There was 90-minute delay in our departure time from Nashville, so our flight to Houston left around 11 a.m. The delay didn't matter much because we still had two-plus more hours until our scheduled departure time for Bogota. The two girls flew economy comfort, which gave them more room, and Sharon and I found a very reasonable price on a first class/business class upgrade. The
flight down over Central America and the Caribbean was quite bumpy. Sharon and I watched the movie Lincoln and then slept.
Our Nashville friend Marcela Gomez had arranged to have her friend Patricia pick us up at the airport and serve as our guide during the visit. This makes our stay in Bogota much simpler and more fun. Patricia was on hand when we arrived, and her boyfriend Mario was there to drive a very large and comfortable Ford SUV.
We got lost a couple of times trying to locate the hotel, but were there a little after 11. The Hotel de la Opera is a very old and beautiful place in the Candelaria section of the city. While it is best to stay off the streets there at night, it is a safe and well-guarded area by day. http://www.hotelopera.com.co/
Pitures I shot of the hotel:
View Our Colombia Trip March 2013 in a larger map
March 10-12: Bogota Activities
March 10: Sharon and I slept off and on during the night. The bed and room were great; we were probably just showing some signs of fatigue and maybe the high altitude. Our room has a nice balcony that overlooks a main thoroughfare through old Candelaria, and there is an occasional burst of shouting, car-honking or sirens.
We had a nice breakfast in the hotel restaurant around 8, and enjoyed eggs, some very impressive local fresh fruit and a variety of breads. Patricia and Mario arrived at the hotel sharply at 9, and we were on our way toward the unusual salt cathedral, built last century well underground after functioning as as a salt mine since 5 BC.
Mario was our driver and I rode "shotgun," so I had the opportunity to speak with him quite a bit. He speaks solid English and has lived in several places around the world. He has spent much of his career in technology related fields, including marketing.
The city of Bogota clearly has an unofficial but real financial and education dividing wall between the poor southern part of the city and the more affluent north. The city has about 8 million people. We were traveling north today toward Zipaqeira, the town near the salt cathedral, and we passed some very swanky homes, nice shops and towering financial buildings.
An early stop of the day was at a community flea market in Bogota, where we enjoyed wandering around. Sharon bought a Christmas ornament that was a replica of a local costume mask. Here, Patricia tries one of them on:
We stopped at a roadside bakery and Patricia bought us some nice hot rolls. In all, we were on the road to the salt cathedral area for about two hours. We stopped for a short walk around the town of Zipaqeira, founded in the 1500s and very well preserved. Like many Colombian towns, this one features a central plaza where there is a large and lavish public building and a beautiful old cathedral.
We visited the cathedral just as Sunday mass was starting and were impressed with the attractive stone pillars and arching ceilings.
Next we visited the Salt Cathedral. While it is not a recognized Catholic Cathedral, large numbers of people come here to worship and/or view the spectacular glistening underground church. In fact, we saw a mass being performed in one of the salt rooms. Here are some pictures I took.
The Salt Cathedral
Next, we drove for about an hour and ended up at the famous Andres, a restaurant near Chia. The place has thousands and thousands of display items ranging from mannequins and life size statues of cows to collections of sunglasses and musical instruments. This is TGI Friday's on steroids!
The place is in total organized chaos, with servers maneuvering all around the thousands of handmade displays, the occasional impromptu parades through the restaurant and the wandering musicians. We were singled out at one point for some good-natured harassment as I was given a crown and the others were adorned with beauty pageant-style sashes.
Patricia and Mario ordered a variety of Colombian foods, and we enjoyed most of them. I am not a big fan of blood sausage or tripe, but some in the family ate them. Sharon and the girls had local beer served in glasses lined with salt. Fresh juice of a half of lime was added to each glass.
Patricia and Mario ordered a variety of Colombian foods, and we enjoyed most of them. I am not a big fan of blood sausage or tripe, but some in the family ate them. Sharon and the girls had local beer served in glasses lined with salt. Fresh juice of a half of lime was added to each glass.
I think Mario had ordered more food when we told him we were too full to go on. We toured he rest of the restaurant, and then headed back to downtown Bogota.
