The Galápagos Islands

Let me start off by saying that my camera was stolen while in the Galápagos Islands, so I must give credit for most of these photos to my friends.

The Galápagos Islands have been on my bucket list since I can remember.  I watched a documentary on the Discovery Channel or something similar many years ago and decided that I absolutely must get to the Galápagos someday.  I was fascinated with the wildlife and landscape.  Well, I finally checked them off my bucket list.

The Galápagos Islands are 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean.  The only way to get there is by air.  Ecuadorians pay far less for their airline tickets than tourists (tourists pay about double), but it's worth every penny.  Upon arrival, every tourist must pay $100 for entry fee to the Islands.  Again, worth every penny.

I arrived in the Galápagos Islands on April 4, 2013.  In all, I spent nearly three weeks in the Islands. The Islands were amazing.  I saw every bird and fish and turtle and iguana I could want to see.  The turtles are huge, the frigate birds with their funny little red pouch hanging down their necks are quite spectacular, the boobies (red-footed, blue-footed and masked) are so cool and something I've always wanted to see, the iguanas are fierce-looking and spit, the crabs (the black ones that blend into the rocks and the red ones that must be easy prey) are fast and can jump from one rock to the next, the fish and sharks are somehow more appealing because they are in the Galápagos, and the sea lions are the most playful things I've ever experienced in the water.  The Islands are magical and have a certain charm that I haven't felt in many other places.  Somehow the Islands still seem to run on "island time," ya know, the laid back, slow-paced phenomenon that exists in most islands, but they get things done a little faster and better.  The people are among the nicest and friendliest I've met in my travels.  Actually, it's the first place that I feel like I didn't have to always be on my guard to make sure I wasn't getting swindled.  You can find cheap food and expensive food, depending upon your pocketbook and tastes and although the Islands are generally more expensive than the mainland, you can still find good deals and less expensive options.

So, what's so special about the Galápagos?  The short answer is: everything.  I'm guessing, however, that if you're reading this blog, you wouldn't mind a little more detail.

When I stepped off the plane in Baltra (a small island that serves as the airstrip for Santa Cruz Island), I found a bus waiting to take us to a ferry, which traversed the small channel between Baltra and Santa Cruz, after which I boarded another bus to get from the northern edge of the island into Puerto Ayora, the largest city on the island.  I went straight to a tour agency to try to figure out what to do with my time in the Galápagos.  I only had six days originally planned and wanted to make the most of it.

On my first full day in the Galápagos, I went to Floreana for a day trip.  We took a 2-hour boat ride to Floreana, during which we saw dolphins frolicking in the sea near the boat, a ray of some sort that jumped out of the water, and a whale (for the record, I thought it was another dolphin or shark, but the boat operator said it was most definitely a whale).  So cool!  Floreana is the oldest island in the archipelago.  There are stone carvings that evoke thoughts and memories of Easter Island or San Agustín, Colombia.  I saw only a few of the stone statues, but they were impressive nonetheless.  There is evidence of an old city or community, with huge, strategically-placed walls and alleyways.  In addition, Floreana has a refuge for some of the infamous land tortoises.  I don't think I was fully prepared for how large the tortoises can get.  Some of them were easily 2' tall, 3-4' long (or more) and 2-3' wide.  They are massive!  On Floreana, the tortoises are in a large area (many acres) enclosed by stout stone walls to protect the tortoises.  Floreana also has a natural spring that provides fresh water to the people of the island.  Not all the islands have such a source of water.  On the way back to Santa Cruz, the boat took us to some other islands so that we could see blue-footed boobies and penguins.  I'd always wanted to see the blue-footed booby.  Don't ask me why, because I have no idea, but they are super cool birds with longish beaks and bright blue (almost a cross between baby blue and turquoise), webbed feet.  We also saw penguins and lots of other birds.

The next day, I took a two-night trip to Isabela Island, the largest of the Galápagos Islands.  I joined some others on a five-hour hike (2.5 hours in and 2.5 hours out) to visit a volcanic crater (I think it was the Sierra Negra volcano).  It was really spectacular!  An eruption many eons ago collapsed the center of the volcano, leaving behind huge area of lava.  Since the original eruption, there have been many smaller eruptions that fill in more and more lava.  It's like looking out over a black see of rock; it may not sound all that amazing, but it really is.  We also went snorkeling in the waters around Isabela, which is some of the best snorkeling I've ever done in my life.  The water was crystal clear and a perfect temperature.  I saw three kinds of starfish that I've never seen before, including some amazing blue starfish with spindly arms.  I swam with a sea turtle for a bit and saw some fish similar if not identical to the fish I saw while diving off the coast of Honduras.  We also went on a small walk around one of the coastal areas to observe some land iguanas and white tipped reef sharks that nap in the relatively calm waters nearby.  The iguanas are charcoal gray and black; don't get too close though, or they will spit on you!  I've heard that their spit stinks worse than skunk and it's nearly impossible to get the scent off.

A couple days later, I went to Bartolomé Island and Santiago Island.  Bartolomé is a really small island off the coast of the larger Santiago Island.  Our guide taught us all about the Islands' formations, the type of lava spewed from the undersea volcanoes and the plant life of the island.  Apparently there is a lava cactus that can grow with hardly any freshwater and it's natural by-product is a new kind of soil created by the nutrients from the cactus, creating a better soil for other types of plants to grow and stimulating the islands' plant life.  We hiked up to a lighthouse on Bartolomé and from there we had an amazing view of the bay and waters below.  It seems that some juvenile hawks also like the area, because they were flying overhead, landing on the railings of our walkway and at times blocking us in (our guide said we shouldn't get too close or they will attack, so there were a couple times that we just had to wait out the hawks). We also went snorkeling around Bartolomé and saw turtles, sharks and all sorts of cool fish.  Even though it wasn't quite like Isabela, the snorkeling was still some of the best!

