The next day would be a sailing day, as we made our way up the Nile towards our final destination: Luxor. Though, we did have one stop scheduled along the way: the incredible Edfu Temple.

Our cruise ships docked, and we wove our way between several ships before exiting onto the pier. Our guide carefully and expertly flagged down a horse-drawn rickshaw that would take us to the temple. How fun! The town is full of these and are essentially the taxis that locals and tourists alike use to get around. There are so many it looks like the crowded streets of NYC, but instead of the yellow cabs, there are horses and carts being drawn every which way. No apparent road rules or guidance to follow, just a chaotic free for all, haha. We do make it to the temple, but the entrance line is sooo long! It’s easily the longest line we’ve seen thus far. We’re only given about an hour or so for the stop, and we’re worried we won’t get tickets in time to go in and enjoy the temple before needing to leave and head back to the ship. Yikes!

Our guide gets lucky and grabs some tickets for us, and away we go, feeling rushed but trying to take in the intensity of this temple. This one is by far the largest we have seen, and it’s overwhelming. It’s just so big. Simply incredible! I’d say this was my favorite temple that we visited. There was so much visible paint left on the ruins, you really could start to imagine what it would’ve looked like in its prime; fully vibrant with colorful images wall to wall. This temple was so grand, it was hard to believe it was ancient at all. I found it amazing how well preserved these temples are, I guess that’s all thanks to the desert sands.

We make our way back to the ship, and now it’s time to chill. I’d been ready for a day to just hang out, as we’d been on the go right since we landed in Cairo. And now, finally, I would be able to lounge out by the pool and enjoy watching the world pass us by while sailing down the Nile. How lucky am I? Hehe.

We arrived in Luxor, and we’re supposed to go see another temple by night, but our guide’s ship was delayed, and he won’t make it until later. So Jaimee and I head out on our own and wander about. It was nice to get a moment without a guide, just to go at our own pace and casually stroll about. What a lovely relaxing day…just in time for our busiest day yet, lol.

And just like that, our last day and our busiest day begins. We have a tight schedule filled with sight seeing, and then a late night flight back to Cairo, beginning our long journey back to the States.

But first! A trip to Valley of the Kings! The time has finally come! Hehe 😁

Driving up the road towards the entrance to the Valley of the Kings was ethereal; tall sandy mountains on either side of the small road, looming over us as if they were the guardians of the buried treasure that lay beneath our feet. We walk through the entrance, which has a model of the tomb system, showing just how far down some of the tombs go and how intricately built they are. We buy our tickets, and I opt to pay a bit extra to see King Tut’s tomb, I mean…when in Rome, right? *ahem, Egypt* lol. There were so many other tombs that were an extra cost, either due to their fame or their pristine conditions… I’d love to come back and explore more of those. 🙂

Our guide showed us one particular mountain in the distance that looks like a natural pyramid, so this was one of the reasons this area was selected for the most important tombs. And also because it was far away from the bustling metropolis. Walking around and seeing the entrances to various tombs had me feeling a bit like Indiana Jones and also an archaeologist…I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like to first discover this cultural treasure trove. 🤗

We went into a couple of tombs, and they were, without a doubt, breathtaking! And not only due to the fact it was a nearly sealed off hot vacuum buried deep beneath the mountains with little to no air flow 😅…..but because of how intact the carvings, colors, and depictions were! I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing! I took far too many photos, but I just couldn’t help my trigger happy fingers, lol. I tried to imagine, as I walked down the corridors to the chamber of the sarcophagus, what it must have been like to be a worker on these intricate tombs, carving all of this by hand, in the desert heat…what an undertaking!

King Tut’s tomb was so tiny compared to the rest, and easily the best preserved I saw that day. Walking down there gave me an eerie sense, as if his spirit was still there. I spent a good amount of time there, thinking about his story and the different variations I’ve read about. Who knows what truly happened to him, but despite being a short-lived ruler and perhaps not the most popular, he sure has become the most famous with his unperturbed tomb. Imagine gaining that much fame after your death and traveling the world in your sarcophagus, ha! That’s one way to do it! Haha. 😅

Our next stop was the temple of Hatshepsut, an iconic building in honor of one of the female Pharohs. How cool is that? I love that in ancient Egypt, some women were taking control and leading in powerful positions. However, not everyone agreed with that, and her successor attempted to erase her name from the temple and claim it as his own. It was incredible, standing in a place designed for a powerful female Pharoah, knowing women have such a long way to go even in this modern day and age. Throughout history, there have been women who have taken command, despite the societal difficulties, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to pay my respects to one of the greatest. 🙂

As if our morning wasn’t full enough, we stopped by the Colossi of Memnon, two gigantic statues of the Pharoah Amenhotep, which used to guard the entrance to his funerary temple, which has all but crumbled into rubble. Besides these enormous states, there wasn’t much else to see right here, but dang! Standing right next to them made you feel so tiny! I can’t imagine these being created, carved, and hoisted into position, haha.

We had a magnificent lunch at this point, all the food we’ve had so far has been amazing, but this lunch was one of my favorites. We had a table near an open balcony, looking over at a very green farm, with a slight breeze in the air. Ahhhh, how we need this break, haha.

Next up was Karnak Temple, back on the east bank of the Nile. This was yet again another stunning temple complex that is difficult to even describe. It is a series of different temples all in the same area, like a mall for temples and worshipping different gods. Multiple Pharaohs contributed to the construction of this site.

This entire complex was so large that we barely saw everything. Truly a sight to behold, this entryway was lined with ram head sphinx statues and once inside, the temple opened up to a few side temples and heading straight back was the infamous Hypostyle Hall, with the biggest columns I have ever seen! It was amazing walking amongst them and staring up towards the tops of them, as they seemed to reach for the sky. The colors on the columns were also striking, and I tried to imagine how it must have been to walk this hall in its prime. It must have invoked quite the grand spiritual sensation, standing amongst the immense columns and temples. We spent until sunset here, roaming the ruins of the temples…I was in a dream. 🙂

Our last official stop of the night was the Luxor Temple, and we’d have the luck to see it beautifully lit up at night. It was gorgeous! I really loved seeing some of the temples at night; it made them appear even more mystical than in daylight. Before we went into the temple, we walked for a bit on “Sphinx Way,” a road adorned with sphinxes on each side, leading all the way from the Luxor Temple to the Karnak Temple Complex. How incredible! It looked as though these statues had been built recently, but it was just as old as these temples, and I bet it was quite the spectacle when used for festivities.

Back to the Luxor Temple…we didn’t know it beforehand, but some really fancy dinner and event was to take place there later in the evening. The interior was filled with workers setting up big monitors and lights, carefully adjusting the placements of the plates and silverware on the finely adorned tables, and even what appeared to be a news crew preparing to report on the evening’s event. While it thwarted our attempts to look at the temple and imagine the past, it was a truly unique perspective to see a modern event celebrating in such a fabulous location. I find it intriguing when ancient structures can be incorporated into the modern world and taken care of and utilized. I wonder, though, what would the ancient Egyptians think about a dinner party happening in the middle of a temple? Hehe.

Before wrapping up our trip in Egypt, we stopped by a hookah cafe for one last hookah and mint tea. We relaxed with our guide and driver, reminiscing about the last couple of days and enjoying our view of the Luxor Temple. All good things must come to an end, and soon we had to leave for the airport. Tonight we’d be flying to Cairo, arriving around 11 pm, and waiting there for our flight to Paris, leaving around 1 or 2 am. Then, from Paris, Jaimee and I would part ways and head to our east and west coast homes :).

Egypt was as incredible as one can imagine. I was blown away by the ancient history encompassing 4,000 years as opposed to the 2,000 years of some of the greatest Latin American civilizations, of which I’m supremely interested in. 4,000 years is difficult to comprehend and makes it all the more fascinating and incredible. The time we spent in the desert was our favorite and provided us with moments of silent reflection in the stillness of the sprawling sand and rocks. I will always prefer a lush green landscape, but it was unforgettable, driving through the dry sandy landscapes and imagining what a life out here looked like thousands of years ago.

The next morning, we had an early flight from Cairo to Aswan, a city in southern Egypt. Our first stop was the huge Aswan High Dam, which was built along the Nile. The construction of the dam created one of the largest man-made reservoirs, Lake Nasser. This project was completed with help from the Russians, and there is a beautiful monument that highlights and commemorates this cooperative project. While largely considered a success, there is always an opposing perspective; a group of Nubian immigrants were uprooted from their riverside homes for the creation of the dam and the subsequent flooding of the area. The displaced Nubian community was relocated to another area of Aswan and a place we’d be visiting in the evening.

Next stop, and the one I was most excited for was the Philae Temple….our first Egyptian Temple! To get to this temple, we had to make our way down to a concrete dock where we had to get a single boat’s attention and clamor our way on. It was pure chaos, lol. And it was blisteringly hot. This place was already super crowded and filled with huge buses filled to the brim of tourists. If I wasn’t already grateful to have a guide, I sure was now, seeing how our guide, Mohammed, expertly manurvered the swarms of people to get our entry tickets and then to quickly snag a boat for us. I don’t think I’d have the patience or where-with-all to deal with the disorganized mass of people. 😅 It sure was nice having someone else do all the leg work. Thank you, Mohammed!

