We came to Colombia not only for its timeless traditions but also for the 21st-century conveniences. Colombia intertwines the past and the modern beautifully at its major city centers.
Sailing past Boca Grande into the noisy, hot, rolling anchorage in Cartagena felt a bit like arriving in Miami Beach.
Unlike the typical arrival by air, a minute after we drop the anchor, we take the dinghy ashore, and Boom!, we are in Colombia.
After a few days exploring the historic treasures within Cartagena’s colonial walled city (and completing the 5-days check-in process), we hauled out Amandla at Ferro Alquimar; a great place for storage while traveling in-land and for annual maintenance upon our return.
Then it is onward to Medellín for medical checks at Pablo Tobón Uribe. I am happy to report that the PET-Scans, Mammograms, and Ultrasounds were clear finding the Captain cancer-free since 2016 and me since 2012!
Medellín is, in my opinion, the most livable metropolitan area in Colombia.
The City of Eternal Spring, so named because of the temperate climate, is an expat’s dream with affordable housing, friendly locals, world-class medical care, a fitness culture, and a relatively easy immigration process.
Our friends John and Susan Pazera, former cruising sailors turned expats relocated to Medellín a year ago (after a few years living as expats in Panama) and made us feel immediately at home here.
Image Courtesy The Captain
Our experience has us strongly considering making Medellín our own home someday.
But Is It Safe?
I can never think of a day where I felt unsafe anywhere we traveled in Colombia.
Of course, we were ‘city smart’ in Medellín, asking locals where we should (Laurales, El Poblado, Sabanenta) and shouldn’t (e.g. Centro de Medellin, San Javier) travel in the evenings, keeping our eyes on our belongings, etc, but nothing out of the usual.
Honestly, when I think back on Medellín, I remember the smiles.
Yet it wasn’t too long ago that Medellín was ‘the most dangerous city in the world’; a place where drug lords, communist guerillas (e.g. FARC, ELN), paramilitaries (e.g. AUC), and the government fought for control of Columbia’s soul.
We received a riveting introduction to Medellín on a free (tip-based) four-hour walk with Real City Tours Our passionate and articulate guide German Ossa shared the full story of the Colombian Conflict using the city as a backdrop.
“The joke Colombians tell is that God had made their land so beautiful, so rich in every natural way, that it was unfair to the rest of the world; He had evened the score by populating it with a most evil race of men”
Tales of Escobar’s coca-fueled reign of terror until his death in 1993, of kidnappings, assassinations, and massacres, of resolution through military interventions peppered with human rights violations (including the “false positive” scandal where poor or mentally impaired civilians were killed to inflate body counts in the fight against guerillas) …
…and of a fragile peace agreement that polarized the electorate, then finally, of a welcome transformation toward innovation, tourism, economic investment and the use of art to heal a city.
We followed up our Real City tour with two visits to San Javier more famously known as Comuna 13 in the company of our favorite driver/guide, Juan Camilo Aguilar. Once at the center of the violence, Comuna 13 has been transformed into an accessible community of street artists, musicians, shop owners, and cafes; perfectly safe …during daylight hours.
The Pride of Medellin – The Metro
My father taught me at an early age that the best way to get to know a city is to ‘take the metro’ and Medellín’s system did not disappoint.
Acclaimed to be the best in South America, it’s two rail lines, five metro cable lines, one tramcar line, and an extensive bus system “carry people to jobs, eliminate their trek uphill home, and removes nearly 100,000 vehicles and attendant pollution from Medellín’s streets every day” according to By Edgington of Medellín Retirement Blog. It is the only rail metro in Colombia.
While graffiti artists celebrate the system in murals all around the city, street-scrawl is absent on the system itself; the locals won’t allow it.
Transit workers actually beam with pride when welcoming you to their stations and the system is spotless throughout.
With the first phase was completed in 1996, and lines still being added today, the Medellín Metro was a sign to the people of that positive change is possible in Medellín; a confirmation that ‘there will be a future‘.
I managed to ride all of the train, tram and cable lines to the end as well as a bit of the extensive bus network; I highly recommend exploring the city this way.
Silleteros
We arrived in Medellín, Antioquia on the day of the famous Desfile de Silleteros, where families from over 400 fincas parade their floral offerings through the streets of Medellín at the conclusion of the 12-days Feria de las Flores (Flower Fair); regrettably, we just couldn’t rally ourselves to secure a good seat along the parade route
“When a silletero passes, it’s Antioquia that passes!”
Image Courtesy Latitude Adjustment
But with the local flower farms of Santa Elena just an hour away, we later ventured to La Finca Los Girasoles to get the inside scope of the parade’s history and traditions of the Silleteros.
Owned by Joaquín Emilio Zapata Amariles and passed down through the generations, this award-winning Finca last took home a prize in the Desfile de Silleteros five years ago and was awarded a series of greenhouses to expand their yield.
Every year, local businesses contribute to honoring the Silletoros by purchasing a ‘Commercial Silleta’ (Saddle); the local farmers earn a $500 commission to create it and the remainder of the purchase price is used to fund the Flower Fair’s activities and prize money.
Why are they called Silleteros and what is the history of the parade? In the past, flower farmers would leave from the mountains Friday night at 2100 hrs and carry their produce down the mountain in Silletas or wooden seats, arriving in Medellin for the Saturday market opening at 0600 hrs and not departing until all of their flowers were sold.
In 1957, the office of tourism invited a group of Santa Elena Silleteros to publicly show the beauty of their task and the annual festival and parade were born.
Special shout out to our driver and guide Juan Camilo Aguilar who introduced us to Finca Los Girasoles and ferried us here and to so many other delights within and nearby the city. We highly recommend his services if you are ever traveling in Medellín.
Time to Go
We returned to Cartagena at the beginning of October to celebrate my sister’s milestone birthday …
Image Credit: The Captain
…and once again found the low-season the best time to visit a place.
We’d left the masses behind here in August and were happy to find the city far quieter in the (not so) rainy season.
Still, Cartagena is the number one tourist-draw in Colombia…
…so we still had to rise with the sun to enjoy the streets to ourselves.
The Captain completed work aboard Amandla on allowing us to splash the boat at the end of October and return to the anchorage in the Bay of Cartagena.
We’ve since sailed onward to Panama, completing our first sailing circumnavigation together on the Atlantic side of the Canal (The Captain completed his own in Grenada) and crossing once again into the Pacific.
Image Credit: Abby Caedo
Our plans for the season are to sail northward to the fabled Sea of Cortez, store the boat in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, and return to work in Spring 2020 to replenish the cruising kitty.
Well, that all looks rather fabulous! And excellent medical news too.