Photos from Andres Carne de Res
Mario gave us a tour of some other sections of the city on the way back to the hotel. I was ready for a nap, but the others walked around the Candelaria, seeing the main plaza.
We all rested and then had dinner at the hotel around 7:30. Busy day, and we were all ready for some rest.
It was a beautiful day, as has been the case each day since we arrived, and they got a spectacular view of the sprawling city.
At Monserrate
I did some business-related writing and then took a tour of the area around our hotel. Shot some photos on the plaza area.
We had a new car and driver today because Mario had to work, and the new car was much smaller. Sharon, Connolly, Ellen and Patricia all wedged into the back seat. We drove for abut a half hour and had lunch at a place called Casa Vieja. It was a nice quiet place with a mostly local business clientele.
We each ordered something different from the menu of local foods, and all of it was good. I had a brisket of beef, which was quite large and sliced very thin. It came with cheesy potatoes, guacamole and, salad.
Funny story: After lunch, we walked for a short distance in the area around the restaurant, and Patricia and a street vendor who try to sell us bracelets had a laughing exchange. Afterwards, she revealed what had been said in Spanish between them:
Vendor, looking at Sharon: That looks like a very wealthy woman you are escorting today!
Patricia, scoffing and laughing: If she were wealthy, why would she be walking instead of being taken by car?
Patricia suggested that we go to a very upscale area on the north side where there are nice shops and a coupe of large malls. She, Sharon and I had coffee at an Italian-style outdoor cafe while Ellen and Connolly did some shopping at one of the malls.
Then we all did a short venture into one of the malls, an activity that always makes me antsy. Sharon and Patricia looked at emeralds, a big product of Colombia, for a few minutes so that Sharon could see products and prices. (She has no intention of buying any.) The mall we saw is on par with any in the U.S., and offers some U.S.-based shops you cannot find in Nashville. Photo:
March 12: Last day in Bogota. We all met for breakfast at the hotel restaurant. Breakfast was included in the price of the rooms each day, and the meals have been good. I had two eggs over easy and some ham. Sharon and the girls have been stocking up on the fresh fruit and Connolly and Ellen also split an omelet today.
Patricia met us at the hotel at about 9:30, and we rode to the Museo de Oro, or Museum of Gold. It is a relatively new facility, and very well designed. The gold displays are impressive, spread through many rooms on three floors. No telling how much it is all worth. Much of it dates back thousands of years.
We spent about an hour in the museum altogether and then went to a rather crowded sidewalk café for coffee and conversation. Patricia has been helpful in explaining whatever we want to know about Colombia, when she doesn’t know, she Googles on her iPhone and shares her findings.
Our driver then took us back to Candelaria, the historic area around our hotel. We visited a small art exhibit and saw the insides of the city’s main cathedral. Mass was going on, so our touring inside the cathedral was limited.
We walked around the square and a few streets, and then headed back to the hotel to get our luggage. We drove for quite a while to a great Italian restaurant called Bellini, which was almost to the airport. Everyone seemed pleased with their selections. Sharon had a server cut her serving in half and we later gave the other half to our driver.
Ellen's pasta with vegetables
There is no way to express how much better our visit was due to the kind and caring attention we received from Patricia, her boyfriend Mario and from our driver. Patricia even walked us to the counter in the airport today to see us off, and was working much of the morning on making sure we have a competent driver for our trip in two days from Cartegena to Tayrona National Park. We will all miss her!
Evening of March 12: To Cartagena
After airport processing and a couple more hours of waiting, we were on a large and packed Airbus 320. We had inquired at the check-in counter about a seat with extra legroom for me, and we all ended up in roomy bulkhead seating in the first row of the plane. The 90-minute flight to Cartagena was bumpy for a few minutes, but fine most of the way.
Patricia had worked with our Cartagena hotel, the Casa Quero, on having a driver and van meeting us. Armando, the driver, was there waiting diligently and had us to the hotel in less than 15 minutes.
Sharon and I are in a suite with ceilings that are more than 30 feet high. The room itself is beatifully furnished. The room and bathroom are four or five the size of those in a normal-sized hotel room. The girls' room, though smaller, is equally impressive. Our room:
Ready for dinner, we consulted Luisa and she recommended El Santisimo, about five blocks from the Casa Quero. We walked there, passing through a lively square area where music and drinking apparently were the norm.