We make it to the island temple, and I’m instantly in awe. It was MASSIVE! And it wouldn’t be the biggest one we’d see, either. The carvings were so vibrant and clearly visible, with the exception of where some Christians etched out the images. We learned that back in the day, refugee Christians would make small, secret churches inside the temples. They would chisel away the Egyptian carvings and add crosses to their make-shift sancutaries. They’d also cook inside, and many of the temples have blackened ceilings.

By the time we were finished walking around, I felt absolutely exhausted and dehydrated. I don’t think I ever felt like I had enough water while in Egypt. My body would just soak it up and want more.

Our next stop was to see the unfinished obelisk. This was wicked cool, at least for me, hehe. We visited one of the old granite mines the Ancient Egyptians would use to cut a single obelisk out, and eventually extract it by using water ways that led to the Nile, and eventually guiding it to it’s final resting place. This particular unfinished obelisk was nearly carved out, and it suffered a big crack, so it was left abandoned. I cannot imagine spending so much time carving this giant monument by hand, only to leave it because of a crack.

We also stopped by a perfume shop, and I couldn’t help but buy more of the oils..I’m in love with them! If I’m ever lucky enough to go back to Egypt, I’ll be buying more of those, without a doubt! It was a fun experience, too, as they bring you to a small room, offer you refreshments, and then explain the different types of oils and what they’re used for.

We then made our way to a cruise ship, which would be our home for the next 3 nights! Couldn’t believe we’d be going on a Nile cruise!  I wanted to do a cruise on the smaller boats, a felucca, but we ended up on a big cruise ship, complete with a pool deck, dining hall, and a spa. This is gonna be gooood. 🙂 We check in, get our cabin, refresh ourselves, and head right back out again. If I haven’t mentioned it before, this was planned on being a whirlwind trip, fitting in as much as possible in 9 days. 😅

We’d be taking a smaller boat down the Nile to a Nubian village for sunset. Talk about another incredible ending to a beautiful day….sailing down the Nile at sunset, the colorful golden sun shining brightly on the desert sand, only to be complemented by the lush fertile banks of the Nile River. Soon, the colorful Nubian houses were visible from the boat, and the excitement of exploring a new place quickly chased away my exhaustion. We arrive and walk around the colorful streets, checking out some of the shops, and our guide takes us to one in particular, where we buy some tea and incense. This is some of the best smelling incense I’ve ever smelt, and I am so excited to bring it home! 🤗

We go to an infamous house that has alligators as pets. What? But why? Lol. I couldn’t imagine why they would have alligators living in the house with them, but then I saw that it’s a way to draw in tourists. Many people visit this traditional Nubian house, where they offer almost any drink you would like, and they have several seating areas over looking the rushing Nile. It was nice to have a relaxing moment after quite a long day.

The next morning I’d be taking a solo trip, as Jaimee wanted to stay on the boat and relax, and also go walk around and explore the bustling city of Aswan. So I set my alarm for something like 3 am, to leave by 4 am for a long car ride to just about the southern most point in Egypt: Abu Simbel. I knew I wanted to do this, as I was highly encouraged to visit by anyone I knew who had gone to Egypt.

These two temples were carefully deconstructed and moved inland to avoid being flooded by the formation of Lake Nasser, the result of building the Aswan High Dam. Pharaoh Ramesses II built the temples here, and the smaller temple was to honor his wife, Nefertari, and the goddess Hathor. Not only did I love the fact that Ramesses built this for his wife, but also that Hathor is the goddess of fertility, beauty, love, and music, among other things. One of her images is that of a cow, symbolizing fertility, which was another reason I felt connected to her (I milked cows for quite a while and loved every minute of it, so cows have become one of my favorite things 😊). I was also starting to have a crush on Ramesses II….he was in power for so long and did so much for Egypt….although all good things come at a price. He was far from a perfect ruler, but I’m amazed at how much he influenced Ancient Egypt and perhaps even the current borders of the country.

The temples at Abu Simbel were so striking I never wanted to leave. Absolutely enormous! The sheer size of the statues was staggering. There were pieces that had fallen, and even those were gigantic. I spent a long time outside the temple before heading inside. Once inside, I found myself amazed at the sheer quantity of carvings…every square inch of this pace was covered. I explored every nook and cranny that I could, suffering from the sweltering heat and lack of air movement inside. I finally emerge back out into the bright, hot sunlight and make my way to the smaller temple of Nefertari. The small temple was just as impressive as the larger one: every wall had some sort of carving or heiroglypic inscription on it.

Once I got my fill of these incredible temples inside and out, we headed back to the car for our journey back to the cruise ship. We get back before sunset, and I go find Jaimee, and we recount our days for each other while enjoying the views as the cruise ship began to make it’s journey up the Nile.

Another long day, right? Yep! And we’re not finished yet! Haha. One more stop for the evening, the Kom Ombo Temple. I was so exhausted at this point, but I can always rally for something amazing. All the cruise ships parked next to each other, and to get off the ship, we had to walk through 3 or 4 of them to get to the pier. That was an experience in and of itself, lol. The temple was a short walk up the hill, and the first views of it lit up at night were stunning!

We make our way there, and our guide tells us the history of the place, and we learn that he can read the hieroglyphs! How cool is that? This temple is dedicated to Horas and Sobek, which is a rare find to have one temple dedicated to more than one God. Sobek is the crocodile God, and the Ancient Egyptians would pray to him to hopefully avoid any dangerous run-ins with the crocodiles in the river. Today, there are no crocodiles, but I can imagine how nerve-wracking it would have been to travel down the river, or live along the banks, knowing that at any moment a crocodile could be waiting for its next meal. Yikes! I’d be praying to the crocodile God, too! Lol

We finally make it back to the ship and call it a night. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings! 🙂

After two nights in Cairo, we hit the ground running to a desert adventure! We were picked up early for a 5 hour drive out into the middle of the desert, where we would spend the next 24 hours. Our guide, Mohammed, would become our driver, desert expert, sandboarding guru, and chef extradoinaire. We met up with him in a small town, the Bahariya Oasis, in an otherwise Martian landscape. In his town, there were plenty of green trees, and we found out later that the majority of our food for that trip came from straight from his town. 

Before we left with Mohammed on our grand adventure, we had a lovely lunch at a little restaurant. We were seated all the way in the back, in a stucco room with tall ceilings that helped keep us cool in the heat. There were cushions all around the perimeter of the room, with tables just a foot or so off the ground. We took off our shoes (I wasn’t sure and had to be told 😅) and found a comfy spot. Next, we were brought an assortment of plates of food. My favorite was a delicious chilled eggplant doused in olive oil and herbs. I would soon become the world’s biggest eggplant fan…at least the way the Egyptians prepare it. Heavenly! Just as we thought we couldn’t eat any more, another round of food comes out, with huge portions of rice and salad. This looked like a meal for a family! Haha, Jaimee and I did our best, but much was left untouched. 

To polish off our lovely meal, we had a cup of mint tea….also becoming one of my favorites…especially after dinner. It just felt so..right! 

After lunch, we met with Mohammed, and we jumped into a 4 wheel drive car, and we were off! First stop, the black desert, named for the dark black sand that is all that is left from the volcanoes that once populated the landscape. Once we reached the entrance, Mohammed gunned it through the sand, and most of it felt nearly as packed as the pavement, but there were times we were fish tailing and sailing through the sand. We make it to the stopping point, where we can get out and explore, so we layer up on the sunscreen and start to really take in our surroundings. Mohammed left the windows down, and I guess that was the open invitation for the flies…..apparently the only living thing in the desert, as far as I can see, lol. So when it was time to go, we had to shoo the flies from the car, and I’m quite sure we looked like maniacs driving down the road, haha. 

It was at that stop we also realized our bags weren’t with us. They were supposed to have been loaded into the Jeep before we left, but somehow, that was overlooked. When we had arrived, someone took them for us while we had lunch, and we trusted they would get them where they needed to go. But silly us, we didn’t double check, haha. Whooops! But Mohammed called back and was able to have another car bring them to us. Thank you!!

We stopped at one more place, a tall hill worth climbing to see a 360 view of the black desert. How could we resist? Hehe. We get out into the scorching heat, both of us in sandals, but we begin our jaunt up the loose, sandy trail. It’s kicking our butt, but we persevere, and it’s totally worth it! The views from the top are amazing, and it’s so quiet with the exception of the wind, nearly blowing us over. It was just incredible to be in ths landscape to see it as far as the eye would reach. 

Next stop was the Crystal Mountain, which is an area of the white desert where everywhere you turn are sparkly, shimmering crystals imbedded in the rocks. It was beautiful! Here, the sand was more white and reminded me of the beach sand, and naturally, I kicked off my sandals and walked around barefoot, connecting with the land. Dorky, yes, I know, hehe. We only spent a short time here, as we realized there was a caravan of Jeeps with tons of tourists, so we wanted to stay ahead of them, hehe. 