After all that I'd seen and experienced, I knew there was no way I could leave the Islands in the six days I'd originally planned, so I pushed my flight back by about five more days.  I spent the next couple of days exploring Santa Cruz Island.  There is an area, called Las Grietas, in which the ocean water comes inland and mixes with freshwater in some huge rock canyons.  It was the perfect place for a swim after our long hike to get there.  Santa Cruz also has a pelican nesting area not far from the harbor where you can check out the pelicans up close.  That was definitely a treat.  Usually the large birds are too busy flapping around in the ocean trying to catch fish for any decent pictures.

I finally made my way to San Cristobal Island, which is where my flight off the Islands would leave from, so I gave myself a couple days to explore that island before I had to leave.  Somehow my "plan" didn't quite work out, however, and I extended my stay yet again, this time for another full week.  Plus, I'd met so many people on the island and still had so much to explore even after the first few days that it didn't seem right to leave yet.  In all, I would have three weeks in the Galápagos Islands; that's not a bad thing!

San Cristobal is a great island and I actually like the vibe better in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno than I did in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island.  It's a smaller city and actually feels like a town rather than just a tourist trap.  Sure, there are the usual tourist things, like small agencies selling snorkeling tours or restaurants serving tourist food, but there are more mom and pop type restaurants and hostels.  The minute I stepped off the ferry boat from Santa Cruz, I could tell that San Cristobal was different.  As if the overall feel of the town wasn't enough to distinguish it from Santa Cruz, the sea lions basking in the sun on the beach area fronting the town gave the town it's own distinct odor.  It's not a pleasant odor, but you get used to it.

On one of the days, a group of us took a cab to the top of the volcano on the island (it's not a very high volcano).  There is a lagoon at the top, which is NOT fit for swimming unless you like swimming in mud, but was still a nice view.  Our intent was to bike down the volcano back to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, but we decided to go the other direction at the last minute and wound up on the other side of the island at a perfect beach called Playa Chino.  The waves were perfect for body surfing, the sand was soft and the weather was beautiful.  The horse flies on the beach were a nuisance, but we quickly learned that staying in the ocean solved that problem.  A couple days later, a larger group of us took a cab to Playa Chino to spend the day there with a grilled lunch and more perfect beach time.  A delightful afternoon!!  I spent a couple afternoons enjoying some quiet time at Playa Man, which is a short walk from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.  Since snorkeling seemed to be the thing to do, a small group of friends and I booked a trip that included three stops and lots of snorkeling time.  We snorkeled with sea lions for about an hour.  They are such playful animals and so curious.  We would dive down, twist, turn and swim along with the juvenile sea lions; it was the most fun I've had snorkeling ever!.  The next stop on the snorkeling tour took us to Kicker Rock to swim with sharks.  There were so many!  The water was decidedly colder, but worth the slight chill to be able to swim with the sharks.

Sadly, my time on the Galápagos Islands came to an end and I returned to mainland Ecuador for a couple days before the Latin American part of my trip would end.  I still had some more traveling to do, but the next few weeks would be travel within the U.S.

Ecuador: Quito to Guayaquil

I have to correct my earlier post.  I was not at Santurario de Las Lajas for Easter Sunday, but for Palm Sunday (the beginning of Holy Week in Latin America).

I arrived in Quito, Ecuador, at the crack of dawn on an overnight bus and immediately jumped aboard another bus bound for Latacunga, a city near the middle of the country in the Andes Mountains.  It was to be a good jumping off point for visiting some of the sites in the area.  Latacunga is a surprisingly large city.  I don't know what I expected, but it certainly wasn't that.  There are many churches in the city (like most Latin American towns), which light up at night and make for some really beautiful nighttime sightseeing.  The city locks up at night and finding restaurants, bars, cafes and the like after 9 p.m. proved to be a rather difficult task.

While in Latacunga, my friend and I wanted to see Quilotoa, a crater lake that is renowned for it's emerald green waters.  Quilotoa didn't disappoint.  It is the second most beautiful crater lake I've ever visited (second, of course, to my home state's Crater Lake).

There are some quaint small villages surrounding the laguna and the Ecuadorian people are dressed in their traditional garb, giving the villages a very "real" feel.  We stopped so my friend could try a local dish: chicken feet.  Ewww!

Also, my friend wanted to go hiking on Cotopaxi (the second highest peak in Ecuador, I believe), but because of my bum knees I couldn't make the trek.  I was hoping to catch a ride up the mountain and bike down.  Unfortunately, I was the only person who wanted to go that day, so the fee would've been $90.  I passed on it and relaxed.

After Latacunga, my friend and I ventured to Baños, another city in the Andes.  We were in the middle of Holy Week.  Holy Week is a major tourist period for travelers and locals alike, and finding accommodations and buses can be difficult.  Fortunately, we didn't have any problems with buses, but accommodations were a different story.  We thought we'd made reservations at the hostel in which we wanted to stay (we arrived the Thursday before Easter Sunday, at the height of Holy Week travelers), but discovered upon arrival that our reservations didn't go through.  We had to scramble a little to find accommodations, but we managed to find a place (well, one place for one night, another place for another night, then back to the original place for two nights...whew!).