So much to be grateful for Anabel; the clean scans, the nautical miles, and all the good friends we made along our way #blessed
Congratulations on the health checks – always a relief. This city looks stunning. I’ve been reading John and Susan’s blog with interest – it certainly seems like a fabulously vibrant and transformed city. Hard to imagine it’s the same city of Escobar’s reign. I hope to visit some day.
That the Captain has been blessed with clean scans since Sydney is a miracle! They totally got him sorted at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse (not to mention the miracle worker liver surgeon in New Zealand).
I am delighted that you have found your way over to John and Susan’s blog. I’ve been traveling with them virtually since Fiji and I might have bypassed Colombia altogether if it hadn’t been for them. Turned out it was my favorite place in the Caribbean (even if we spent most of it inland ;-). I hope you find your way to Medellín someday.
FANTASTIC post! How beautifully you captured the spirit of Medellin and everything we love about our adopted city and country. And thank you for the blog shout-out! We know you’ll be back someday and we’ll welcome you with open arms.
Hugs,
J&S
Awww, thank you both. I could have written so much more about your wonderful home but I am trying to navigate my blog to the same anchorage as my boat ;-). I’ll just have to be satisfied with savoring Colombia virtually on your pages until I can return there again myself someday. I’ll be back! Thank you both so much for making us feel at home in Colombia before we even arrived :-).
What a take on Medellin! I kept thinking “THIS is Medellin??”. What a change in such a relatively brief time. It looks very inviting, I must say.
I also read your LinkedIn profile. I didn’t expect such a work history!
Oh I do hope you accept the invitation and visit Medellín. Honestly, I left a ton good stuff out (e.g. the parks, the hiking, the amazing day trips to La Ceja, Guatape, and Santa Fe) but I am playing catchup with the blog as we are already several anchorages ahead of Colombia and getting ready to sail to Costa Rica early next week.
PS. My career was my everything until I heard the call of the sea. It took me three years to get up the courage to heed the call and set sail and every day since has been a grand adventure. ‘The Return’ is going to be a very interesting chapter in my personal ‘Hero’s journey’.
Wishing you smooth (but still interesting) sails to your final port (on this grand adventure, at least!). 🙂
🌞Thank you…and as I prepare to return to a land life I am comforted to know that adventure can be found everywhere as long as I keep my eyes open
Just wonderful, all of it, so warm and exciting and colourful. Happy birthday to your sister, good to see your dad, congratulations on your achievement (as I said elsewhere, better a circumnavigation than circumcision :D), my only complaint is that the last link doesn’t open for me (since I’m not on LinkedIn) and cannot see your work history. Back to work, you say? I wonder what that will be. And I think I heard you on that video with the man carrying the bundle. You sound as happy as you seem. Let is last.
Apparently, LinkedIn has put in a new ‘feature’ since I last used it actively. One used to be able to see the contents behind my URL without having to sign-up for LinkedIn. I tried the post link it in a browser where I was not signed into LinkedIn and ran into the same issue you are having. However, I was able to enter ‘Lisa Dorenfest LinkedIn‘ into google and was able to click through the results to see the contents behind my linkedInURL. Works with Bing too. Totally bizarre.
Thank you for watching the videos. That giggle at the end of the Silletero video was indeed me. I edited out another giggle from that video of the canine riding horseback in the last post. I do tend to giggle a lot ;-).
Thanks for spending time with me and the family in Colombia and for your continued good wishes on my
circumcisioncircumnavigation. Every nautical mile was a blessing!Haha, I see now. You… banker! 😉 Thanks!
The stories and photos of your adventures always captivate me, but this one more than usual. My immediate thought of Columbia is that of the most dangerous place in the world. I would never have even considered it as a possible destination. It is beautiful and colourful!
Honestly, Joanne, if I’d not been encouraged by our friends to visit here, I might have just sailed right by the place. Before reading John and Susan’s blog, I had the same view that Colombia was one of the most dangerous places on the planet. Even though they’d assured me otherwise, I still traveled here with a bit of apprehension. But once we arrived, the fear dissipated. Thank you for finding my adventures captivating. A big hug from San Carlos, Panama.
I have to admit I rushed to the end to see what the future held for YOU, then I went back and read about what it means for Colombia. We felt similarly about the country although we did not make it to Medellin; it’s a gorgeous country filled with friendly people, and it’s come a long way since the drug cartel days. I also clicked over to your LinkedIn page, and I have to say I’d hire ya ASAP! Seriously, it’s a compelling story, and I hope that someone sees what you have done on Amandla as being just as valuable (or more) as the six years you could have spent managing more projects in NYC. I’ll have to get the nitty gritty on your Mexico travel plans at some point … meanwhile, huge congrats on your epic accomplishment!
Once again, as always, you totally rock. I love that you immediately picked up on the very, very subtle double entendre in my title and went straight to the end to see ‘what’s next for the crew of Amandla’. Thank you for cheering me on. I hope that I find such open-mindedness in the job-marketplace. As a former employer, I would have been thrilled to hire a person with such a story, but then I never was your average employer. Current Mexico thinking continues to be that we will ring in the New Year in Oaxaca, be in Puerto Vallarta by end Jan, and be to Puerto Penñasco by the end March…but we’ll have a much better idea once we get this show(boat) on the road and start heading north. There are two big wind areas we have to navigate through on our way to Oaxaca; the Papagayo winds that form over Nicaragua and the “Tehuantepeckers” that blow from the Caribbean over the isthmus at the base of Mexico. All this means is we could be early or late to Oaxaca and beyond e.g. watch this space.
Oh, man, I really hope I can sneak down there and cross your path at some point! We just booked a couple of weeks in SE Asia in Feb, so we’ll see if I can escape again in the 1Q of 2020.
OMG! Hugely excited to hear of your February SE Asia travels. Where are you headed? So jealous! Want to sail back there NOW! And it would be delightful if you could squeeze us in too!!! If not, no worries, our paths will cross sometime in the future.
Wonderful to hear the news of the good health for both of you!Your description of travels in Columbia would have the country’s tourism board glowing. I know several people whop have either recently visited or are planning on going. From your lovely photos I can see why. Safe travels to the beautiful Sea of Cortez. I’ll be watching for updates.
Ha! It seems like whenever I fall in love with a country I want to encourage everyone to visit. I thought of you and Dave when we were traveling here btw. There were lots of mountain passes and hard-core cyclists riding them (Egan Bernal from Colombian recently won the Tour de France and this is definitely a good training ground). When we were literally in the clouds driving through a very high pass, we caught up with a husband and wife team ascending it on bicycles and I thought ’these two are as mad as Sue and Dave’.
Your articles on Mexico have us so excited to visit!!!
Always love your updates and wonderful insights into your ports of call! Wishing you and the Captain well with more adventure in 2020. Great news about your checkups!
