COLOMBIA

What are the things that immediately come to mind when one is traveling to Colombia?  Drug cartels?  Sofia Vergara? Kidnappings?  Well, none of those were encountered in the recent stay there during the last leg of three weeks in South America.  There was a time in the recent past when this most northwest corner of the continent was not so safe for travel or, for that matter, living. Fortunately that is not the case today.  We opted to leave the traffic and elevation of Quito (see previous post) a day ahead of schedule for pure R & R in Cartagena, on the beautiful Caribbean waters, to just sit poolside for a few days and soak in all the travel.

For the next couple of days, it was a matter of going back and forth to the pool and planning where to eat. That was it and it was a welcome break. Cartagena is a vacation hotspot, serviced with direct flights on JetBlue out of NY and Florida. It is easy to see why the locale is so desirable. The older portion of Cartagena is surrounded by a fort-like wall, inside of which are many shops, restaurants, and street vendors, and it is completely safe for walking day and night. The weather was very warm and a bit humid with periodic rains, but so what...? And, if you're of the male species interested in viewing women in very tiny swimsuits (not photographed!), this place is for you!   

Mateo, self-designated hotel mascot.

And a few words from Mateo ...

Guilty pleasure, Colombian style ... 

We had an absolutely top-rate dinner at the restaurant 1621, located at the Hotel Santa Clara (Sofitel) where we stayed. The hotel property was originally a convent founded in -- you guessed it -- 1621; hence the restaurant's name.  The French-born chef did an excellent job with the menu in an absolutely beautiful setting.  It was a wonderful evening all around.

Ceviche made to order tableside

Perfect Fruit Tart

Communal Table

1621 Wine Cellar

Loved this Cartagena store selling frozen treats --
the flavors were endless and delicious!

After enriching the Cartagena economy a bit with some last-minute shopping, it was off to Bogota on the last "internal" flight of this trip, our final stop prior to returning home. There is no question that of the three countries visited, Colombia is the most modern, with a vibrant economy.  Bogota, with nine million inhabitants, also has a happening dining scene (three restaurants in Bogota make the list of the Top 50 in South America), as well as some very upscale malls we perused close to our hotel. Regrettably (from my perspective), the prices were very high so therefore most purchases just didn't make sense.  I say "regrettably" because shopping is always looked forward to on these vacations. I particularly like bringing back something decorative for the house which provides memories of places visited.

With our new friends.
Restauranteur Daniel Kaplan (far right)

In the spirit of "it is not what you know, but who you know," we connected with a gentleman in Bogota with whom we have a mutual friend at home and enjoyed chatting over an excellent lunch of bar-b-que. And I mean authentic "Q" -- as good as anywhere you would find in the U.S.  I had read about La Fama in an issue of Travel & Leisure, brought the article with and followed up on going there. In most cases, advance research pays off in a big way once at the destination. We met one of the principals who runs this restaurant (in addition to others), and got the inside scoop on restaurants in Bogota.  We also learned that it is common practice in South America for many of the really good restaurants to be part of a larger group -- maybe 15 or so under one "umbrella" brand.  It reminds us of the fantastic Chicago operation called "Lettuce Entertain You," where you get top quality but very different dining experiences and foods provided by one operator.

Vibrant lunch scene at La Fama 

Absolutely first-rate bbq in Bogota 

And, as is typical at the tail-end of these extended vacations, the wish to go all day and see sights becomes less and the desire to just play it by ear becomes more.   The end is in sight and thoughts return to responsibilities at home.  

Our last day literally took us to the top of the city. Monseratte, at more than 3,000 meters (10,000+ feet), provides spectacular views. Remarkably,  riding up and down the very steep funicular was a fine, safe, and not-scary-at-all experience ...  

Bogota is a large, sprawling city!

The fake bill passed to us by the seemingly nice cab driver -- about $10 USD.

Times Square?  Nope, Bogota mall ..

For the final evening, a last-minute plan change (due to torrential rains) worked out really well. Not only did new restaurant Primi have a vibrant scene and excellent food, but it was across the street from the hotel.  The couple sitting next to us confirmed what we had heard before, that many Colombians who had moved to the States have since returned to this booming economy and safer environment. 

Buying great leather in So. America is a must ..!

With the final purchases made and final meal enjoyed, it was time to head back home with nothing but great memories of this wonderful trip ...