Baños, so named because of its many thermal baths, wasn't a place I was sure would be worth the trip.  Before going there, I honestly thought, "what's so special about the thermal baths?  Is that all there is to do there?"  Boy was I wrong!  I adore Baños!  The town has lots of character.  Sure, maybe it was because we were there for the tail end of Holy Week, but there were lots people and excitement buzzing around the town.  The market in the town square had more color than I'd seen in one location in quite a while. The church in the middle of the city is really worth the visit: I've never seen an altar so golden!  It is intricate and delicate and beautiful.

Banos from a hilltop:

One of the days in Baños a group of us went on a long walk to one of the thermal baths.  The baths are strange.  People have built cement walls around the areas where the water comes out of the ground to create pools of varying temperatures.  The water ranges from sort of murky to downright opaque, with the more opaque pools emitting a strange odor similar to sulfur or dirt or God only knows what.  None of us felt exactly clean after our "baths," but it was worth the experience.  Afterwards, we took a cab ride up one of the surrounding mountains to get a better view of Vulcan Tungurahua and to try our luck at "The Swing at the End of the World."  The swing is on a precipice similar to a canyon but with a gentler slope; you swing out over the canyon (for lack of a better word) into a sort of abyss.  I wasn't sure that I would actually have the nerve to do it (I'm afraid of heights a bit), but I'm glad I did!  It was exhilarating and we all had a blast.

On another occasion, my friend and I took a bus tour of the Avenue of Waterfalls.  OK, remember what I said in a previous post about waterfalls being awesome no matter how many you've seen?  Well, these were no exception.  Because of the high mountains, the waterfalls around Baños are some of the most stunning.  Perhaps the sheer number of waterfalls in the area is what's so impressive, or maybe it's the size of the waterfalls, but either way these waterfalls literally had my jaw dropping at various points throughout the tour.

From Baños, my friend and I made our way to Guayaquil.  Guayaquil was more of a stopover than anything, because our flight to Galápagos Islands would depart from there.  Nonetheless, we gave ourselves a couple days to explore the city and I can't say I'm disappointed.  We came upon a park known for the many iguanas just roaming around.  It's strange to me that the first thing you hear about the park is about the iguanas, and not about the huge church directly facing the park.  Anyway, the rumors of the iguanas were true.  They were everywhere...and hanging out with the local pigeons as well.  So weird.

My favorite part about Guayaquil were a couple of twin hills with buildings painted in every color of the rainbow, giving the appearance that the hills themselves were painted.  My friend and I climbed 444 steps (no, I didn't count each step, they are numbered) to the top of one of the hills, affording us a panoramic view of the city at sunset.  It was worth every step and my knees now seemed to be doing considerably better.

After Guayaquil, we boarded a plane bound for the Galápagos Islands.....

San Agustín to the Ecuador Border

San Agustín, Colombia, is famous for its stone statues.  It's a World Heritage Site.  I figured, why not?  A friend of mine and I left Bogotá for San Agustín on an overnight bus and arrived early the next morning.  The town is actually bigger than either of us anticipated (bigger than Salento), but it's still small enough to walk most of the city in an hour or two.  We were greeted at the "bus station" (really just the side of the road where the bus driver told us to get off) by tour operators and hostel representatives.  It was a bit overwhelming for us weary-eyed travelers, so we grabbed a cup of coffee to mull over where to stay and what to do with our time there.  After deciding on a lovely hostel about a 15-minute walk up a dirt road to a hill with sweeping views of the valley and town below, we decided to head to head to the archaeological park.

Parque arqueológico de San Agustín contains statues carved in stone that depict fictional animals and maybe gods to the people that carved the sculptures.  The statues are part of burial plots hidden in seemingly man-made hills, complete with tombs and sarcophaguses.  The stone artifacts were discovered in the early 20th Century, if my memory serves correct.  Archaeologists had to dig out the stone statues and some still have stains from the dirt.  It's a very fascinating self-guided tour that took us three hours.  Sadly, the museum connected with the park was closed when we were there, but we still saw enough of the artifacts to appreciate the history of the area.

My friend and I also took a jeep tour of the surrounding area to visit a few more archaeological parks with similar stone statues and see some amazing landscape.  The river that runs nearby narrows from about 10 meters (roughly 32 feet) to about two meters (roughly 6.5 feet) into a gorge of stone.  It's quite impressive.  We also saw some amazing waterfalls.  I've marveled since that day at how water falling over a cliff can be so beautiful -- no matter how many waterfalls you see, they are somehow still all impressive and leave one feeling awed.

After San Agustín, I found a new travel companion and we headed to Pasto, Colombia together, on our way to the Ecuadorian border.  We traveled on a road called the Trampoline of Death (I know my mother isn't very happy reading this...lol), which is a one-lane dirt and gravel road that zigzags and circles and twists through the mountains, leaving little to no room to pass traffic going the other direction.  It supposedly rivals Death Road in Bolivia.  Several times our bus had to back up to an area with sufficient room to allow oncoming traffic to pass.  There are no guardrails (unless you count caution tape!!) and there are sheer drops on one side of the bus at all times.  Strangely, or perhaps not so strangely, I found it thrilling, beautiful and impressive.

Pasto was just an overnight stop necessitated by bus schedules and timing.  Still, we were nearing Easter Sunday and the town was getting ready for its festivities when we arrived.  The next morning was Easter Sunday and it seemed that the entire city was celebrating and heading to church.  My new friend and I eventually made it to the bus station, bound for Ipiales (the border town).  While in line buying tickets, we met two Colombian people headed the same way and decided to travel with them to Las Lajas, a church that defies description near Ipiales.

