely bus stop on the highway near the entrance of Salento. We had to cross the 6-lane highway and waited for the bus we hoped would come. Luckily it was only a 4 minute wait before one of the Collectivos on its way pulled off and had space for us to hop on.

Salento is not a large town so it was easy to walk in and find our hostel. We checked in and went out exploring. We happened to get there the day before New Years Eve, and the town square was alive with performances, food carts, and kids games. This festival atmosphere continued until we left on the 4th of January and I’m fairly certain there were a few days left. While Salento is small, there is are a ton of great restaurants, bars, and activities.

Coffee Tours

We chose to begin with a tour of a Salento coffee finca. There are many options of coffee fincas you can visit and they are all down the same road. You can just walk out of town on Carrera 5 and keep walking for about 1hr and you’ll start coming across the fincas. It does get muddy, and I made the mistake of wearing canvas slip ons so it took us a bit longer than an hour to get there. We got a lot of great suggestions of which tours to take from our hostel owner, and in the end ended up going to the more expensive one he didn’t necessarily recommend, Ocaso. However, it was a great tour! It was 10,000 COP a person and they have both English and Spanish tours scheduled throughout the day.

We began by learning about the growth of the berries through harvest and the challenges along with it – fugus and parasites and the solutions the farm uses to minimize the effects of each. After the initial lecture, we went through all the steps from harvest to tasting. We began by picking a few bright red berries. From there, we weighed them, separated the bean from the berry, and walked through some greenhouses to see how they are dried. Finally we ground them and made coffee and FINALLY got to drink some. The coffee we eventually ground and drank at the end was classified as first class Colombian coffee. While it all depends on the tastes you personally like, the coffee was a bit acidic for our tastes.

New Years Eve

There are a lot of great ways to party in Salento on any given day, from the townie bars to the gringo bars to the bizarre yet incredibly difficult game of Tejo. So while the town was starting to pick up for the New Years celebrations, we decided to start with some Tejo.

Tejo was first described to us as “horse shoes with gun powder,” a traditional Colombian sport. Naturally, we had to try that out. The place to try it is at Los Amigos, where you buy a couple of beers, pay $2,000 COP/persona and are given a handful of gun powder packets while you hear explosions coming from the game room. You may be thinking “none of that sounds like a good idea,” but let me assure you, no one lost any limbs that day. Luckily one of the owners speaks English and was able to give us a quick tutorial about the rules and some technique. Then we choose a thick metal saucer and played!

The goal of the game is to be the first to reach 21 points. There is a platform on one end of the room covered with clay and has a metal ring in the middle surrounded with 5 gunpowder packets. You get awarded points based on how close you are to the center of the ring, if you hit the ring, and of course, if you explode a gunpowder packet. Will and I were there about an hour and a half and we only hit the gun powder packets twice and I somehow lost one of the metal discs in a wall. It’s a really difficult game! One of the best parts is watching the Colombian men playing – they stand as far as 100ft from the playing end and hurl the metal discs high into the air while hitting their targets every time.

A few beers down, our hands coated in clay, and thoroughly disheartened by our poor performance at Tejo, we decided to see what was happening around the rest of town. We forgot briefly that we were in Latin America where things get started a little later, so we got some dinner and parked in a bar and ordered drinks to watch the night unfold. As midnight neared, we met this wonderful Colombian family who invited us to ring in the New Year with them as they helped us understand the traditions around town. All day Will and I had been seeing cheeky scare crows sitting around town and I had my suspicions that it may be like the Venezuelan tradition I participated in as a kid – stuff it with fireworks, and blow it up at midnight. Our new Colombian family helped confirm these suspicions, and we got to ring in the New Year with Burning Año Viejo. Our clothes smelt like bonfire for days but it was definitely the best way to say farewell to 2016.

We bid our new friends goodbye and started walking back through the main square and New Years really kicked off. There were tons of people dancing in the street to DJs or bands.

If you find yourself in Colombia for New Years and not sure where to spend it, I would highly recommend making your way to Salento. It may be a small town, but people from all over come to celebrate and it is an absolute blast.

Salento

After our New Years shenanigans, we decided to spend the next day exploring Salento proper. There are a ton of shops to buy anything and everything (we got salt and pepper shakers), a gorgeous church on the square, and a viewpoint of the town and the surrounding mountains.

We ate some really great food in town – from local to American comfort food. Trout is the meal to get in Salento, either grilled or in a cream sauce. We chose to get it for lunch at El Rincon de Lucy, where it is served with their Correntazo (set lunch menu) and you can choose between grilled trout or chorizo. We also got lucky to have the festival going while we were there so there was no end to delicious street food – from cheesy arepas de choclo, to obleas, to sausage.

As Salento has been a big tourist destination, there is no shortage or restaurants for those who would like a bit of a break from Colombian food. While we have really enjoyed the food we have been discovering, we definitely took part in these restaurants more than a few times during our stay. We started with a big delicious cheeseburger from Brunch to cure our New Years hangover. They also have a huge delicious breakfast menu where we happily indulged in a ginormous plate of potatoes, eggs, mushrooms, chorizo, and red onion before a hike. The hostel we stayed at, Casa La Eliana, specializes in delicious curries and amazing pizzas.

If you’re looking for a beer and don’t want to throw metal discs at gunpowder packs, Bar Danubio was our favorite place to hang out. It is right near the main square and there are a ton of pool tables – from standard billiards to carom billiards. We also enjoyed hanging in Jesus Martin for a cup of coffee and a game of cards.

