Heading home

Our few days in Panama were quite relaxing and we did very little. The days were very hot and humid but each afternoon there would be a tropical downpour. The streets would be flooded within minutes!

Yesterday we did the Panama can as l boat trip. The torrential rain started before the tour and left the day overcast which was ideal as we were on the boat, with slight shade, for about 5 hours.

We had to drive about an hour away from the city to reach the boat, the area is surrounded by jungle. We saw one container ship heading towards the Atlantic Ocean but we headed to the Pacific. We were joined by a huge container ship, a car carrier, a couple of yachts and a tall  ship.

 you feel  very small beside these guys! To be in the lock was quite an experience and we were definitely well below the containers. To se the 'mules' (I think that's what they called them) pull the ship into the canal and hold it until the water levels change was interesting.

Since we were here two years ago the new canal has been opened and the super tankers/ships go through that one.

It was an interesting experience to travel through the three locks and now we can cross that off our list!

I am now in Houston, flight 12 completed! Houston had a really bad snow storm a day ago and the airport  was closed so I wasn't sure I'd make it. Luckilya thaw set in last night! I am now flying to LA and then after a 4 hour wait it's the long flight to Sydney.

So here ends another blog!

According to the local fishermen the sea was flat so we were offered a day trip by boat (1 hour) to a deserted beach. Most of us decided we would go so we set off early in the morning. The boat was just big enough for the 14 of us and I must say was much sturdier looking than some of the boats I’ve been on in my travels! As usual I was loaded on first and at the back, with a warning that I might get wet! We were soon on our way but once we left the bay the flat water didn’t look flat to me and I clung on for dear life. Once I was able to open my eyes and stop praying I saw a beautiful rugged coastline. Even saw flying fish – they certainly flew quite a way before entering the water again.
Rounding the last bay we were greeted by a beautiful scene – a beach worthy of Oz! We laid our towels under the shade of some trees – don’t eat the apples you see as they are poisonous said the guide. We all plunged into the fairly  warm water and enjoyed a swim. Walked around the bay, which was about 2km. Made sure we didn’t enter the lagoon of sweet water as caymen lurked there. It was a lovely way to unwind for the day.

start of boat trip

Time to return and our leader Mark told me I was first in the boat. He stretched out to le me stand on his knee to get onto the boat but as I did so I fell off and landed in deep water! He was concerned that I had hurt myself but I was just laughing and with that said I think well pull the boat up a bit!! So much easier to get on then. Yes I did get wet on the way back too but this time we were surfing the waves so the return was quicker!
Had the best steak ever that night – which for a little place was amazing.
The next day was a walk – an easy one we were told. If  Valda and I kept up with the guide all would be well. No one told the guide that we were not used to galloping up rocks and steep steps and we were soon dripping with sweat and well behind. Even though we were in the shade the humidity was high. It was not pleasant. After 2.5 hours we arrived at our destination – a rather crowded  beach with little to no shade. Lunch was in a shaded area but unfortunately we could not sit there for the duration. Valda and I decided that we  were going to set off an hour before the others so that we might get back at the same time – a return journey by horse was offered but with no helmets and our slight dislike of the beasts we felt foot was better!
Three of the Swiss girls offered to walk back with us. We did try to put them off but they said they’d had enough and they were wonderful – there were certainly spots where we really needed their help! We did get back to the start just before the others and I can tell you that the beer we bought went down very well.
That night was spent at an eco-lodge. We are with a great group of people and the evening was spent telling anecdotes of our trip. The night wasn't so good as it seemed to be spent wrestling with the mosquito net!
Next day was a chance to go tubing if we were interested. I decided to go but there were a number of times early on when I wondered if I’d been sensible! There was a 45 minute drive to a specific spot where you took off any thing that you didn’t want to get wet! Getting onto a motorbike with a tube on your shoulder and holding on to the back of the bike was another interesting experience!! I asked Mark to tell my ‘driver’ that he should drive as if he had his grandmother on the back! He was very good but it was terrifying. I made sure that my thighs were firmly clasped around him! There were times when he was talking to me in Spanish and he would occasionally tap me on the leg – I think he was telling me that all would be okay and that I could open my eyes! That 15 minutes was like a life time! But the worst was not yet over! Were then had to climb up and down some hills before we reached the river and even though it was early it was very hot and humid. Mark our leader had promised to carry my tube if I went and so he did. Even so it was a very hard trek and within minutes I couldn’t see because of the sweat dripping in my eyes! The relief on seeing the water and being able to get cool more than made up for the traumas beforehand! It was great fun and thankfully we didn’t have to get back on a  bike!

Heat rash on ankles!

Last Colombian sunset!