Back in the car, and off we go to Aqabat Mountain, another series of incredible formations in the white desert. This place was one of my favorites and truly felt otherworldly. Again, I took advantage of the deep warm sand and took my sandals off, and took a stroll down the hill, taking in all that I was seeing. Being in the desert has got me feeling magical. I still wouldn’t say the desert is my favorite landscape, but being here made me feel so grounded to the earth and in awe of the millions of years of change the earth goes through. Knowing that at one time, this giant swarth of desert was a lush land with volcanoes and oceans truly puts into perspective the age of the earth and how finite our time on it is. 

Next stop: sand boarding! I have done this before, when I was in Leon, Nicaragua, and we hiked up a young volcano and sat on our wooden tobagons and tore through the sharp volcanic rock. It was exhilarating and a bit terrifying, and I’d do it again any day. So, I’m very excited to try sand boarding on a big sand dune. Because, of course! Hehe. We get ready to slide down, and I’m thinking I’m an expert because of my volcano experience. How wrong was I? Haha. Very wrong. Jaimee went down and had a grand time, and I’m ready to use my learned techniques and fly down even faster, but, as it turns out, sand boarding down volcanic sand versus desert sand is quite different. On the volcano, leaning back makes you go much faster, whereas on the sand dune, if you lean back, you lose balance and flip over. So guess what happened to me? Haha. Yup. I ate it. And I ate it hard, lol. Determined to do it correctly, we hike back up the sand dune, and I confer with our guide, Mohammed, and he gives me instructions on how to do it properly…and I go successfully! Hoooray! Now I’m satisfied, having made it down the sand dune in one piece. 

Our next stop would be our campsite for the night, in the middle of the white desert! I couldn’t wait for this, as I never got around to camping last year… And to camp in the desert would be a different and unique experience! While driving thought the white desert, we saw so many funky rock formations, and we wanted to spend more time there, but our guide had a goal in mind: a picture perfect sunset from the perfect spot. So, we hurry along and get there as soon as we can, hopefully arriving before the other tourist Jeeps. We climbed up this giant rock, and we were rewarded with 360 views of the white desert, which used to be an ocean, and most of the sand and structures are a white-sand, beachy color. The setting sun cast pastel color rays all around us, and the pink and purple reflected off the white. It was certainly a sight to behold. It was mesmerizing to watch and to pause and take a few deep breaths of gratitude and absolute senereity. A beautiful way to end the day. 

We finally make it to our campsite, and there is already a fabric tent there, and for a moment, we think we’ll be sleeping in there. It was so beautiful and colorful, and was tall enough to have standing room in the middle. Well, it turns out, that’s where our guide would sleep, and also the tent is the storage unit for the overnight equipment. Our pop-up tent was in there, along with some mattresses and sleeping bags, and of course, cooking equipment. 

Mohammed got a fire going, and while Jaimee and I relaxed and looked up in awe at the biggest sky I’ve ever seen, he began preparing our dinner. That dinner would end up being our favorite meal of the entire trip and ranks quite high in the lifetime of meals we’ve both enjoyed. All the ingredients were super fresh and from Mohammed’s town, all organic and grown with love. And the flavors of the food were off the chart! We must have thanked Mohammed a million times! And while eating dinner, we realized for the first time that Mohammed speaks fluent English! We had no idea! Haha. He was being shy, I guess, and when we had asked him questions, he would reply with short answers, never really engaging us in conversation, until now.

With our new knowledge of Mohammed’s English and our happy, full bellys, we all went to lay around the fire and chatted for a good while. Mohammed brought over some of the best tea I have ever had. It’s common to have tea after dinner in Egypt, a nice fresh cup of mint tea. Egypt is definitely turning me into a tea drinker. I’ve always loved coffee, so when given the option of coffee or tea, I’d always choose coffee, but I’m learning to indulge in the after dinner tea as it helps digest the food and ease the full belly syndrome. We enjoyed the crackling fire next to us and the sparkling stars above us. I was dying to see a shooting star, and after a near constant gazing of the dark sky, only illuminated by the moon, I was rewarded! I didn’t want to sleep at all, I just wanted to continue watching for the magnificent shooting starts, but I knew I’d be better off if I got some sleep. So I crawl into the tent and get comfortable. 

We woke up the next morning, and the cool desert air greeted us, helping to wake us from our dreamy states. Mohammed was busy preparing a breakfast for us and cleaning up the camp site a bit. What an amazing experience! We walked around the area, taking in our surroundings and being absolutely tickled with the fact we were standing in the middle of the Egpytian desert. 

We took our time, meandering our way back to the main road, that would eventually take us back to where we began the desert trip. Along the wa, we saw some camels just strolling through the desert…how cool! On our way back, we stopped by a natural cold spring, which was surprisingly busy, and dipped our toes into the cool waters. We had a quick coffee, and off we went to the hot spring. While at the hot spring, we realized the car had a flat tire. So Mohammed jumped out, grabbed a tool kit from the back, and immediately began changing the tire. We offered to help him in any way we could, but he wouldn’t accept it. I don’t blame him, as I certainly know next to nothing when it comes to changing a tire, lol.

Before we knew it, we were on our way back to the Oasis and then back to Cairo. We made it back before sunset and went to another rooftop area that had hookah and a view of the pyramids, although, this time, they weren’t lit up, and were just looming dark shadows on the horizon. It was a lovely night, and another perfect end to a perfect day.

First trip post covid = a whirlwind 10 days in Egypt! My friend Jaimee and I decided to travel somewhere together as is our tradition. We’ve visited Prague and Rome, and we met up in Hawaii, and now we had to decide our next destination. As usual, we threw around several ideas, but we eventually landed on Egypt! Wow! Hehe.

So, we began our research and ended up finding a recommended guide through a travel facebook group. Everyone we reached out to suggested we do a tour since there is so much to see and learn. We typically choose to do our own thing, but I am so glad we did the tour! Can’t recommend that enough! Hehe.

We met in Montreal to take a direct flight to Cairo…on the 787 Dreamliner! Cool! 😎. A short 9.5 hours and we’d be in the land of the Pharoahs.

We landed around 10 am, and our guide was at the airport, ready to take us to our airbnb for the first couple of nights. But, with so much time left in the day, we did a short city tour before heading to our home in Cairo.

We visited one of the oldest mosques in town, which was also used for a school. It was a beautiful building, and the large open atrium allowed cool air to fill the space and was a much needed respite from the heat. I love going into spiritual buildings because I often get a sense of the divine. We were lucky enough to watch an imam perform a call to prayer. It was amazing to watch how he used his hands as a way to amplify his voice or to quiet it.

Next up was a visit to the national museum, where there house the mummies! The city was building a new museum, so the artifacts were divided between two different museums, so we missed out on seeing King Tut’s golden funerary mask, but we did see several mummies! That was a surreal experience, seeing the mummified Pharaohs and feeling an eerie presence in the dark, low lit maze of the exhibition. To think these remains are 4,000 years old is hard to comprehend.

We also visited the “hanging church,” which was built on top of an old Roman fortress. It turns out that Egypt is a blend of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Though mostly Muslim, Egypt is a religious melting pot, and after reflecting on it for a bit, I’m not too surprised, given its geographical location. I grew up in the church, and I found it fascinating to learn about several of the Pharaohs, and one in particular, who was most likely to be the one that enslaved the Israelites.

We had an amazing meal at the end of the day… plates of hummus and yogurt dips, fresh pita, a delicious soup, and lamb and chicken served atop a small grill, complete with smoking embers keeping the meat nice and toasty. Wowza! I can get used to this! Lol.

The next morning, we visited Saqqara, once home to the necropolis of Memphis, the capital of Ancient Egypt. The big attraction here is the first pyramid to be built around 2630 BCE. Unlike the infamous Giza pyramids, the Djoser Pyramid is stepped. While visiting this complex, we were able to enter a rather dilapidated pyramid, but one that held a beautiful secret: the first hieroglyphs! We were already drenched with sweat in the Egyptian desert, and now we’re getting ready to enter a small chamber with little fresh air. So worth it! I know we’ll be seeing more hieroglyphs, but this was so amazing! We climbed around, doubled over in order to fit through the corridor, only standing up in the chambers where the tomb was.

Our already epic day was just getting started, as we were booked for a tour of the Giza Pyramids…..on camels! Now, as amazing as this was, I must say, the health of the camels and houses used for tourism was shocking. Clearly, these animals are malnourished and mistreated. The guides who take tourists on these tours make a living from the meager cost of the tour and tips. I’m sure there is a debate that human welfare is more important than animal welfare, but I would strive for a system that does no harm to a living being, animal or otherwise. Perhaps there needs to be a conscious effort to either avoid this type of tourism or to have fair prices that are sufficient to care properly for the gorgeous horses and camels and other animals employed in tourism.

That being said, I enjoyed my Camel ride, but the next time, I would opt out. I couldn’t help but feel guilty half the time. My poor Camel would grunt and moan everything we got up or down.

