First Trip to South America
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photo credit: Flavia Carpio
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On August 4th, 2017, I left Dallas to travel to Bogotá, Colombia with three friends: Ana, Pia, and Brittany. I'd like to give a big THANK YOU to Ana for inviting me to her hometown and showing me culture, cuisine, and crazy adventure.
I was excited to visit a country in South America for the first time. Also, my friends have big hearts and wanted to volunteer and give back while we were there. Together we raised $1287 for two organizations: a dog charity called
Fundación Choca La Pata and
Fundación Proyecto Unión, a foundation providing aid to adults and children in need. We were able to purchase essentials for both organizations as well as bring donated clothing and dog food.
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| Some items for the children. |
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| A few of the items we brought for the rescue dogs. |
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| Pia with a tower of donated dog food. |
Day 1
We arrived the evening of the 4th at 11pm and settled in for some rest at Ana's dad's home. The next morning, we headed out to the town of Sopó for some paragliding! I noticed there was so much traffic. To help decrease the number of cars on the road, there is the law of pico y placa (literally peak and plate). This is about driving in peak hours according to your license plate. For example, if the last number of your license plate is an even number, you can not drive during rush hour on even number days of the month.
Along the road, I saw beautiful kites for sale. Ana told me we were there during Kite Flying Month since August usually brings strong winds to Bogotá. There were also food vendors and you know I had to try some street food.
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| Mazorca, delicious roasted corn. The woman rolls it in salted butter before handing it to you. |
Parapente Paraíso
This was my first time to paraglide and it was so thrilling! The company was called
Parapente Paraíso and I do recommend them. I have been in a hot air balloon, gone sky diving, powered hang gliding and I have to say paragliding is different. How crazy is it to walk off a cliff and glide like a bird. I admit there were times I thought about how this could go very wrong. I would do it again though! The bird's eye view is breathtaking. Parapente Paraíso also has a restaurant with delicious food.
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| Obleas con arequipe. The woman has a circular wafer and you pick the spread. I chose arequipe which is sweetened condensed milk that's slowly heated giving it the special flavor and color. She then puts another wafer on top, giving you a nice crispy sandwich. |
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| Pia enjoyed mousse de maracuya (passion fruit). |
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| Brittany, Ana, me, Pia |
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| getting ready... |
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| Ana and me pre-flight! |
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| The green is our landing spot. |
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My happy face post flight.
Restaurante El Refugio Del Sisga
Afterwards, we went to eat dinner at Restaurante El Refugio Del Sisga. The food was so good and the view was beautiful.
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| Trucha mixta con championes y ajillo. This mountain trout was similar to salmon. Half of it was smothered in mushrooms and the other side had ajillo (garlic sauce). Served with yucca and fries. |
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| There was a wedding while we were eating and these chickens were spectators. |
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| Before dinner, Ana and I took a walk nearby. I love the attention she gives each dog that she meets. She is a passionate veterinarian. Not only does she pet them, she also makes an assessment to check their health. |
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| Our view from the restaurant. |
Day 2
We visited Catedral del Sal de Zipaquirá. This is a Roman Catholic Church built inside a salt mine in the city of Zipaquirá. Tunnels connect stations of the Cross, three naves, and the dome. We took a guided tour and Ana was so gracious to translate for me. The tours are offered in English but wasn't offered at the time we were there. This church started as a small alter and sanctuary that was built by the mine workers. They would pray for protection before their work day.
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| A snack before we enter the cathedral. Delicious papa rellena. |
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| Ana giving love to one of the dogs on site. |
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| tunnel entrance |
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| Pia tasting salt! |
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| There was a salt spa underground so we checked it out! |
After the cathedral, we took a bus back to town to have dinner with Ana's long time friends. I am so glad I got this arepa. The bus ride was very long due to traffic and a car accident.
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| Pia enjoying her arepa. |
Day 3
We went to bed at 1:30am because we had to pack for our next adventure. Our alarm clock at 3:30am came quickly! We flew to Cartagena, took a cab to the boat dock, and then headed out to our island for the next couple of days. It was a two hour boat ride to get to Casa en el Agua, an eco friendly hostel in the middle of the Caribbean Ocean. I have to say this was quite an EXPERIENCE! There is an excellent write up of this place here. When we got to this wooden house, we were given a detailed tour by a very friendly hostess. There were visitors already there since the schedules for vacationers overlap. I admit I was a bit nervous to be sharing a place with strangers. During the tour, we were introduced to our bucket showers. Because fresh rainwater is delivered daily and it's limited, we are only allowed one evening shower. We also have a compost toilet. It was my first time to use one! After the tour, Ana was quick to put on her mermaid fin and jump into the beautiful ocean. She is such a natural in the water. We ate dinner that evening and then headed to bed early since we barely slept the night before. There are sleeping options and we booked the 8 bed dorm. It was really hot that eve and loud because you can hear the music from below. I didn't sleep until they shut everything off at about 2am I think. I wasn't mad though. I just took it all in!
