Then Usha tried her hand at tortillas, flattening the corn flour and water mixture into it round shape and throwing them into the frying pan for just a few minutes, and then grilling them on an open flame. Mmmm, yummy homemade tortillas! We also had homemade guacamole, rice and beans, and a salad made with shredded cabbage, tomato and cucumber with lime juice and cilantro for a dressing.

It was great to see Sidey, who was my host-mom when I lived here last year, but was more like a really good friend and confidante. We welled up with tears at the sight of each other, and were so happy to see each other even though it was just last year when I was here but without a phone or internet it is hard for us to keep in touch. Her daughters came over to the soda, along with her husband and two little most adorable grandchildren (on tractor) and our driver said he could see by how my face lit up how happy I was to see them. They are really wonderful people I’m lucky to be back. It’s amazing how some people can touch your heart and make you feel like family.

After travelling from the capital city of Bogotá, to the beautiful islands of San Andrés and Providencia with their unique Caribbean culture, to the fascinating colonial city of Cartagena and to Tayrona National Park, my interests were piqued – and I couldn’t have imagined what more the country had to offer.

Our trade show in Bogotá gave me the chance to meet the many tour operators who have picked the best places in the country to visit. There is the desert of Guajira, the archaological sites of San Augustín, the Amazon region, the Pacific coast where there are ecolodges and whale watching and surfing, the colonial and modern cities, the coffee regions where some of the world’s best coffee comes from, and I could go on. I hope I have the opportunity to go back one day and explore some more.

I wanted to thank Proexport, the Colombian government for inviting us on the trip, the hotels we stayed at, the amazing restaurants we ate at (still can’t get that yummy food out of my head!), and the fun dive instructors we had. And a special thanks to Lorena Zapata for being our group’s leader, making sure we got everywhere we had to get to on time as much as possible and for being flexible with all of us, who each had different interests and independent personalities!  Lorena invited me into her home and became a great friend. She and her family, who moved to Bogota from Ecuador 10 years ago and fell in love with the country, charged me with becoming an Ambassador to Colombia! So I am attempting to fulfill my promise, with pleasure.

Here are a few more random pics of our “Chiva” driver in Bogota, Punta Faro, Cartagena, and sunset at Taganga.

 

We spent some time exploring and were treated to a stay in one of the most beautiful boutique hotels, Bovedas de Santa Clara, in the “old city” among cobblestone streets, brightly coloured buildings and flowering balconies.  Just walking through the streets and plazas is an unforgettable experience in a colonial city such as this.

There is SO much more to see, we all would have loved some more time here, knowing it is a special place. But we were whisked off to another island off the coast of Cartagena for more diving and some time on the beach at one of the several islands that can be reached by boat within a couple of hours from the city harbor.  The hotel was fairly simple but nicely designed from the outside with high thatched roofs and an open concept. The beach was small and private, and nice for relaxing. Unfortunately the food did not live up to the amazing restaurants we’ve been to so far, including the simple, typical places. Speaking of food…

I can’t forget our dinners in Cartagena with some of the best dishes I’ve ever had. El Santisimo right near our hotel in Santa Clara where I had mahi-mahi in a delicious sauced served in a banana leaf and candied bananas (pictured above) and Club de Pesca (Fishing Club) which was right on the water at the marina just outside the old wall. I said it before and I’ll say it again, the food is incredible here – the Colombian dishes of fish served in various sauces such as lime with coconut milk and cilantro along with fresh blended fruit juices surely make a stay here that much better.  Then we were off to Santa Marta for some more diving – can’t complain really.

Some more pictures of Cartagena – what an unforgettable place!

 

 

Since then I’ve been to many tropical beaches in the Caribbean, Central America and South East Asia, and the turquoise water is still one of my favourite things in the world. Here in Providence, I have to say I have been privileged to witness a sea so beautiful I gasped and repeated over an over again, “This is incredible!”

A few pictures, while not quite doing it justice, at least give you an idea. They call it the “Sea of Seven Colours” here because there are so many levels to the blues, aquas and turquoises. At Crab Cay, just a short boat ride from Providence we went up a short path to a lookout point on some rocks and had a 360 degree view of what I think is definitely some of the most beautiful water in the world.  Then we snorkeled around the small island and from the pictures it looks like we were on top of the world.