Valle del Cocora

The thing we were most excited about was Valle del Cocora. The Cocora is the wax palm, and the national tree of Colombia. They can grow to be 150ft tall (so a realllly tall palm tree). The government declared Cocora Valley a reserve to protect these national symbols. And man is it beautiful.

Since we were visiting the town during a festival with a closed main square, we had to catch a Jeep to the valley in an alternate location on Calle 2. These Jeeps wait until they fill up and then head to the Valley. We wanted to get started early, so we grabbed a big breakfast and aimed to be at the jeeps by 7:30am. It costs $3,400COP/person and takes about a half hour to get to the entrance, to which there is no entrance fee. You can keep going straight on the road to get to the main looking points for the valley, or you’ll find a blue gate on the right to take a loop for a 4.5-6hr hike that ends in the Valley. We wanted to go on a long hike after a lazy day in town so we headed right. The scenery throughout the hike is unbelievably gorgeous. The blue skies, the green mountains, the tall palms, the fog – I had to force myself to put away my camera more than a few times. The only downside of the hike are there are a million horses – sometimes the trail gets narrow, and sometimes the horse has to poop, and sometimes Will is in the way.

Along the hike there is a trout farm you can go into to feed the fish (trout is very popular in Salento, even though the demand is so high a majority of it is imported) and a hummingbird sanctuary with $5,000 COP entrance fee and you get a chunk of cheese and coffee or hot chocolate. We were really enjoying the hike so decided to skip both of these things. But to each his own.

The hike took us about 4.5 hours and then we were on the jeeps headed back to town.

Eating in Colombia

January 5, 2017 memweaver90@gmail.com

Eating is easily one of the best things about traveling. Exploring restaurants, unusual street food, and ordering something that you don’t know what the hell it is are always some of my favorite undertakings while abroad. With Colombia being a huge country filled with many different regions, there has been no shortage of culinary adventures. We have eaten a lot of food here so I am going to try and hit the broad strokes of some of our favorites we have sampled.

This is your basic lunch in Colombia, called Corrientazo, which is a set lunch that consists of 2 or three courses and a juice. They always consist of a soup (in this case chicken with vegetables), juice, and a huge platter of food. This main dish consists of a meat (chicken or beef), rice, a small salad, a fried plantain, yucca, and either beans or lentils. It is cheap, fast, and delicious. This meal for the two of us cost about $6.00 USD.

One cannot talk about Colombian food without mentioning the gut busting Bandeja Paisa. This dish is no joke. I mean come on, look at this fucking gigantic heap of food. Ground beef, chorizo, pork belly, rice, beans, plantains, salad, and fries. Did I mention this particular version is a little on the small side? Sometimes they throw a whole avocado and blood sausage on this beast too. This costs about $6-8 USD and is found everywhere and is considered the national dish, but it is something to try in Medellin. Legend has it this dish was invented for farmers who would only eat one calorie bomb meal a day before heading out into the fields for the day.

In Medellin we sampled two of the more famous soups the country offers. This one is called Ajiaco and is famous in mountain towns like Bogota. It is a chicken soup with potatoes, corn, cream, capers, and the herb guascas. It was refreshing and delicious. This version was consumed at a famous soup place and was a little on the expensive side coming in around $8.00 USD.

The next soup was called Cazuela de Frijoles. It had bacon, beans, corn, plantains, and avocado. It reminded me of a chili in America. They also topped it with processed potato sticks, which leads us to our next food….

THE HOTDOG. It seems every Latin America country puts their own weird twist on this American classic. Colombia did not disappoint. This monster consisted of a large boiled dog and was topped with coleslaw, mayonnaise, a sweet pineapple sauce, ketchup, and those crunchy potato sticks. The pineapple sauce was different but surprisingly complimented the rest of the savory toppings. It was around $2.00 USD (including a large side of fries) and could be found on the street and in tiny, fast food style restaurants.

Walking around and exploring street food is probably my favorite way to eat while traveling. The sights, the smells, and the interactions are always high sensory experiences. There is a lot of street meat in Colombia. It mostly consists of chorizo and various meat skewers. The chorizo in the north of the country seemed to be a little mealier than the chorizo of the south though the flavors are very similar. You can get a large sausage for about $1.00 USD. The skewers usually feature either beef or chicken and then maybe a potato or a random vegetable. Also about $1.00 USD.

Some of the larger street festivals and markets go rather huge on their platters of food. This Christmas market in Medellin had skewers with three saucer sized hunks of pork, a salad, potatoes, and an arepa. All of this for about $5.00 USD. It is as glorious as it looks.

One cannot mention the food of Colombia without that ubiquitous fried pocket of stuffed deliciousness, the empanada. These are everywhere and about $.50 USD. Basically a fried turnover stuffed with beef, potatoes, egg, etc. Here are some tips to find the best ones though. #1. There should be people huddled around the food stand. If the locals are munching on these things than they are making good ones. #2. They need to be fresh. They are best hot and crisp right out of the fryer. Sometimes these things have been under heat laps for hours and are soggy messes. #3 Sauces and toppings are a must. Different types of salsa and sauces take these things to the next level. The best stands usually have a sweet and hot salsa and 2 or 3 different sauces like avocado or pineapple.

You might notice a lack of sweet treats in this blog. I do not have much of a sweet tooth and find the sweets here kind of disappointing. There are bakeries full of delicious looking cakes and pastries but they are always dry and not very flavorful. The most delicious dessert we have found was the deceptively basic but delicious oblea. This basically consist of two large wavers with a sweet sauce in the middle. The best part is you can choose what goes in them! Chocolate sauce, caramel, jam like fruit sauces, and sprinkles were some of the topics we were able to decipher.