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| Our two hour ride to the hostel. |
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| All smiles Brittany. |
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| Casa en el Agua |
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| Compost toilet! |
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| Ana the mermaid. |
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| Pia and the unicorn. |
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Day 4
The day was filled with adventure. I got to try paddle boarding for the first time. What a great workout! Pia and Ana tried the subwing. This is basically flying under the water. The swimmer holds on to the wings that is then pulled by the boat. We then headed to Santa Cruz del Islote for a tour. This is a very dense island community in the San Bernardo Archipelago in the Gulf of Morrosquillo. The guide was very proud to teach us about his town and how there is no crime.
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| dinner for tonight! |
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| enroute to Santa Cruz del Islote |
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| Ana! |
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| I accept Christ in my heart. |
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| night view of our hostel. |
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| dinner! |
We ended the evening with lots of dancing. Again, it was so hot in our room that Brittany and I decided to sleep outside. In the morning, I awoke to the most beautiful sky. It was so peaceful and quiet.
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| Ana enjoying the sunrise. |
Day 5
In the morning, we took a quick ride around and did a little wakeboarding. A storm came while we were waiting to leave the island. Our 2 hour boat ride back to the city was a bit bumpy!
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| Wakeboarding with Santa Cruz del Islote behind me |
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| Brittany and I are feeling the storm! |
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| quite the wet and wild 2 hour boat ride back to Cartagena |
We arrived at our
airbnb in Old City, Cartagena. We rested a bit and then walked the vibrant town for dinner. There are many options for good eats, outdoor seating and street attractions.
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| Beauties. Pia and Brittany. |
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| Could it be?? |
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| ice cream! |
Day 6
We ate at
Restaurante La Casade Socorro then walked to the fortress, Castillo San Felipe de Barajas. A little history... Cartagena is a colonial city on Colombia's Caribbean coast. It was founded by Spanish commander Pedro de Heredia on June 1st, 1533. The first Spanish settlers came from Cartagena, Spain so they named the town Cartagena de Indias. In 1552, there was a fire that destroyed the town. The governor ordered buildings to be made out of stone. Cartagena became one of the main Spanish ports. After multiple invasions, a wall was built around the city end of the 16th century. Castillo San Felipe de Barajas is a magnificent fortress that sits on top of the Hill of San Lázaro. Construction started in 1536. The fortress and Old City, Cartagena is now a World Heritage Site.
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| Restaurante La Casade Socorro |
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| Castillo San Felipe de Barajas |
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| Ana loving the animals |
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| lots of tunnels |
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| feeling claustrophobic?? |
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| Ana on the wall |
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| Café del Mar |
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| ceviche and cheesecake! |
Day 7
Today we walked and took many photos as we explored the beautiful streets, architecture, and culture!
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| our breakfast spot |
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| These beautiful fruit selling ladies are called Las Palenqueras. They are from a small village southeast of Cartagena called San Basilio de Palenque. This village was founded by escaped African slaves and became the first free town of America. |
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| haha it looks like Brittany is wearing a cheese hat |
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| I actually had some fear while walking this wall. I'm afraid of heights! |
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| fresh limeade! |
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| Ana is so calm and cool |
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| Me not so much |
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| I had no idea the owner was looking out the window! |
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| ice cream time! |
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| amen! |
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| Pia! |
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| Brittany! |
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| Ana! |
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| An icon for Colombia and coffee. Did you know Juan Valdez is a fictional character?? |
We flew out this evening and back to Bogotá at 11pm. We were ready for bed!
Day 8
Today we
went to Fundación Proyecto Unión, a center providing aid to children and adults in need. We went with them to see their new location, about an hour north of Bogotá. This new facility will provide private rooms with bathrooms for families who bring their children with cancer and special needs for treatment. There will also be rooms for volunteers. Additional space will be used for therapy and also a center for premature infants with neurological disorders.
As we were taking the tour, the foundation member was explaining that this was a dream come true, a combined effort, with each member and volunteer contributing a "grano de arena" (grain of sand) to make this location possible.
My friends and I gave the foundation money that we collected through donations and fundraising to continue making their dream a reality. When my friend Pia asked a little girl named Mariana how this place came to be, she thought for a second and then replied, "Because of people with big hearts who give."
