So I realized that I was a bit behind on my blog and thought I´d catch up a bit. We returned to Tacanga on Saturday from the Lost City. Our whole Lost City group went out dancing Saturday night then swimming at like 4 am. haha On Sunday we chilled on hammocks in Tacanga just catching up on some rest.
On Monday, the two Danes and I went to Tayrona! Steve wanted to stay in Santa Marta for a few days so we left for Tayrona early and he met up with us on Tuesday. Tayrona is a national park known for its jungles and awesome carribbean beaches. Normally you have to take 2 buses into Tayrona then walk 2 hours to get to the camping areas but we got a private cabana right on the water. We all wanted to go diving and after chatting with the lady that owns the diving store she decided to let us borrow her cabana for 3 days! She lent us hammocks, a grill including coal and gasoline, and provided transportation there and back by dive boat. We brought food with us and kind of camped out. It was super great! Mads was taking his Open Water Diving course so we was diving Mon, Tues, and Wed and Anders and I joined him on Tues. I saw turtles, huge lobsters, and eels! I also did a lot of snorkeling and just hanging out on our hammocks. The sunsets were gorgeous. It was so nice of them to let us stay there!
Loved Tayrona but we were running out of food so left this afternoon and will be heading to Cartagena tonight. Cartagena is described as a romantic and historic city known for its beaches and night life. :)
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
La Ciudad Perdida
We trekked La Ciudad Perdida (the Lost City) for 5 days and returned on Saturday. IT WAS AWESOME!!! Hardcore backpacking through the Colombian jungles and sleeping on hammocks at night. There were 17 of us on the trek with 3 or 4 guides. Our group was great and I loved spending so much time getting to know so many interesting people.
Let me backtrack a bit though. Tacanga has been a lot of fun. We made friends! Yay! When we were in San Gil, Steve and I met up with 2 guys from Denmark, Anders and Mads, and 1 from Canada, Corey, and we all traveled to Tacanga and stayed in the same hostel, the Pelikan. We had been hanging out in Tacanga together, going to the beaches and most all of our time together in a little party of 5. We did a 2 hour hike to Playa Grande and other beaches and had a freshly caught super yummy fish for like $7!
The 5 of us decided to go to the Ciudad Perdida together so we got a discount. The others on the trek were from Israel, Spain, Switzerland, Australia, and Colombia. At any time you heard a mixture of English, Spanish, Hebrew, Danish, German, and French. haha
The trek was long but I loved it. I forget how much I love being dirty, muddy, and exhausted. haha We tromped through rivers, rock climbed, went over and under trees, up huge mountains and down steep slopes- hiking about 7-8 hours a day. The guides cooked for us though which was great. We didn´t have to worry about anything but what we packed and carried on our backs. Of course I brought way too much stuff. I basically only wore one outfit the entire trip and wore dry long pants and a shirt at night and in having thought that I would want to wear new clothes everyday, I brought wayy too much and my pack was heavy hahaha. But carrying it made me tougher I think... Also my savvy packing skills provided some of the guys on the trip an extra dry shirt (even though it was a girl´s shirt, they still appreciated it haha), a jacket, and great bug repellent (thank you Target).
To get to the Lost City we had to climb 2000 mini stone steps that the Tayrona Indians built between 1500 and 2000 years ago. They were slippery but reaching the city was worth it. We saw ceremonial places, jails, living areas, burial areas, all these places that the Tayronas built and left abandoned when the Spaniards came. It was full of gold when explorers found it about 30 years ago but most of the gold is now in Colombia´s famous Gold Museum in Bogota. We actually stayed in the Lost City for a night and one of the guides gave me a special tour of the Ceremonial areas under the stars since I had to go to the bathroom when he was showing some of the others earlier in the day. It was aweseome being surrounded by jungle in a 2000 year old stone ceremonial area under a clear night´s sky! At nights we would all sit around and chat or play cards. I learned a lot about Colombia´s drug history, the rise and fall of Pablo Escobar, and got a better understanding of how Colombian´s view their country and way of life. It was super interesting. I also learned more than I ever could have imagined I would about Israel and Denmark. haha
Food was great. I must have a tough stomach too because a lot of people had stomach problems but not me! I just had such a great time on this trek- I can´t even begin to describe it. I´m looking into trekking options in Peru now too. We won´t have much time in Peru since we want to see Macchu Pichu, Lake Titicaca and make it back up to Quito in less than a month but hopefully I will be able to squeeze it in!
Let me backtrack a bit though. Tacanga has been a lot of fun. We made friends! Yay! When we were in San Gil, Steve and I met up with 2 guys from Denmark, Anders and Mads, and 1 from Canada, Corey, and we all traveled to Tacanga and stayed in the same hostel, the Pelikan. We had been hanging out in Tacanga together, going to the beaches and most all of our time together in a little party of 5. We did a 2 hour hike to Playa Grande and other beaches and had a freshly caught super yummy fish for like $7!