Eating in Colombia has been a lot of fun, and since we are on a backpackers budget, cheap. Although nothing is seasoned heavily, the freshness and portions cannot be beat.

We also apparently really like to make faces while we eat

Santa Marta, Colombia – 6 Ways to Discover the Caribbean Coast

December 27, 2016December 27, 2016 memweaver90@gmail.com

Caribbean Colombia is hot. Really, really hot. It took us all of 2 nights to decide we were going to pay up the extra few bucks a night for air conditioning in our room.

We wanted to ease into our trip, so the Caribbean seemed like the perfect place to start. We flew into Cartagena and spent 2 sweltering days walking around the gorgeous old town. The streets are full
of beautifully bright buildings and cathedrals. There are tons of shops, bars, and plazas to get a Tinto (probably with enough sugar to kill a bull) and try to cool off in the shade.

Unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to make it out to the islands off Cartegena we read so much about because we were gunning to get to Santa Marta and enjoy those beaches and mountains. Here is our concise little list of what we did and how we did it.

1) Santa Marta

We spent our first week and a half of our trip shuffling around Santa Marta and we loved it. There is so much life and activity it is hard not to get swept up in it. We stayed and spent most of our time contained within the first 6 Carreras nearest to the ocean. In Santa Marta, the Carreras run parallel to the ocean and the Calles perpendicular. Here there are countless tiendas with cheap beers and chairs to lounge in, parques and plazas, dance clubs, street food, restaurants with a variety of different cuisines to fit whatever mood you’re in, oh and whole fried fish. Lots of whole fried fish. The beach is incredibly accessible, but we only spent time walking up and down it. The ocean water is definitely a lifesaver on some of the sweatier, hotter days (ie. all the days – it is hot). Santa Marta is also a convenient place to be able to visit many of the sites around it.

2) La Ciudad Perdida (The Lost City) 4, 5, or 6 Day Hike

This was our main goal in going to Santa Marta – though it didn’t really fit into our “ease in” plan. We read about the journey it takes to hike up to the lost Tayrona city and decided it would be unforgettable and we had to do it. It was definitely unforgettable and we would 100% recommend this to anyone who finds themselves in the area with the time. Though it is a rather challenging hike, so be prepared for that! We booked right through our hostel and were picked up and dropped of at our front door. You can read more about it our experiences in our post about our Lost City hike.

3) Bahia Concha

This was the perfect place to unwind the day after we got back from the long trek. It was our first beach day since coming to the Caribbean – I think being so close to a beach and not ACTUALLY going was killing Will little by little, it was time. We booked a tour with friends through their hostel for transportation to and from the beach. When we got there were able to rent a cabana with chairs and a beer-filled cooler for ~$10USD. For the rest of the day we just sat. And read. And swam. And chatted. And ate fish and coconut rice. And drank beer. And napped. Bahia Concha has everything you could want for a relaxing beach day. One of the funnier Colombian activities at this beach was what we called “sexy photo shoot time” with Colombian women taking photos while in various poses along the water.

4) Minca

Will and I were originally planning on spending a few days in this small Sierra Nevada Mountain town, but knew we wanted to go to the Parque Tayrona (see #6) which is much more convenient to reach from Santa Marta, so we opted for a day trip. While we didn’t get to spend much time in Minca, we went on a tour of La Victoria, an organic coffee farm in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The tour guide spoke great English, though very softly, and walked us through the production of their coffee. I had a difficult time hearing everything said, so only caught of few snippets, but I got some good information. For example – coffee from low, humid regions (like the Brazilian Amazon) have a higher caffeine content than beans from higher, dryer climates. This is due to the berries needing more toxins to withstand the insects. They give you as much of their delicious coffee as you can drink and they also sell beer brewed in Minca at Nevada Cerveceria – a coffee porter and a pilsner.

Afterwords we had a short hike down to a waterfall – a freezing cold waterfall – before going to lunch and heading back to Santa Marta.

I enjoyed the coffee tour, but I do wish we got to spend more time in Minca to check out the town instead of going to the waterfall. I read it is a really nice little town away from the crowds and heat of Santa Marta.

5) El Rodadero

Like all great travel discoveries, we happened upon El Rodadero by mistake. I’d read about it and seen that you should go, but wasn’t entirely sold on why you would go if you were already in Santa Marta. We had been booking our places on a night by night basis, until we realized everything was booked up due to the holidays and had to hop online to find a place that could house us for a few nights. We had been on the move since we got to Colombia and were ready to park somewhere and read a book. I misread the map and ended up booking a place in El Rodadero. After our taxi driver was thoroughly confused with our directions and then told us “no worries, it’s just over the mountains” I was not entirely sure what we were in store for – but potentially a high taxi bill (not really, ended up being about $3USD as it is only about 10min away from Santa Marta). El Rodadero ended up being exactly what we needed!

We stayed about a 10min walk from the main beach strip. While walking around the plazas of Santa Marta you see gringos and Colombians alike, El Rodadero feels more like a Colombian vacation spot. There are a ton of big resorts and a beach about 3 times the size of the one in Santa Marta with shops, open air restaurants, and street food like an amazing fish stew sold roadside. There was also a tremendous breeze the whole time we were there, so it felt mildly cooler than Santa Marta as well.

While we ended up travelling back and forth by taxi, we saw plenty of buses with “Santa Marta” and “El Rodadero” in front. I read you can catch one on Calle 16, so I’m sure that route is simple and cheap. Taxis between the 2 cities are set at 10,000 COP.