Ready for dinner, we consulted Luisa and she recommended El Santisimo, about five blocks from the Casa Quero. We walked there, passing through a lively square area where music and drinking apparently were the norm.
El Santisimo had an oddly themed menu where dishes were named after sacraments, religious occurances and other Catholic themes. The corny theme belied a great restaurant where seafood and other dishes were great both in taste and presentation. We had a very fun and enjoyable meal.
Got back to the hotel around 10:30 and rested for a big day of exploring tomorrow.
March 13-14: Seeing Cartagena
March 13: It was decided that I would stay and explore Cartagena while the others would take a boat to an island in Roasario. I am not a big beach fan and I sunburn easily. So I started walking at about 8:45, going all over the streets in the walled city. The huge long wall was started in the 1500s after an attack by Francis Drake. It is very imposing and very well-preserved.
I was very impressed with Cartagena - safe, welcoming, lively and colorful.
I walked for about four hours altogether and loved every minute. There were street vendors selling everything from fruit to rat traps, but all were friendly and low key - none of the in-your-face high pressure sales you see in many other Caribbean ports. (Nothing worse than a high-pressure rat trap salesman!)
I shot lots of pictures.
After my walk, I had lunch at a fish place called Juan del Mar, located a few blocks from the hotel. Grilled fresh local cobia was served over mashed potatoes and also came with fries. They like their carbs down here. The fish was terrific.
Meanwhile, Sharon and the girls were much later getting back from the beach than had been expected. They had a faulty boat and had to move to another. But they were back from their excursion around 5, all very complimentary of the experience. Ellen has a pretty serious sunburn despite using lots of sunscreen.
We all went out walking the streets around dusk, retracing some of my earlier steps. It was quite breezy, but pleasant, with temperatures in the 80s.
We had dinner at a rather snobby place called Club Pesca, located near the boat docks. Food was good, but service was horrible and prices were far higher than we have seen elsewhere.
We took a cab back to the hotel. I stayed up for a couple of hours working on the blog and reading.
Rosario, where Sharon and the girls went
March 14-15 Santa Marta and Tayrona National Park
March 14:: We awoke at about 7:30 a.m. with a "to do" list for the day. Part of the list was buying some of the things we thought we would need in Tayrona, where shops aren't readily available and life is a bit more rustic.
We had our usual eggs and arape (corn pancake) breakfast, and everyone went about their tasks. Sharon and the girls got wine, beer, snacks, aloe and other needed things. They hit some snags when they found store opening times (such as at the wine store) didn't fit the schedule very well. But they made it back having successfully made the purchases.
I worked on confirming our car and driver, updating the blog and checking directions and distance for the trip from Cartagena to Tayrona. Turns out that the estimated drive between the two places was about five hours - far more than we anticipated. So we ordered some pizza from a shop across the street from the hotel, and had some lunch before leaving.
The pizza was good and we shared some extra slices with the hotel staff. The car and driver arranged through Luisa at the hotel turned out to be a fiasco. We asked to be picked up at 1. A bit past then, two tiny cabs arrived and we and our luggage were crammed into those. My feet and legs barely made it into the vehicle, and luggage joined us in the passenger area.
The cabs took us to a parking lot about five minutes away, and we and the luggage all moved into a slightly larger car, but one that was still so small that our luggage overflowed from the trunk and bungee cords had to be used to hold it in. There was quite a bit of smaller luggage that wouldn't fit into the trunk, and that was piled into the car with us. Tight fit, with five hours ahead!
Sharon, Ellen and Connolly were really crammed in. The driver was a nice guy named Victor, and he spoke no English. I struggled through communicating what little Spanish I remembered from high school and college, and I did convey to him that we needed to go to the bank to get some money to pay him. All other conversation from there on was limited chit chat about the weather and sights along the way.
The backseat passengers had a very rough trip. Sharon said there was heat coming from under the seat, and coupled with diesel fumes, she said the atmosphere almost made her car sick. We had a couple of minor wrong turns near our destination, and finally arrived at Barlovento Tayrona at about 6. Rain had moved into the area.
