The Snowlady Chronicles

Colombia! 3rd and Final Stop - Medellin

Sunday October 8, 2017

Boulder, Colorado

Sunny and Warm

 

Our last and final stop was Medellin - The City of Eternal Springs.  Again we flew at night, arrived late at night, drove up a mountain and down to our hotel but because it was dark could not see anything.  We stayed again at the Intercontinental which was fabulous.  My main objective was to see my Uncle but to also learn more about this city which is being revitalized after the cartels have disappeared.  Almost always I was asked if I am visiting Colombia because of the Netflix series Narcos.  I kept on telling those folks I'm in Colombia to see my Uncle and because I love Gabriel Marquez Garcia.  Anyhow,  Medellin was where Pablo Escobar ran his cocaine drug cartel and Narcos is the story about his rise and fall (its fiction but based on actual events).  I have seen Narcos after visiting Colombia (got to season 2) and learned how much influence the cartels had on the towns and people of Colombia and how many decent folks were killed because of the cartels.  Their client by the way was the USA.  But the Medellin today is a beautiful city that is proud to be the city where the famous artist Botero was born.  

On our first full day we took a taxi to where my Uncle lies in Bello, just outside the city.  My Uncle and his wonderful wife Ruby took us up the famous cable cars of Medellin to a park on top of the mountain.  There we had lunch and took a beautiful walk in the mountains.  Hard to believe we are just minutes away from the bustling city of Medellin.

Ruby, Uncle Jeff and I on the cable car

View from the cable car.  Medellin has an amazing network of cable cars that from some is the only means of transportation to get to their homes along the slopes of the mountains.

 Top of the mountain

 

After lunch, we went back to Uncle Jeff and Ruby's apartment and met Ruby's  gracious and wonderful family.  We then took a taxi back to our hotel.  I was a bit nervous as the concierge told me to return before dark (and we left after dark)  but found it very safe and easy to get back to the hotel via taxi.

The next day Uncle Jeff and Ruby met us a the main square in the heart of Medellin so we can do shopping.  The main square is also home to many Botero sculptures.  

My favorite Botero sculpture in the plaza

Our first stop was a crafts fair that is a weekly Saturday event.  We found the prices reasonable and of high quality so Sandra and I bought some handmade bags and leather goods.  Thank god Ruby was with us as most folks do not speak Spanish

After exploring the crafts fair, we took a taxi to one of the famous shopping malls in Medellin.  It reminded me of South Coast Plaza but bigger.  Not only did they have high end stores but a playground for children, a famous medical clinic and a high end supermarket. Sandra and I bought some very nice leather goods, Colombian coffee and even eyeglasses at the mall!  We then went to a famous restaurant near my hotel for a delicious lunch of empanadas, local cheeses, fish and of course arepas.  We then said our good byes to Ruby and Uncle Jeff but I decided I will definitely visit Medellin again especially during the flower show and the Christmas lights.  The people of Medellin are extremely nice and the city is beautiful with perfect weather.  Can't wait to visit again.

On the last day, we just relaxed, went to another mall and found out that they have mass inside the mall on Sunday mornings and hung out by the pool at our hotel.  We have to get up very early the next day to catch our flight back to the US so really didn't do much.  Sandra and I had another great trip together and are looking forward to our next adventure in 2018.

Sunset at Medellin

Colombia! 2nd Stop - Cartagena

 Sunday October 8, 2017

Boulder, Colorado

Sunny, Windy, Warm

 After spending a busy 1.5 days in Bogota, it was time to leave for Cartagena - an approximately one hour flight from Bogota.  My first impression - its a big city!  For some reason after reading Love in the Time of Cholera, I thought it was going to be a quaint city.  Wrong!  Once we landed in 80 degree weather, not only did I feel like I was in a big city but also a different country.  Cartagena is on the Caribbean and is a major port city of Latin America.  Given its in the tropics its a vibrant and colorful city whereas Bogota which is in the mountains, had a sophisticated and cool feel to it.  