6) Tayrona National Park

A trip to the coast is not complete without a trip to the national park. The beaches are absolutely beautiful. We had been prancing around the Caribbean coast for over a week and had only been to the beach once much to Will’s dismay.

To get in, you can catch a bus from the Central Market on Calle 11. It’s pretty simple to find the bus as people are yelling about going to Parque Tayrona. The bus is about 1 hour and 7,000 COP/person to get to the main park entrance. At first we thought we missed it, but it is pretty easy to see, there are a ton of buses, stands, and a big sign.

When we got into the park, we had to sit through a 20 min video and lecture about respecting the National Park and wait in a bit of a line to show your passport and pay your 42,000 COP/person. Then you’re in! We had friends who stayed in hammocks in a pavilion overlooking the ocean and decided we wanted that too. For this you need to get to Cabo San Juan. There is about a 30min walk on a main road(Or a 3,000 COP bus ride) then you enter the jungle and have about a 2hour hike until the final beach. The hike is fairly congested due to its width, but not strenuous. There are multiple beaches you pass on the way to Cabo San Juan, and every one is more gorgeous than the last. Most of these beaches also featured hammocks or tents for rent. Some people brought in there own food but almost all of the beaches featured restaurants with slightly inflated prices(4,000 COP for a beer and 30,000 COP for most meals). The food was basic but still enjoyable, especially after about 5 beers. The beaches also featured lockers to put your packs in, just don’t forget to bring a lock!

We finally made it around 11:30am and were able to get one of the 18 hammocks in the pavilion over looking the ocean. All the hard work over, all that was left for the day was to lay in the sand, drink some beers, and watch the ocean. I’m personally a bit of a wimp when it comes to heat and sand, but Will was incredibly blissed out the entire time. If unforgettable sunrises, bright turquoise surf and soft sand are your thing, you should definitely go here.

For anyone visiting Colombia, the Caribbean coast is a must visit!

Merry Christmas!

December 25, 2016 memweaver90@gmail.com

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from our family to yours from Barichara, Colombia!

La Ciudad Perdida – The Lost City: Our 4 Day Trek

December 19, 2016December 20, 2016 memweaver90@gmail.com

This was not exactly how we expected to start our trip. Sweating like a pig, stomping up and down 65⁰ muddy mountain inclines, stomachs twisting in cramps, and with 3 more days of this laying ahead. When we first decided to start our adventure in Colombia we wanted to begin with a trek to La Ciudad Perdida (The Lost City). We believed a 4 day hike to ancient Colombian ruins deep in the jungle would be an unforgettable experience. We surely got what we wanted, plus lots of pain, surprise, danger, infections, exhaustion, and most importantly, triumph.

Day 1:

We booked the trip right through our hostel and were picked up at 9am to begin the adventure. Once we had our bills squared away at the office, the 2 of us and our 6 newest friends set off on the ride up to the trek’s starting point in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, El Mamey. The drive from Santa Marta is about 1.5 hours.

Once we got there, they started us off with a huge plate of food. It’s almost as if they were warning us to the amount of fuel and energy we would need for the next 4 days. We got a quarter fried chicken, rice, beans, patacones (smashed and fried plantains), a little salad, and juice. While the 8 of us were eating and beginning the standard new acquaintance small talk, a group of 4 arrived back from their trek and looked totally wrecked. They didn’t talk to each other, only staring off into space, and one guy slowly limped to the bathroom at one point. Needless to say, we took that as a sign we may not be entirely prepared for what’s in store the next 4 days.

The first step on day 1 is to stop a map that shows how the next 4 (or 5) days and your route will go – almost 31 miles (50km) round trip. The first day is about 3-4 hours of hiking to the first camp, Alojamiento de Adán. It began with a quick river crossing then we followed a road uphill.

Along the way there are 2 stands to rest at where you can buy water, Gatorade, beer, pop, and your guide may provide fruit. The day ends with a muddy downhill to camp for the night. The first day eased us into what the next 3 days of our lives will be. It is hot, humid, and very very sweaty. Oh, and absolutely gorgeous. The terrain is typically going up or down (at least those are the only parts I remember at this point), and there are a lot of mud and rocks to navigate. Oh and donkeys, but we will get more into that later. Will had a much rougher day than the rest of us, battling dehydration and intestinal issues. Be sure to drink lots of water and prepare yourself for the rest – most of us did not escape intestinal problems.

Each camp is set off the river so there is the opportunity to jump in for a quick, cool, refreshing dip before showers and dinner. At the first camp, we crossed a sketchy, bouncy bridge to get to our bunks. There are plenty of beds at all the camps, but if you were interested in sleeping in a hammock, those are available as well if you ask your guide. The beds are pretty basic but come with a sheet, blanket and mosquito net. We quickly changed into our bathing suits and jumped into the river from a 3m rock. It was cool, refreshing, and the perfect way to rest our muscles.

After a swim and a shower came dinner. Again, it was huge. They know the amount of activity we are doing so you get fed accordingly, and then some. Our first night was with a whole fried fish, rice, beans, patacones, a little salad, and juice. After we also always got a little something sweet like a package of Oreos or some chocolate covered rice crispy-like treats.

While the food was settling before bed, our guide, along with an English-speaking translator, gave a great talk about the region, the history, and the regional indigenous tribes. The first day you primarily hike through government owned land, but the 2^nd day you enter indigenous regions. Our guide spoke with us about the 2 of the 4 tribes in the region, the Wiwa and Kogi, who we would encounter in the next days.

Bed time came pretty early, our guide informed us that he would be around to wake us up for breakfast the next morning at 5:30am.

