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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
Granada is a grand old dame of a town – colonial architecture; multitudes of outdoor activities (including ziplining!) to keep any traveller enticed; a thriving dining scene; and a lava filled volcano – what more could we ask for?
We heard about a funky, chilled-out, traditional fishing village with great surf about 30 minutes out of Leon, and decided we could do with some funky, chilled-out time on the beach, plus as a bonus, Dave could finally catch some waves.
We arrived in León (Nicaragua) after 16 hours in a shuttle traversing four countries (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and finally, Nicaragua), and were hanging to get to our accommodation for a shower, especially considering the humidity and temperature levels felt considerably higher in Nica.
Summiting the 3,976 metre Acatenango Volcano is, without a doubt, THE hardest, most physically challenging, and mentally confronting thing I have ever done. This bitch was DIFFICULT. So, was it worth it, and would I do it again?