All my aloha,
Mary
Ahoy from Panama Mary! Thank you for your visit and well wishes. Always a treat to see you pop up here and my social feeds. Looking forward to seeing you in person when we return to the Isle of Big on the victory lap …although it will be a few years. Perhaps you’ll come to visit us on the mainland when we are ‘anchored’ there
Wow, just wow. I have now put Columbia on my travel to-go list. I’m so pleased to know that the country has made great strides since the days of drugs and massacres. The people look so happy and friendly and the murals are stunning. Great news about your medical check-ups! I bet that has eased your minds quite a bit. Looking forward to #Mexico2020!
I think that you would adore Colombia Janis; both the cities and the Pueblos Patrimonios. Tourists are still a bit of a novelty in the country (although less so in Cartagena which was a popular destination even in the dark days) which probably accounts for the warm welcome as they haven’t tired of us yet. I do hope you’ll find your way here for a visit. We are grateful for the clean scans and so super excited to sail onward to Mexico. Current plans (drawn in the sand at a rising tide) have us ringing in the New Year in your beautiful Oaxaca, arriving Puerta Vallarta end-Jan and sailing the Sea of Cortez from mid-February to end March. Plans will solidify was we make our way up the coast but we hope to have a visit from you both.
That sounds wonderful! Will you be staying close to the coast in Oaxaca (the state) or visiting the city of Oaxaca? We’ve never been to the coastal area, but have heard that it’s beautiful.
I hope to visit the city of Oaxaca (and I usually get my way …the boat is his but the circumnavigation was my idea). A lot will depend on the weather. Fingers crossed. But if I can’t make it, I can still enjoy it virtually through your previous posts and future trips there.
What a lovely post, and so nice to hear that Colombia is a good place to visit once again. Congrats on the clean bills of health too! I can’t imagine what it would be like to sail around the world or to live as an expat so I am happy to experience it vicariously through you, Lisa. 🙂
Deb
Ahoy from the Pacific side of Panama Deb. Thank you so much for joining me on the voyage virtually and for your support throughout. I can’t wait to see how your adventures unfold in your next act.
I may have mentioned to you before, but I particularly enjoy traveling to places that have yet to dispel their negative reputations. I’ve always found that when a place re-emerges from difficult times, there’s a beautiful period of hope and pride. The locals aren’t jaded by tourism, and you can travel in peace. Every facet of it feels special. I’ve heard that Rwanda is a wonderful place to visit now as well, for example. When I was scoping out Colombia as a possible place to live for a little while, I noticed Medellin’s metro. That would have been the deciding factor on where to live in the country. I’d love the high altitude of Bogota, but commuting from company to company in that traffic made me give up on that idea. So happy to hear your medical tests were spotless. Can’t believe you’re almost back to the “real” world. I can understand the mixed, intense feelings. Anyone would be a fool not to hire you. I have had some experience with companies who passed me by because of the unconventional lifestyle I lived for most of my adult life. But my work experience isn’t nearly as impressive as yours. Happiest of Sails to you to the Sea of Cortez!
Now that would be a travel article that I would love to read (and turn into a bucket list) ‘x# of places emerging from difficult times that are calling you to visit’; glad to hear that Rwanda is now on that list. The ‘beautiful period of hope and pride’ that you describe was definitely emanating throughout Colombia when we visited. Traveling here actually gave me hope for the future of humanity and our ability to emerge from the darkness. If you are still looking at Medellín as a place to resettle, one of the best aspects of the place is the perfect elevation at 1500 m. Not too hot, not too cold, just right!
Thank you for your supportive ear as I make way back to the ‘everyday world’. I think it will be a unique employer that understands the Project Management savvy required to manifest a global sailing circumnavigation. I am looking forward to working for that person :-).
Although I know things have greatly improved in Colombia, I must admit that the name Medellín evokes some scary images for me. Thank you for changing that. It looks/sounds like an awesome city…fitness culture, world class medical care, eternal spring…wow, I had no idea. Speaking of health, I’m so happy to hear that you both got a clean bill of health!!!!
Safe travels in the Sea of Cortez. I just love it there and spent some wonderful times kayaking around the islands near La Paz and Loretto. All the best!
Ahoy Caroline! Delighted that I could provide positives images to allow you to reframe Medellín in your mind. I do hope that your travels might find you Colombia way! Thank you for love and well wishes.So looking forward to the Sea of Cortez. La Paz and Loretto are definitely on the list. The place has been a dream destination for me since 2013 and I am thrilled to be headed there. I just took a virtual visit there through your posts and got even more excited when I read the opening line that ‘two of the best days of my life involved snorkeling with a colony of friendly sea lions’ …and that one of them was in Isla Espíritu Santo
I’m excited for you going to the Sea of Cortez and hope you have an amazing time with the sea lions.
On a completely unrelated subject, I’ve been meaning to tell you that I like the larger font size in your posts. Is this relatively recent or am I imagining things? Anyway, it’s such a pleasure to read (the content and the size) especially for my aging eyes. I don’t think my theme allows me to change the font size/style of the body copy…but I need to spend more time checking on this.
I was so excited when Gutenberg allowed me to enlarge the font size. I loved my theme but found the font too small to read. The fact that my theme has grey colored text exacerbated the issue.
There are two ways to change the font. 1) At the post level – if you use Gutenberg – Select a paragraph block in a post, look to the sidebar (set to ‘Block’ rather than ‘Document’settings). You should see an option to set the font size there. 2) At the Theme level – you can use the appearance > customize > CSS and enter the following code:
p {
font-size:18px;
}
Hope this helps.
Thanks so much! I’m going to check this out.I’m so technically inept but I should be able to figure this out.
Let me know how it goes 🙂
Ahoy Caroline! Delighted that I could reframe Medellín for you and hope that your travels might find you Colombia way! Thank you for love and well wishes.So looking forward to the Sea of Cortez. La Paz and Loretto are definitely on the list. The place has been a dream destination for me since 2013 and I am thrilled to be headed there. i just took a virtual visit there through your posts and got even more excited when I read the opening line that your posts and got even more excited when I read the opening line that ‘two of the best days of my life involved snorkeling with a colony of friendly sea lions’
Lisa, I’m so happy you are both so healthy and thriving in Colombia! Your blog is like a travel brochure with amazing photos and the insider’s view of the Medellin area! Definitely a place we would want to visit. Nothing’s official yet, but Hans and I are retiring to the Spokane, WA area in 18 months. We put an offer on a home on 5 acres and are waiting to hear back. Lot’s of family up there and a new lifestyle ready to begin soon. Looking forward to hearing about the Sea of Cortez soon. I’ve swam with whale sharks in La Paz and windsurfed and paddled in it in La Ventana. I know it well, LOL!
So excited to know that you and Hans are one step closer to manifesting your next dream in Spokane. To be with family and have so much land to spread out on. What a blessing. I’ll watch your space to see this new life unfolds.