Day 2

The mattresses were not the most comfortable. Most people did not get the best sleep of their lives on this trip, but that’s all part of the fun..right!? Anyways, 5:30am rolls around, and a tapping on all the beds with “Buenos días!” pulled us from our dreams and shallow sleep for the next day – a full day with 8-9 hours of hiking. After everyone was ready, breakfast was served with coffee or tea. We got a big plate of eggs, toast, fruit and a juice. If you do this trek eat every single bite. Do it. It’s going to be a long day.

The terrain started off with little hills, up and down, and some river crossings until lunch. The lunch location was also a camp we would be staying at on the third night, and is at the bottom of a rather large downhill. That downhill was when we first began to think of the consequences of returning the same route on the last day. Our translator told us not to worry, by day 4 we would be pros and could run up and down the mountains. We were skeptical.

This place was set off the river and was an aaamaaazing place to wash off the sweat and grit from the morning hike while lunch was being prepared. It was also a good place to put our clothes out to dry, as it was during the day and quite sunny. At night nothing dries in the cool humidity of the mountains.

Lunch! A big old bowl of soup with a heaping side of rice. Again, eat it. All of it.

After lunch came what felt like one of the bigger pushes of the trek for me. It started with going past the first Wiwa village of the trek, then a very very large uphill. There are not many switch backs, and when there are, they don’t really change the angle much. Once we reached the top, there was another place to buy water and our guide had some fruit to help recharge. Once there, it would be only 1.5 hours to the 2^nd camp that is much more neutral, though still some up and downhill.

The 2^nd night camp is only 2km away from La Ciudad Perdida. I was getting quite sore and was sweaty and dirty so decided to shower instead of swimming, but there was the option to go swimming there as well. Here our guide served us coffee and popcorn while we waited for dinner. It was pretty heavenly feeling the warmth flow through my bones as my feet and legs were beginning to catch on that we should be in pain.

Dinner! Another quarter chicken, rice, salad, desert, juice. Again, eat it. Eat all of it. This was when I first became aware of the epidemic striking our group and what I’m pretty sure was a majority of other groups. I was soon to be next to join those desperate for a bathroom.

After dinner our guide began prepping us for the Lost City. We would have a wake up call the next day at 5am and hike the 2km in and the 1,200 steps up and spend about 2 hours in the city. He then told us all to go to bed, we were too tired to hear any more.

7:30pm, bed time.

Day 3

*Tap tap tap* “Buenos dias!!” “Levantate!” *Tap tap tap* “Get up!”

Personally my worst night of sleep on the trek and my inauguration into the diarrhea club. Day 3 was going to be tough.

Will and I were worried about weight, so we brought 1 shirt for the first 3 days and 1 for the last. Over the trek, the humidity is so high, you are drenched all day and nothing dries overnight. I was pretty grumpy that morning putting on the same cold, sweaty clothes, maybe it wouldn’t have killed me to bring 1 more tank top.

Breakfast! The meals began getting bigger and bigger. Today breakfast was coffee/tea, juice, eggs, fruit, 2 arepas, one plain and one stuffed with cheese. I had a bit of nausea and stomached about half. But if you go on this trek, eat it. Eat all of it.

The time before we set off consisted of most of us passing around the toilet paper and preparing to go to the city. We would be going back through the same camp and have lunch after the city, so we left most of our stuff behind. Will and I took one backpack with a camera, waters, insect repellent and sunscreen.

The short hike to the stairs was pretty painless and not too much of a grade. Once we got to the stairs, it was fairly steep and the steps were fairly narrow. However, they are the old stone steps so 1,200 feels more like 500. That was a nice surprise, though I was definitely preparing to go down on my butt.

La Ciudad Perdida is gorgeous. If you are on this trek and are having a tough time and asking yourself “why am I here?” I can tell you, you’ll figure it out. There is not much known about the city other than what can be archaeologically deduced from few remains or through shaman stories, as the Tayrona people left no written record. But it is amazing to see all the terraces dot their way up the mountain surrounded by wild jungle and waterfalls in the distance. You’ll be glad that you found it. After about 2 hours of photos, snacks, and learning, we headed back down and to the camp.

Lunch! Meat with sauce, rice, lentils, salad, juice, desert. I did not eat it all. I paid the price that afternoon as I was running dangerously low on energy towards the end of the day. So if you go, eat it. Eat all of it.

Next began the hike back. Now you know what to expect with the terrain as you go back exactly the way you came. But here comes my next warning: try to stay aware of the donkeys. They are constantly going up and down the mountain carrying goods to the camps and villages and some of the trails are quite narrow. We had a close call when one popped out of nowhere, but all was good! Just keep your eyes aware, even when you’re tired!

The hike after lunch on the 3^rd day was my most painful stretch of the hike. But we made it to the final camp that night, excited/nervous that we had only 6 hours and 12 km left to go.

Dinner! Pasta, tons of cheesy delicious pasta to get all carbed up for the last day. I ate it. I ate all of it. The final educational section of the trip was a Wiwa man who came into the camp to teach us about a few of their traditions. He provided us with a lot of information about boys from a young age through adulthood, though I heard they share different information with different groups.

Bed time was shortly after. I think we made it until 8pm.

Day 4

*Tap tap tap* “Buenos Días! Get up!” *Tap tap tap*

Fresh clothes! Glorious, wonderful, non-smelly fresh clothes! An almost full night’s sleep! Not 1 but TWO grilled cheese sandwiches for breakfast! Maybe our translator was right, by day 4 you’re an old hiking pro!

