Browsed by
Author: Sarah

Relaxing on the beaches of Tayrona

Relaxing on the beaches of Tayrona

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Sunset in Tayrona The Tayrona National Park is beautiful mix of dense jungle and pristine white beaches, bordering the clear waters of the Caribbean sea in north east Colombia.  Unfortunately for us (and the trees), there had been very little rainfall in the months leading up to our visit, meaning that the park wasn’t quite as verdant as it usually is. Yet, it was still more than stunning, and a great place to relax, sunbathe and soak in the sea. Blue seas of the…

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Photo Friday: Knockers of Colombia!

Photo Friday: Knockers of Colombia!

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In parts of Colombia – we particularly noticed them in Cartagena and in Barichara near San Gil – some of the door knockers in the central part of town are really quite elaborate. On a walking tour with Kristy from Cartagena Connections, we learnt that (originally at least) the shape of the knocker could tell you something about the house’s occupants.  For example, lizards – which are particularly frequent – are symbols of the aristocracy, as the animal is associated with…

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Highlights of Cartagena

Highlights of Cartagena

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The famous clock tower entrance into the old town We visited the beautiful colonial city of Cartagena de Indias twice during our time in Colombia. The main reason for our second visit was to catch a sailboat out of South America to Panama on our way home, but we were also pleased to get more time in the town. On both visits, we enjoyed wandering the colourful streets, eating and drinking, ‘walling’and shopping. Here are some of our highlights.The Spanish…

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5 things you need to know about Colombia

5 things you need to know about Colombia

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1. Its Colombia NOT Columbia! Fed up with everyone from international media sources to Paris Hilton and even US presidents* misspelling their country’s name, a social media campaign was launched last year to shame offenders into correcting their error.  The campaign is also designed to encourage people to take a second look at a country that most people immediately associate with drug-lords and kidnappings.  So remember! Colombia is a country, while DC stands for the District of Columbia. Columbia is also a…

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Sleepy Salento: In pictures

Sleepy Salento: In pictures

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The streets of Salento Salento is a small and colourful town in the zona cafeteria, Colombia, about 8 hours west of Bogotá. We spent 3 days there, enjoying the scenery, blowing things up (!), eating and drinking and of course touring a local coffee plantation. Here are some of our favourite pictures from our stay. Willy Jeeps! Jeeps on the main square When we booked our hostel in Salento, I was a little confused that in the confirmation email, we were told that…

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Arriving in Colombia: Bogota

Arriving in Colombia: Bogota

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The sprawl of Bogota from Monserrate While we would have liked to have explored Brazil much more, when we flew to Colombia we were very pleased to arrive back in a Spanish speaking country, where we could properly communicate again.  I don’t think I’ve ever had such a good conversation with a taxi driver than the one I had from Bogota airport to our hostel! We arrived early evening so just had time to check in and go for dinner before…

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Being vegetarian in Chile

Being vegetarian in Chile

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Arriving in San Pedro de Atacama over the salt flats from Bolivia, we were pleasantly surprised to find a town in the middle of the desert stuffed with a range of good restaurants – all of which had tasty veggie options, which is not always guaranteed in South America.  Aside from trusty (and yummy) pizzas, the options were quite varied too, including quinoa risottos, stuffed peppers and stir fries. Just walk up and down Caracoles – the main street in town –…

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Waterfalls, Cachaça, Jungle and Waterholes in Paraty

Waterfalls, Cachaça, Jungle and Waterholes in Paraty

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The countryside around Paraty is full of pretty waterfalls, cachaça distilleries (known as alambiques), pretty jungle and a number of waterholes for a refreshing dip. We bought ourselves a ticket for Paraty’s hop on and hop off bus, so that we could get around the local area. The bus comes every hour and a half giving you significant time at the different stops. It is also possible to walk between some of the stops. Our first stop was near the Pedra Branca…

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Pretty Paraty

Pretty Paraty

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Pretty streets of Paraty From Rio de Janeiro, it was with some slight regret that we skipped Ilha Grande and headed straight to Paraty. The forecast was still looking a bit ropey and with only a short amount of time before our flight to Colombia, we decided that it made more sense  to get to Paraty and walk its pretty streets, rather than head to a place known best for its beaches and jungle. We weren’t disappointed. Paraty is a Portuguese…

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Where we stayed – Argentina

Where we stayed – Argentina

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Mendoza: We very much enjoyed Mendoza and stayed there three times while in Argentina – each time renting out a room at Federico’s house, who we found through Air BnB.We had a lovely stay at Federico’s house. He was very welcoming and generous. He cooked a traditional Argentine barbecue for us and went out of his way to make us feel comfortable and show us his city.  Trying out Fernet – an Argentine favourite – with our host Fede The house is well…

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