Yesterday we left Colombia and arrived in Panama City. It was rather difficult to find our accommodation as we are in the old French Quarter – narrow one way  streets. Our accommodation  (found on Airbnb) is brilliant – so good to have some space and good air-conditioning.
We had a short walk around trying to remember some of the spots from 2 years ago. Panama hats are on display everywhere. There seems to be quite a lot of building going on and it looks like some of the old  buildings are being renovated. It’s extremely hot and humid here.

Day 9 Cartagena
After rather a late night at a salsa bar, dressed up to look like somewhere in Cuba in the 50s, we woke late. It was ‘goodbye’ to a few of our group as this was the end of the first part of the tour.
For Valda and I the first stop was a massage and it was very good. We then had the afternoon free to wander. The narrow streets remind me of Cuba and some of the women even dress the same. It was very hot walking on the top of the walls surrounding the historical centre.

We welcomed 2 new Swiss girls, 3 Aussies were yet to arrive, and went for dinner at a local restaurant where seafood soup was the speciality – it was very tasty! We have also been introduced to coconut lemonade – a very refreshing non alcoholic drink.
Day 10 Cartagena
Early start to be shown around the area before it got too hot. We were taken to a castle where we learnt about the Spanish and English invading this area. The next part of the day was at a local market, not any market but one where you really saw and smelt poverty first hand! Definitely not a place to go to by yourself!! There was calypso music blaring out and you could see people trying to make money any way they could. People appreciated us saying ‘ hello’ and ‘how are you’ in Spanish.
We then came into the historic centre and were shown different areas and given information about each place. It was very hot and very , very humid and so we were glad when the tour was over and we could escape to a cool air-conditioned restaurant.
Late afternoon we walked along the walls again to the perfect spot for seeing the sun set only trouble was ‘the beautiful people’ (?) felt the need to take selfies and therefore blocking the view for us lowly ones! It was not as spectacular as some other sunsets I’ve seen!

Day 11 Cartagena to Minca
Although we didn’t have an early start Valda and I had booked another massage so we headed there after breakfast.
Our journey today was five hours, hot and boring, up into the mountains. It feels a little cooler but not much! We are in  a pleasant hotel where, in the morning and evening dozens of hummingbirds buzz around the feeds that have been set up for them. We sat watching them looking out over jungle. It’s a pleasant change from a town!
The fact that there is no hot water is another give away that we are not too near ‘civilisation’!

Day 12 Minca to Taranga
Early start but that was down to a rooster who decided we should all be up! After breakfast with the hummingbirds we go into jeeps for the very rough ride up to an organic coffee plantation. It was an interesting tour as all the machinery was over 100 years old bought in from England. Tried the coffee and delicious warm carrot cake before heading back down the dirt track. Ewe then had a walk to a waterfall – as impressive as it might have been there were so many people that it was a big disappointment.
We returned to our hotel for lunch and then back into the jeeps for the hour long drive to the coast. Although the bay is beautiful the beach leaves a lot to be desired! In one section the appears to be a great amount of builders rubble! Sorry Colombia but Wollongong leaves you for dead! We did enjoy a cocktail watching the sunset.

On the Caribbean coast

Day 6 Salento to Medellin
I survived the national game – it was much harder than it seemed. Trying to throw small, metal weights to land on tiny triangles of white paper filled with gunpowder was not easy. Mind you when someone did hit the mark you leaped into the  air in shock the explosion was very loud. It was good fun.

Early start for the 9 hour bus trip to Medellin. It takes so long because you have to drive up into the Andes. The Andes break into three here in Colombia and the are not as high as in Peru. Unfortunately the main road is only two lanes with no passing points. Most of the time was spent trying to overtake huge wagons and it always seemed to happen on a bend!
The scenery is spectacular – coffee and avocado plantation, sweeping green hills, mountains and valleys, fast running rivers and the odd waterfall. We were breathtakingly high.
Day 7 Medellin
In the morning we completed a city walking tour. Five years ago this was a total no go area but now the city has new buildings and lots of parks and areas for the people to relax.

 We used the metro which was very good. A city is a city any where you go and after a while you tune out  from the guides talk. We then had a 2 hour break and luckily found a good cafe just before the heavens opened! We were going to go up in a cable car but when thunder and lightening started we decided to leave that trip until later in the day. We then caught the metro again and met a graffiti artist from the  Comuna 13 neighbourhood. He was explaining what the area was like when he was a child – not good I can tell you! The guerrillas would parade a person around the neighbourhood with a gun to their head, take them to the football field and shoot them. Members of the victim’s family would also be shot if they tried to help or even to collect the body!