Santurario de Las Lajas is one of the most impressive churches I've ever seen.  Legend says that the Virgin Mary appeared to a local girl in the 1700s near the present-day location of the church.  In fact, the church was constructed in it's specific location because of the appearance of the Virgin.  It has spires that rival European architecture and spans across a river canyon.  The inside of the church is stunning and huge.  As it was Easter Sunday when we arrived, we got the full feel of the throngs of people that flock to the historical church because of it's supposed legendary healing properties and the multiple appearances of the Virgin Mary.  It was an experience unlike any before or since.  I was humbled and inspired.

After Las Lajas and Ipiales, me and my three traveling companions crossed the border into Ecuador and the town of Tulcan.  Tulcan is so small that there isn't much to it, but it is well-known for it's cemetery.  Strange, I know.  A cemetery, really?  Yep.  It's famous because of the topiary sculptures and because legend says that there is some strange force (souls of the dead, perhaps?) that guards it at night.  We toured the cemetery for about 20 minutes; fascinating!

Another night bus from Tulcan, and we arrived in Quito the next morning...all about that in the next blog update!

Medellin to Salento, Colombia

I spent several days in Medellin, mostly just resting my knees.  It was a beautiful city and one that I would recommend to any traveler.  Medellin is full of greenery and hills.  The public transportation rivals any big city and made it very easy to get around.

After Medellin, my friends and I went to Rio Claro, a beautiful river in the middle of nowhere.  Sadly, I still couldn't do anything really strenuous, but my friends said the caving there was lots of fun.  The scenery was enough for me though.  We stayed in a lodge with open air rooms overlooking the river and woke up to the sounds of the forest and the river currents.  It was lovely and good for some R&R.

Salento, Colombia, was next on our list and after nine hours of bus rides, we finally made it.  Salento is a lovely town with one town square and lots of coffee plantations in the surrounding hills.  Perhaps the most beautiful "hike" there is through the valley of the wax palms (Valle de Cocora).  Palm trees rising 60 meters high blanket a small valley filled with beautiful flowers, cows, horses and farms.  It was a lovely walk and worth the pain in my knees.

The next day, a group of us went horseback riding for a few hours to tour a coffee plantation.  I hadn't been on a horse in years and after a few frightening gallops I finally found my stride and enjoyed every moment!  We rode for about an hour or so to reach the plantation, took a tour with a man the epitome of the romanticized version of the coffee grower, complete with his Panama hat and working hands.  The best part is that the tour only took about 20 minutes and gave us enough information without boring us.  Afterwards, we enjoyed perhaps the most delicious cup of coffee (all organic) I've had.

That night, a group of us found this strange game we'd heard about from other travelers and the locals.  It's called Tejo and is something similar to horseshoes with gunpowder.  The object is to throw small lead weights into clay pits on the other side of a small game area to explode triangle-shaped pieces of paper loaded with gunpowder.  We made a night of it and had so much fun!

I didn't want to leave Salento, but alas, new adventures awaited in Bogota!  Bogota is a huge city.  It sprawls like nothing I've seen before.  From the top of the hill, complete with a gondola ride, church and sweeping views, you can still only see a fraction of the city.

I visited the Gold Museum, which didn't disappoint.  There are artifacts from centuries of peoples living throughout Columbia and I even saw some of the artifacts removed from Ciudad Perdida.  I also visited the museum of the sculptor of the fat statues in Medellin.  He is really quite amazing in his work and I enjoy his "take" on the human form, but I also got to see some Picasso, Monet, Manet, Renoir and other amazing artists too.  Life would be incomplete without art, in my humble opinion; for every person that says they don't "get" art or don't really understand it, I think they just need to lose themselves in a museum for a while.

After Bogota, a friend and I made our way to San Agustin, Colombia...that will be in the next blog update.

Cartagena, Taganga, Lost City & Medellin

I've had a whirlwind of a time since I got off the boat.  In the last nine days, I've had two and a half days in Cartagena, a day in Taganga, five days on a trek to Ciudad Perdida, another night in Taganga, a flight to Medellin and a couple days in Medellin.

After arriving in Cartagena, our group from boat (minus Flower Britches, who had to get back to Chile) met up for dinner and a night out to say our goodbyes.  It was a great night, but sad to say goodbye to our captains.  They invited me back and I'm looking forward to another trip with them.

Cartagena is a big city along the northern coast of Colombia.  In fact, the city's bay stretches for miles of shoreline.  Cartagena has an old section of town that is surrounded by walls to fortify the city and protect it from pirates and others, complete with cannons and various armaments.  The wall is impressive and circles the entire old portion of the city.  The rest of the city is a typical urban center without luster or character.  I didn't spend any time in the urban center and instead explored the old town for a couple days.

Perhaps the most interestingly strange thing I did in Cartagena -- well, actually, perhaps the most strange thing I've done in decades -- was take a mud bath in a volcano.  Volcan de Lodo El Totumo is about an hour outside Cartagena.  It's only about 50 feet high and filled with mud that I've heard is several thousand feet deep.  Legend has it that the volcano used to spew fire and lava, but a priest, believing it was the work of the devil, sprinkled holy water into the volcano and it turned into mud.  The mud is supposed to have healing properties.  Maybe it's good for the skin.  I don't really know, but it was an experience for sure!  I climbed the steps to the top, a ladder into the core of the "volcano" and slipped into a thick mud.  A local helped me to lay back and gently shoved me to the "massaging area," where another local gave me a pretty decent 10-minute massage for about $2.  Another local guy remained at the top taking pictures with my camera for another $2.  The mud is a funny thing.  You can't really do anything except float.  You don't sink and you don't need to tread water.  You just stay wherever you are by some strange mud force.  It was interesting, strange, and weird, but very worth the experience.  After we climbed out, we walked barefoot to a nearby lagoon to wash off, wear local ladies aggressively try to assist you with the washing, which would be another $2.  After some rather feeble attempts to say no thanks, I gave in and let a lady wash me off.  She didn't just pour water over my head, she stripped me naked and washed my bathing suit as well.  Fortunately I was under water and no one saw a thing!!