 As we were able to check in early at the Intercontinental Hotel which is located in Boca Grande - A new area of Cartagena dotted with sprawling skyscrapers and new hotels.  We got upgraded to a suite with a great view of the Caribbean Sea.  After settling in our room, it was time for us to venture to the "walled city" - the Unesco World Heritage Site to meet our guide for a walking tour of the walled city.  But since we had some time before our appointment, we had a delicious lunch at Restaurant Carmen. 

 We started with a tropical salad

Followed by local fish with a coconut rice risotto

and ended with delicious mango ice cream

We then headed to our meeting place to meet our guide.  Our guide (whose name I cannot remember) was a student of history and languages and had very deep knowledge of the town and history.  We walked the entire old town for about 4 hours.  One can see and feel the Spanish influence in the architecture and colors.  We learned that the more floors a building has, the richer the tenant.  And we loved the colorful doors!  Below are some photos I took of Cartagena.

Coconut stands everywhere - something we did not see in Bogota

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 I love the doors

La Bovidas -  was a warehouse for ammunitions but now is home to shops which sell souvenirs

View from the wall that surrounds the city.  Its a walled city as the location was a critical port during the colonial years and was always attacked from Spain's enemies.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez's home:  His family still lives here.

Ba

This is a women's prison.  It also houses a restaurant where the prisoners work.  All proceeds go into helping the women. 

One of the oldest churches in Cartagena and the only one with air conditioning.  Apparently, a famous person had a wedding here and thus installed air conditioning

Cute bakery making local bread. 

The bakery

Its a bit run down now but this is where the rich used to live (thus they are more than 2 stories)

Playhouse

View of St Catherine of Alexandria - one of the oldest churches in the Americas

I got suckered into paying her for picture

Dancing in the square

We also ran into high school students putting on a dancing show.  They were fabulous!

A Magnificent Baroque style Church 

The next day, based on the recommendation of our guide, we decided to explore the "real" old town of Cartagena - Getsemani.  While the Spaniards lived in the old city, the locals lived here.  We followed the advice of our guide and just got lost and walked around.

The "town" was quaint and quiet.  For lunch we went back to the "walled city" and went to La Cervicheria - which became famous when Anthony Bourdain visited and highlighted the restaurant in his show.  We started with a special salad and I had the famous paella while Sandra had the ceviche.

The next day we were o go on a boat trip to an island but because of weather it was cancelled (it poured in the morning).  So instead we had a lazy day where we hung out by the pool and decided to get some exercise by walking to Getsemani for a late lunch at a highly rated restaurant - Cocina de Pepina.  It did not dissapoint.

While walking we got a good view of the famous entrance to the "walled city"

This is what we had a Cocina de Pepina:  an eggplant dish, a local dumplings made of yuca, potato, etc, I had a coconut based stew and Sandra had the local cheese based stew.   Delicious! 

The next day and our last day in Cartagena, we were finally able to take the one hour boat ride to an island to enjoy a beach on the Carribean Sea.  Cartagena, surprisingly has no beaches so one must go to an island.  We basically just read and swam in the warm seas of the Caribbean.

Lunch was a whole fried fish with coconut rice and plantains

After enjoying our last sunset in the Caribbean, it was time to head to the airport and head off to our last destination - Medellin.

 

Colombia! - First Stop Bogota

Saturday October 7, 2017

Boulder, Colorado

Windy, Warm and Sunny

I am so behind in blogging about my summer vacation in Colombia.  But it was a GREAT trip.  My travel buddy and BFF and I chose Colombia for our big trip because we both always wanted to go to Cartagena and I also wanted to go see my Uncle in Medellin.  After some terrible years with violence by drug cartels and kidnapping threats by the guerrillas, the country is finally at peace.  Both Sandra and I agreed Colombia is one of the friendliest countries we've been to.  Another reason why I wanted to visit Colombia is because of the book Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The book got me interested in  Cartagena.  And while traveling Colombia I read 100 Yeas of Solitude by Marquez which made the trip even more special.  

