Aug 26 – So here we are in Celestún. The conference folks got back on their big bus and returned to Mérida last night, to catch flights home or travel onward. We had our packs on the bus with us, and checked into a very modest small hotel a block from the Gulf of Mexico. This is where our beach vacation begins.
Aug 22 – Today we got back on the big bus to return to Mérida. This time we are going to the northern, more modern side of the city so that Jim can give a presentation at the Parapsychological Association Conference. This is the reason we are here.
Aug 17 – One more good breakfast in our little kitchenette, and we are off to find the ADO bus terminal to purchase tickets to Valladolid, about 2 1/2 hours to the east. We allowed plenty of time to get some lunch, but the line for tickets was so long we ended up buying a Subway sandwich and eating it on board. The bus was big and air conditioned, and we got to see a movie about a soccer team!
We are going to Valladolid (Buy a doe LEED) because it is the nearest town to the pyramids of Chichen Itza. Most touristas breeze through here on a bus from a Cancun resort or a Cozumel cruise ship, but we’re here to see what there is to see!
We are staying at a little hotel called Kinich Ahau, named for the Mayan sun god, and run by Anna. Our room faces the pool, and Anna will cook our breakfasts.
Google Maps showed a plethora of restaurant options within minutes of our place, so we took our hungry selves out in search of dinner. Where were the restaurants? Although Google showed menus and photos and reviews, no restaurants could we see. A mystery.
We eventually found a fast food place called Mr. Taco that filled our bellies with pork and gobs of cheese, but this was definitely not health food. Jim asked Anna if he could use her kitchen to cook up some chicken vegetable soup, so we stocked up at the grocery. Problem solved. Tomorrow we explore.
Aug 18 – We got up early to beat the heat, and decided to use our sunbrellas for the walk to the city center. We headed to Convento de San Bernadino de Siena, built in the 1500s.
Feb 26 – Jim cooked us a last breakfast, then we Ubered to the Cartagena airport. An hour and a half later, we were back in Bogotá. Back to long pants and sweatshirts.
We communicated like crazy with our new host, so we knew the name of the building and what it was near. Cabbie got us right to the door!
There was a Moroccan restaurant right near our high rise, so we stuffed ourselves with lentil soup, couscous, falafel, veggies, and tabule.
Feb 27 – We’re in a different part of the city now, not in the historical center. There are high rises all around.
Our plan was to walk back to the Botero museum and pick up a plate for our wall, but, best laid plans… the museum is closed on Tuesday!
Oh well, we walked around the city, saw some more llamas and lots more wall art.
Happy to report that on our very last day in Colombia, we found the Encanto arepas of my dreams. Like sweet cornbread, grilled, stuffed with cheese and topped with butter. Julietta would be proud. A delicious end to our holiday.
A few souvenirs, and we were done.
Feb 28 – Up at 5:30 for an Uber to the airport, a 5 hour flight to Atlanta, a four hour layover, then a 90 minute flight home. Our dog Winston was happy to see us, and we are happy to be home.
Feb 19 – Today’s plan is to hike a mile up the mountain to see the local waterfall, Pozo Azul (blue pool). After a fine coffee, scrambled egg, fruit, and pancake breakfast provided by our hostess Aura, we set out early in an attempt to beat the heat.
No such luck. Have I mentioned that it is HOT? Even in the morning when the thermometer reads 75, the real feel is already 90.
While a mile of walking is nothing for us, a mile uphill in the heat was enough for me to acquiesce to the two moto drivers who offered to take us to the top. The drivers were very solicitous, taking the corners slowly and not trying to scare the bejeezus out of me. Helmets? Who needs helmets?
They dropped us off where we paid the entrance fee for Pozo Azul. From there, it was another mile walk down to the waterfall, jostling and bumping with the tide of humanity all headed for a dip in the water.
There was a tent where you could buy insurance before going down to the water – do people die doing this?
After admiring the view (I never got close enough to the water to stick a toe in), we started back across the rocks. I was startled to see a man carrying an old woman on his back, her legs dangling limply in the air. Behind him were two family members carrying Granny’s wheelchair! I wondered where they would find space to set her down, and I guess we’ll never know.
The walk back was pretty solitary – I guess folks go for the whole day – and before too long we were back in Minca.
We had another lunch that couldn’t be beat, in a riverside restaurant that featured a large parrot.
A dip in the pool completed our afternoon.
And another lovely sunset completed our day.
So long, Minca – it’s been grand!
Feb 12 – This morning we called an Uber to take us to the bus station, where we had tickets for the 10:00 van to Santa Marta. The van was semi air conditioned and played the Spanish version of the newer Avatar movie. Four hours later, we arrived in the beach town of Santa Marta.
We walked the few blocks to our apartment, but were faced with a locked lobby door. Unlike previous hosts, we realized that no one had reached out to us to tell us how to get into the building or who would have our key. We tried calling the number on our reservation and emailing Booking.com, but no bananas.
A man who lived in the building let us in, and walked with us to Apt. 302. One look in the window told us the sad truth – it was an empty apartment. Uh oh!
Others have shared their bad experiences with Booking.com, but out of hundreds of rentals over the years, this was the first time we were left high and dry. We got out our phones and sat down on the steps, and before too long, Jim had found us a nice hotel with air con and wifi, a block from the beach. Day saved!
Santa Marta is a tourist town, with lots of trinkets, eateries and music playing in the streets. We found a seafood restaurant right on the beach, and watched the sunset over the water.
