New Years’ Eve is often a much hyped, over-anticipated, let-down of a night, but when you get to spend it with loved ones in a tropical island paradise, with a beautiful spread of delectable dishes in front of you, its easy to feel grateful.
All posts by kelleyjanelowry@gmail.com
A taste of Lima with Food C’s Barranco food tour
If I had a guiding principle when travelling, it would be that the best way to get to know a country is by its food and people, and there really is no better way to do this that with a foodie walking tour, hosted by a local. Enter… Food C’s Barranco Foodie Tour with the lovely Carla.
Ballin’ Bogota and the Copa América
Following a whirlwind, activity-crammed few days in the stunning coffee-region of Salento, we weren’t sure what to expect from our next stop – Colombia’s capital Bogota.
Coffee, Hummingbirds and Cocora Valley in Salento, Colombia
We knew relatively little about Colombia’s coffee zone (or Zona Cafetera) when we booked our one way shuttle to a small village called Salento, but the three nights we had in this gem of a town were enough to teach us that this was a place we could definitely come back to.
A Daytrip to Guatapé and La Piedra from Medellin, Colombia
When researching things to do from Medellin, something that recurringly appeared was a daytrip to a small town nearby called Guatapé. Always keen for a daytrip that allows us to get out of the big cities and into the countryside, we quickly set aside our last full day in Medellin for this daytrip – and boy, am I glad we did!
Medellin and its ‘famous criminal’ Pablo Escobar, Colombia
With only a comparatively short time in Colombia (approximately three weeks), we decided to take advantage of the cheap domestic flights and fly from Cartagena to Medellin. In hindsight, this was a godsend as Dave was still sick from the disgusting water he had accidently swallowed whilst at Totuma Volcano and a ten hour bus ride would have been out of the question.
Cartagena in all its colonial, colourful (and mud-covered!) glory, Colombia
We arrived into Cartagena pretty late at night following a lengthy 12-hour transit from Capurgana and it wasn’t until the next morning that we got our first real glimpse of what a beautiful place Colombia’s largest seaside city truly is.
San Blas Island Hopping, Panama
The San Blas Islands are an archipelago of palm-tree packed islands with aqua blue water and a distinctly Caribbean feel, and they lie between the east coast of Panama and the north coast of Colombia. For us, the San Blas also represented the stepping stones on our journey from Central America to South America.
Degustation Dinner at Donde Jose, Panama City
When it comes to backpacking, or travel in general, I am a firm advocate of splurging on the things that bring you joy and create great memories. For Dave and I, a 12-course degustation dinner at a rising star establishment in a thriving metropolis definitely meets that criteria!
Panama City, the Canal and an itinerary change, Panama
Our original itinerary did not include more than a couple of hours in Panama City, however once we decided to skip Costa Rica in favour of Colombia, it made more sense to fly directly from Managua (Nicaragua) into Panama City as opposed to spending five-plus days making the overland journey.