And I cannot wait to experience everything in the Sea of Cortez. I remember reading about your time in Mexico and wanting so much to follow in your footsteps. We should be sailing there from mid-Feb to end-March of the stars align. Perhaps we’ll get lucky and you can find your way there for a visit. If not, I may be coming through Sacramento as I make my way east overland so that is another possibility to say hello.
We did a little house hunting while there and found something so stay tuned if it works out. We have a lot of time, so no urgency. You will love the Sea of Cortez, Lisa. Swimming with those whale sharks in La Paz, well there are few words, to truly describe the experience. I really hope you can make a stop in Sacramento–we have a guest room so please do not hesitate to stay! If you get anywhere near California I will do everything I can to meet you!
Looking forward to seeing how your Spokane adventure unfolds. I hope we can make a stop in Sacramento as well. Thank you for your offer to stay as we pass through. I will let you know as our dates solidify for a California visit.
I’m so happy to hear how well Medellín is doing! You make it sound thoroughly enticing and your photos are gorgeous. I was last in Colombia in1978, before all the drug wars, but have no memories of Medellín. I certainly remember Cartagena, and loved it.
On my more recent visit to South America Don and I planned 6 months there thinking that would be enough time. Ha! We didn’t get to Brazil, Venezuela, or Colombia! Maybe one day we’ll go back. Medellín sounds lovely.
I can’t help but think going back to work will be a shock!
Alison
Wow! 1978! I wonder how you would find Cartagena now. Probably far more touristy. But it is still so easy to get off the tourist track in Colombia and feel like a welcomed guest. I totally get how you and Don were unable to cover a lot of ground in your 6 months in South America. You both love to explore deeply and one could spend a lifetime on that Continent before visiting it all. I wanted to spend a year or two just exploring Colombia. I do hope you find your way here. I would love to see your lens on the country.
Going back to work is simply the next stop on a grand life adventure. If I keep my eyes on the prize (returning to sea), I’ll be fine …and will certainly have a good story to tell.
PS Happy also to hear the good health news for both of you. That’s fantastic!
A.
Thank you so much. The sea has been good for us. We are truly blessed
Wow, you cross the Canal in style, Lisa Dorenfest! Seems like a “big boy” next to you. I mean in the water, not the Captain. 🙂 I’d say you saw the best of Colombia before moving on to Panama. Such beautiful photos and memories. I actually never thought Medellin was – or had become – a tourist/expat city. Interesting, especially after watching the Netflix series about Escobar.
Yes, that anchorage in Cartagena is not very pleasant. When we were there, the water was much murkier than your photos show as well. Very gross – a place where barnacles thrive. Looking forward to your San Blas post! And a return email. 🙂
Thank you for the lovely feedback on the images and story. We watched the Escobar Netflix series for the first time in Cartagena after our visit to Medellín and it almost felt personal. Those emotions are subtly intertwined throughout this post. It gives me great hope for humanity to see how Medellín has emerged from Escobar’s stranglehold on the city.
The barnacles still thrive in the Cartagena anchorage. We didn’t stay in those water too long after splashing at Ferro Alquimar.
It is funny that no matter how many times one crosses the Canal or how many miles sailed, there is always something new to learn. That big boy was far smaller than the one that trailed behind us the first time through, but the new Canal has sent the bigger ships through a different set of locks.
We leave for Mexico via Costa Rica on Wednesday which has turned me into a poor correspondent. Let me summarise with #PuertoPeñasco2020 #comevistus #itisbetterthanthebahamas #wanttomeetmaya
Haha. You’re too funny. And cute. <3
😉🥰😘
It’s remarkable how every post, every photo I see of Colombia has such rich, saturated colours. There isn’t a single one with drab lights, haze, smoke… It feels so damn enticing. Must. Hide. That. Credit. Card.
😁I hope you give into those vivid colors (#nofilterneeded) and find your way to Colombia soon. You will love it here!
Bravo, Lisa. More colourful insights of this fascinating nation. And that metro system – saving nuisance and pollution from 100,000 vehicles. What’s not to love and admire (and envy).
We’re in Panama now but my heart remains in Colombia and I think it will do so for many nautical miles to come. It is a fascinating nation indeed. Always a pleasure Tish! Thanks for your visit.
The post glows with happiness, Lisa. 🙂 🙂 And however you skirt past it, you must always have the anxiety in the pit of your stomach going for the checks. What a place! You’ll have us queuing up to visit 🙂
Intuitive as always Jo. My cancer was stage one cancer, so I don’t worry too much about the results of my tests. But since the Captain’s condition is chronic, his scan cycle brings out every emotion and the anxiety can be overwhelming. That his scan results have been clean since April of 2016 is nothing short of a miracle. Colombia was a perfect place to celebrate the latest great results. And the doctors have now said he can move to an annual cycle giving us some much-appreciated breathing room. Hugs from Panama! Heading Mexico way via Costa Rica on Wednesday.
Fantastic news! Lots to celebrate in 2020 🙂 🙂
And so much to be grateful for each day 🙏
What a fabulous post, Lisa. Yes, Medellin does sound really enticing as a place to settle. It’s interesting that the healthcare there is so first class. Is it available to anyone? So happy that you and the Captain were both given a clean bill of health. 👍👏🏻 How big is Amandla? My sister and husband in Kloof are in the process of selling up there, with the intention of buying a boat in France and spending as many years as they are able, just sailing around the Mediterranean. She’s so excited at the prospect.
We were private pay but even that route is seriously affordable. We checked out the price of similar scans in Panama and they were nearly twice the price at seemingly half the quality (no scans had here in Panama, we were just curious to check it out). Our friends John and Susan applied for residency and have Universal Healthcare for the cost of $40 per month. You can read about it under the ‘Getting healthcare’ section of this post. Amandla is a lovely 48ft sailing monohull. So excited for your sister and her husband and have sent you a private note in that regard.
Thank you so much for answering all my queries, Lisa. 😘
You are very welcome 😃
Fantastic post – awesome adventures and photos!!
Awww, thank you, Joe, for your generous feedback on the post! Always a treat to hear from you 🤗
Hi, Lisa – I totally got swept away with your post and felt like I was right there along side you. Congratulations on your clean health scans. I loved seeing Columbia through your compassionate and observant eyes.
Hi Donna! I greatly appreciate your visit, well wishes, and eloquent compliments. Thanks for joining me in Colombia. Have a magical holiday season and a healthy, happy New Year.
Fascinating observations of Colombia. Obviously my knowledge and impression of this place are out of date. It does look like a beautiful place to visit. Thanks for the lovely views.
Thank you so much for visiting Colombia with me. I hope you’ll find your feet on the ground here someday. It is a great time to visit Colombia as tourists in many places are still a rare novelty. While Cartagena remained on the tourist track even in the dark days, it still retains a charm that is to be savored, especially in the off season.
