Posts Tagged With: Colombia

I may only see THE SAN BLAS ISLANDS once in my life, cause I CANNOT do this again!

Posted on June 8, 2014 by valarieivester

Okay….I SERIOUSLY, waited awhile to write about this cause I struggled with how I wanted to write it and whether or not I should.
SO HERE IT IS…MY WARNING:
I can’t help but tell you about MY experience doing something….it doesn’t in any way mean I hated this part or place or doesn’t even mean I wouldn’t recommend it. I will try and remain as fair as posible in my review of sailing the open sea to The San Blas Islands.

Now that that’s outta the way….OMGEEEEE…SAILING TO THE SAN BLAS ISLANDS WAS A 5 DAY NIGHTMARE THAT I COULDN’T FREE MYSELF FROM & THE ONLY CLEAR ESCAPE WAS TO FLING MY LIFELESS, SEA SICK BODY OVER THE EDGE, HOPING A DOLPHIN WOULD BEFRIEND & TAKE MERCY ON ME SWIMMING MY BODY TO SHORE!!! (*Panting…As I digress) No joke, I had to therapy talk myself from that ledge more times than you know.

I know I know…I have no real idea why I thought I was going to be able to handle a sailboat when a moving vehicle makes me nauseous other than I am a glutton for punishment and I think I’m Superwoman…turns out…this Superwoman’s kryptonite is sailboats.
Sailing just wasn’t for me…for US…for that matter! Jorgie didn’t care for it too much either.
Short version: We get on a sailboat named The Jaqueline….Day 1 of this 5 day sailing trip, we both are violently ill, AT THE SAME EXACT TIME, so there was no aiding the other one. We are stuck for the first 30+ hours, in a room thats made of all wood so not only are we feeling every movement we hear it as well. We rock so violently that the door slams open and closed (it has no lock). It also has no windows and ofcourse no A/C so its completely humid in there. The only consolidation is that our dungeon of a room is beside the only 2 bathrooms on board this boat for 17 people (wait…someone broke one of em night 1… GREAAAAAT we are down to 1 bathroom) which we frequently ran back and forth from. We didn’t know that we had boarded a boat that would serve us for the next 5 days a cuisine made up entirely of pork and onion combos (we dont eat either), so we pretty much survived on the most delicious mangos and piñas for 5 days. I’d never been so grateful and also begged for God’s mercy in one place!! I desperately hated our room but was completely grateful that I had a place that I could go and hide to. It was such a weird prisoner feeling….AH! THAT’S IT! It felt like the song Hotel California!!!! We were supposed to like everything about this then we had a quick realization…..We’re stuuuuuck! Enjoy the sea!?! I can’t enjoy the sea! I’m stuck in the bathroom sicker than I ever thought possible!
*All those parasites & brain eating amoebas that our moms feared we get sick with….Yeah..I was praying for an exchange for one of those.
HERE’S THE THING… once the boat stops, and you find a enough energy to muster your very sick, sweaty, sea salt covered body out of the room…..it’s like paradise! It doesn’t make any sense at all!
The travel & room= Hell
Outside (as long as the boat is anchored)= Pure Heaven
Crystal clear water, beautiful white sand, snorkeling that is amazing….so confused;) I’ll stop….here are the pictures and video of the worst I’ve ever felt or looked….Thanks Jorgie;)

Clearly…this was BEFORE the boat started to move;)

Beach bum life!!!

When u see a swing…u have to swing. It’s an obligation; )

We had dolphins lead our way and put on a show for us! Really great!!

Hundreds of small deserted islands;)

Trying to enjoy before the boat starts to move again;)

Our sailing crew for 5 days!

Early morning reading….

The world is so big…and I am so small.