Victor unloaded our luggage and, thankfully, brought some of our bags up the stairs. There was no effort on the part of the inn's staff to help. Maybe they didn't know we had arrived. Sharon and I were shown to our suite, and I think we were both disappointed that while the room offered air conditioning, it did not have any operable windows or doors that allowed us to enjoy the sea air and sound.
Otherwise, however, we were delighted to be in this special cabana atop rocks with the Rio Pedro only feet to the rear of the building and the Caribbean Ocean only feet from the front. Over the next hour, we met the owner Luis, his son Matthew, and Herman, who is a family member. Other guests are a trio of British travelers/backpackers and a couple from Boston who work as high school teachers. All were delightful people.
We all sat around a large dining table and chatted for a while, and then were given a great homemade dinner of red snapper, two kinds of salad, plantains and juice. Dessert consisted of a dried guava paste on top of a light local cheese. We enjoyed the meal and meeting the other guests. I went to bed around 10, and electricity went out shortly after 11 as the storm picked up outside.
I slept well, but had to fish around for my iPhone with flashlight app in the middle of the night because the room was pitch black and I needed to use the bathroom.
March 15: I had some wild dreams and awoke at about 7:30. Sharon had been up a few minutes before, and brought coffee back to he room as is our custom when traveling. (We bring insulated tumblers from home and one of us goes for coffee, which we have while getting ready.) The rain had continued through the night, as did the lack of power.
Many of the guests' beds or belongings were wet from the storms the night before, and Ellen and Connolly were among the rain victims. Sharon and I realized that being in an enclosed water-free room wasn't such a bad thing after all.
I showered in cold water, dressed for the day and joined Sharon at the dining table, which was moved a couple of times during breakfast to keep guests from getting soaked on the open covered patio as winds brought rain into the room. Despite the lack of electricity, the cook kept the coffee flowing, cooked fresh arapes and scrambled eggs. We also had some mild local cheese, which was quite good.
The back of the cabana after the storm: see the puddles
The rain left us little to do but to enjoy getting to know the other guests better and hanging out and waiting for the rain to stop.Ellen and Connolly have really been working hard at school, and have stayed very active through the trip. I sensed that a quiet day of reading while it rained might actually have been theraputic for them.
Lunch was a tasty chicken soup that contained potato cubes.
There were a couple of breaks in the rain when people were able to wander down to the beaches around barlovento for a few minutes.
Dinner that evening was chicken, rice, salad and a sugary coconut dessert.
March 16: This is the last day of vacation, a time when slight depression, urgency and a determination to make the day special all come into play. My goals before leaving were pretty simple. I wanted to go down to the beach near Barlovento Tayrona, explore the area in decent weather, and shoot some pictures of this great structure from down near the ocean.
Sharon’s ambition for the day was far more aggressive than mine – she wanted to hike through Tayrona National Park and see the dramatic rocks at Arracifes. That journey involved many hours of hiking, and the length of the walk coupled with the uncertainty of the weather over the last couple of days convinced me to stay and explore closer to the lodge. The girls opted to go with Sharon.
I had a good time walking around the area, shooting photos of the lodge from the beach and then following a private road that took me to a longer stretch of beach. I saw just three people during a 90-minute walk. It was a beautiful morning, and shooting photos was fun.
Barloventa Tayrona: where we stayed
March 9: Nashville to Bogota: We had agreed to have our stuff packed and stacked into a corner of our room by noon, so I did that. Then I went to the dining table in a rather deserted lodge and caught up on some of these blog posts. The young woman who cleans the rooms was kind enough to fix me a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich made with a grilled tortilla. Quite good.
Sharon, Ellen and Connolly arrived back from Arracifes a little after 3, having done a pretty tough trek to the rocks and then riding horses back to the entrance to the park. All of them seemed pretty tired when they got back.
A driver arranged through Barlovento owner Luis arrived with a small van at about 5 to take us to the airport, and we said our goodbyes to our great hosts. We had a final Colombian meal at Santa Marta airport, and then flew to Bogota-Houston-Nashville, getting back home shortly before noon on the 17th.
We were only gone a week, but really felt the trip was fun, interesting, relaxing and worthwhile. We recommend Colombia as a vacation destination.