The 5 of us decided to go to the Ciudad Perdida together so we got a discount. The others on the trek were from Israel, Spain, Switzerland, Australia, and Colombia. At any time you heard a mixture of English, Spanish, Hebrew, Danish, German, and French. haha
The trek was long but I loved it. I forget how much I love being dirty, muddy, and exhausted. haha We tromped through rivers, rock climbed, went over and under trees, up huge mountains and down steep slopes- hiking about 7-8 hours a day. The guides cooked for us though which was great. We didn´t have to worry about anything but what we packed and carried on our backs. Of course I brought way too much stuff. I basically only wore one outfit the entire trip and wore dry long pants and a shirt at night and in having thought that I would want to wear new clothes everyday, I brought wayy too much and my pack was heavy hahaha. But carrying it made me tougher I think... Also my savvy packing skills provided some of the guys on the trip an extra dry shirt (even though it was a girl´s shirt, they still appreciated it haha), a jacket, and great bug repellent (thank you Target).
To get to the Lost City we had to climb 2000 mini stone steps that the Tayrona Indians built between 1500 and 2000 years ago. They were slippery but reaching the city was worth it. We saw ceremonial places, jails, living areas, burial areas, all these places that the Tayronas built and left abandoned when the Spaniards came. It was full of gold when explorers found it about 30 years ago but most of the gold is now in Colombia´s famous Gold Museum in Bogota. We actually stayed in the Lost City for a night and one of the guides gave me a special tour of the Ceremonial areas under the stars since I had to go to the bathroom when he was showing some of the others earlier in the day. It was aweseome being surrounded by jungle in a 2000 year old stone ceremonial area under a clear night´s sky! At nights we would all sit around and chat or play cards. I learned a lot about Colombia´s drug history, the rise and fall of Pablo Escobar, and got a better understanding of how Colombian´s view their country and way of life. It was super interesting. I also learned more than I ever could have imagined I would about Israel and Denmark. haha
Food was great. I must have a tough stomach too because a lot of people had stomach problems but not me! I just had such a great time on this trek- I can´t even begin to describe it. I´m looking into trekking options in Peru now too. We won´t have much time in Peru since we want to see Macchu Pichu, Lake Titicaca and make it back up to Quito in less than a month but hopefully I will be able to squeeze it in!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Taganga, Colombia
We are in the small coastal village of Taganga, Colombia now. It is about 10 minutes from Santa Marta and on the northern Caribbean coasts of Colombia. Soo pretty! Most known as a fishing village, there is a lot of fresh seafood everywhere. We had a huge lunch with freshly caught Pargo fish yesterday served to us on the beach for 15,000 pesos- like $7! Food is great. Beaches are great. This is definitely going to be our relaxing week.. My sunburn is slowly tanning but whenever it does, I get sunburned again! The sun here is so hot! I´ve upgraded to 45 spf so hopefully that will do the trick of ensuring a tan w/o all the redness in between.
We are looking into taking the "grueling" Ciudad Perdida trek into the jungles of Colombia to see a lost city- similar to Macchu Pichu- but it was just discovered in the 1970s. The trek is based out of Santa Marta and takes about 6 days round trip to trek the jungles, see the city, and sleep in hammocks along the way. I would love to do it but we´ll see!
If anyone has a good international plan- you can give us a call! Our cell phone is only for Colombia so from now until July 3rd and from July 28- Aug 2. The number is 57 (country code) 311-253-1511.
We are looking into taking the "grueling" Ciudad Perdida trek into the jungles of Colombia to see a lost city- similar to Macchu Pichu- but it was just discovered in the 1970s. The trek is based out of Santa Marta and takes about 6 days round trip to trek the jungles, see the city, and sleep in hammocks along the way. I would love to do it but we´ll see!
If anyone has a good international plan- you can give us a call! Our cell phone is only for Colombia so from now until July 3rd and from July 28- Aug 2. The number is 57 (country code) 311-253-1511.
Friday, June 12, 2009
En Colombia
Hello!!
We are in San Gil now- Colombia´s "adventure capital"- with about an hour to wait before we go rappeling down a waterfall not far from here. San Gil is great. It´s a small town with almost 0 tourists so I am one of like 2 blonde people in the whole town. haha This is our 2nd day here and we are planning on leaving tomorrow. Yesterday we decided to walk to Barichara. It´s a small town not too far from San Gil that our tour book said was Hollywood´s dream colonial town. The book said a 2 hour hike and 5 hours later with 4 of those being uphill and under the hot hot Colombian sun, we arrived. It was gorgeous but now I am a lobster!
Bogota was nice but we will be back there on July 28th so we didn´t want to stay long. We walked to the Operation Smile office and met up with some of Steve´s friends that were super nice. I may have to start looking in to doing some Operation Smile missions.. The marathon in August is a fundraiser for them.