The 4^th day started with a huge uphill. But it did feel different. No matter how sore and grumpy I was the night before, I was ready to go. At that point, it’s hard, you’re achy, you’re sweaty, you’re smelly, you’re itchy, but it’s all a part of you. You finally lay eyes on that same map from the very beginning and sit in the same seat for lunch at which you started your journey what feels like a lifetime ago. It was a victorious, jolly lunch with the strangers we met in the truck who through pain, sweat, and intestinal problems are now like old friends. Then it was time for the final drive back home to Santa Marta.

What We Packed

2 Shirts (like I said in the post, I may spring for a 3^rd if I were to do it again. Will would not “You get sweaty in 2 minutes anyways” – he’s right, you do.)
1 Hiking pant/shorts to wear everyday
2 Pairs of Socks (again, wouldn’t have killed me to bring a couple more, but it’s doable if you are worried about weight)
4 Pairs of Underwear – I brought 1 for each day
1 Bathing suit
Clean set of clothes for the camps at night – it can get chilly in the mountains so long pants and a sweater would be a good idea
1 Pair of good solid shoes – a few in our group lost their soles on the way. It is very very humid and you cross a lot of rivers and mud. Make sure your shoes are in good working condition, it’s a tough hike for your shoes too.
1 Pair of flip flops – Good for showers, nights, and trips to the river

Bottle of water – You can buy some at the stops along the way and they will have treated water for you at each campsite
Quick Dry Towel
Flashlight or Head Lamp – It’s pretty dark at night
Camera
Sunscreen
Insect Repellent – We had 40% Deet that worked really well when you actually applied it (The insects WILL find you if you aren’t diligent)
Sunglasses/Hat
Toothbrush/toothpaste
Shampoo/Conditioner/Soap
Toilet Paper – At night there will always be toilet paper at the place or with your guide. It is always nice to have your own stash for the trail

*Things I would consider bringing next time: small cream for any burns or chafing, small antibiotic cream for bites and scratches, bandaids

*Keep in mind it is very humid. Everything is damp. We brought playing cards not in a Ziploc bag and they are ruined. Keep important electronics and paper products zipped tight.

This was both Will’s and my first 4 day trek. It was hard, painful, and sweaty, but it was so so worth it. We were constantly pushed to our limits but in the end succeeded and loved, maybe not every minute of it, but loved it as a whole. The hike is difficult, but if you feel ready, we would 100% recommend you go find La Ciudad Perdida!

Key West: Pools, Lizards, and Dead Writers

December 12, 2016 memweaver90@gmail.com

What do you think of when you hear the words Key West? Is it Ernest Hemingway? Cruise ships? Fat, drunken tourist making fools of themselves? Key lime pie? Stupid Jimmy Buffet songs? After finally visiting this Caribbean town stuck in America I can tell you that all of these things are there in spades. You can take a trolley tour and get shitfaced on Duval Street. Or you can seek the locals’ hangouts and avoid the famous sites. What I discovered about Key West is that you can be any kind of traveler there, and that is okay.

Going to Key West made me question myself. Can I enjoy a so called “tourist trap” of a place? Am I jaded? Have I followed the gospel of Anthony Bourdain too closely? Am I having an “authentic” experience and what the hell does that even mean anymore? Or more importantly, am I a big snob about where I travel? It turns out Key West is exactly what I needed before Michelle’s and my big adventure.

Family brought us to Key West. My mom has always wanted to visit there. She was boarding a Disney cruise ship in December (with my sister and her family) so we decided it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Since we were missing Christmas with her we decided on an early present. We booked a small hotel room and bought her a plane ticket.

The first thing about Key West is that the drive down there is beyond brutal. From Miami, it is 2.5 hours of one lane, low speeds, an abundance of police, and a fuck ton of bad Midwest drivers. Although scenic, I was ready to drive the car straight into the Gulf of Mexico by the time we arrived.

My first recommendation to those visiting Key West is book a place near the sites. It is a small place and much easier to navigate if you can just walk, bike, scooter, or drunkenly stumble around. You will most likely run over an old blue haired lady if you try to drive around town, so don’t do it. Unless you visit in the off season you will probably pay a premium for that room, but it is worth every penny.

Key West is expensive if you are backpacking or on a budget. There are no $1.00 bowls of Pho in the street or $5 a night hostels. However, you can eat and drink without spending a small fortune. We booked a hotel with a pool so we could bring our own booze and not spend all of our money in bars. The pool also paid for itself with entertainment as we became acquainted with a 4 foot orange iguana as he tried to impress some lady iguanas in the area. He didn’t get lucky but he did climb and jump from tree to tree. There are Cuban sandwiches – $8 at Sandy’s for a huge sandwich and a side of crispy French fries. B.O.’s Fish Wagon and Garbo’s Grill served up amazing fish sandwiches and tacos for under $20 a person.

So there we are in Key West with my mom. There is no way we are not taking a trolley tour ($27, various companies) or visiting the Hemingway estate ($13, includes a guided tour every 30 min). Her friends who have all been there insist on it. I thought for sure these events would be anywhere from boring to making me want to pull my eyes out with seafood crackers. I was wrong. Turns out these tours can be quite humorous and full of stories of the eccentrics that lived in Key West over the years. I had no clue that Tennessee Williams was a resident along with Hemingway or that a former mayor had water skied to Cuba and back. Before Key West was a tourist trap, it was filled with crooks, swindlers, drunks, pirates, and all kinds of dirt bags. It was where people who wanted a different kind of
life went to have just that.