Congratulations on your clean health scans, Lisa, and thank you for taking us to Colombia with you. The country looks beautiful and colourful. I’d love to visit Colombia one day. So many places to explore and so little time. Safe travels to Costa Rica and Mexico!
Ahoy From San Carlos, Panama, Natalie. We leave for Costa Rica on Thursday evening and are getting quite excited. I just went to check out your countries list and saw that you had a marvelous visit with your family at Playa Grande.Your images got me even more excited to visit that gorgeous country although we may have to anchor at a more protected bay further north. Thank you for your visit, well-wishes and supportive feedback Natalie! Always a pleasure.
Wonderful news at your check ups! Hope the boat’s check up gets good news too. Are you coming to Chicago on your northward journey? I love your detailed posts Lisa. I hope I get to experience one tiny part of your rich life someday.
Ahoy from San Carlos Panama! Amandla passed her checkup with flying colors and we are ready to sail her onward to Costa Rica either tomorrow or Friday evening; just waiting for the weather to cooperate. Amandla will not be journeying to Chicago at this point but I will be. The current plan has me coming through Chicago on my whistle-stop tour sometime in mid-Spring 2020 and I look forward to seeing you and the whole family. Thank you so much for your very kind comment! Your visit here put a big smile on my face today.
always enjoy catching up with you – and I need to check out the Escobar series –
also
RE:
finding the Captain cancer-free since 2016 and me since 2012!
woohoo and praise the lord and keep doing what you are doing
—
safe travels to you both
Ahoy from San Carlos, Panama, Yvette! What a delight to catch up with you before we sail onward to Costa Rica tomorrow. I highly recommend the Narcos series. A sad history but compelling to watch regardless if you are traveling in Colombia or not. It starts out slow but you’ll be hooked by the third episode. Thank you so much for the rousing congratulations on our health and for your good wishes for a safe passage.
How wonderful to spend your sister’s birthday with her and your dad in Colombia! So happy to hear you write about the dangers of Colombia, and that, in your experience, you felt safe. Medellin looks like a fantastic city, and your pictures are gorgeous as usual!
I can’t believe you’ve circumnavigated and are planning to return to work soon. It seems crazy, since I’ve always ever known you as a globe trotter. If you’re ever in DC, please let me know. And best of luck as you finish up your travels and return to work. Do you know where work will be?
As for me, I finished up my first semester of grad school yesterday, though I’ve been dealing with laryngitis all week. My voice is starting to come back, though, and I’m looking forward to a relaxing month off from school and spending the holiday season with my family.
Always good to hear from you, Lisa, and safe travels!
Ahoy Britta! Love seeing your smiling face here! Thank you so much for your enthusiastic feedback on the visit and the visuals.
Huge congratulations on completing your first semester of grad school! Bummer the semester ended with a bout of laryngitis but luckily you are on the mend and have the holiday season to fully recover. Is school out for your students as well or are you still working?
I can’t believe my first circumnavigation is complete either. The dream has carried me forward for so many years and I loved every nautical mile of it. I am hoping to land a role somewhere near the water so I can still enjoy the sport while working. I will start seriously looking for work once we arrive in Puerto Vallarta in mid-Jan and plan to be stateside in Spring 2020. I’d like to do a bit of a US road trip as I make my way East and will definitely let you know when I find myself DC way.
Hugs from San Carlos. We set sail for Costa Rica tomorrow evening and I am looking forward to visiting a new country!
School is off for students for two weeks. I’m heading back to MN for the holidays and am looking forward to seeing family and friends.
Best of luck looking for work. I’m sure you’ll find something that suits you…and do let me know if you’re in DC this spring. I would so love to finally meet you in person, and I’m it would be a nice break from the busyness of spring semester of grad school. 🙂
Enjoy Costa Rica. I’ve heard so many good things about it!
Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Looking forward to meeting up in 2020!
Thank you again, Lisa, for opening my eyes to a new place and a new culture. I am very happy to hear your medical checks went well. I did wonder about safety, although being “city smart” is always a good idea wherever we travel and live. As you indicated, during daylight hours. You are an amazing photographer, Lisa and I appreciate you sharing the images of art and the murals. Also fun to see the videos. I love the photo of your family and the big smiles. I think I have mentioned to you before, Lisa, how I allocate focused reading time to your posts. Your posts are engaging, interesting and I always learn a great deal. I look forward to reading and connecting in 2020.💕
You never fail to boost my spirits with your ebullience, Erica. Always a pleasure to see you on my pages and to visit yours. I am grateful for the focused time you carve out to read and reflect on each of my posts. A true gift that is greatly appreciated. I hope I have the good fortune to meet you in person one day. Wishing you a blessed holiday season and a brilliant 2020.
For my next trip will be hard to decide between Asia and South America! I’ll let the cost of the ticket guide me. Instead, I’m pretty sure I’m going to spend a few months in Medellin sometime, as I’ve heard so meny good things about it 🙂
I’d hoped to explore a bit more of South America on this trip but Colombia begged us to linger. We ended up exploring for 3 months and wanted to stay for a year. I can appreciate your quandary as to where to visit next as both Asia and South America have so much awesome on offer. Great to learn about the ‘Workaway’ travel option on your pages. What an incredible way to explore a country deeply.
We have some friends who are fulltimers on a catamaran – The Two Drifters and they are over in your neck of the woods at the moment. So watching their watery journey unfold strikes me as so similar to your experiences. Whilst they love the sea, getting to land is so important to them. Colombia sounds intriguing and so different to the media’s representation. I am so glad that you are both in remission and fighting fit. Here’s to more happy sailings.
Thank you for letting me know about Two Drifters. Always a pleasure to meet other boaters in the virtual anchorage as well as other travelers along the road. We too need a mix of sea and land and Colombia offered the perfect solutions. Greatly appreciate your supportive feedback on the scans and good wishes for sailing onward 🌞
Your article brought me back nice memories of my recent trip Colombia. I loved every moment of my trip. I learned so many new things about this country. Thanks for sharing.
Lovely to be able to travel to Colombia with you virtually both here and on your pages. I adored Colombia as well and long to return there to explore it even more deeply. The cities were great, but the Pueblos Patrimonios were what captivated me most. Thank you so much for your comment and your tweet!
Congratulations on the clear scans. Your story is really inspiring. I have had concerns on whether Colombia is a safe travel destination. Your blog clears many of my doubts on that. Lovely graffiti shots. More Power to you!
Thank you so much for your supportive comment and for inspiring me to come up with a ‘dare list’ for 2020. So much more fun than resolutions. I do hope you find yourself in Colombia someday soon. The locals are incredibly welcoming given that tourists are still a novelty in most areas. And I could have done multiple posts on the beautiful graffiti here ..but I did the ‘drive-by’ view’ as I attempt to catch the blog up to my boat location.