Back on San Andres we get a lesson in Rastafarian-style living. The word “Ital” pronounced “Eye-tal” while it might remind you of Italian, has nothing to do with it. It means “Vital” and it is what describes the natural way of growing and cooking food in Rastafarianism. It is essentially organic methods of farming and preparing food without chemicals and synthetic fertilizers, the way our ancestors were doing it for centuries.

As I mentioned before there is a strong influence of Jamaican culture like other parts of coastal Latin America (Nicargua, Costa Rica and Panama) and we had the pleasure of visiting Job Saas’ natural farm where he showed us the different fruit trees he grows as well as the endangered species he helps to protect and procreate such as various iguanas, black crabs and turtles.

 
Job Saas made us fresh Tamarind and cane juice and coconut cookies, sweetened from the sugar cane hand-pressed on his farm. Below he is pressing the cane, some of which we chewed on straight from the stalk, it’s sweet and refreshing.

Job Saas really believes in his work and it was nice to be able to visit his place and show him support, as organic farming is not easy, but is so important. He knows nothing he produces pollutes the water or the air, and is naturally healthy for all who consume the fruits of his labors. So kind he is, he even gave me a book that was on display called How to Speak Caribbean English. The Creole they speak here is similar to Jamaican Patois (in fact I can’t really tell the difference). The main difference is that Spanish is mixed in somewhat here, they say especially with the younger generation, as being part of Colombia means their education is in Spanish. Being completely captivated by language, I love to listen and pick out the roots of words and figure out what people are saying. It’s a lot of fun!

This part of our trip is over now, and on we go to one of the most historic and culturally significant cities in the world, Cartagena.

As we did in San Andres, we took a tour of the island to see some of the cultural and historical sites, like the first church, school, etc. I think sometimes locals must think tourists are crazy for taking pictures of things like an old school made out of wood, but to us these things are just so different it’s really fascinating. Inside the school there were two signs that touched my heart. One said, “We make studying a party” and the other said, “We bring our backpacks filled with love, creativity, discipline, responsibility and respect.”

 

In tropical countries, you never know what you will see on the road. In Cambodia I saw oxcarts, in Indonesia whole families on scooters (this is pretty common in a lot of places, including Colombia, but it was in Indonesia that I saw a little naked maybe 2-year-old boy standing up on the front of the scooter holding the handlebars!). Here we got to see a young boy on his way home from fishing taking his catch on his bike. Nothing like fresh fish! Then we were stopped on the road by a herd of cows and the herder, on motorbike was directing them up the road waving a branch.  There’s something to be said for simplicity in this world…

 
Another thing I love about the tropics is the fresh fruit and natural bounty surrounding you at all times. Have you ever seen almonds in their natural form, growing from trees?  Our lovely Providencian friend, Jennifer, found some for us and broke open the fruit to reveal the nut inside – a fresh raw almond.
 

Our days on Providencia included amazing meals at Miss Mary’s and Caribbean’s Place.  The small restaurants serve up fresh fish, crab and lobster served beautifully presented with fresh blended juices or wine if you prefer. The food has been SOO good the whole time, we’ve all been really satisfied and stuffed full!

Maybe the best part for me, being a huge reggae fan, was going to Richard’s place and watching the sun go down over the sea and grooving to some nice tunes while chatting with Richard himself. Alfonso, the friendly Rasta pictured below made us drinks and we swapped stories about Jamaica, where of course the culture of this island has its roots. An unforgettable place.

 

What made our visit interesting was that since it was on a Sunday, the area had many streets closed off for pedestrians. There were people scattered throughout the Bolivar Plaza, among hundreds and hundreds of pigeons, and vendors of ice cream and corn kernels to feed the pigeons.
I’ve never seen so many people on bicycles – the streets were filled with people out to exercise as the pedestrian Sundays were created for people to get out and do sports on their day off. Even the major highway we drove on to the airport had two centre lanes closed off. It looked like a bicycle race of some sort but I’m told it is just a regular Sunday pastime here in Bogota.

Another great thing about Bogota is the surroundings of the city. While it is a bustling city of concrete and apartments like most cities, it is surrounded in green. Lush mountains act as the lungs of the city and nothing can be built above 1500 feet. So where many cities’ mountains are completely built up with homes, here the trees create a serene, natural environment that contrasts with the busy built environment below.