Well I have 2 minutes left of my time and must send my mom an email before she thinks something terrible has happened to me in Colombia. I´m safe. :)
We are in San Gil now- Colombia´s "adventure capital"- with about an hour to wait before we go rappeling down a waterfall not far from here. San Gil is great. It´s a small town with almost 0 tourists so I am one of like 2 blonde people in the whole town. haha This is our 2nd day here and we are planning on leaving tomorrow. Yesterday we decided to walk to Barichara. It´s a small town not too far from San Gil that our tour book said was Hollywood´s dream colonial town. The book said a 2 hour hike and 5 hours later with 4 of those being uphill and under the hot hot Colombian sun, we arrived. It was gorgeous but now I am a lobster!
Bogota was nice but we will be back there on July 28th so we didn´t want to stay long. We walked to the Operation Smile office and met up with some of Steve´s friends that were super nice. I may have to start looking in to doing some Operation Smile missions.. The marathon in August is a fundraiser for them.
Well I have 2 minutes left of my time and must send my mom an email before she thinks something terrible has happened to me in Colombia. I´m safe. :)
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Leaving tomorrow...
So I am finalizing my packing and hoping I am bringing all that I need even though I know I'm not.. haha Traveling for 2 months with just the pack on my back? Ah! I have 5 shirts, 4 shorts, 2 jeans, a dress, a bathing suit, a sweater, a jacket, hiking shoes, running shoes, flip flops, Crocs (thanks Jason), and some personal items. This is less than I travel with when I go someplace for a weekend! My arm is still sore from the Yellow Fever, Typhoid, Hep A, and Tetanus shots I recently received and I have ~70 malaria pills all packed away, but I am super excited! This is going to be an awesome trip and I am ready for it.
I miss all of my friends from graduation too much already and need to travel the world a bit to clear my mind before coming back to Hopkins. I'm looking forward to traveling with Steve- we have similar travel minds. Some weeks we want to be hiking the jungle, some we want to be lying on the beach, and some we want to be volunteering. We have plans to do all of this and the flexibility to change it up if something cool comes up along the way.
If anyone is interestd in hooking up with us for part of the trip, let me know! Also, I have a 3 1/2 hour layover in Newark, NJ tomorrow (Monday) from 12-3pm. Call me if you're free then! This will be the last time I can chat w/you on the phone before I am in South America! Wish me luck! Have a great summer and stay in touch if you can!
I miss all of my friends from graduation too much already and need to travel the world a bit to clear my mind before coming back to Hopkins. I'm looking forward to traveling with Steve- we have similar travel minds. Some weeks we want to be hiking the jungle, some we want to be lying on the beach, and some we want to be volunteering. We have plans to do all of this and the flexibility to change it up if something cool comes up along the way.
If anyone is interestd in hooking up with us for part of the trip, let me know! Also, I have a 3 1/2 hour layover in Newark, NJ tomorrow (Monday) from 12-3pm. Call me if you're free then! This will be the last time I can chat w/you on the phone before I am in South America! Wish me luck! Have a great summer and stay in touch if you can!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Basic Itinerary
Here is our basic itinerary. We will be in Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador leaving the states on June 8th and returning on August 4th. Let me know if you will be in South America during these times or if you have any tips or suggestions!
Colombia
JUN 8 Arrive in Bogota
JUN 8 – 10 Bogota
JUN 8 – 10 Bogota
JUN 10 Leave Bogota for Bucaramanga
JUN 10 – 13 Bucaramanga
JUN 12 – JUN 15 – San Gil
JUN 15 – Leave Bucaramanga for Santa Marta
JUN 15 – JUN 22 Santa Marta (Volunteer at Mariposas Amarillas)
JUN 10 – 13 Bucaramanga
JUN 12 – JUN 15 – San Gil
JUN 15 – Leave Bucaramanga for Santa Marta
JUN 15 – JUN 22 Santa Marta (Volunteer at Mariposas Amarillas)
JUN 22 – JUN 28 Ciudad Perdida JUN 28 Leave Santa Marta for Cartagena
JUN 28 – JUL 3 Cartagena
JUL 3 Leave Cartagena for Lima, Peru
JUN 28 – JUL 3 Cartagena
JUL 3 Leave Cartagena for Lima, Peru
Peru
JUL 3 – JUL 4 Lima
JUL 3 Leave Lima for Cuzco
JUL 3 – 13 Cuzco (Machu Picchu)
JUL 14 Back to Lima, leave Lima for Mancora
JUL 14 – JUL 21 Mancora
JUL 14 Back to Lima, leave Lima for Mancora
JUL 14 – JUL 21 Mancora
Ecuador
JUL 21 –JUL 24 Guayaquil
JUL 25-JUL 28 Quito
JUL 25-JUL 28 Quito
Colombia
JUL 28-AUG 4 Bogota (Running in marathon AUG 2)
AUG 4 HOME!
AUG 4 HOME!
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