Long Break, Part II: Colombia

Tell people you are going to spend three weeks in Colombia and you can expect to receive some blank stares, followed by awkward pauses, and then this first question: "Is it safe there"?

Unlike other places we have traveled, Colombia was a bit off the path and while we did talk with a few friends and colleagues who have been there in recent years, none had traveled there with kids. But after hearing several positive trip reports, we decided Colombia was worth a go. In the end, this destination offered a wonderful (and affordable) combination of culture, climate, cuisine and kindness.

The first good omen for this trip was discovering that Colombia also runs on Dunkin':

Our first stop was Bogotá, which sits at 8,700 feet above sea level and is known for "eternal spring" like temperatures and rainfall. On the first chilly day there, we did a great free walking tour and spent some time at the Gold Museum:

At Museo Botero, we particularly enjoyed the work of Colombia native Fernando Botero:

After a full morning of touring, it was time to try ajiaco, the comfort food in Bogotá:

The following day, we escaped the rain by visiting the underground Salt Cathedral located about an hour outside of the city:

After a few days in bustling Bogota, we traveled by plane, bus, and taxi to get to the small town of Salento, situated among mountains and coffee plantations. There, we stayed at a lovely home stay that was also a working dairy farm.

Farm puppies!

No taxis to be found in this town. Instead, one can hitch a ride on a shared "wheely". Note: no children actually rode on the back of a moving vehicle during this trip.

It was a long and winding road to this vista, one of only two places in the world to see wax palms:

After taking in the views, our driver took us to a nearby home to visit a hummingbird paradise and warm up with a cuppa aguapanela (sugar cane tea) con queso:

A couple of days later, we traveled in a different direction from town to see the second, this one easier to access, wax palm location in the Cocora Valley:

A crowded wheely headed back to town:

Jonah got to hang off the back of our ride, where he made a friend:

Another side trip from Salento, touring a coffee farm and learning about how the beans are grown and processed:

On our last full day at the farm, our lovely hosts offered to take us on horseback to a see a small waterfall. The original plan was that the boys would ride along with the farm manager, and - because I really don't like riding horses - Jonah and I would walk up the trail and meet them at the falls. While saddling up, Asa's horse got jumpy so Asa changed his mind and asked to walk. Then it was Jonah and Liam on horseback while Asa and I walked. 

After nearly an hour of tromping along in borrowed muck boots that didn't quite fit - and without socks - Asa had several blisters so arrived at the waterfall with one boot off, and one boot on:

To get us back down to the farm, our guide put both boys on one horse, gave me his horse (ugh!) and off we went.

That is me, not happy, heart racing and palms sweating:

This story ends with me falling off that dang horse. It veered to the side of a downward sloping section of the muddy trail, where tree branches were in line to knock my head off. I landed with a thud, yelping on the way down like Cam from Modern Family. Everyone was ahead of me so no one saw it all unfold, just heard me yelling nonsense and finally, "I'm okay! Just lying on the ground. Nothing to see here." And that - which happened to take place on a Friday that was also the 13th - will go down in history as my absolute, for certain, very last time on horseback. Borrowing a phrase from a dear friend, I am now "unavailable forever" for this activity.

The next day, we had a long journey from Salento to Medellin. Asa woke up with a stomach bug so we changed plans to take a later bus, then got on board for a very long and very mountainous ride. For the only person in our family who gets car sick to also have an upset stomach was just bad luck, but Asa made it through the day remarkably well and in remarkably good spirits.

View from hotel room in Medellin:

After a good night's rest, the next day was spent at Parque Explora, Medellin's fantastic interactive science museum:

This is the kid who insists that he won't take up acting.....

On the second day in Medellin we went on a walking food tour, where we had (among other things) perhaps the best empanadas ever, some tasty exotic fruit juices, and a local brew:

After about ten days of chilly temperatures, city touring and a farm stay, we flew north to Cartagena and from there, took a long drive east along the Caribbean coast to beach paradise. This place is a top contender among our favorite hotel stays of all time.

Catching toads before dinner:

After our time at the beach, it was a five-hour bus ride back to Cartagena, where we had two days to explore the walled Old Town section of the city. What we found there was a festive Caribbean vibe, beautiful colors, vibrant music playing in the streets at all hours, and brilliant blue skies. We passed the time simply walking, eating and steering away from large groups of cruise ship passengers. 

With our time in Cartagena coming to a close, it was time to say "thank you and goodbye" to Colombia. Next up, the final destination of this trip - Panama City.....