Day 5: Medellin (Comuna 13 and Pueblito Paisa) (4/1/19)

This morning, we woke up at 9AM, had a quick breakfast at the top floor of our hotel, and then walked to the Metrorail where we could take public transportation to Park Arvi.  At the rail station, one of the workers told us that Park Arvi is closed on Mondays, so we instead decided to board a train and gondola to San Antonio and San Javier.  Interestingly, because Medillin is surrounded by mountains and many of Medellin’s neighborhoods are situated in the mountains, the city’s public transportation system on the outskirts of the city included gondolas which transport people high into the hills.

After ending back at San Javier, we walked to Comuna 13, an electrical escalator through one of Medellin’s roughest neighborhoods.  Apparently, the recent installation of escalator’s has transformed this neighborhood into a tourist attraction.

After Comuna 13, we Ubered to Pueblito Paisa, a replica of an old town that was built on a hill in the middle of Medellin.  At Pueblito Paisa, we had dinner at a touristy restaurant, La Fonda del Pueblo.  The food was average, but the restaurant had a great atmosphere and nice views of Medellin.

Next, we Ubered back to the hotel, relaxed, and slept early.

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https://youtu.be/mVWQqSurknU

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Day 4: Bogota (Monserrate) (3/31/19)

This morning, Gabby and I took a taxi cab to Monserrate and hiked several kilometers up to the summit.  The hike/walk up reminded me of Runyon Canyon, in that it is definitely an urban hike that towers above the city.  It also seems like a very popular, fashionable hike/trail that is enjoyed by families, people working out, couples, tourists, and even elderly people.  The hike was very steep with a lot of steps, but was a very entertaining and interesting walk.  Along the trail, there were hundreds of vendors including restaurants, snack vendors, souvenir vendors, etc.  At every turn, we either had views of Bogota below us or were immersed in the Bogota culture and food experience.  Some of the snacks offered include toffee marshmallow, cheese with guava, ice cream, and more.

After a couple hours of hiking, we reached the top of Monserrate, where there is a large cathedral and many more street vendors and restaurants.  We walked the entire top of the mountain, and enjoyed a plantain stuffed with cheese and guava, which was good, but not as good as we thought it would be.  Next, we hiked to a restaurant/cafe where we enjoyed a coffee/tea and relaxed for about an hour.  The top of the mountain was extremely busy, most probably because it was a Sunday and there was a cathedral on top of the mountain.  We waited for about an hour to take the funicular down to the starting point of the hike.

From there, we took a taxi to a street market in Candelaria and walked around for about an hour.  Then, we took a taxi to the mall near our hotel, and enjoyed a nice dinner at the Cabrera restaurant.  Afterwards, we picked up our luggage from our hotel and continued on to the airport to fly to Medellin, where we checked into our hotel for the next four nights.

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https://youtu.be/TmEKnOkK9ls

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Day 3: Bogota (Cascada La Chorrera and Andres Restaurant) (3/30/19)

This morning, we requested an Uber from our hotel to the trailhead of Cascada La Chorerra.  The Uber was supposed to be just 18,000 pesos, which seemed about 80% less than what it should have then.  As soon as the Uber driver picked us up, he noticed that this was a 2-hour trip but still continued along the Waze route.  After an hour of driving through out of Bogota and through small towns, he determined that this trip would not be worth his time and he tried to find us a bus in a small town that would take to the waterfall.  After realizing a bus from a small town would be not fit into our schedule, he just drove us back to the bus station in Candelaria, where there are buses driving up and passing by the trailhead of Cascada La Chorrera every 20 minutes.  We boarded one of those buses at 11:10AM and arrived at the trailhead at around noon.  We enjoyed a coffee at a rural cafe near the trailhead and started the 3KM walk down a dirt road to the park. A couple of stray dogs were following us for most of the way down, until we hitched a ride to bypass a few other dogs that were being aggressive with one of the strays that was following us.

We then arrived at the park, paid the entrance fee, and started walking the 2-3 hours of trails inside the park.  The scenery and waterfall were awe-inspiring and very unique to Colombia.  After the first hour of hiking, the rain stopped and the clouds cleared up, which meant we know had great views of the surrounding terrain and waterfall.  At over 800M, the waterfall is the tallest in Colombia.  After finishing the hike, we got a ride with a local driver back to the top of the road, and then got a ride from a local, Jason, back to the Candelaria district.  Jason was a young, laid-back Colombian guy enjoying life and gave us a few recommendations for places to visit in Colombia:

  • Sierra Nevada, Santa Marta 
  • San Augustine (southern Columbia) (like stone henge)
  • Putu Mayo (colorful river -Macarena of crystalliz)(ayahuasca)
  • Santander
  • Pinol near medillin

After he dropped us off, we Ubered back to B3, got ready, and then Ubered to Andres for dinner tonight. Andres is a HUGE dinner spot and night club in the outskirts of Bogota and is the largest restaurants I’ve ever set food inside.  It almost feels like 100,000 SF Stinking Rose or Rainforest Cafe restaurant.  Gabby and I ordered a grilled plantain, vegetarian empanada, steak, and bean stew.  My favorite item was the vegetarian bean stew which came with a side of avocado, plantain, and white rice.

Overall, it was a nice dinner and afterwards we Ubered back to the hotel.