Always so nice to read about people living their best life now! Good for you! I’ve only visited Columbia off a cruise ship but was infatuated. I hope to return and explore the country more.
It gives me great hope to see this country emerge from a dark past and be on a positive trajectory. I hope that both of us get to return to Colombia to explore more deeply someday. Colombia quickly captures the heart.
Wow it’s so amazing that you guys are sailing in Latin America! We also liked Medellin a lot and were actually quite inspired how this city transformed itself by its hard-working residents. Your photos are stunning of locals! My favourite is the one in the barber shop 🙂
You made my day with your generous compliments on the images of the locals, especially that one from barbershop as that is my favorite from Medellín. Street photography is not everyone’s thing, but the local community is what captures my heart most about any place that we visit and there were so many beautiful smiles here. Blessed to be sailing and traveling here. We are off (again) tomorrow with first light and sailing onward to Costa Rica. Our first attempt was aborted when we snagged a fishing net in our prop 60 meters from the marina exit last evening. Grrrr. That is what we get for tempting fate and trying to sail away on Friday the 13th.
Very timely for me to read as I have just started to consider my plans for next year & looking for somewhere to spend some time brushing up on my Spanish. I was considering Colombia & looks like you’ve convinced me on Medellin! I love the sound of your journey. I started to learn to sail a couple of years ago but never quite found my mojo with it. You’ve also made me consider dusting off my sea legs again! Great news on the health front – must be a huge relief to get the all clear. Thank you for sharing …given me lots of thinking to do!
Colombia is the PERFECT place to brush up on your Spanish. The language here is spoken clearly and slowly and the locals seriously welcome any attempts to speak it, especially outside of Cartagena where tourists are still a bit of a novelty. I improved my speaking tremendously while visiting Colombia only to degrade my skills once again in Panama where it seems like a different language is spoken altogether.
And I would LOVE to see you dust off the sea legs again. You look like a natural on a sailboat So many great places around the world to charter a boat with a Captain …and a bit more relaxing than racing.
A great post my dear. As usual.
First of all congrats on your med results. Both of you. 🙂
Then, you paint a very good portrait of Colombia. I’ve known that country for 40 years+ (never been to Medellin though) and it is both very endearing and desesperating. Much progress has been made in therms of security. One can now travel safely throughout. But poverty is still there. Politics are not very good. (Where are they good anyway). There is lots of unrest in Bogotá… We have thought of maybe buying something in Bogotá as a pied-à-terre later, but I’m not sure I would want to relocate permanently… (Hopefully my wife won’t read that…) 😉
Anyway, congrats again for the health part. Hopefully you will sail North soon.
We will be spending Xmas and New year in Tulum with the whole family.
(Just in case we don’t get back in touch before that…) Happy Christmas and a wonderful New year…
Brian
Ahoy from Golfito, Costa Rica.Apologies for my delay in responding. We’ve been busily winding our way through fishing nets sans internet.
I hear you regarding poverty politics. But on the positive side, even those with little keep their places spotless with great pride. And as you say, where isn’t political dissent an issue these days? The peace process has been fragile since the get-go with the country divided on the issue. And salary/pension cuts are never going to be met with silence. But all that said, I would move to Medellín in a minute ..and over Bogota any day. Better vibe. Better temperatures. Of course, that is just me. Thank you so much for the love and holiday wishes. Wishing you a Joyeux Noel et Bonne Annee. Not sure if we will make it to Oaxaca to ring in the New Year but I am hopeful>
No worry about delays Lisa. I’ve heard good things about Medellín. Will have to go one of theses days. 🙂
Thank you for your good wishes. Likewise.
Will you stay in Costa Rica a while? I hear it is absolutely beautiful.
Now Oaxaca. There is a small resort on the coast called Puerto Escondido. Very pleasant. Lots of young people, surfers. Don’t know if you can anchor there. Look it up. We did spend new year with the girls once. It was quite pleasant then.
But if you’re thinking Oaxaca city, inland, bear in mind that it’s a long road up to the mountains. 5-6 hours drive. Once you’re in Oaxaca city, the city is quite beautiful.
Buon Natale… 🙂
I wish we could linger in Costa Rica but we are in a bit of a rush to get to Mexico. Our current Costa Rica plan is to stop in Herradura for a few days, then Playa Hermosa to check out when the winds are favorable. We have two big weather areas to cross (The Papagayos and Tehuantepeckers ) and we want to get through them as quickly as possible. We may be delayed for a few weeks while waiting for favorable winds. I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to go to Oaxaca City and hope that the Captain is not put off by the lengthy drive.
Herradura looks good. My daughters went to Costa Rica a while back. I’ll ask them where they went.
I would understand the Captain. It’s a looong drive. (Never did it, we use other roads in the interior) And I don’t know the current state of the road. All I know is that it’s stiff and curvy. I’m sure you can Google the road now. And if you do drive to oaxaca, it is a beautiful town.
Fair winds.
What an exciting and blessed way to see the world, sailing with Amandla, a healthy captain and crew! Colombia and Medellín sounds interesting and is so colourful. It must have been a delight to explore.
Happiness all around! Mind-blowing to believe that this time last year we were underway from Mosel Bay to Cape Town. 8034 nautical miles ago (not to mention the additional 11,000 km of road-trips). Would have loved to have done our road-trips with your beautiful XCape. Thank you so much for the comment and the shares. Lovely to be traveling with you virtually in the blogosphere.
Great memories to have and I don’t envy you sailing the Cape of Good Hope – it can be quite a bit more than just choppy! Thanks for sharing my link! Looking forward to reading the rest of your adventures.
You are very welcome :-). Your XCape is totally awesome.
We were lucky to have a local weather advisor from Hillcrest (near Durban) who knew the coastal waters well and advised us on the optimal weather window. We waited for a month to sail from Durban to Mossel Bay and then another 3 days to head to Cape Town. Well worth the delay.
Fantastic news about getting the all clear from the doctors! I don’t know very much about Colombia, but you certainly make it an enticing place to visit. Do enjoy your sailing sabbatical, I’m quite envious!
Ahoy from Golfito, Costa Rica, Roma. Apologies for my delayed appreciation. We were making way here from Panama sans internet. Thank you so much for your comment and good wishes. I do hope your travels find you in Colombia someday. My heart is still there even though we’ve sailed nearly 1000 nautical miles away. Have a Happy Christmas and Adventurous New Year!