After Cartagena, I made my way to Taganga to meet up with the friends that had been waiting for me to arrive from Panama.  Taganga is a beachfront town set on a horseshoe-shaped bay.  There are few paved streets; most of the streets aren't fit for vehicles (although they manage to get all sorts of cars, vans, trucks and buses down those dirt roads filled with potholes and rocks).  The beach is a combination of sand and rock and not very comfortable to sit on, but nice enough.  I spent an afternoon in the sun with my friends and found a few of the people from our boat there.  After some persistent urging, I decided that the toe I'd injured on the boat was fit enough for a trek to the Lost City, so we set off the next morning.

We signed up for a 5-day trek.  Three days of hiking for about 4-5 hours a day and two days of 7-8 hours of hiking.  Mules carried our food provisions and we each carried our own packs of clothes, toiletries, water and snacks.  I don't really know what I was expecting, but it wasn't that!  Halfway through the first day I felt like I wouldn't make it.  The uphill portions weren't just uphill, they were STEEP -- about a 75 degree angle in clay, crushed limestone and dirt.  The downhill portions were equally steep.

On day 1, we walked for about 4 hours.  About a half hour or hour into the trek, we stopped for a dip in the river to cool off and then had to hike another few hours.  This out of shape old lady had to take several more breaks than the average person, but I made it!  When we reached our first camp, all I could think is, "I made it!  OMG, I made it!"  The view was stunning and worth every step!  The camp was a covered, open-air structure with a kitchen (thankfully the tour operators took care of the cooking) and about 30 hammocks covered by individual mosquito nets.  There were cold water showers, but I think we were all fine with that since we'd been sweating through the heat of the day.  I was in my hammock and off to dreamland by about 8:30 p.m.  That might be the earliest I've gone to bed in years.  As a side note, I concluded that I am not very good at sleeping in hammocks -- I woke in the middle of the night with my feel in the air and my head somewhere in the middle of the hammock.

On day 2, we hiked for another 5 hours, uphill, downhill, over rocks, up rocks, down rocks, through mud and over streams.  We saw amazing wildlife and fauna, spectacular vistas and waterfalls.  Once again, at the end of the day, the pain and effort was worth it.  The day-two camp had bunk beds with cozy mattresses and I slept like a baby.

On day 3, we hiked for another 4 hours.  This portion of the trek was decidedly more difficult.  We still had the steep ascents and descents, but we now added huge boulders, crazy tree roots and sheer rock faces.  I twisted my left knee about halfway through the trek, which meant that I could step down with my left leg, but had to step up with my right.  The footholds were almost always on the wrong side and my right knee had to compensate for the left.  Result: two bum knees and a longer trek than the rest of the group.  By the time I made it to the third camp, I was seriously beginning to doubt if I could make it to the Lost City the next morning because I knew that the trek to the city included 1,200 steps.  My guide (who was awesome, by the way) gave me a knee brace to use the next day.

Day 4 started with a half hour of hiking along the river bank over rocks and boulders and along some very narrow paths about 10-25 feet above the river below.  We reached the entrance to Ciudad Perdida (Lost City) and stared up at the 1,200 steps we had to climb to reach the city.  To say that it seemed a daunting task for a girl with a couple bum knees is an understatement, but I climbed them anyway, taking my time to make sure that I didn't slip.

When we finished climbing the steps, beautiful rock walls and old houses opened up before us.  They were all made in circles.  What remains of the houses is only the outer walls and they are filled in with dirt and grass, but we could still see clearly where the houses were and the other buildings that comprised the city.  Sadly, we also realized that there were more steps.  Up, up, up we went to a phenomenal series of what can only be described as circle platforms.  They used to be buildings apparently, just like the houses below, and served as the governmental and spiritual buildings of Ciudad Perdida.  Conclusion: the Lost City is spectacular!  It's difficult to put into words the magnificence of the place.  High on the mountain top sits this old city, steeped in history, overlooking the mountains and valleys of the Sierra Nevada mountains.  Trees seem to reach up out of nowhere and birds and other wildlife create a sort of hum among the otherwise complete silence.

After spending a few hours exploring the Lost City, we made our way back down to the camp for lunch.  The group went one way and I went back down the original steps at perhaps the slowest pace ever.  Luckily, I had the assistance of our cook and a local carpenter who said that he has to help people down from the Lost City about every other day.  At least I'm not the only one who's needed assistance!  After lunch, my guide helped me trek for the next 5 hours to our camp from night two (it took everyone else only about 3 hours, but my knees made my going rather slow).

On day 5, after much deliberation and discussions with the guide and my friends, I took a mule for the 7-8 hours of trekking back off the mountain.  There was just no way my knees would make it.  Two local Indian boys guided the mule and I listened to my iPod for the day. As it was, the mule wasn't the most comfortable ride, but better than trekking.  But boy oh boy was that scary!  The steep slopes, now turned into mud and wet clay from the rain of the last couple days, were slick and the mule slipped a number of times.  It's an odd sensation to be staring straight down a slope on the back of a mule, holding on for dear life and praying that God gets you down the mountain in one piece.  Fortunately, He answered my prayers and I survived the whole thing.

Back in Taganga, we dined with about half of the people from the trek and recounted stories of our adventure.  The next morning, me and the two friends that had been waiting for me in Taganga flew to Medellin, which is somewhere in the middle of the country in the Andes foothills.  It's eternal spring in Medellin and I welcomed the respite from the heat of the coast.