So the first stop was Bogota.  I arrived a day earlier than Sandra and arrived late at night so really did not see much of Bogota upon arrivals. The next day, I had an early appointment with my fab tour guide Diego to do a quick tour of the city.  But before we began, I could not understand why I was thirsty despite drinking gallons of water and tired.  Well, I found out Bogota is over 8000 ft above sea level!  No wonder the weather was cool and Colombians call Bogota "the refrigerator", despite being close to the equator. 

First stop was to get on a funicular and visit a church that is located on Monserrat which is over 10000 ft above sea level.  So after arriving on top of the mountain and climbing 2 steps  to the church, I was out of breath!  So Diego told me he had a cure and brought me Coca Tea and a local sweet that most Colombians enjoy after mass.  It was my first time to try Coca tea and it was delicious!  And it worked!  Still had to take the stairs slowly but felt much better!  The church is famous for the black madonna.  On Sundays, many pilgrims actually climb the mountain to attend mass and pay respects to the black madonna.  The Spaniards wanted to convert as many locals to Christianity and to do that, commissioned a black madonna  so the natives can relate.  Today, Colombia is a Catholic country with several Spanish style colonial cities.

 

View of Bogota from over 10000ft

Vi

The Black Madonna

My first coca tea with a snack

Afte visting the church, it was time to explore the colonial part of the city.  Its the city center and is where are the government buildings are located. I was pleasantly surprised how well the buildings are preserved.  

Af

Colombia's President got a Nobel Prize in Peace for signing a peace agreement with FARC.  But many folks still want justice from the kidnappings and murder by the FARC

After a great tour, it was time for me to meet up with Sandra who arrived in the afternoon.  So after she settled in the hotel, we decided to go to Abasto which is a highly rated restaurant featuring farm to table local food.  We had a challenge finding the place but it was a great walk as the restaurant was located in another historic area of Colombia.

Putamayo Hearts of Palm salad 

Shrimp in a coconut based sauce:  relish!

For dessert we shared Torte de Almojabana -  a coconut cake with guava jam

The next day, Sandra and I met our guide Diego and driver Mauricio early at 8am.  We were going on an hour drive to visit the Salt Cathedral.  A Cathedral that was built inside a salt mine. It is a functioning church and holds mass for 1000s on Sundays. We arrived just as the cathedral opened so actually had the entire place to ourselves which was fabulous.  The cathedral is modern and is considered a showcase of modern Colombian architecture.  It was spectacular and is a must visit if in Bogota. 

 The entrance

Salt!

The cathedral is dotted with symbols about the birth, life and death of Jesus

Here we are at the main part of the church

After a fab tour of the cathedral, we decided to walk the colonial square of Zipaquira, which is city where the cathedral is located. 

Our tour with Diego ended at the Cathedral but our wonderful driver Mauricio offered to stay with us for the afternoon as a very reasonable price.   So we asked him to take us to the flea market where we were told we can buy coca tea and the colonial town center which I went to yesterday so could show Sandra around.  While walking the town we not only found one of the oldest restaurant in Colombia - La Puerta Falsa, where we had an inexpensive and delicious meal.  We also were able to go to the famous Gold Museum and the Botero museum where admission was free as it was a Sunday!

The Flea Market - and found coca tea!

My favorite piece from the famous Gold Museum.  The pieces of gold were amazing and showed how rich and talented the indigenous folks were.

Some of my favorite Botero's at the Botero Museum

S

Our meal at La Puerta Falsa:  Chicken Tamale and Chicken Ajioca ( A Bogota specialty)

For the last part of our tour of Bogota, Mauricio took us on a drive to see the famous graffiti of Bogota.  The best ones were at the red light district area which was a bit scary but worth it as the graffiti was fabulous!

We had a light snack and some wine after a busy day playing tourist.  Next stop Cartagena!