Lisa, I’ve missed reading your blog posts! I’ve take a rather long sabbatical from blogging and was wondering if it made sense to continue. Your posts inspire me to travel and writing. And your smile lights my day! Thank you for taking me to Columbia. I wish we could visit it someday. Till then, your posts will take along. Wishing you and the captain a wonderful 2020 with many more travels! xoxo
Hey there Cheryl! Always a treat to see you in the blogosphere (it would be even more lovely to meet you in person). I totally hear you re; blogging ambivalence. Not sure if you follow Mabel Kwong but she wrote a great piece on the subject recently. I shared my thoughts in the comments about coming full-circle ‘back to blogging’ and hope that you will too. I very much enjoy your posts and your friendship. I am heartened to see you have a new post up and will be by to savor it shortly. Have a wonderful holiday season and a fantabulous 2020. Apologies for my delayed response. We were making way to Costa Rica and will be underway again tomorrow for our next anchorage in Herradura.
It’s always good to hear from you, Lisa. I wish I could meet you someday. I’ve enjoyed the virtual trips and friendship! I do follow Mabel and will check out her post soon. I’ve decided to take it slow and enjoy the process of blogging. Interacting with so many interesting bloggers from around the globe keeps me hooked. I wish you and the captain a safe journey and fantastic 2020! xoxo
The kinship with like-minded globetrotters keeps me hooked too, Cheryl. Looking forward to sharing many more adventures in the coming decade …virtually that is until we have the pleasure of meeting in person.
You certainly give a better picture of Columbia than the media and movies. I have a much better opinion of the place thanks to you.
Negative reputations take years to overcome just as good reputations may linger far longer than they are deserved. I hope to get back to Medellín (and Mongui) before the throngs realize what they are missing :-).
Happy trails and sails.
Return to work? Sounds extremely boring… Colombia looks amazing. I’ve always wanted to visit that country.
Coming full circle back to the ‘every-day world’ will be an adventure!!! Colombia was incredible and I find that my heart is still there even though we’ve sailed onward to Costa Rica via Panama. Unlike the places we are voyaging now, Colombia remains relatively unspoiled by mass tourism and you can see the difference in the prices and the warmth of welcome. It is a place to linger for a long time. Looking forward to visiting again and hopeful your travels take you there. Just downloaded my copy of your latest on Bandcamp
Thanks for the musical support Lisa! I appreciate it a lot.
Easy to support good music. Keep it coming!
Thanks again! I’ve released 4 singles so far in 2020, have 5 singles that are awaiting approval as we speak and will be published within the next week or so, plus one single that’ll be released in the end of May and I’m recording a new tune this weekend (a lullaby for kids). 🙂
Greetings! I imagine at this writing you are somewhere on your way to Costa Rica. So much for starting anything on Friday the 13th! Congratulations to both of you for the clear scans- it must be a huge relief!
You share a very compelling picture of Columbia. I had a student a quite a few years ago who was a teacher in Columbia and had come to the US to learn some new methods. She described a fairly desperate place, but also shared that in some ways the cartels were murderous thugs, but in other ways they were supportive of the community- supporting schools and people there. I am pretty sure they supported her six month trip to the US for a semester’s worth of education. Crazy stuff!
As always, I love your pictures. You look very happy with your father and sister! I’m sure it was nice to see family. The idea of using street art to heal a city is fascinating- we are not a deep inner city but we have a lot of murals going up around here, especially in some of the rougher areas. Teenagers are painting them.
Smooth sailing to you- and let me know when you want to talk again.
Ahoy from Playa Herradura in Costa Rica! A once beautiful bay that has sadly been overtaken by the expensive, cruiser unfriendly Los Sueños Resort. But enough grumbling. Celebrating our 7th Chrismukah aboard Amandla, two oceans away from where we celebrated our last, reminding me of all our blessings.
Your student’s experience of her homeland was not unique and was one of the reasons the Cartel had such a hold on the country. In 1982, Escobar was elected as an alternate member to the Chamber of Representatives and funded numerous community projects but his backing/instigation of numerous terrorist actions/bombings caused most everyone in Colombia to eventually tire of him.
Thank you for your love on the post and support throughout the year. Looking forward to catching up via phone when we are in one place for an extended period. Hopefully when we get to Puerto Vallarta in mid-Jan but possibly sooner if the winds delay us in Costa Rica or El Salvador. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Lovely post Lisa. I am so thrilled to hear the good news about your health. It is always a blessing! Your photos of Colombia are amazing. It has long been on my list of places I want to see and visit. Someday I will get there. I do have a friend that is married to a Columbian and they moved back for a year to give it a chance living in Cali. She had some stories that were darn right scary and they felt it was too dangerous to raise their kids there so came back. That said, I’m sure most of Colombia is relatively safe as long as you are careful as where to go. Would love to see it for myself!
Happy Holidays from Tamarindo, Costa Rica, Nicole! Thank you for your visit and love on the post. Cali was a bit off our track so we opted not to travel there. It does have a bit of a reputation, but most advised us not to bother visiting there unless we were huge Salsa fans, which we are not. Sad to know that the dangers that your friends experienced living there were serious enough to cause them to move back to the States! I do hope you’ll find your way to Colombia or at least Medellín, Colombia, and the Pueblos Patrimonios we managed to visit. My heart is still there although we’ve now sailed far from it.
Lisa, I am very late in reading this terrific post… because well, we have been on the road for the past two months and I am only just catching up on reading my favorite blogs and writing comments.
We loved Medellin when we visited Colombia. We were lucky to attend the flower festival and had decent views… It probably has gotten more crowded as it seems everything has these days. We were amazed by the huge weight of the flowers that elderly people were carrying for long distances on their backs. It was quite something! And yes we also thought that Medellin was very liveable.
Congrats on the health news!! I know how one can wait with anxiously to get those results once one has had not such great news in the past… So am very happy for you both.
Where will you be working on land? Ah a new adventure begins…
Much love to you Lisa for the new year.
xoxo
Peta
Apologies for my delayed response, Peta. We’ve been passage making.
As we are behind schedule, we’ve anchored along the coast of Nicaragua to wait for the weather but have not ventured inland. I am disappointed to have missed exploring a country where you both have deep roots (planted and lived).
Thank you so much for your visit, love, and concurring comments. Of course, you would adore Medellín as much as I did. It was the first place that I’ve visited since Vietnam that beckons me to relocate.
I am planning to look for work in New York but am open to great opportunities wherever they might present themselves.
Looking forward to reading your latest post as soon as I have decent internet in Mexico. Currently limited by 2G speeds and will be offline for the next four days as we make way to Chiapas.
Oh yes I’m disappointed you didn’t make it inland to Nicaragua, as well. Oh well! Enjoy Mexico though… !!
Another wonderful post and photos – particularly love the street art.
Wow, the train station is so clean, puts Calabria to shame. This could be such a lovely region for tourists, but alas, the mindset is quite different here…
Hope you’ve had a wonderful festive season and wishing you guys a fantastic 2010!
Ahoy from Nicaragua. Sorry for my delayed response. We’ve kicked off the New Year with a bit of passage making.