Medellin is a large metropolis, but it is an amazing city.  It's set in a valley with the Andes surrounding the expansive city.  The lush greenery indicates that this area sees more rain than the coast, but I still haven't seen any.  The city is full of museums, statues, weird roads that dead end because of the highway that bisects the city, and street food.  To describe it as anything less than bustling would be inaccurate.  I walked around a plaza full of fat statues.  Yes, fat.  The people and animals are gordo for sure!  I've also enjoyed a day in Medellin's botanical garden.  Those two jaunts were too much for my knees though and I really need more rest.  I really like it here and there's plenty to do.  Now, if only my bum knees would heal, I'd be all set to explore.

Sailing from Panama to Colombia

There is something truly magical about sailing in the open waters, provided you are not one of those sea-sick types, which, thankfully, I am not.  A sense of freedom persists daily.  Thoughts swirl as the wind billows and fills the sails.  While the waves create the perfect, rhythmic background noise and the sea air fills your lungs, all you can do is just exist.  Troubles seem to vanish into the horizon.  Worry no longer occupies your mind.  Surely, your mind wanders as you stare off into the horizon, but it's impossible to be gloomy.  On the sea, there is just the wind, the waves, the salty air, the minor-roller-coaster-feeling of the boat lurching, and you.  Even with a crew of passengers and two captains, sailing feels freeing.

I set out on February 14th, Valentine's Day of all days, from Panama City, Panama.  After a winding car ride and a small launcha to the island of El Porvenir, I was to set sail aboard a private sailboat for a six-day trip through the San Blas Islands (known to the Kuna people that inhabit the islands as Kuna Yala) off Panama to Cartegena, Colombia.  The trip normally includes three days in the San Blas, and the rest is for sailing to Colombia.  In my mind, it seemed appropriate that I would leave on the most romanticized American holiday (hmphf...cough, cough...choke) since I had kind of romanticized the trip: sun-soaked San Blas Islands, white sand beaches, turquoise waters, sailing the open waters, blah, blah, blah...something fairy tales are made of, right?  Nothing seemed to go as planned, but that's Central America for you.

A group of us arrived at El Porvenir a little before 11 a.m. on the 14th, only to learn that our boat was late and would likely not arrive until late afternoon.  Oh well, we made the most of it with some swimming, snacking, reading and even a game of soccer with the Panamanian police that guard El Porvenir and its immigration office.  There were nine of us: a young man from Australia, two young Brits, a Swiss girl, an American girl raised in Germany, two Dutch girls, an American politician/activist and me.  Thankfully we all got along well and were all excited for the trip.  Our captains, a Turkish man and a Turkish/American woman, arrived around 5 p.m. that day to a round of cheering and applause from us.  We were delighted to see them (I dare say that a few of us were beginning to wonder if they'd show up that day).  Given the lateness of the hour, they put us up in the local "hotel," which was more like a hostel, but which had a nice kitchen and plenty of cold beverages.  Further, given our wait and the fact that we weren't going to be able to set sail until the next day, they volunteered to give us each a discount on the price of our trip.

The morning of the 15th, we boarded the boat for the first time and got our quarters settled.  It was then that we all realized we had one more crew member: Gatito.  Gatito is the captains' cat.  He is a tabby with captivating blue eyes who squishes himself in to the tightest places when the boat's motor is humming.  It was nice to have a furry friend aboard.  Our captains checked us out of Panamanian immigration, we got fresh water for the trip and some supplies on a nearby island (near enough to reach in the dingy) called Wichubwala.

Wichubwala was my first look at a Kuna village.  Kunas are a local people that fought for and earned their independence from Panama.  They have their own flag and their freedom from many Panamanian regulations.  The women wear traditional garb beginning at the age of 15, which marks the beginning of their time as a woman and their readiness for marriage.  The men fish and drink beer.  Kunas are short, dark-skinned people with their own heritage and customs.  I don't know much about them, but one thing is for certain: they hardly ever smile.

Wichubwala, like all the other Kuna villages I would later visit, is made up of straw huts and sand paths, with an occasional cement building here and there that seemed out of place on the simple island.  They bathe outdoors, and to our surprise, without any surrounding walls or tarps to conceal their naked forms.  You can imagine our shock and First World embarrassment at happening upon a group of men taking turns in a large water-filled basin.  It almost seemed like they were having a bathing party.  We quickly turned on our heels and headed in the other direction.

After getting the supplies for our trip -- well, most of them, anyhow -- we had a lunch of lobsters and salad while still anchored between Wichubwala and El Porvenir.  We were waiting for more diesel and oil and ice, none of which ever turned up, so we weighed the anchor, hoisted the sails and sailed for Chichime, another Kuna island.  At Chichime, our captains ran into a friend of theirs who agreed to store our food and chill our drinks on his boat (since we had no ice) while we cooked up a huge crab for an appetizer, had a bonfire, and eventually had dinner.

The next morning, the 16th, we were to set out for another San Blas island in search of ice, diesel and oil.  We arrived at Elefante in plenty of time for a nice swim in the turquoise waters and some time on the island.  This island actually had internet and soon became known to us as "Internet Island."  Since some of us had friends waiting in Cartegena or concerned people back home and our trip was a bit delayed, we took the opportunity to update people on our status and the delay in our trip.  What started as a six-day trip (with us arriving in Cartegena on the 19th or 20th) now looked to be more like a seven- or eight-day trip.  Ha!  That's what we thought then.