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Gabby’s photos are below:

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Videos from today are below:

https://youtu.be/9SuBiIxXuvo

https://youtu.be/VdaDDQN1Szg

https://youtu.be/A59ur99maR4

https://youtu.be/scawlX1YuW8

https://youtu.be/erxaSn_LF88

https://youtu.be/n7XDf4_xvGI

https://youtu.be/AYjdTe7hAFM

https://youtu.be/p_jUM4zQNzk

https://youtu.be/jbrX88JAYZU

https://youtu.be/jbrX88JAYZU

https://youtu.be/uvFb2vJg_YU

https://youtu.be/o99NR70hu2M

https://youtu.be/2tNXH6l_-wI

https://youtu.be/bU_aYjUgEtI

https://youtu.be/vbbpGMNcRzM

https://youtu.be/rPGEOBVgt2g

https://youtu.be/tCQvepJsKQQ

Day 2: Bogota (Museums and Candelaria) (3/29/19)

This morning, we woke at around 6:30, enjoyed a quick breakfast at the hotel, and ubered to the Candelaria district.  Our first stop was the Museo Del Oro aka the Gold Museum.  It was interesting to learn about the history of gold, the reasons why gold has attained the status and value that it currently holds, and the symbolism of gold throughout history.

After visiting the museum, Gabby and I enjoyed lunch at La Puerta Falsa, one of the oldest (if not the oldest) restaurant in Bogota.  The restaurant is known for its authentic Colombian dishes including tamales and the avocado/corn/chicken chowder.  Gabby and I ordered those two dishes and also homemade cornbread.  The chowder came with white rice, capers, avocado, and cream sauce which made the mixture very delicious and tasty.

We left the restaurant, worked for an hour at Juan Valdez restaurant, and then joined a free walking tour.  We were initially looking for the graffiti walking tour, but were only able to find the standard walking tour.  The walking tour started in the Calendar district and we stopped to try a fermented corn drink and then stopped again shortly thereafter at a fruit stand to try native Colombian fruits.  About an hour-and-a-half into the tour, Gabby and I stopped for empanadas and didn’t rejoin the walking tour.

Instead we walked to the Botero Museum and enjoyed the art and architecture of the museum.  It was hard to understand exactly what Botero is trying to get across through his artwork, but it seems like it’s a combination of the following:

  • Mocking laziness, complacency, boredom, life-without-meaning, etc.
  • Artist is attracted to and/or fascinated by heavy girls and plump objects
  • Artist is a marketing genius and wanted a way to differentiate himself in order to become world-renowned

After the Botero museum, we walked over to a bakery in Candelaria and we ordered a caramel cheesecake, caramel croissant, affogato, and herbal tea.  This was an unhealthy afternoon snack, but the atmosphere of the cafe and the delicious desserts made the visit worth it.

Afterwards, we ubered back to the hotel, showered and got ready, and then walked a few blocks to Black Bear Restaurant, a high-end, well-known restaurant.  Gabby and I ordered two fish tacos, lamb nachos, and trout tartar.  The food was all delicious and it was such a beautiful dinner.

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Museo Del Oro
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Museo Del Oro
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Museo Del Oro
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Museo Del Oro
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La Puerta Falsa
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La Puerta Falsa
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La Puerta Falsa
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La Puerta Falsa
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La Puerta Falsa
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Candelaria Square
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Candelaria Square
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Candelaria 
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Museo Botero
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Candelaria
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Candelaria
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Veggie Empanadas
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Veggie Empanadas
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Museo Botero
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Museo Botero
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Museo Botero
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Museo Botero
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Museo Botero
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Museo Botero
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Museo Botero
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Museo Botero
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Museo Botero
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Bakery/Cafe
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Bakery/Cafe
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Bakery/Cafe

Gabby’s photos from today are below:

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La Puerta Falsa
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Walking in Candelaria
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Walking in Candelaria
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Walking in Candelaria
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Museo Botero
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Bakery/Cafe
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Black Bear Restaurant
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Fish tacos from Black Bear Restaurant
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Trout Tartar from Black Bear Restaurant
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Lamb nachos from Black Bear Restaurant
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Trout tartar from Black Bear Restaurant

Day 1: Miami to Bogota (3/28/19)

This morning, I boarded a flight at 10:30AM from FLL to Bogota, arriving in Bogota at approximately 1PM local time.  I checked into the hotel at around 2PM and went on a walk toward Parque 93.  I stopped at a sandwich shop along the way and ordered a vegetarian sandwich with avocado.  The sandwich tasted great but was very unhealthy and saturated in butter.

I then continued walking to Parque 93 and stopping for a tea at Starbucks and a Spanish bookstore near Parque 93.  I then walked back to the hotel and decided to go on a popular hike in Bogota:  Quebrada La Vieja.  I ubered to the outskirts of Bogota and was disappointed to find that the hike was completely closed off and inaccessible due to overuse.  I then continued walking in the area, trying to find an opening where I could access the conservation area and meet up with the trail.  I was able to find a rough trail, but decided not to go on a serious hike as it was already 6PM and getting dark.  Instead, I continued walking through the immediate area toward the hotel.  The immediate area was a very luxurious, upscale part of Bogota with plenty of new construction, security buildings.

On the way back to the hotel, I visited the Calle 82 shopping area, picked up a salad from a restaurant next door to the hotel, and then settled in for a relaxing night.  As of now, I’m waiting for Gabby to arrive in Bogota and meet me at the hotel.

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Vegetarian sandwich from La Lucha
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Parque 93
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Tree-lined recreational path
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Parque El Virrey
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Parque El Virrey
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Quebrada La Vieja Hike (Closed)
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Conservation area near the Metropolitan Club
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High-End residential project 
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Calle 82 Shopping Area

Trip Background (3/28/19)

As of today, our rough itinerary is below:

A few months ago, Gabby told me she would have a couple of weeks off from school during early-to-mid April and that she would be interested in traveling to South America. After checking flights to most of South America, we decided to spend a couple of weeks together in Colombia, after which time she would be returning to LA for her friend’s wedding and might remain in South America for an additional week or two.

 

Other Random things to consider