Not the day we planned, but still a good day!
Feb 13 – When you stay in a hotel, someone else makes your breakfast and washes the dishes! On a breezy terrace, we enjoyed our eggs, fruit and strong Colombian coffee. Birds stood on the ledge nearby to see if we would drop any crumbs.
This is the beginning of the relaxing part of our vacation. We walked around the small town. There is a church here:
There is a museum:
There is wall art here:
And the beach:
A relaxing day.
Feb 10 – Our plane landed around 9pm, and a twenty minute taxi ride got us to the walled city of Cartagena (Car ta HAY na). A last minute text informed us that the apartment we rented had plumbing issues, and offered us an alternate address on a different street. Our taxi driver got us pretty close, and we walked the rest of the way down the jam-packed narrow street, bustling with tourists and music. Once at the door, Jim negotiated the coded lock, then another lock inside the lobby and a third lock at our door. This place is secure! We dropped into bed, exhausted.
Cartagena is the port that the Spaniards originally used to ship their gold back to Europe. They built a fortified wall around the city to protect it from pirates (most notably Sir Francis Drake).
An excursion to the wall was our goal for the morning. While the weather in Bogotá was temperate, here it is HOT. At 9am it was 91 degrees with a real-feel of 103. Off we go!
After an arroz con pollo lunch (every area has their own version of chicken and rice), we retreated back to our air conditioned room to wait for the cooler temperatures of evening.
The name of our neighborhood is Getsemani, the area where the backpackers and groovy people hang out. It’s a tourist scene with lots of locals touting trinkets and offering tours.
At one point, a trio of young men with a boom box and a microphone followed gringos down the street while making up rap songs about them. Similar to mariachi bands in Mexican restaurants, they count on you to eventually pay them to leave you alone!
Since arriving in Colombia, I have been on a quest to taste an arepa – a delicious native cornflour griddle cake featured in Encanto (where Julietta’s arepas had healing powers). Every place we tried, even when the name of the restaurant had arepas in the title, we struck out. No arepas.
Today Jim spied a street vendor selling warm arepas filled with egg from a cart. We bought one, and pronounced it just okay. The search continues!
We were told to look at the door knockers in the old town, as the creatures depicted provided a clue as to who once lived inside.
An interesting day!
Oct 7 – Today we bid adieu to Valkenburg, shouldered our packs and got on the Pieterpad for the hike to Maastricht. Although I’ve shown you plenty of wall art, here is some more as we walked out of town.
The day was perfect for hiking – cool and breezy. Maastricht is about eight miles away.
And just like that, we were in Maastricht, the biggest city we’ve seen since Amsterdam. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow!
Sept 29 – So we are here in our cozy apartment. We walk out in the sunshine every day, and Jim has found a walking park and trail that is very pleasant. It has been pointed out to me that this is what other people do on vacation – it’s called r-e-l-a-x-i-n-g. What a concept!
The restaurants in town are busy, but so far we have been content with our little kitchen and Jim’s homemade soup.
There is an Indian motorcycle shop here:
The ruins of Valkenburg Castle sit atop the only hill in town. Originally built of wood in 1115 and destroyed in 1122, the sign tells us it was the only castle built on a hill in the whole country! Not many hills here…
Oct 1 – Are you ready for some real excitement? Today is the Valkenburg Goat Parade, which, if we understand things correctly, ushers in the first keg of bok beer of the new season.
I was concerned about finding a good spot to watch the festivities, but no worries – the five marching bands went up one street and down the next, and we had plenty of opportunities to see them. But where were the goats? And where was the beer?
Here is a plaque in the main square, apologizing for the hundreds of “goat riders” subjected to torture and execution in the 1700s. These were marauders who were believed to have consorted with the devil, enabling them to ride across the sky on flying goats. We did not see any goats today, flying or otherwise. Nor any beer. Oh well!
Would you like to see some more wall art? Valkenburg has plenty!
A good day!
Sept 25 – This was to be our week of hiking on the Pieterpad – the Netherlands trail that starts in Pieterburen in the north, and extends to Mt. St. Pieter in the south. The weather is perfect – sunny, cool and breezy, with blue skies and zero rain in the forecast all week. Best laid plans…
As Jim began to feel worse and tested positive, we asked Boris to drive past our hiking origin point, and take us right to our accommodation for the evening in Groesbeek. One look told us that if we couldn’t hike out from here, we were pretty well stuck – no traffic for hitchhiking, and definitely no public transit. Jim even looked for a taxi service, but there was none. We are only booked here for one night, and I knew I, for one, would not be ready to hike in the morning.
We talked about our options, and decided, with heavy hearts, to cancel our reservations along the trail for the next week. We asked Boris to come back tomorrow and drive us south to Valkenburg, where a quick online search found us a studio apartment with a kitchen, near a grocery store, so we can hunker down until we feel 100%. That’s our plan B.
Sept 26 – We both slept well in the absolute quiet of the countryside. Boris showed up right on time, and two hours later, we are in Valkenburg. One week of walking = two hours of driving. Thank you Boris – we literally could not have done this without you!
So now we are at the Marx Motel. Karl? Groucho? Who can say?
We have an efficiency apartment with a balcony and a kitchenette stocked with everything we should need. Here we can rest and recover.
Valkenburg is a pretty, tourist town. There are many things to see here, but we only walked the three minutes from our apartment to the excellent grocery store. We bought some chicken soup – sure to help us feel better!
So here we’ll be for the next few days. We’ll check in when we have something to report!