The people on Internet Island were more friendly than the people on either Wichubwala or Chichime and promised us oil, ice and diesel the next day.  The next day came, and we received only the ice.  The captains said we could do without the diesel, so now were just waiting on the oil.  However, a new problem arose: weather.  Weather hadn't heretofore been a concern because the San Blas Islands are protected by a reef system that keeps the waves down and the islands themselves create a sort of wind block.  However, when we were to leave the San Blas and set sail, weather became an important factor.  The weather report indicated that gale force winds were rocketing through the coast off Colombia and through the area we were to sail on the way to Colombia.  We couldn't set sail in such conditions.  Thankfully, our captains wanted to get us all there in one piece, rather than risk losing money by extending the trip.  So, we stayed anchored outside Internet Island for another day and enjoyed frolicking in the crystalline waters and playing in the sun.  None of us really minded the delay.  I mean, how can you complain when you're in one of the most beautiful settings on earth without a care in the world?

When we still didn't receive the oil on the second day (the Kunas are apparently a very forgetful lot because they forgot to phone in our order...twice), our captains called their friends from Panama City who agreed to get us the oil we needed.  More frolicking, more reading, more sun, more reflection, more singing, more merriment...another day gone by.  On the third day anchored near Internet Island (the 18th), we received the bad news that the weather had not improved and we would not be able to leave the safety and security afforded by the reef surrounding the San Blas.  Alas, more delay and no real idea of when we'd leave for Colombia.  Given the uncertainty of our departure, the gentleman from America decided he better get off the boat and find a way back home since there was no way he was going to make his flight from Cartegena on the 21st.  The good news was that we were once again having lobster for dinner!

It now seems appropriate to tell you a little of what I've learned about our captains.  The man, we'll call him El Capitan, has mid-length hair somewhere between his original dark brown/black, gray and blond burned in by the sun.  He is between 55-60, with tanned skin.  His friendly countenance is apparent even when he is serious.  El Capitan would love to be able to do everything by himself.  In fact, he undertook most tasks alone and would realize that he needed help because of a bum shoulder.  The woman, we'll call her Mum, is in her early 40s, has shoulder-length brown hair with a slight wave that is perfectly accented by the wind on the boat.  Her quick smile is warm and she genuinely seems to care about everyone she meets.  Mum likes to explain things to all of us so that we understand what is going on.  Well, actually, they both like to explain things, but she goes into more detail.  El Capitan and Mum are both fairly easygoing and carefree.  Both captains want their passengers to enjoy the trip and relax.  When they disagree, which usually happened when we approached a reef system or when we were anchoring, us passengers were none the wiser because they argued in Turkish with smiles on their faces.  They are both particular, but not to the point of obsession, about their boat and the safety of the passage.  Their desire for safety is refreshing and comforting; it is what extended the trip so long.

On the morning of the 19th, we learned that the weather system was going to keep us in the San Blas for another few days, so we set out for yet another San Blas island, staying well within the safety of the reef system.  This time, we found Coco Banderos, a wonderful little group of islands sheltered from the wind and surrounded by white sand beaches and lazy waves.  We frolicked some more and I got some quiet time to write in my journal.  I couldn't see anything but beauty wherever I looked and the tranquility of the place made me feel...well, nice.  I had friends waiting in Cartegena, and while I was anxious to see them and get the next leg of my trip underway, I couldn't be bothered to really care about the delay.  Life doesn't get much better than a beautiful island in the middle of nowhere with good company, good food, good weather and the sound of the ocean.  We toured around the San Blas for another couple days, seeing new islands and meeting new Kuna people.  The captains informed us that we could finally set sail for Colombia and we prepared for our departure, which was to be on the 22nd.

On the 21st, we stopped in another Kuna village on yet another Kuna island to replenish supplies and go for a river tour through the jungle.  It was the middle of the day, so we didn't see too much wildlife, but it was beautiful nonetheless.  To top it off, we took a dip in the fresh waters...with the crocodiles.  Just kidding.  We didn't see any crocs where we got out, but we know that there were crocs in the river because we saw a dead one along the shoreline.

The night before we set sail for the long haul to Colombia, we gave each other nicknames.  There was Pippy, a delightful, quietly charming young English girl of 22 who earned her name because of her red, curly hair and freckles.  Her boyfriend, Chappy, earned his name because of his love of puns and quick-witted prose as an Englishman.  Gordita (meaning little fat girl, in Spanish), from Switzerland, earned her name because she was constantly eating; it was more of a satirical nickname, really, because she was quite slender with the figure many women dream of.  We gave the non-drinking girl from the United States/Germany another satirical nickname: Barracha, meaning drunkard in Spanish.  Our strapping, young lad from Australia, who seemed fond of flowers and ripped every pair of shorts he brought aboard (hence, needing new ones) garnered a nickname as jovial and easygoing as he: Flower Britches.  One of the Dutch girls got the name Fokker because she frequently tended to the fok sails of the boat.  The other Dutch girl, who recently learned and seized upon the American slang "awesome" but who pronounced it in her own hilariously funny and comical manner, received the totally appropriate name of Awshome.  The captain gave me my nickname: Roxy.  I like it.  He said he gave it to me because I like all kinds of rock music.  As the days wore on, he seemed to call me by my nickname more than the others and repeatedly told me that he thought the name was perfectly befitting.

On the morning of the 22nd, the weather gave us a window of opportunity.  While we wouldn't make it all the way to Cartegena, we could make it to Sapzurro, a small town just over the Panama/Colombia border.  The seas were supposed to be fairly easy (6-9' waves; winds at 15-20 knots) for the first leg of the 20-hour journey to Sapzurro, but the closer to Colombia we got, the winds were supposed to increase to gale force.  Our captains were confident that if we stayed closer to the mainland and Sapzurro, we would be fine.  It was getting from Sapzurro to Cartegena that would be difficult.  In any event, we seized the opportunity to get out of San Blas and braved the seas.