Always a treat to see your smiling face on my pages. Have I mentioned that our crew Lucio is a resident of Calabria? He’ll be returning homeward at the end of the month with plans to prepare his boat from some canal travel in France.
Did you hear that after a hairy passage in up to 40 kt winds, Karel made it to it to the Beagle Channel …only to be greeted by 4 cruise ships and 2 buses full of Asian tourists? Hard to get away from it all anywhere these days 🙂
Looking forward to visiting your pages and catching up with your latest adventures when we find good internet in Chiapas. Currently operating off a 2G signal I’ve found along the coastline. Good for reading/responding to text. Impossible for uploading/downloading images …and I don’t want to miss any of yours.
Hey there, great you made it safely, can’t wait to see the photos!
No, you didn’t, what part of Calabria? We might be neighbours. 😉
I didn’t hear that, what a pain. The Beagle Channel was empty when we spent 2 weeks in Ushuaia back in April 2011 – how times have changed. I remember going to Angkor Wat in 2014 and it was the same with hoards of tourists – a sea of heads in my photos.
Cool, no pressure. I’ve been catching up with old stuff and also finally started writing about the boat building journey, but had to split it out as 12,000 words poured out of my head and I’m still going! Not sure it will be interesting to anyone but yachties, maybe.
Look forward to reading what you’ve been up to lately.
Ahoy from Chiapas Mexico! Depending on how you frame it, that boatbuilding journey could have appeal beyond the yachtie community. I am certain there were lots of life lessons and relationship challenges that came out of the experience that would be relevant to any reader. How I envy your ability to spill 12,000 words out your head and to still have more to say; it takes me a week to get out a 2000 word blog post.
Amazing to think that as recently as April 2011, The Beagle Channel was empty. It makes me fear for what we might encounter on our next lap around the globe. We were lucky to visit Angkor Wat in the off-season and it was relatively tourist-free ..but that is relatively :-).
Our crew Lucio lives in Roccella.
I just finished my latest post on the San Blas but it won’t publish until the 18th. We are leaving tomorrow, winds permitting, for Oaxaca, Zihuatanejo, or Puerta Vallarta; the Captain keeps changing his mind so I am not quite sure where we will finally drop that anchor)
This post of yours, as well as those written by John and Susan, really make me want to visit Medellín so bad! I like how the city shows the rest of the world that a good transportation system, a development plan that incorporates both of its richer and poorer areas, and embracing art, among other things, can help a place and its people recover from the wounds of the past.
Wishing you a new year full of memorable travel experiences, Lisa!
You’ve tapped directly into what made Medellín so special for me; the growing middle class. At a time when the rest of the world seems to be widening the divide between the haves and have nots, Medellín is showing us the wisdom to be found a more centered path.
Ahoy from Nicaragua. Sorry for my delayed response. We’ve been passage making from Costa Rica to Mexico and I’ve only now just found some 2G internet here. Looking forward to adventuring with you more on your pages as soon as we have an ‘image capable’ connection in Mexico.
What richness Lisa! I love the artwork in Cartagena and look forward to exploring it some day. Wishing you a very happy new year and safe sailings! Thanks so much for all your love and generosity!
Ahoy from Chiapas, Mexico. Sorry for my delayed response. We’ve been passage making up the west coast of North America with more to follow tomorrow. A treat to arrive here and receive your greeting on the blog. Thank you so much for your visit, kind feedback and well-wishes. May your 2020 be filled with magic, passion, and grand adventures.
Between you and John/Susan, I want to go tomorrow!! Glad to hear about the health results – fantastic news!!! Ok, So, I am dying to know what this year is going to bring for you!! I see from the post above you are in Chiapas – this is on my list for 2020. Please, please write about it!! Happy New Year Lisa!!
I am certain your wanderlust will find yourself in both Colombia and Chiapas. Sadly, our time in Chiapas has been spent waiting for a weather window to sail onward. We are two weeks behind on our passage to Puerto Vallarta where we need to be by the end of the month. We should be underway tomorrow but I do look forward to coming back here someday. As for ‘what’s next’, the plan is to leave the boat in Puerto Peñasco for a year or two and go back to work (if I can find it) to replenish the cruising kitty. Happy New Year to you! Wishing you an adventure-filled decade.
Just came by to say hello my friend
What a thrill to experience this bold and beautiful place by rail…stunning! I see where the people get their strength, thanks for sharing the soul of Cartegena with us.
Ahoy from Salina Cruz, Mexico. Apologies for my delayed response. We’ve been an an overland odyssey through southern Mexico. Although we’ve seen some amazing places in the past six months, my heart remains in Colombia and I long to return there. Thank you for visiting her with me virtually. Always a pleasure to see you here.
Just back from Colombia…our first time…great photos.
Delighted that you enjoyed the images. Colombia is a magical place.
Stunning photos! What a rich, vibrant city. I love all the artwork, too. Thank you so much for sharing, Lisa!
Thanks for joining me in Colombia, Parker. Medellin and Cartagena would both be intriguing settings for your stories.
I’ve heard Cartagena has some pretty rough parts. Haha. But I’m sure there are nice parts, too.
It is beautiful, but with an edgy undercurrent, lots of winding streets, and an air of mystery that would lend beautifully to your writing.
You describe it so well. I need your description skills. Haha. I’ve always thought I was weak on that. It sounds like a very cool place though!
I wish I had your talent for characters and dialogue #inspired
Wow! Medellin is a lovely town. The first time I heard about the town was when I was reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s News of a Kidnapping. It was portrayed as a city full of drug cartels who were at war with the authority. But, yes, the story was about Colombia decades ago. 😀
Lovely post, Lisa 😀
I have never read the book and I thank you for letting me know about it. I have enjoyed Gabriel Garcia’s fiction and am very interested in the topic of Colombian history. Medellín’s turn around from those dark days gives me hope for what can be possible in the future.
You’re so fortunate to be able to be on the scene of Marquez’s fictions 🙂 If I’m not mistaken, he spent most of his life in Cartagena de Indias, the city about which you’ve also written.
Thank you! I hope I could go there someday. It’s gonna be really fun. 🙂
He did and the city of Cartagena loves him! His spirit is everywhere there.
Wow! That’s great. The vibe in Cartagena must be really awesome. 🙂
Hello Lisa.
What an incredible gorgeous post! Same is valid for the first post of this series. To me it was interesting reading, because I have visited in the 70s Bogota. At the same time, we visited Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá.
To me Colombia is the country of Cumbia music. Its roots are in Colombia. I started my travels in Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. In Peru I heard for the first time Cumbia music. After then I bought LP-records with me on my travels. Now my collections consist of few hundred Cumbia music. Every country has their own style of Cumbia. I do not know if You have noticed this happy tropical music and that’s why I give here an example from Paraguay:
La Cumbia del Monstruo
Have a wonderful day!