The history of Key West is where the magic is, not at the bottom of your 7^th beer at Sloppy Joes. So even if you backpacked SE Asia for 7 months or traveled the Congo in Africa, sometimes you just have to pay the 25 dollars and hop on a trolley. There is nothing wrong with it. It is freeing to do these things. I didn’t feel lame or like I was being a bad traveler. Sometimes, just being a tourist is the most authentic experience. Jimmy Buffet still sucks though.

Our Packing List for our 6 Month Journey

December 4, 2016December 28, 2016 memweaver90@gmail.com

Getting ready to leave for a trip is always more fun than coming back from one – mostly because packing is roughly 1,000x more fun than unpacking. There is the fun of imagining what your next week, month, or year will look like – Will it rain? Will I need something formal? Will I suddenly decide mouthwash is vital for my oral hygiene? What if I spill BBQ sauce on that one tank top I really like to wear on Tuesdays? We had many of the same questions when planning for our trip that would be 4-6 months, but with the added very important question of, will this make my pack too heavy?

I went through a lot of angst my first backpacking trip – 4 months around Southeast Asia in 2013 – and learned a lot about what is an isn’t useful to carry around on your back through a bit of trial and error. A quick example before I get into the bulk: I originally thought performing all my computer functions on a tablet would be smart, weight/size efficient, and functional. Oh how wrong I was. My friend and I went in and spent $150/each for a nice Samsung Galaxy, only to find we both hated to use tablets. We were able to sell it and each able to make $50 back each. Still a bummer to lose the money and essentially carry around an additional 4lbs that was totally unnecessary. This trip, I invested in a small, light laptop/tablet and purchased a Dell Inspiron 11.5″. Thus far, I am very happy with the decision. Of course, this is my personal preference towards having a keyboard over a touch screen to perform my daily functions.

Without further ado, below you will find photos, packing lists, and tips for a trip that will be through multiple climates for an extended trip.

Health and Wellbeing

Since we don’t always know what will be available at all times, we brought most of what we will likely need. Quantities will of course vary based on how long you will be somewhere and your personal needs. Below is a photo and itemized list of what we have.

Insect Repellent – We chose a 40% Deet solution
Sunscreen
Contact Solution
Ear plugs
Ace bandage
Athletic Tape/Wrap
Pepto Bismol
Small Scissors
A&D Ointment – Dry skin and irritation relief
Nasal Decongestant
Dayquil/Nyquil
Bandaids
Contacts/Glasses
Prescription for travellers intestinal infection
Malaria Pills – We were prescribed Malarone by our travel nurse
Feminine Products
Drip Drop – for rapid rehydration
Cough Drops or Throat Lozenges

*Not pictured – Personal daily toiletries. I’m sure everyone packs a tooth brush and tooth paste, but everything else really depends on what you can/can’t live without. I also chose bring tweezers, nail polish, and a hairbrush. Will has electric clippers.

Be sure to check with your local Travel clinic for vaccinations and detailed lists for what additional medicine might be recommended for your specific area of travel.

General Clothing

Quantities are very general here as well. I made these decisions from my own experiences and what I think is worth carrying for my own comfort. I know there are some people who say you need 1 pair of shorts and 1 shirt – which is true! I find I like a little variety so have a few more things, some are definitely not necessary, especially yoga pants – I just really don’t want to ride in a bus for 15hrs in jeans. Since my pack is pictured, my quantities and items are listed first, Will’s are in brackets after.

Set of Pajamas (shorts + tanktop) [shorts]
Shorts (3) [3, including athletic shorts]
Jeans (1) [1]
Hiking/Quick Dry Pants (1) [1]
Capris
Yoga Pants [1 pair thin sweat pants]
T-shirts (4, with 1 being quick dry for hiking and activities) [5]
Tank Tops (3) [1]
Bathing Suit [1]
Bras (3, with 1 being a sports bra)
Dress (1)
Socks (6 pair) [6]
Underwear (7) [ 7]

Cold Weather Additions

When I travelled SE Asia, the above section was basically my pack. Since we are travelling to mountain climates and will be in Chile and Argentina in the Winter, we had to make a few additions for cold weather.

Patagonia Jacket [North Face]
Flannel (1) [1]
Rain Coat (1)
Sweatshirt (1) [1]

Shoes

shoes

Flip Flops
Tom’s Slip Ons
Trail Running Shoes – (Merrell) [ASICS]

Electronics and Entertainment

I’m going to be honest, while packing the electronics and entertainment I realized how nice it is to be travelling with another person to distribute the weight between our packs. Though it is definitely doable to carry this all individually.

Kindle
Journal
Canon DSLR + Telephoto lens
Waterproof Nikon Point and Click
Portable Speaker
Unlocked Cell Phone
Ipod
Card Games
Outlet Converter
11.5″ Dell Inspirion
*Not Picutred – ALL THE CABLES! Don’t forget to double check all the chargers, SD Cards, and batteries

Miscellaneous

This section is a combination of things I was unable to fit into another category, or things I forgot at first so hope you don’t too!

Quick Dry Towel
Travel Clothesline (Have to say thanks to my travel mate Olivia for this – it was a lifesaver in SE Asia!)
Sarong (Seriously the most functional travel accessory I have ever used. Need a pillow? towel? beach blanket? beach cover? long skirt? anything? It works for allllll of these things and more!)
Dry bag for the beach/diving/boat trips
Friendly Swede Travel and Sleeping Bag Liner

Moneybelt
Eyemask
Sunglasses
*Not pictured – small sowing kit, bottle opener, small knife, flashlight

Ready to Go!

packs

We are both travelling with 55-60L packs and a day pack. I bought my pack a few years ago, but I am really jealous of Will’s so will recommend that over mine. It is an Osprey Farpoint 55, which has a front panel that basically opens up the entire pack, making it very convenient for organization. Additionally, it’s incredibly light and the straps fold in so it fits in an overhead compartment.