This neighbourhood is much better now. 6 escalators, moving up the hill, have been installed which gives the people the chance to go to shops at the bottom of the hill and gives them a much easier return to their homes at the top. They are well maintained and the people of the neighbourhood take pride in keeping them clean and running well. The people have taken ownership and pride in the area and they certainly don’t want to return to the old days!
The graffiti artist, Chota, is slowly beginning to become very well known for his work – there is always a story about the old days hidden in his work. Although only young himself, the younger kids look up to him and see that you can pull yourself out of poverty.
By the time we got back to the hotel we were exhausted – we had been walking for about 9 hours but it was  a really great day.
Day 8 Medellin to Cartagena
After an hours drive we arrived at the airport for a one hour flight to Cartagena. After flight number 9 we landed into 34C heat – getting us acclimatized for home I think. We are on the Caribbean coast – the sea is a rather grey with quite large waves – not as good as Wollongong beach!! Our hotel is in the old part of town, inside the walled city. This place reminds me a little of Cuba.
Emeralds are the stone of Colombia but the prices are too high to indulge oneself!

Another day in a beautiful country!

Day 3 Villa d Leyva to  Armenia
Late start today but a very long drive back to the airport at Bogota for a late flight to next spot. The countryside is lovely with green hills, arable farms and little  houses. The Colombian  people are very friendly and one stall holder indicated that I should not have my camera around my neck.
We drove for about 4 hours to get back to Bogota airport so that we could catch a thirty minute flight to Armenia. The flight is basically up and over the mountain – amazingly enough they serve drinks during the flight! It was a very small local airport and once we collected our bags we started to load on to jeeps. Luckily I was placed in the front even though there was no window and the rain was bucketing down.
We finally arrived at our destination and quickly dropped our bags before going straight to dinner which was barbecued meat.

Day 4 Armenia
Today we left in the jeeps heading to a coffee plantation. The tour of the plantation was very interesting and we also stayed on for a coffee tasting session which was very interesting. Even had a coffee which had a layer of mango, a layer of coffee flowers and then the ground coffee before having the water filtering through it. It was actually quite pleasant and I’m not a coffee drinker! The funniest part was when we had to don traditional dress and learn a traditional dance – these Colombians are certainly energetic!

Back to the hotel and a lazy time in the pool and jacuzzi before going for a massage. I had a chocolate massage and thought it was strange that I was lying on plastic but when I turned over I was covered in a chocolate layer of oil. I smelt delicious and after getting my back massaged I was sent off to the shower. Someone had a real mess to clean up after I had finished. I did feel very relaxed and my skin was very soft.
Day 5 Armenia to Salento via  the Cocora Valley
A reasonable start time and a 90 minute drive led us to the start of the hike to the cloud forests to see wax palms. These palms grow to 65 feet but take about 180 years to do so! Valda and I did a slow wander up hill, we were gaining altitude so we were huffing and puffing quite a bit. The other, much younger, members of the group rushed on ahead and reached the destination. We went half way and then turned back – luckily we had to return to the starting point.
After lunch, of trout, we set off for our accommodation.

We are in a small town which is like a mini San Francisco, steep hills. We reached the central square and it was heaving with people. Houses are brightly coloured and it looks rather quaint.
At the moment thunder is rumbling – it tends to rain each afternoon. A little later we are going to play  the  Colombian national sport – Tejo. It consists of hurling a metal ball into a pit and if it lands on a certain spot it sets off an explosion – one way to get rid of pent up frustration!
If you hear from me again you can assume I was unscathed but I really would like to hit the target and cause a large explosion!

Travels through Colomba continue

Day 1 Bogota
Had a lazy start to the day and then headed out in search of places of interest. We are situated in the old part of the city where the streets are narrow  and traffic is only one way. The area is  reminiscent of other places I’ve been to in South America. We wandered around and popped into a couple of churches before making our way to the gold museum. They had an amazing number of artefacts.
In the evening we met up with the rest of the group. There are 16 in the group. Valda and I are the only aussies, there are 6 girls from Switzerland and the others are from UK, US, Germany and Norway.

Day 2 Bogota to Villa de Leyva
It was an early start so that we could visit the local fruit and flower markets. Found out that Colombia is the second largest flower exporter after the Netherlands. It was busy with people buying up for NYE. It appears that it is traditional to buy 12 grapes and eat one at a time at midnight, making a wish with each one!

We then drove on to Zipaquira Salt Cathedral, a couple of hours from Bogota. It was a very interesting place and the chambers were massive. They still mine the salt and these chambers are deep enough to stand the Eiffel tower in. From there we travelled to our lunch stop. The choices were very interesting and I couldn’t quite stomach the stuffed hen’s throat including ‘comb’ but the lamb was delicious!

Another few hours bought us to our destination, a lovely little town with cobbled streets – a pain to drag your bag along! Our hotel was lovely and right on the square where the fireworks were set up. As per usual we were unable to keep our eyes open but the fireworks woke us and they went on for 40 minutes!
Day 3 Villa d Leyva to  Armenia
Late start today but a very long drive back to the airport at Bogota for a late flight to next spot. The countryside is lovely with green hills, arable farms and little  houses. The Colombian  people are very friendly and one stall holder indicated that I should not have my camera around my neck.