Back to the fun stuff; the Giza pyramids were breathtaking…absolutely enormous! I’m a sucker for ancient history, and I’m fascinated with the Mayans, but the Ancient Egyptians stole my heart….I mean, this civilization is 4,000 years old, and they maintained themselves for thousands of years! That’s absolutely jaw-dropping to me. Being right up next to these giant pyramids made me feel so small, and just in complete awe of the engineering feats required to build these structures. I always try to envision how things would’ve looked like in their prime, and these pyramids must’ve been mesmerizing and terrifying all the same.

To end our day, we spent some time on the rooftop of a nearby hotel, with a view of the Great Pyramids. They were lit up with some lights, and let me tell you, there couldn’t have been a better view than what we were graced with, hehe. I absolutely recommend a trip to a rooftop bar or restaurant to see the pyramids. Amazing!

Well, it’s officially over, my first full month of traveling! I suppose it’s just shy of a month, but who’s counting? Hehe. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to travel and see different parts of the world, and to someday be a “backpacker.” I never knew how to make it work, or perhaps I was unwilling to take on the risks it involves? Either way, I’m proud to say I made it work this time. I knew I wanted to travel with Dana and Hayden, and I had been talking about it for a long while, but this time, I was determined to make it happen. I picked up extra work trips in January, I planned my paid time off to be used for an entire week in February, and I was able to move one of my work trips into January, freeing up even more time for the big holiday. 😁

This month was a dream, bouncing around from place to place, hustling like a true backpacker, and staying in nice airbnbs, like a “flash packer,” a new vocab word for me, hehe. Traveling at such a fast pace is exhausting but has its merits. We were able to hit 4 countries in 26 days! That’s pretty epic, if you ask me. 😁 I scored two new countries, and am officially at 22! I’ve never been super invested in reaching a certain number of countries, but after traveling with Dana and Hayden, I am now, hehe. I hope to work some fun routes this summer and to see a few new places. And I hope to be able to go away for a few days here and there to explore new cities. 

Backpacking teaches one how little is necessary to survive, and it exposes the finer luxuries in life that we take for granted, such as fresh coffee in the morning, a comfortable bed, and hot water. Traveling teaches patience and problem solving skills, how to react to sudden changes, and how to think on your toes. To say there are multiple dimensions of growth and learning when it comes to traveling would be an understatement, hehe.

I am forever grateful for this experience and for Dana and Hayden for inviting me to tag along for such a long time. We had never traveled together before, and if you’re also a traveler, you’ll know you just can’t take anyone, lol. There needs to be a certain level of flexibility, openness, and tons of communication. I’ve heard it said before that if you’re dating someone, a great way to test the relationship is to travel somewhere with that person. How do you enjoy the vacation together? How do you problem-solve when things don’t go according to plan? How do you deal with each other when the “hanger” sets it? My last relationship, one I thought was for the long term, ended days after a cruise. Coincidence? I don’t think so, haha. It was a long time coming, but that trip pushed us over the edge. Good riddance, lol. 

I would travel with Dana and Hayden again, any time, anywhere. It felt so natural, and our little crew got along so well. 26 days passed far too quickly, hehe. 

Since covid stopped time and forced us to live a new normal, I haven’t traveled much. But the world is open now, and I’m ready to explore again. I had a fabulous first post-covid trip to Egypt back in October with my roommate from flight attendant training, Jaimee. We have such a blast with each other, and we’ve gone to some incredible places together. I’m always looking forward to a new trip! 🙂 Where to, Jaimee?

My goal for this year is to try and visit a new place every month. It could be near or far, but I have the ability to design my schedule in a way that allows me to take advantage of the travel bug, and I plan on doing just that. 

Stay tuned for more travel adventures! 

I was worried about making the Delta flight, so I quickly booked a standby seat on an Avianca flight to JFK, while in the Uber. I tried to do the check in, but was being thwarted by the emergency contact section. Apparently Avianca requires this, and it asks for the country code of the phone number listed, and I must’ve tried it every way I could think of, and it just wouldn’t accept it as correct. What on earth am I doing wrong? Lol. I give my phone to Dana and Hayden, the pro travelers, to see if they can troubleshoot my issue. No luck. I only had about 14 minutes to check-in, haha. So once we get dropped off, I run to a self check-in kiosk and have no trouble here. Okay, great! Now, to see if I can somehow skip ahead of this super long line. Here in Bogotá, you have to go through immigration before security, and this line was almost the entire length of the check-in area for all the airlines. Wicked long! Lol, I ask around, hoping someone will help me and a few others with tight connections, but nobody is helpful, airport employees nor passengers waiting in line. Ugghh. I’m totally gonna miss it! And, I already bought the ticket, which means I’ll have to go through the cancel and refund process.

Okay, so back to the original plan with Delta. I check in at the ticket counter and am told to come back at 7:30 to see if I can make it on the plane. They won’t give us boarding passes until then, so there is no way we can go through immigration and security and go to the lounge. Lame. So, I hang with Dana and Hayden, and we grab some breakfast, all reeling about how insane the airport was this morning. 

At 7:30 exactly, we head back over to the ticket counter, and they tell us to wait another 10 minutes or so. 10 minutes comes and goes, and we’re still awaiting for the non-rev gods to decide our fate. Finally, one of the agents comes out with a handful of boarding passes! More than we were expecting, so we regain some hope here, but we know better than to get too excited, haha. The agent starts calling names, and my hope dwindles just as fast as the lucky ones snatch their passes and head over to immigration. Lady Luck must be on my side today because I was the last name to be called! OMG! Yes! Unfortunately, that meant that Dana and Hayden wouldn’t be joining me on this leg, but they know what they’ve signed up for and are game for it, lol. I still feel bad that they’re not flying with me. Sorry, friends!

We were stoked about the idea of all of us traveling standby together, but I guess that adventure will have to wait for a future date. We say a hasty goodbye, as now I have an hour to make it to the flight. I’m worried about the long immigration and security line, but all the other standbys are with me in solidarity, haha. 

I make it through relatively quickly, and once at the gate, I am told to wait until the very end. Then what was the original wait for? Haha, am I still not guaranteed a seat? Since I passed through the immigration area, I’ve technically “left” Colombia, and now would I have to enter again? That just seems weird, lol. With about 20 minutes to spare, the gate agents start calling standbys over, and we wait for our names to be called. Myself and another gentleman traveling standby were told to wait a minute while the agents spoke to dispatch to verify that we’d get a seat. Omg! I’ve now made it this far, and I might not make it on? Haha It’s stressful, but laughable. That’s the way non-rev travel goes! Hehe. Within just 30 seconds or so, the agent informs us that we are able to get on the plane! Thank goodness! Hehe. We both look at each other and sigh a big sigh of relief, and scan our passes and head down the jet bridge. Ugh. They’re doing extra security screenings for everyone. A typical thing with US bound flights, but my bag is packed so perfectly, and it’s bulging at the seams. If they try to take stuff out, I worry I’ll never get it situated again in time to get on the flight, haha. Luckily, it was a quick search, and the woman didn’t go through too much, and I was able to get it zipped up with her help, though, hehe. Now the next concern: Is there space for my bag? I know I’m the last passenger, unless there are super duper last-minute people, so I decide I’ll just throw my bag up whenever I see an empty bin. 

As I board the plane, much to my surprise, I see a familiar face! A flight attendant friend of mine from when we were both based in LA. Hi Pablina! How funny! Hehe. I guess you never know who you’ll run into, lol. I find a spot for my bag in the Delta One cabin and realize my seat is actually in Comfort Plus, and not as far back as I thought I was! Haha. Although, I really wanted to be in the lay-flat seats because who wouldn’t? Tee-hee! The flight to Atlanta is short, only 4.5 hours, and after the long shuttle through Central America, 4.5 feels like nothing! Haha. I’m currently on the plane and have been slowly catching up with my journaling, and I watched the new Black Panther movie, and now we’ve got just under an hour to go! And then I have to see if I can make a Boston flight today. 

There was some winter weather that I’m assuming caused multiple delays and cancellations, so it might be tough to make it back home, but I’ve got some plan Bs and Cs up my sleeve. Time will tell!  

Well, all the Boston flights looked terrible, so I checked out the DC route, which was my plan D or E, lol. Flights to DC looked great, and the flights to Boston the next morning also looked great. Sweet! Just a little quick visit to the capital, and I’ll be home. This is the price we pay for free flights, right? Hehe.

Got to my hotel and had a lovely night’s rest, and I woke up early to start trying my luck on the Boston flights. Missed the first one. That’s okay. The second one was looking better anyway. Missed the second one. Ugghh. Okay, so I check my options and realize that even if I connect through a different city, all the Boston legs are looking just as trash as what I’m seeing out of DC. So I’m deciding to wait until 6 pm for the last flight to Boston, and if I miss that one too, I’m going to attempt the overnight bus from DC to Boston. This is turning out to be quite the journey, haha. I’ve never, in my almost 7 years of flying, have had such trouble non-reving. What the heck?!

It is snowing here in DC, and big fluffy flakes are dancing around the airplanes parked at the gates. At least I can enjoy some wine and be cozy while I wait 7 hours for the next flight, hehe. 