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| The children at the new center. |
At lunchtime, we taught the bible lesson of Gideon and then handed out clothing/toys to the children. They were so excited! I also got to talk to a sweet boy named Juan. He asked me, "Are you from China? No? Have you been? What about Universal Studios? That's where the Transformers are." With the help of my friend Ana translating, I told Juan I liked that he wanted to know many things. After a few moments of speaking with him, he asked, "Can we move and sit under the shade because I can't stay in the sun very long. I have skin cancer." I replied, "oh my gosh, YES!"
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| Ana and I talking to Juan. |
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| Finding shade because of Juan's skin cancer. |
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| Pia teaching the story of Gideon with Brittany holding the visuals. |
What a rewarding and sweet morning it was for us! The day continued to be amazing. For lunch, Ana treated us to this eclectic out of this world restaurant with incredible food. It was Andrés Carne de Res in Chia, Colombia. It was an unforgettable experience!
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| restaurant entrance |
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| free appetizers! |
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| I wish we had coconut as an appetizer in Dallas! |
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| Ana's dad |
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| more appetizers! |
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| We had a very crazy waiter! I loved the falling stars. |
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| coconut rice. oh how I miss this! |
For dinner, Ana's sweet friends came over to her dad's house and we had a bbq!
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| There was plenty of good food left when Pia and I returned from taking Brittany to the airport. Sadly she had to leave a couple days early so she could go back to work. We missed you, Brittany! |
Day 9
Today we explored downtown Bogotá and the beautiful mountain Monserrate! Lots of food, fun, flavor, and colors!
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| Plaza de Bolívar. The main square in Bogotá. |
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| fried coconut. |
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| Pia treating herself to obleas. |
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| casa de Nariño. House of the President of Colombia. |
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| After taking this photo, they told me to kindly step away from the Presidential fence. Oopsie. |
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| Pia! |
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| Santuario Nuestra Señora del Carmen. Gothic style church built between 1926-1938. It was built on the same location where the original temple dedicated to the Virgin of Carmen stood in the late 19th century. |
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| walking around La Candelaria neighborhood. Historic. Beautiful. Colorful. |
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| Calle Del Embudo. "Funnel Street". Cobblestone street with lots of wall art. |
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| walking the Eje Ambiental to get to the mountain of Monserrate |
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| Monserrate |
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| restaurant with a view |
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| Pia! |
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| Ana! |
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| Visitors can walk to the stations of the Cross |
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| Ana and me at the church on the mountain |
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| fantastic view behind the church |
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| view on way down in aerial tramway |
Day 10
Today we drove 2 hours from Bogotá to the town of Chicaque. We met with Sandra, founder of dog rescue Fundación Choca La Pata. Sandra, 28 years old, started the dog rescue after adopting a dog herself and not being able to imagine him abandoned and suffering on the streets. After a short hike up a mountain, we were greeted by 16 of her rescue dogs! Among them were Dakota and Athom. Dakota has been living at the rescue the longest. Sandra saved her from maltreatment by previous owners. Dakota was afraid to be near people but with Sandra's love and care, she is now thriving and happy. The other rescue, Athom, is a sweet boy with a scar on his muzzle. He was found with barbed wire tied around his mouth. Sandra is an inspiring and compassionate woman and it was pure joy to see these dogs be cared for and have a place to run and play. We thank our supporters who donated funds to this mission. We were able to purchase toys, food, medication, shampoo, and essentials for the dogs.
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| heading up the hill to the rescue |
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| Ana in Heaven. |
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| Athom. You can see the scar on his mouth. |
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| I love this photo of Ana and the pup. |
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| Dakota. |
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| Group photo with the founder, Sandra. |
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| Heading back down. |
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| Group photo with Sandra and two of the dogs' caretakers. |
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| Sandra was so grateful for our donation. |
For dinner, we ate at Restaurante Don Paisa in Cota, Cundinamarca. I very much enjoyed the food!
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| Restaurante Don Paisa |
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| tintico "little coffee" |
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| Bandeja paisa. This is a typical meal popular in Colombian cuisine. The main characteristics of this dish is the amount and the variety of food. Red beans cooked with pork, white rice, carne molida (ground meat), chicharrón, fried egg, plantain, chorizo, black pudding (I did not eat this morcilla), avocado. |
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| aromática de frutas. fresh fruit tea. Light syrup is made from simmering sugar and water and then fresh fruit is added. |
Day 11
Today was departure day back to Dallas. OH what a trip this was! I sincerely with all my heart thank Ana and her father for this opportunity to not only see Colombia but to connect and know the hearts of the locals. Nothing compares to experiencing a city with someone who is from there. They are not only showing you locations, they are proudly sharing their culture, history, food, and love. Thank you Ana, her father and family, Brittany, Pia, and Ana's friends for an experience that I can write about so others can know a bit about beautiful Colombia! Go travel! Explore our world. Hear people's stories. Let them tell you about themselves and where they're from. Gain perspective!
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