Feel free to message us with any questions or more in depth recommendations for items. I hope this helps take some stress away when planning for your big trip!

A Farewell to Wisconsin

December 1, 2016 memweaver90@gmail.com

When we leave for our journey, being from families as spread out as ours, leaving isn’t just going on a trip; it’s saying goodbye to our first home as adults and a married couple. We have already planned our new home once we return, so I’m just going to take a few minutes to share our appreciation to the home that embraced us for a few years – Wisconsin.

I’ll miss a lot about America’s Dairy Land, from the fertile land with its delicious vegetables and cheese to the plethora of hikes and the connection people have with their environment. While I won’t lie and say we completely experienced all WI had to offer in the short 2.5 years we lived here, we got a nice little taste and are better for experiencing it.

I’ll hold dear the memories of going to a Brewers game, being too hung over to go to a Brewers game, seeing Lambeau Field and teasing Badger fans. Drinking Spotted Cow at the Terrace and touring Door County wineries. Making a weekend of the first Eaux Claires music festival and the world’s largest airshow, EAA AirVenture, in Oshkosh. Trying but failing to comprehend what the hell is going on at House on the Rock and planning our future lawn decoration from Dr. Evermore’s creations.

I remember when I first crossed the Mississippi and saw the “Welcome to Wisconsin” sign. It was in May 2014, and in my opinion, the month when Wisconsin’s beauty is at its peak. Everything is the rich green of baby crops promising a delicious summer ahead. I’d driven from my mom’s place in Toas, NM which took me through Oklahoma, Kansas and Iowa before crossing the final state line. No offense to the breadbasket of America, but when I got off the bridge and laid eyes on the majestic hills and bluffs set against the backdrop of bright blue skies with white puffy clouds – I was sold. I remember thinking how convenient it was that I was dragging my southern boyfriend up from North Carolina to the home of the Frozen Tundra at a time like that. The picturesque fertile American farmland, complete with dairy cows grazing next to red barns, makes it pretty difficult to worry about the impending winter.

We found an apartment in Madison on the far west side. A stones throw from downtown, the numerous state and county parks that fill up the countryside, and expressways linking you to 3 great American metropolises. Getting to know Madison and its surrounding area took up much of our 2 years here. While it isn’t a giant city, it packs quite a bit in for its little package. There are 17 breweries and we still left with a list of restaurants we didn’t get a chance to eat at. Throughout the year you’ll have the chance to go to the Great Taste of the Midwest, the 2nd longest running craft beer fest, Brat Fest, the largest brat fest in the world, and at any given time go taste a variety of mustard at the National Mustard Museum, which boasts over 5,000 types on display – seeing a trend yet? Aside from the food and drink, there’s the Overture Center, The Orpheum Theatre, and a ton of other venues with a constant stream of entertainment including Broadway, lectures, comedians, and musicians working their way through the Midwest.

What we will really take with us are the people we met – from coworkers to teammates – that brought us into their home and took us out for Friday night fish fry. A lot of people come here and stay, or are born here and don’t see anywhere else worth living. I’ve gotta say, going to a wedding of our native Wisconsin friends, watching them exchange vows with a Spotted Cow in hand and cheese curds frying in the background, I can see why.

I do have some regrets. We didn’t get a chance to live here through a nice, snowy winter to appreciate some of the cross country skiing I’ve heard so much about at Blue Mounds or Devil’s Lake…though I’m not so sure that’s a regret Will agrees with, winter was not quite his favorite part. We never actually made it to a Packers game or to The Apostle Islands on Lake Superior. There will always be more to explore, and we hope to come back soon to experience it all.

It’s been a blast Wisconsin!

It Starts

November 25, 2016November 29, 2016 memweaver90@gmail.com

We did it. We worked our asses off and saved a lot. After years of longing to travel South America, we finally begin our journey December 10th with a direct flight to Cartegena, Colombia. We cut out concerts, fancy restaurants, and vacations. We went into our boss’s offices and said thanks but no thanks. A combined $140,000 income, comfortable life, and a nice apartment gone in an instant. Vanished.

Here we are now. Former ex-pats, now newlyweds, who met abroad and are itching to get back. Michelle and I were English teachers in South Korea when we fell in love. The food, the kids, the culture, and all of the wonderful people we met was a heady elixir that helped bring us together. Despite a bit of difference in age and background, we discovered our dissimilarities and interests fit together like kimchi and rice. We loved our lives there but also wanted to return to America to start our careers and “real life” together, Michelle as an engineer and I in sales.

We got lucky and ended up in Madison, Wisconsin. Michelle working for a major glass manufacturing company and I at a tech start up. Despite the chilly winters freezing my delicate southern bones, we quickly fell in love with the place. Picturesque rolling farmland, a bustling restaurant scene, diverse music, great beer, and alllll the cheese were more than enough to meet our needs.

Deciding to leave our lifestyle behind was not an easy decision. We worried about our future like most newlyweds. Should we be buying a house? Did we save enough money? How will this impact our careers? Not to mention, we would again be leaving our new home and friends behind. At the beginning of our journey, we don’t yet have all the answers but together we decided – forget the house, we’ve saved enough, lots of people take sabbaticals. If we were giving anyone advice on doing this it is that you just have to bite the bullet. Set a goal, stay focused, and when you reach that goal, just go. Pack those boxes and peace the fuck out.

That is exactly what we did. And we’re off…..

kimchicurds&vino

a chronicle of newlyweds travelling the americas