I ended up using my $28 coupon from Priority Pass to grab some seriously sub-par fish and chips at a restaurant in the United terminal. Well, at least I didn’t have to pay much! Lol. My flight to Boston was looking promising, but I didn’t want to get too excited, based on what I had seen the last day or so. My backup plan was the trusty rusty bus, lol. 

I make it on the flight! Wooohoo! Finally, I’m getting back to Boston! And my Mom was on “standby” to come pick me up, so I let her know of my arrival plans, and it was a go! Thanks, Mom! The flight was uneventful and quick, and before I knew it, I was getting off the plane in my home airport. It’s hard to believe I was gone for nearly a month! 

Mom comes and picks me up, and we head on our way to my loft. I shared stories from the travels and caught up with what I missed at home while I was away. It was a long couple of days, but I finally made it to my sanctuary. And I have bells the following day, which I couldn’t wait for, and a day to relax, and then back to work on Tuesday. Welcome back to reality, Amelia! Hehe!

The next morning, we didn’t have to rush to get up, which was such a nice change. We were planning on taking the noon bus back to Pereira, where we would be catching a short flight to Bogotá. Before heading to the bus terminal, we walked around town one last time. At this point, it seemed as though most of the tourists had taken the Jeeps to the Cocora Valley or to the coffee farms that were just outside town. The streets were emptier than we’d seen them, and we looked for a place to have a cup of coffee. Dana introduces me to a macchiato, and it’s so cute! Like a mini cappuccino! Hehe. Dana said it’s a great travel day drink since it’s smaller and better for having fewer pee stops readily available, lol. 

After our coffee stop, we begin to explore some of the souvenir shops, hoping to find some last-minute goodies to bring with us. Happy with our purchases, we head back to the hotel and get our things together. We’re early, but we might as well go wait by the bus station instead of our dark, damp, and humid hotel room. 

We get to the bus station, ready to purchase our tickets for the 12:00 bus, and we’re told that there is a taxi protest going on in Pereira, causing all kinds of traffic issues, so there were less busses available than normal. They usually leave every hour from Salento, but today, the next one is at noon. That feels like it’s cutting it close for our 3:45 flight, as we’re expecting the ride back to Pereira to take longer than an hour, especially knowing that the protests are going on. While we’re discussing other options, like grabbing an Uber, another guy over hears us and offers to take us on an 11:40 bus, that is meant to go direct to Medellín, but they will make a stop in Pereira for a handful of us who were trying to get there. Sweet! 

We get on the bus and end up in the last row, but we’re happy to have a few extra minutes on our hands. The ride starts off with no problems, but as we approach the city of Pereira, the bus needs to take a variety of side streets to get around the blocked streets. The taxi drivers have parked their cars across the road, prohibiting anyone from getting by. So, just like in our typical tradition, the alleged length of our bus ride is extended, and poor Dana has to pee horribly. I guess that macchiato was larger than normal. 🤪 

We finally make it to the bus station in Pereira, and Dana runs to the bathroom hehe. When she comes back, we arrange for an Uber to take us to the airport. Our Uber driver explains to us that the city is nearly empty due to the protests, and we’d make it to the airport shortly. 

And we arrived at the new airport, redone within the last couple of years. We have plenty of time before our flight, so we head to the lounge, naturally. The only self-serve in this lounge was a coffee machine and the rest we had to ask someone for. We stock up on snacks and do a little bit of work, patiently awaiting our flight to Bogotá.

Before we know it, it’s time to head to the gate. We get there only to find that the plane hasn’t even arrived yet. Ugh.. it’l be a while still, hehe. We think we have a ton of time, but as soon as the pane is connected to the jet bridge, they actually begin boarding. What? There is no way they have deplaned everyone and cleaned and catered. I call a bluff! Haha. Turns out, they start boarding and funnel people into the hallway of ramps headed towards the plane, while the inbound passengers deplane and head in a different direction, presumably to immigration and customs. Wow, this is efficient! I think I like this setup!

This time, all three of us are in the same row, and our flight should only be about 30 minutes or so, And of course, I have a window seat and am hoping that I can enjoy the views from 30,000 feet, but alas, it was cloudy the whole way. Womp Womp. 

We got to Bogotá and ordered an Uber, which took us a while to find, but the driver waited for us, and away we went! I enjoyed the ride from the airport, observing the city and its infrastructure. There are separate lanes for the city busses, and I’d later realize that at least some of the busses are run on natural gas. Sweet! The city feels more developed than any other city I’ve been to in Latin America, and I’m naturally curious as to how and why. I love traveling, as it satiates and fuels my curiosity for the world. I just love seeing different places and how they do things, especially within Latin America, as there are strong similarities between the countries, but also huge differences. 

Our apartment in Bogotá is on the top floor of a really nice building. We’re all super excited to get inside and see what it looks like. We check in with the security guard at the front desk, and we’re given two keys in a leather pouch. Oh, this is gonna be good, hehe. We take the keys out of the pouch, and they look like some sort of steampunk key, defitneily not your average key. This builds our excitement even more, and we hurry up the elevator and find our apartment. 

We put the key in, turn the handle, and what we see before us is a glorious view from the huge windows in the living room of the apartment. Wow! This apartment is super modern, complete with a touch sensitive faucet in the kitchen sink, an oven/microwave combination, and they even put in a projector! We were hoping to have a big ‘ole movie night later! Hehe 

Once we all take a nice long walking tour of our new home, we unpack and head out to the grocery store. We need to grab some dinner and snacks for our last couple of days in Colombia. It’s hard to believe the end of this chapter is near. 

We head out of the apartment, and I immediately love my surroundings; there are street artists and street vendors along a wide pedestrian only road that leads right to the neighborhood town square. Almost inexplicably, I get the best vibes from this place! I can’t wait to explore more tomorrow!

Once we’re back at the apartment, we attempt to figure out the washing/drying machine, but it appears that the drying feature doesn’t work, or is so slow that it’ll never work for us haha. Oh well, hang dry it is! At least we have the washer! :). I also attempt to figure out the projector situation, but realize we need to hook it up to one of our devices with an HDMI cable. Another strike! Lol. None of our devices have that port, so I guess we’l’ be watching the old-fashioned smart TV, haha. I go over to figure that one out and again greeted with issues. Gah! There are two remotes, and I try using both of them, but only one will turn the TV on, and after that, nothing. Interesting. So I troubleshoot with the cables, turning it on and off, etc. Nothing. Hmm…Then we wonder if it could be the batteries. Thankfully, the other remote took AAA batteries, and I had extras that I had bought as backups for my headlamp for our volcano hike back in Guatemala. I popped those babies in, and the remote worked! Hooray! So we put on some Netflix and watched The Office, essentially our show for the entire trip, lol. We didn’t get too much work done, but we certainly enjoyed the binging party, hehe. 

The next morning, we woke up fairly leisurely, and Dana and I had the last of our coffee, made with a French press. Yum! While we were waking up, we attempted to come up with a game plan for the day. We knew we wanted to start with Montserrat, a church overlooking the city on a nearby mountain. The city of Bogotá is surrounded by mountains, much like Medellín, and we couldn’t pass up the panoramic view that awaited us at the top. 

We grab an Uber to the ticket booth, which is where we’d be riding a funicular to the top. The funicular runs in the morning, and in the afternoons, the cable car transports people up and down the mountain. This would be my first time ever on a funicular. So fun! I love first-time adventures! :). When we get there, the line is super long, and when we got in the line, it was shady and quite chilly! I wish I had brought another layer, lol. We get our tickets and move over to the other line, which is the line to get into the funicular. We wait what seems like forever….we didn’t adhere to the number one rule: Always go early! Lol. Lesson learned! Haha

We make it up to the top, and along the way, we pass through a long tunnel, and Dana says she believes this is the longest funicular she’s ever been on. Cool! Not bad for my first time, then! 🙂

At the top, we quickly realize that people must come up here and spend the whole day! There are so many restaurants and cafes, and even an artisan market. We don’t really want to do anything besides enjoy the views, so we head over to the wall that overlooks the city and take our photos. We tried to identify our building, and I was 99% sure I was right, but I was later proven oh so wrong, haha. Whoops! 

Once we had our fill, we headed back down in the funicular and grabbed an Uber to the Plaza del Bolívar, the heart of our neighborhood, La Candelaria. We want to walk around and see some of the colonial architecture and enjoy the area before returning to the apartment. This is our last day, after all! 

On our way to the plaza, we see a little shop that serves filled “buñuelos,” something I had my eye on since the very beginning. We get four of them, two filled with chocolate and two filled with a raspberry-like syrup. Oh man, these are delicious! Basically, it’s a fried donut ball with the goods squeezed into the middle. Yum Yum Yum! We enjoy a little snack before tackling the rest of the neighborhood. 

We come up with a plan as to how to walk around and see all the things but are thwarted by blocked roads. We then notice a caravan of 5 or 6 of the same exact vehicle with a police escort driving down the street. Ahhhh, there must be some politician or someone being brought to one of the government buildings located in this area. Cool! I bet you don’t see that every day!