I have to admit there is quite a military presence in Bogota, soldiers in camouflage with big guns, here and there in the streets. I am told it is to prevent crime, and to make people feel safe, not to make people fearful that something is going on (the effect which of course it actually does have). So you begin to ignore it and realize that nothing is going on, it’s just the way things are here. We felt really comfortable walking around taking pictures, especially on the streets closed for pedestrians to have the right of way! (For those of you who know Latin America well you can attest to the fact that this is not very common!)

For lunch we went to a beautiful restaurant called “Club Colombia,” which was just that, a club.  It was furnished with plush leather couches and two terraces and a huge buffet serving all kinds of traditional Colombian food. There were envueltos which are made from corn finely mashed with spices such as raisins and nutmeg wrapped and cooked in corn husks. There were arepas which look like tortillas but are thicker, also made with corn and which could be garnished with fresh salsas and other vegetables. There were fresh blended juices, rice dishes and empanadas and I could go on. Everything was delicious and the coffee absolutely amazing. I’ve only been drinking coffee for a few years so have never considered myself a connoisseur but I have to admit it’s the best I’ve tried. Strong and flavorful at the same time as soft and sweet, yum!

In the afternoon we took a short flight, about 2 hours (actually longer than I thought it would be) to the island of San Andres in the Caribbean. We are now actually closer to Nicaragua and Costa Rica than to Colombia by over 2 hundred miles!

I have to admit, the first time I went to Costa Rica I was surprised that the food wasn’t that spicy. This was the first real independent traveling experience of mine back in 2002 and I ignorantly thought all food from Central America and the Caribbean was going to be spicy.

Well, there are certainly lots of ways to make it spicy. You can add fresh hot peppers usually sitting on the table, or Chilero sauce which is similar to Tobasco but more flavorful. But the real subject of this is Salsa Lizano. Now Salsa Lizano is actually a brand name, but it is synonymous to a flavor that is at the same time really yummy and really Costa Rican. It’s not super spicy in terms of ‘heat’ but it adds flavor to rice and beans that can’t be beat.

You can read more about it here on Epicurious.com, a devoted foodie site where Lizano lovers have come to share their adoration.

At the beginning of the 1980s, the farmers of Costa Rica began to search for organic methods of planting and harvesting crops with the intent of benefiting from the fruits of the land without using chemicals and other harmful practices that could damage their harvest.

This is how organic agriculture began to take force, and slowly but surely it has today become a viable and productive alternative to traditional agriculture, one that aims to position itself as a means of producing quality and healthy produce that is economically feasible, respects nature and is a great ally to conservation efforts. 

According to data derived from “The Costa Rican Organic Agriculture Movement,” the internal demand for organic produce increases about 20% every year, which demonstrates that efforts dedicated to promoting this type of production are bearing fruit. Furthermore, Costa Rican organic production is recognized both nationally and internationally.

In Costa Rica some 9,000 hectares are dedicated to the organic cultivation of approximately 30 different products.

Read more on Nature Air’s blog.

So dinner last night was at La Cascada, probably the best known restaurant in the little town of La Fortuna that sits near the base of the Arenal Volcano . Our steaks were pretty good but a little tough (which is pretty common for a steak in Costa Rica) Over the years, this restaurant has been everything from the top restaurant in the area to a place where you probably wouldn’t even want to stop.

One place we always spend time at in our trips to Costa Rica is the Arenal Area, because Irene’s family lives here. And one constant of this area is that aren’t enough good places to eat. I know we’re supposed to be the experts and we try a lot of places, but if anyone has tips on where they had a good meal near Arenal, please share.

We move GS operations to CR at least a couple times a year, so we have the chance to explore some of the exciting new adventure and adrenaline experiences available, as well as find out which ones aren’t living up to their billing and see how some of our favorites are holding up. We get a chance to talk to and have fun (check out the verb vacilar in Spanish) with our Costa Rican friends and colleagues, and we also take some time to visit some of the places that our travelers visit regularly, experiencing first-hand the latest and greatest that our favorite lodges have to offer. Somebody has to do it…

Remember to post any good Arenal dining recommendations here!