All of the passengers except me took motion sickness pills in preparation for the journey.  I was fairly sure I wouldn't get sick -- I'd endured 11 hours deep sea fishing in Alaska, after all -- so no dramamine for me.  The sailboat (a 45-foot cutter rig cruiser) rolled and rocked and pitched.  I let out a "woo hoo" (gasp!  no, I'm not generally one of those "woo hoo" girls) at the first real wave and smiled for most of the day.  What a ride!  Everyone else slept most of the day, a common side-effect of the motion sickness pills.  I, however, was grateful I didn't miss the thrill of the ocean!

We arrived in Sapzurro on the morning of Saturday, February 23rd.  Sapzurro is a small Colombian village set into a bay surrounded by lush hillsides and craggy rocks jutting out from the dense forest.  The water crashes into the rocks and shoots upward into the air, in some points as high as 10-15 feet.  The sand is more coarse than in the San Blas, but the waters are equally blueish green.  We motored into the bay, having put down our sails so that the wind could not push us into the rocks or reefs surrounding the bay, with a small pod of dolphins playfully swimming alongside, around, under and by our boat.  Everyone on the boat cheered heartily and breathed a sigh of relief to have made it to Colombia.  We still had another 144 miles to go before reaching Cartegena, but at least we were finally in Colombia!

Once on land, we got our first fresh-water showers in nine days (bathing in salt water is decidedly NOT the same and leaves one feeling rather sticky instead of clean and leaves one's hair brittle and tacky).  We checked the internet for the first time in a while, letting people know, via the ever-personal Facebook, that we were all alive and safe.  We also checked the weather again.  We needed to know whether it would be safe to sail to Cartegena, whether we'd need to wait in Sapzurro, whether we could make it partway to Cartegena and hit some of the islands off the coast, or whether we should all get off the boat and take land routes to Cartegena.  The weather indicated more gale force winds hitting the Colombian coastline, necessitating a short wait.  However, we could sail straight to Cartegena when the weather cleared in a couple days.  So, we planned to set out to Cartegena, skipping the islands along the way, on Monday the 25th.

Sadly, some of the passengers opted to get off the boat and take land routes beginning on the 24th.  Knowing it ws our last night together as a group, we had a wonderful dinner of marlin at a local restaurant and hostel in Sapzurro.

Our boat, which started with nine passengers and two captains and a cat, which was reduced to eight passengers when the politician/activist left, was now reduced to four passengers (Pippy, Chappy, Barracha and me), our captains and Gatito.  It certainly made for more comfort on the ride with more space to spread out, but it felt strangely quiet.

Those remaining on the boat cleaned the boat from top to bottom after the others left.  Man that felt good!  Clean sheets!  We lazed around Sapzurro for the day of the 24th and enjoyed a phenomenal meal of ceviche and fish at a Peruvian restaurant.  It's weird, when you have the time to relax and nothing better to do, it's somehow easier to take advantage of the lull.  Maybe the fact that the delay was out of our control made it easier.  Maybe it was just a change in my own attitude (having previously been completely, utterly and unabashedly unable to relax for very long spells).  Whatever the reason, it felt peaceful.  In all candor, I believe that the boat trip has been the most relaxed and care-free I've been in years.

We left Sapzurro on the morning of the 25th under good weather conditions and the hope that we would make it to Cartegena by the 26th.  Once again, I was the only passenger not sea sick or not doped up with Dramamine.  As a consequence, I was able to help the captains more and learn a little more about sailing.  Being the only one able to work below deck without getting sick, I made most of the lunch and all of the dinner.  Everyone seemed grateful that at least one of us could help out and not get sick.  I was happy to help and ecstatic that I wasn't sea sick at all.  In fact, I was able to read my book on the boat, a feat that the others couldn't perform because it only made them more sick.  I was desperately trying to get through For Whom the Bell Tolls, which I'd started only two days earlier, before the trip was over since the captains were only loaning it to me.

Somewhere between Sapzurro and Cartegena on the morning of the 26th, the wind practically died and El Capitan and I changed the gib sail to a fair weather sail made of light material.  The thing was beautiful!  A huge golden sail now took up the majority of the wind work.  El Capitan called the sail Victoria's Secret.  The seas were calm and as the others awoke, they were pleasantly surprised to feel no nausea and enjoy the lazy roll of the boat.  Mum told me I was off-duty since the seas were calm enough for other people to help.  That gave me a chuckle and I happily stayed put while Pippy and Chappy made us breakfast.

At about 11:30 a.m. on the 26th, as we were just getting ready to make a turn in our route, the Colombian Navy caught up with us in a small speedboat and decided they wanted to board our boat for an inspection.  Some people get nervous at that sort of thing, but we didn't have anything to hide and were all quite calm.  Truth be told, I was kind of thrilled to add another story to this epic trip.  So, one naval man and one port captain boarded our sailboat to inspect our passports.  Finding everything in order, as we knew they would, they shook our hands, said goodbye and went on their way after only about a half hour delay.  Oh, and they said we could take pictures.

We made it to Cartegena at about 9:30 p.m. on the 26th.  Finally!  We decided that given the lateness of the hour, we would spend one last night on the boat, achored outside Cartegena.  This morning, we came to shore and found our other friends that had gotten off the boat a couple days before and found a hostel to stay in for the night.  Cartegena is a huge city along a large harbor.  I have much exploring to do!