We finish the walking tour by visiting one of the oldest churches in Bogotá, Nuestra Señora de La Candelaria.  It was really cool! The roof was covered in wooden beams, and the walls were covered with ornate stations of the cross, I believe. There was one section that was gated off but glistened as if they were real gold accents in there. I imagine it’s real gold, and maybe at some point, all of these stations of the cross were adorned with gold. It makes me think of the history of Latin America, and how the Spaniards and other colonial powers came and scoured the earth for precious metals, taking them back to their own countries, or using them for their churches. On the one hand, the building is wildly beautiful, but on the other hand, it’s a representation of colonialism at its worst. I’ve always struggled with that contrast, and I think I always will. 

Once back at the apartment, Dana and Hayden decide to head to a local mall in order to find replacement sneakers. Theirs are pretty trashed at this point, no thanks to the volcano hike and the most recent muddy Salento hike. I, too, left behind a pair of sneakers. I was sad to see them go, but they served me well and saw some amazing things. As far as sneakers go, they had a pretty great life, lol. 

The mall trip was successful, with both Dana and Hayden purchasing a pair of sneakers. Hooray! Now that business is taken care of, back to the apartment we go to find a place for our last meal together. Awwww. 

We look through a couple of menus, but we all unanimously agree on one called El Origen. With a group decision made, we head out, excited but feeling a bit sad that our time together is coming to a rapid end. I wanted to treat Dana and Hayden since they welcomed me so graciously to their backpacker lifestyle and let me hang out for the better part of a month. But, they beat me to it! Hehe. Great minds think alike, I guess. I’ll get you guys next time! :). During dinner, we reviewed some of our favorite moments from the last several weeks, and dang, do we have some good memories, and boy, did we eat good! Haha. 

Feeling grateful and now sufficiently full, we head out for one last helado (ice-cream) together. We make our selections, and with our cones in our hands, we walked around the little park that is directly in front of our apartment building, taking in the last views of Bogotá and Colombia. Such a bittersweet moment. I’m so grateful to have had this opportunity, but I am sad to leave it behind. I’m going home to fun things, and there will always be a new adventure waiting, but closing a chapter and saying goodbye is always tough. 

We settled back into the apartment for one last night together. We play some music as we pack up and prepare for the next grand adventure. I’m off to Boston, where my handbell group will be starting up again for the spring. I’m so excited to be back ringing handbells, and if you’re in the New England Area, please check out The New England Ringers! 🙂 Dana and Hayden are off to a surprise location, I’ll let them announce that when they’re ready :). 

Once packing is done, we decide to throw on our favorite show, The Office, and try to “work” while watching. Yeah, right, haha. I gave up on the work and just enjoyed watching one of the greatest series of all times. By 9pm, we were ready to call it a night, as we’d be catching a 5:30 Uber to the airport, for our lights the next morning. Until tomorrow! 🙂

This morning, we woke up at 5am, as we planned to catch the 5:30 Jeep to the trailhead. We are going to be hiking about 7 hours through a national park, and the main attraction is the Cocoa Valley. This valley is home to extremely tall palm trees that look otherworldly. The rest of the hike is mostly through a cloud forest, with a small section in an alpine region. Hayden researched the hike, and we’ve seen pictures, and we’re all super excited to go! An added bonus, Hayden says it’s mostly flat! Sweet!

We get to the center of Salento by 5:30ish, where the jeeps leave, and there are no jeeps and no people around. A pack of dogs comes straight for us, apparently wanting all the attention and cuddles. We waited around for quite a while, thinking about how we could’ve slept longer, hehe. Part of us being up so early was to beat the incoming rain and thunderstorms headed for Salento in the afternoon, but also to be one of the first groups to the hike, to avoid people in our pictures. 

Finally, two jeeps arrive, and I go to ask one of the drivers what time we can leave for Cocoa. He tells me not until 6:30! Hehe. Ok, better early than late, lol. Dana and I are itching for a coffee, so we spot a corner cafe just opening, and we make our way over there. We wait a minute for the machine to get warmed up and have a delicious americano while walking back towards the Jeeps. We notice a little stand, and it has the prices listed for the Jeeps. Excellent! No haggling today! It was such a smooth system, and once the ticket booth opened, we were able to pay for round trip tickets. Easy! 

We hop into an orange Jeep, and it’s full, so two other passengers hold onto the back while standing on the ledge. It only takes about 30 minutes to get there, and soon we’re scrambling out of the Jeep and taking a look at the all trails app to see where to begin. In most of our research, the best suggestions were to go counter-clockwise on the trail, saving the best part, the tall palm trees, for last. But, the hike is expected to take 5 hours, and with the weather being iffy, we decided to go clockwise. We were the first Jeep there, and we figured if we started right away, we wouldn’t run into too many other people. 

As we orient ourselves with the map and begin our hike, a pack of dogs comes to hang out with us. We named them… Scrappy, as his hair was wiry and looked like a scrappy dog, Lord Henry Charles Wadsworth Buckenheimer III Jr, as he looked like a German Shepard and English bloodhound mix, complete with the hound howl, Sirius/Padfoot, a mostly black doggo, which obviously reminded me of Harry Potter. 🙂 And last, but not least, Ms. Marble, as her coat was a brown and black marbling. These guys followed us through most of the hike, but we did eventually lose them all. 🥲 

Walking through the farmland and where the tall Cocora trees are located was so peaceful and beautiful! I couldn’t get over how tall these trees were! We took tons of pictures and were keeping our eye out for lookout points to snag the most scenic photos we could. We make our way to one lookout point and spend a little extra time there, having a few snacks, and Dana gave some clean water to Charles (his short hand name, lol). As we were finishing up, we noticed how quickly the clouds began moving into the valley. It was amazing to watch! The clouds filled in everywhere we could see, hiding most of the farmland, palm trees, and the big mountain peak in the distance. I’m glad we got our pictures when we did! Hehe. And so glad we started with the palm trees first, as we would’ve risked not seeing them at all. 

We wonder for a brief moment, if it’s best to just turn around and go back. We didn’t really want to get caught in the rain, but we were prepared with rain jackets, ponchos, and waterproof backpack covers. We decided to push on. 

This trail is anything but flat and is actually more like a continuous incline for the first 3 miles, lol. Thanks, Hayden! He then admits he based the “flat trail” assumption off of the pictures we saw online, which were of the tall palm trees, which comprises only a small section of the hike, haha. 

We come across a place that looks like we may need to pay an entry fee. We had read online that we’d have to pay twice, as the trail traversed private property. We did pay 10k pesos before we began, and this was the total amount we expected to pay. So maybe they combined the entry fees into one? There was nobody at this place, so we just walked past and kept going. 

We kept our eyes out for birds, as a sign showed us the varieties that were in the area. Two small and colorful types of toucans, the Andean condor, among other beautiful birds. I really wanted to see a condor, but ultimately, I was not rewarded with a sighting. 

We continue on our path upwards and eventually enter what appears to be an alpine zone, with some pine trees and a much cooler breeze. We arrive at a wooden gate and have to check on the all trails map which way to go. Through one side of the gate is what looks like a house, and a little boy is outside riding his bike around. The other part of the gate goes down what looks like a make-shift muddy trail, barely wide enough for a single person to walk down. It’s situated on a hill and it’s very steep. The all trails app says to go the skinny muddy route. Ok, here we go! Dana is in the lead, trying to get a snippet of video for TikTok when she slips in the mud! Thankfully, she missed all the poop that was nearby and caught herself with one of her hands. Her phone was safe, and she didn’t injure herself more than a bit of a scraped hand, thankfully. We’re now cracking up and saying that no, this trail is not flat at all, but it’s actually flat on your ass trail. Haha. 

We carefully make our way down this slippery slope, and we enter a cloud forest area. It’s beautiful and dense and humid, and with all of that comes a ton of mud. More mud than we’ve seen yet on the trail, and this is a step downhill path. Good luck to us! Haha. The dogs are still with us, Marble and Henry, and they bolt pass us as we’re trying to maintain our balance without falling, nearly knocking us off our feet. If only we also had 4 legs and were closer to the ground, maybe we’d be just as fast as them, hehe. 

We come to a part of the trail that is literally walking through a babbling brook. Are we sure we’re going in the right direction?!? Hehe. We are, and we do our best to keep our sneakers and socks dry. It’s not too long before we have our first real fall. Dana slips and slides down the trail, getting sufficiently muddy, She’s a champ and gets up, but not without some bruises and scrapes. This is definitely a “flat on your ass” trail. 😂.

Now more carefully than ever, we make our way down the trail, guided by our furry friends, and motivated by the sound of rushing water of a nearby waterfall. 

We come across some fellow hikers, going in the other direction, and one poor guy was afraid of dogs, and there were plenty around, barking, and playing rough with each other. Hope he makes it okay! We assured him the dogs we came across were very kind and wouldn’t bother him, besides wanting a few loving belly rubs. 

We found the water and it’s gorgeous! Not qutite a waterfall where we are, but its rushing pretty fast and adding a calm serenity to our hike. Now our trail crisscrosses the river, and there are small wooden suspension bridges that look like they may or may not take the weight of the three of us, let alone one of us. Yikes! I guess we’ll give it a go, lol. We cross over just fine, and it becomes quite fun, bouncing around on the bridge. There must have been 5 or 6 of these bridges, and one was unfortunately defunct. The solution to crossing was a very narrow bridge, 3 or 4 bamboo stalks in width, with a tiny wire to hold onto for support. This is crazy! And so much fun! Hehe. 