ECUADOR -- Part 2

Want the inside scoop on what it is like to live in Ecuador as a retired expat? Well, we found out all the details on the next leg of the recent South American vacation.  And it was quite fascinating, indeed...

After leaving the phenomenal Galapagos Islands (see previous post), we flew to Guayaquil with what was to be a brief stop en route to Quito.  There was a medical emergency on board; indeed all indications were it was a fatality.  I mention this to give major kudos to LAN personnel for their swift response time, briefly deplaning us and getting us back on the plane after a short delay and on we went.  Good news is the gentleman was treated, taken by ambulance and we were told survived!

A friend from Los Angeles retired to Ecuador and, after seeing his life down there, we quickly understood why.  There are approximately 15,000 expats in Quito alone, and 500 in the town of Cotacachi where we spent two days, some two hours outside of Quito.  Want to live the life?  Go there and have the house of your dreams for $100K, with land and gardens in a gated community, spring-like year-round weather, on the US currency and current. Amazon and Netflix deliveries?  No problema.   Something to think about as we babyboomers contemplate our life pathways.

We stayed at a gorgeous boutique hotel/spa (La Mirage) with just 11 unique rooms and the grounds were about as lush as one could imagine in this area. Basically all it takes to have a wonderful garden is to throw some seeds in the ground and nature does the rest. Dinner the first night was at the hotel restaurant, with unexpectedly formal service .. 

If you're a lover of roses (who isn't, after all?), then Ecuador is the place to be. The ideal combination of rich soil, long hours of sunlight, and near-perfect weather year around produces gorgeous stems (we saw some that stood nearly six feet!) that grow straight up.   There were rose petals scattered on tables and in the room; they were just everywhere...

The "amuse" or chef's offering was presented in a music box that worked!

Not your average Caprese salad ..

Weekly arrangement of 100 Ecuadorian Roses 

Fedex flies five planes full of Ecuadorian roses to Russia every day.

We first toured the general area of Cotacachi, including the neighborhood where our friend lives, and met some of the other expats living in this part of Ecuador. Our friend planned a terrific day of seeing traditional haciendas. The second was most impressive, called Hacienda Zuleta, a full-fledged working farm and hotel with guests taking advantage of the grounds and environment. They have a fantastic dairy producing delicious cheese (we enjoyed some varieties at lunch) plus a complete garden that sustains all of their needs.  The property, now in the hands of the original owner's third generation, was once 200,000 acres of land granted by Spain, and is currently 4,000.  It was worth the arduous ride to get there, more than an hour into the mountains on unpaved and challenging roads ...  

A home in Cotacachi

Unbelievably green everywhere right at the Equator

The above photos are a private hacienda we visited

Hacienda Zuleta above and their self-sustaining gardens below

You can see I am slightly obsessed with gardens! I keep thinking if I could only translate this at home, but I neither have the space, the crew, the know-how or the weather that these folks have. A girl can still dream ... 

The patriarch of the family who owns Hacienda Zuleta was a former President of Ecudor but truly a farmer at heart; it is his vision that guides the Hacienda and his extended family today.

Quito Hills

We then moved to a sister property in Quito proper and were in the able hands of guide John Papski, a 21-year resident of Ecuador originally from London with Polish heritage.  John was recommended to us by our retired friend mentioned above. It was fascinating hearing how he lives in the countryside with his wife and two young children. We learned a tremendous amount about life in Ecuador, both the upside and the challenges. John had been told we wanted to see any Jewish community here and his research led him to Rabbi Tomer Rotem, an Orthodox gentleman who moved here from Israel with his wife and they now have four children. We were not able to accept his kind offer of joining his family for a Sabbath dinner, but we did briefly make his acquaintance at lunch at an outstanding Italian restaurant called Carmine. He gifted us with his wife's fresh-baked Challah, and it was the most delicious ever. The picture tells it all of just how small this world really is ...

Not exactly Kosher (Chicken Parm) but delicious

The incredible Challah

The Pole, the Rabbi, the Americanos, and Carmine, the Italiano in Ecuador.  Go figure.

After two ambitious weeks of travel under our belts, we opted to exercise our "Flex" fare on Avianca and head to Cartagena a day early for some well-needed R&R.  Yes, one does pay a bit more for the advantage of changing itineraries   "on the fly," but I have learned the hard way that it is well worth it.   

Final post to follow regarding our adventures in Cartagena and Bogota prior to heading back home.

Sight for sore eyes at the Quito airport ..