AND FINALLY…FOR LAUGHS…(our final night of sailing)

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: beautiful, Cartagena, Central America, Colombia, islands, isolated, Panama, paradise, sailing, San Blas Islands, seasick, sick, south America, travel | 7 Comments

“You want to rub me down with mud??…Okay!” ;)

Posted on May 28, 2014 by valarieivester

How could I forget the MUDDY MASSAGE?!?!? If you find yourself in Cartagena, Colombia be sure to take a day trip to Volcán de Lodo El Totumo. It’s a short bus ride but many believe that the muddy rubdown has healing powers… I’M IN!
(I had to lure Jorgie in with the promise that I heard mud wrestlin was part of the deal….LOL)

***FYI: There will be no muddy girls awaiting your arrival boys…nor will any wrestlin take place. I KNOW…I lied…but don’t act like you ain’t ever promised an ice cream cone to an unruly child to get your Sunday errands done…It happens;)

To get to your massage you have to climb these sketchy steps to the top;)
PLEASE NOTE: You will be asked to leave your sandals at the foot of the Volcán….if you do, someone will watch them but you will need to tip them. If you would rather carry them up and keep them with you in the mud, you are free to.

Jorgie hops in first and his rubdown begins;)

Okay….I’M COMIN IN!!

The mud is so dense you just float!!! It’s an awkwardly amazing feeling!;)

BUUUUUUT …be careful!! Mud in the eye = “I gotta get out NOW!”

As you climb out…Yes, once again on a sketchtastic ladder, you make your way down the volcano and waddle your muddy bodies to a nearby lagoon where you bath yourselves to a greyish form of clean.
What do you expect…your bathing in a river with mud;)

ANOTHER NOTE:
When you get to the lagoon there will be local women wadding in the waters wanting to assist in rinsing you clean (Don’t think “SCORE! I’m about to be bathed by a ravishing young Sophia Vegara look alike!” Think more like Sophia’s grandma’s older sister) once again boys…Im sorry…Anyhow, if you allow them to wash you, you must tip them;)

It’s a pretty awesome way to spend a day in Cartagena if you find yourself there;)

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Cartagena, Colombia, massage, mud, mud volcano, see the world, south America, travel, volcano, volcán, Volcán de Lodo El Totumo | 4 Comments

Colombia and the Cochinas!!

Posted on May 17, 2014 by valarieivester

Colombia was pretty high on my list to see (against my mother’s wishes….SORRY MOM!) A country that has so much history and elegance can’t just be what we see on TV… can it?? My hopes were high that Colombia would bring me much more than the cartel, drug trafficking, coffee drinking, murder business we see on the news.

AND IT DID;)

I’m happy to report that, though I did have some pretty delicious coffee, and couldn’t believe the amount of gorgeous women here (they are seriously pretty..like all of them) not too much scary business to report! Allthough Jorgie did get several whistles and hisses from the local “LADIES OF THE NIGHT” wanting to lure him into their nasty little web…. COCHINAS!

Val: “Waaaaait, OMG….Were those prostitutes propositioning you?!?”
Jorge: ” Yeah… Duh..Look at me!”
(INSERT SLAP) smh…

We saw no drug deals or murders……but there was a little cocaine smugglin…I’LL GET TO THAT LATER;)

Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas
Cartagena is surrounded by large walks that were designed to protect the city long ago. Its a beautiful fortress worth a view;)
The walled city of Cartagena was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.

These canons are a lingering memory of the protection once needed for this beautiful place.

From the top of the fortress you get gorgeous views of the city!!!

Okay…I couldn’t pass this up. We have now seen multiple times people carry INSANE things on motorcycles…..YES…that is 2 people and a living room sized TV on ONE motorcycle!!! We couldn’t believe it!!

You get to see many women adorned in the colors of the country!!

In the square is the sculpture of Mujer Reclinada (“Reclining Woman”), by Colombian artist Fernando Botero

Church of Saint Peter Claver

The streets in Cartagena were so picturesque! I can DEFINITELY see why this place is a NOT MISS for anyone visiting Colombia. The colonial structures surround you and draw your eyes at every corner!!

Puerta del Reloj– The entrance to all that you see

Boca Grande in the background….

At the end of the street we were staying on, we catch a neighborhood baseball game! They played right in the middle of the street!!!

Ooookay…..I promised some cocaine smugglin! Lol
So we planned on leaving Cartagena by sailboat to Panama City, Panama to visit the San Blas Islands….we book our boat, then some dummy backpacker tried to smuggle a kilo of cocaine to Panamá on a boat and caused all kinds of trouble for this industry. All boats were docked and told that they couldn’t leave (How does this happen to us???) ……SOMEHOW we manage to find ourselves on the LAST boat allowed to leave Cartagena;)