We’re coming across more and more hikers, and we realize we’re not too far from the end of the trail. We’re getting ready for a solid lunch, and hopeful we’ll miss the rain that is allegedly on its way. 

We grab a jeep back to town, and the first order of business is to walk up to the town lookout. As if we didn’t hike enough already today, we decided to hike 6 or 7 flights of stairs, haha. It was tough, but when we got up there, it was a nice view of the small town of Salento. All the tile roofs were nestled between the rolling hills, and the clouds were sneaking their way in, giving the town a cozy, dreamy look. 

On our way back down we get attacked by these little black flies, and they bite! There were people weed whacking and must’ve disturbed a nest or something, because these guys were all over us! We take off our hats and try our best to swat them away, but we are not match for their speed and dexterity. We come flailing down the stairs, smacking ourselves with our hats, and swinging our other arms all around in an attempt to prevent some of the bites and discomfort. We get to the bottom of the stairs, and Hayden is a block away, taking off his long sleeve layer, trying to get the rest of the little bugs off of him. Dana and I are helping each other, again, utilizing the hat swatting method. We manage to get most of them off, but as we walk towards our lunch spot, I find one down my shirt, and Dana had one on the back of her shirt, still trying to hitch a ride. What the heck are these things?! 

Flustered as can be, we walk into a nice restaurant and pick a table to chow down. Our hike was a brief 8 miles, and was topped off with the stair climb, and our grand finale of the black fly swarm, we were ready to sit and relax. We had some amazing hamburgers and fries, and we headed back to the hotel.

Dana and I had our sights on a massage, offered by the spa in our hotel. We checked the prices, and they had a couples special, “because we deserve it,” Naturally, after the day we had, I’d say we earned it and then some hehe. We shower and get ready for our relaxing afternoon, and head to our massage. We got a basic facial and then the full body massage began. It was so relaxing! After the massage part was over, we got to spend an hour in a jacuzzi with a cocktail! Amazing! And all of this for just $37. Totally worth it, and we loved every minute. Once we walked back to our room, we were so tired and relaxed, we tried to get some work done, but ended up falling asleep pretty early, hehe. I guess we were more exhausted than we thought hehe.

This morning, we made our way to the main park in El Poblado to catch our day tour to Guatapé. The big attraction here is an enormous rock protruding from the earth, which has a whopping 700 stairs to climb in order to get to the top. I thought we were done hiking? Haha. Never. We’re never done hiking, as there is always a hike to be done. And it’s always worth it! :). It’s a 2 hour drive from Medellín to where we will be stopping for breakfast. We had a traditional breakfast with scrambled eggs, an arepa, a portion of cheese, a piece of toast, and hot chocolate. Perfect fuel for the 700 stair climb that awaits us….right? Lol.

Next stop is the rock. Here we go! Haha. We rush to be one of the first groups of people through the ticket counter, hoping that we’ll get to the top early enough to snag some pictures without other people in them. I tracked the climb on my watch, and it only took us about 20-30 minutes, including a few rest stops and a handful of picture opportunities. I guess our hiking has paid off! Hehe. We get to the top, and the views are quite wonderful. We were blessed with an overcast sky, which helped keep it cooler, although we were still dripping with sweat, hehe. The breeze was clutch and helped refresh us after the ascent. We wander around, doing our due diligence of taking instagram worthy pictures and taking in the various views. The rock overlooks a giant man-made lake that has many unique inlets and outlets. The color of the water is a lovely greenish blue, darkened a bit by the overcast skies. Once we had our fill of the vistas, we began our trek back down the rock. 

The way down was a separate staircase and much more narrow than the one going up. This caused a significant traffic jam, as we were relegated to move at the pace of those ahead of us. Every once in a while, the slower groups would pull off to the side as much as the narrow stairs would allow, and we’d creep around the corner and resume our own pace. 

Once we were back to the flat ground, we spent some time looking for sunglasses for me. I don’t think I’ve mentioned it yet, but my sunglasses broke quite a while ago, and at this point, I can’t remember where we were when I discovered this, lol. The frame cracked, and the one lens would fall out if I wasn’t careful, but for the most part, they were still functional, lol. Dana told me I needed to replace them, but I also wanted the challenge of seeing if I could make it the rest of the trip with them, hehe. Anyways, while we were going through the sunglasses, I did find a pair that was the style I was looking for, and they were multi-colored, which was what I was also what I was looking for. When I was living in El Salvador, I always managed to find wild neon colored sunglasses, or once a pair that was covered in little flowers, and another pair that had multiple colors, all of different parts of the frames. So, the ones that I found were designed with the three colors of the Colombian flag: red, yellow, and blue. Cool! So I go ahead and buy them, Dana now satisfied that I can ceremoniously throw out my old ones. 

Our next stop was the town of Guatapé, which is the most colorful city in the Americas, and second only to a town in China, according to our guide. A quick google search claims the most colorful town in the world is actually in Indonesia. 🧐. Top colorful town or not, it was so cute! Early in its history, the houses were made of wood, and needed protection against the rain and humidity, so the solution was to build a wall around the building, half a story tall, and put images on them. This collected the water, and it ran into the streets as opposed to sticking to and rotting the wooden structures. These are called zocalos. At one point, all the houses were required to have these, and if not, they had to paint their house a bright color, and this is how they managed to become the most colorful town in the Americas. 

We wandered about, hoping to find a place for a coffee and a smoothie, but all the restaurants accepted cash only, or a minimum purchase of 50k pesos to pay with a card. 50k would’ve been fine if we were buying lunch, but our lunch was also included in this tour. We were trying to conserve our cash for our next couple of days, but we had to burn some to get out drinks. And good thing we did, as we ordered coffee to warm us from the cold breeze blowing through town.

After Guatapé, we had lunch, and again, it was delicious! I had beef, beans, rice, a plantain, and a little mixed salad. And to wash it all down, we were given a sugarcane lemonade. Yum! 

And now, onto the last adventure of the day: a boat ride on the man-made lake. But first, we were told to go visit what was left of the old town of El Peñol. This town was demolished in order to create the lake, which serves a giant reservoir for the surrounding towns. It was the traditional colonial architecture, and all the stores were touristy souvenir shops. It didn’t’ take us long to walk around, and we headed down to where the boats were. 

As we are standing there, an announcement is being made from what looks like a floating barge, instructing us to get onto one of the boats. Sweet! We’ll get the first pick of our seats. They make us take life vests, and we all groan a bit. It seems like in this part of the world, health and safety are almost an afterthought. For example, hiking up to the ridge of an active volcano is fine, but getting on a boat without a life vest is where the line is drawn, lol. I was forced to take a life vest once before, and was told I needed to wear it in the water, so I did, and it was so big, it actually inhibited me from swimming properly. At that point, all it does is keep you afloat until you’re rescued, but think about swimming somewhere to safety, forget it! Haha. 

We ran up to the top deck; there were 3 levels on this thing! We sit next to our new friends we made from Miami, Mike, and Alexa. They’ve just come down for a long weekend adventure, as the flights are so easy from Miami! How cool! During the boat ride, our guide shares with us that the big cross ahead of us is where the old church used to be located before they flooded the area. It was really neat to be floating above what once was a town center, and on the outskirts of the lake, a couple of remnant colonial buildings that didn’t need to be demolished for the lake. What a neat history! 

And then, the coolest history lesson was a small swath of hilly terrain that had some ruins on it. We were told that this was once a farm owned by Pablo Escobar himself! Wow! La Finca is what it was called, and I’m pretty sure that’s the first one he bought, as it’s in a show I’m watching about him. Apparently, he built his homes with double walls as a preventative measure, and most of his properties were not unlike bunkers. I guess you gotta be smart when you’re in that industry, lol. We’ve read and been told that Pablo Escobar is a touchy subject for many Colombians, and out of respect, we steered clear from any tours about him. But here, we were rewarded with a little snippet! Sweet! 

Our turning around point on the boat tour was a gorgeous shot of the giant rock we walked up, way off into the distance. It doesn’t look as intense from here, hehe. The ride back was cold as the sun completely disappeared behind the ominous gray clouds. There were a few young men behind us drinking beers and being rowdy. We think they must be part of a bachelor party or something. Dana, Hayden, and I, and the couple from Miami all roll our eyes, and thank god we’re no longer in our 20s, lol. That party lifestyle is no longer for us, haha. While still young and adventurous, none of us feel the need to be partying while traveling, hehe. 

Back on the bus for another 2 hour ride back to Medellín. We hit some traffic, and it takes a bit longer than anticipated, but we finally get back to the Poblado park. We get off the bus and have jelly legs, hehe. But even so, we walk towards our favorite supermarket to get some snacks for our 5 hour bus ride tomorrow, and for the 5 hour hike we’ll be doing the day after. Back to the grind! :). 

We had a lovely dinner of pasta with peas and broccoli, and the most delicious pesto bread from the grocery store bakery, and some M&M brownies for dessert. We watched a few episodes of The Office before turning in for the night. Next stop, Salento! 🙂

The next day, our bus didn’t leave until 9:15, so we had a good chunk of time in the morning. We woke up a bit earlier than usual, as Dana and I wanted to shower and we still had to pack our bags, have breakfast, and figure out next steps for Dana and Hayden! I won’t give any secrets away, but their plans are always spur of the moment and can change with the slightest hiccup or connection. 

We get to the bus station in plenty of time, and just stand around waiting to get on. The bus looks like one you’d assume would transport you between big cities, comfortable seats, big windows, and it does have a bathroom! But, the bus is shorter than those typical larger ones. Our ride is allegedly “only” 5 hours. At the time I’m writing this, we’re going on 6 hours and change, lol. 

But, the ride has been beautiful, through the tall mountains, down winding roads, set right along the ledge. Most of these roads we traveled were in excellent condition, and we passed by several road work areas, clearly enhancing the highway system. We went through several tunnels, each remarkably well done, with obvious emergency exits, and fire hydrants every 100 meters or so. I’ve never felt so scared or embarrassed by the tunnels in Boston, lol. I risk my life every time I go to work, traversing the Sumner Tunnel, which looks like it could cave in at any moment, lol. Thankfully they’re working on it…but I doubt it’ll ever be as nice as the ones here in Colombia. 🤣

The tall mountains are capped with clouds that seem to just spill over the tops and into the upper forests. We drive alongside several rushing and wide brown rivers, presumably fed by the rain fall higher up in the mountains. We enter the coffee region, as becomes obvious when as far as the eye can see are hillsides covered in coffee plants, some young and short, and others robust and full. I’m looking forward to a coffee tour, that is, if we can fit it in! 🙂

We get into town and walk in the rain towards our hotel. We’re clearly in the mountains and it’s chilly and wet here, hehe. We check in and get situated in the hotel and head out immediately to find some food. Hayden found a restaurant and we were so hungry, we didn’t really care about what they had; we figured we’d find something worthwhile on the menu, lol. We each got a chicken dish, and the piece of chicken was just about as big as the plate. No way were we going to finish the whole thing, lol. We ate while the cool breeze blew into the restaurant, blowing out the decorative candles they had on each of the tables. 

Full and happy, we return to our hotel room to shower and get some sleep before an early morning tomorrow.

Today, our main objective is to take a walking tour of Comuna 13 in the western part of Medellín. This community was the most dangerous place in the city 20 years ago and arguably the most dangerous community in the world. Contrary to popular belief, this was not in any way related to Pablo Escobar, as the violence in Comuna 13 surged after Escobar’s death. The community sits in a strategic location geographically within the city of Medllín; the main road that connects the city to the coast lies just behind the mountains of Comuna 13. Any goods that were being trafficked in or out of the city passed through that road, and anyone in control of Comuna 13 had control of the highway and the goods being trafficked. 

There were several guerillas and paramilitary groups that were fighting for that control, and these conflicts led to the surging violence in this community. However, in 2002, the government stepped in and decided to invest and try to improve the area. They did so in a controversial way, at best, but ultimately succeeded in the “clean-up” of Comuna 13. They brought in the government military to take out the biggest players of the guerillas and paramilitary groups, and the last operation lasted 3 days and included 2 helicopters shooting down into the community, apparently aiming at the main targets, but how could they possibly be so precise, many wonder. A tank was also brought in, and local residents put mattresses up on their windows to slow down or prevent stray bullets from getting inside their homes. Our tour guide, Cristian, grew up in the community and remembers gathering in the kitchen, and looking out of their window and seeing all the mattresses in the neighboring homes.

After this operation, the government began heavily investing in the community. One of the first projects was to build a cable car metro station. As far as I’m aware, Medellín is one of the only cities to use cable cars as a part of the city transit system. The majority of the city is located in a valley surrounded by very tall and steep mountains. The city has sprawled up these slopes, and as we experienced with our poor Uber driver, Lorena, it’s nearly impossible to access the tops of these communities by car. The cable cars help make the main city more accessible for the communities. 

Another large project was to build outdoor escalators in another area of the community, again increasing accessibility for the residents to the main city. And these escalators have made that area of Comuna 13 a major tourist attraction in Medellín. For me personally, it was a must see, and if you ever make it to Medellín, that’s a non-negotiable place to visit. I loved it so much, and I think it was easily my favorite part of Colombia so far. 

Some of the other projects were to build a new university in the same location that once housed the women’s prison and a community driven project to encourage street art and hip hop. The touristy area of Comuna 13 is filled with expressive murals and graffiti, retelling the tales of the community’s transformation. And there are multiple hip hop groups performing African rhythms and breakdancing, the former a reminder of the influence of the Afro-Colombian influence in the community. Commun 13 is largely comprised of people who were displaced from other areas near the coast and who came to Medellín in search of a calmer life. Many of the homes built were not legal, and many today still do not have official titles. I admire the resiliency of this community and their drive to build a better future for themselves. 

The community itself is a network of tiny staircases that connect the different levels of houses, and narrow streets where motorbikes pass through. There were a handful of cars, but honestly, there wasn’t much room for them. If we didn’t have our guide, Cristian, there is no way we’d be able to find our way around, hehe. The main road that leads straight towards the escalators was easy to find, but weaving in and out of the maze of passageways and narrow alleys was difficult at best. 

As we walk around, I am just taking in the views of stacked homes and brightly colored murals. For me, it was a beautiful sight and an inspiring example of how a community can organize and improve their circumstances. We were told by Cristian that things aren’t 100%, and there is still a level of insecurity, but compared to 20 years ago, it’s eons better. A lot of the improvements are in part thanks to the government investments. I wonder how that could be applied to some of the communities FUNDAHMER (the NGO I volunteered for in El Salvador) works with. The community organization is excellent, and there are many projects funded by sister communities, but what appears to be lacking is government investment. I’d like to learn more about Comuna 13 and how it has evolved so much in just a short 20-year period. 

We finish the tour in a rooftop cafe that serves a local specialty: hot chocolate with cheese! Haha, yes, you read that right; a bowl of hot chocolate and pieces of either mozzarella or “cuajada,” a wet fresh cheese floating in the chocolate. It seems like an odd combination, but I love chocolate, and I love cheese, so naturally, it must be a delicious treat?! It was better than anticipated, and I nearly drank (or should I say ate?) the whole thing! Hehe. I sipped some chocolate, and that forked out a bit of the cheese. I’m pretty sure Trader Joe’s sells, or sold at one point, a chocolate cheese….is this my new quest? To find chocolate cheese? Hehe.

While in the cafe, our guide was preparing a demonstration on graffiti. He showed us how to use the can of spray paint properly, and then gave us each a try. It was way more difficult than it looked, and I now have a whole new appreciation for graffiti artists. I thought I took his tips into consideration, but my “tag” just looked awful, lol. That was a very neat and unexpected part of the tour. 

I could’ve stayed here all day, and there were questions I didn’t have answered, like beyond this touristy area of Comuna 13, how do the other residents feel about the escalator investments, and all the tourism that comes to just a small area? Is there any resentment? Do all the inhabitants of the larger Comuna 13 support the touristy area? I just might need to come back and explore some more :). 

One thing our guide told us is that the minimum wage in Colombia is about 1.3 million pesos ($250/month) and an average rent for the lowest “stratus” (socio-economic class, if you will) is around 700,000 pesos. Rather than divide the population into lower, middle, and upper class, here in Colombia, it’s divided into strata: 1-7, with 1 being the lowest, with the majority of the inhabitants in Comuna 13 falling into status 1. We also learned that during a census, the government fills out a questionnaire that eventually categorizes you into one of the strata. Those in the higher strata pay more for public services, with the extra amount subsidizing those resources for the lower strata, and the lowest strata getting free access to things like health care. Cristian pointed out that this is a socialist system, but Medellín is a conservative city, and most wouldn’t accept this system as being socialist, and yet it exists. Another interesting little fact he shared with us was that in the glamorous expat neighborhood, El Poblado, the higher you go up the mountain, with the better views, the more money it costs. The exact opposite is true in Comuna 13, as the higher you go, the less accessible it is. This thought had never crossed my mind, but I suppose that would be true almost anywhere in the world. If you can pay for the nice view, and pay for a decent road to get there, it’s for the wealthy. If the location is remote and high up, with little to no access, even with a view to die for, it becomes a home for those with less money and resources. 

Once the tour was over, we went back to the apartment for some food and a recharge. We wanted to head out and check out the neighborhood we were staying in, El Poblado. It’s one of the nicest places to stay in the city, and is where most of the expats live. There are a ton of restaurants, from Mexican to Vietnamese to American to typical Colombian. There are tons of bars and clubs, and we can easily imagine what it’s like on a Friday night. Too bad we’re in our 30s now and are usually done for the day before the sun sets, lol. One day we came back and were planning to head out and explore a bit, but needed up playing more Family Feud and Jeopardy on Dana’s iPad, lol, battling someone named Isabelle, who we assumed was a 7 year old sitting on her mom’s couch. Bring it on! Haha.