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Panama and Columbia
  • Tom Fulham
  • Marcia Fulham
  • Tom Fulham
  • Marcia Fulham

Panama and Columbia

An open-ended adventure by Tom & Marcia Read more
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  • Panama and Columbia
    En Canto coffee seen at a roadside rest stop.
    The orchid is the national flower of ColumbiaDining al fresco at the hacienda.1One of our group turned 70 today so we celebrated with a delicious cake covered with orchids.2A bedroom in the hacienda . Very attractive pillows, I thought4Dining room in the haciendaPitches a bit rustic but there were 3 women cooking and a couple of men servingDona MarisaCity hall in the regional capital of Manizales1To cap off the evening, we went to Mass and received ashes

    Manizales coffee region

    February 18 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    We drove through the Andes mountains at a somewhat lower elevation (read: warmer and more humid) to the hacienda of Don Jose and Dona Marisa. Dona Marisa’s family had been in the area for 150+ years and she had inherited the hacienda from her father. The rooms and old furniture were lovely but we bonded over a mutual appreciation for china, ceramics, and table settings. Due to global warming, the climate is no longer suitable for coffee and they now grow oranges. Don Jose is retired and grows exotic orchids.Read more

  • Panama and Columbia
    Early morning Medellin from our hotel window.
    In side the motocarros a Jerico.Cheated death move again.1Lunch at a family risto. All the furnishings are original.1Inside Isabel.A top-down view of the terraced hillsides.Looking north toward Medellin from a Jerico overlook.The Witches Hat. Supposedly figures in local mythology.

    Manizales to Medellin

    February 19 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    The most important thing we learned today was to pronounce the name of this city as the local Antioquenos do, "Medda-jean". Otherwise, it was an up and down day.
    We departed Manizales (6,300') for the Cauca River Valley (2,100'), then up to Jerico (5,000'), then back to the valley and up to Medellin (4,900').
    Our first stop in the valley was near the town of Irra. During the bad times, the paramilitaries had a checkpoint here and if you looked like a guerilla, they would grab you, shoot you & dump your body in the river. The Cauca became known as the "River of Death" for all the corpses washing ashore.
    Up to Jerico for lunch -- a pretty town with well laid out Plaza Major and a pleasing Cathedral.
    Enroute Medellin, we went through a long tunnel at Mulatos (2,450 m) and an even longer one at Amaga (3,600 m).
    One noticeable change was the dearth of coffee plants in the coffee region. Just like vineyards in Bordeaux, the lower slopes are now too warm and the farmers have had to move up the mountain. As an aside, as part of the Columbian Exchange, coffee came from Africa to America & cacao from America to Africa. Now, cacao is growing again in Columbia on the places where coffee used to be.    Read more

  • Panama and Columbia
    An example of WiFi for all.
    1Cars drive over receptors and generate power2Unusual brew2A pineapple, mango and passion fruit freeze pop. A local fave.One of many escalatorsAt the favellaMore favellasA stairway -- the escalators are replacing these2King of the Road2View from the gondola3A neo-gothic govt bldgPeroGayo2The Nuns and the Cardinal by Debora ArangoThe gondola system goes from the station, up & over the hill and down the other side

    Metrorail, Gondolas & Escalators

    February 20 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    In 1995, two years after the demise of Pablo Escobar, the Colombian govt decided that the way out of the troubles was to invest in the poor people.
    They built a metrorail that connected the far reaches of the city with downtown. They connected the terminal stations with a gondola system that went into the hills. And lastly, they built escalators in the hillsides to replace the long, long staircases to where the poor people lived.
    The result was that the workers be could get to the workplace. We sampled all three modes of transit today and the system works.    Read more

  • Panama and Columbia
    This is the single mother to whom we donated groceries. Her sincere gratitude brought tears to me.
    Example of the commune.1Stairway going up to a group of housesOur fried corvina fish lunch in an Afro Carrie restaurant. Really delicious despite the appearance.

    Medellin

    February 20 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    We had the wonderful experience of going into on of the communities in the mountains above Medellin. New arrivals just build houses above what’s already there. Initially, no sewer,, water, electricity, or a way to get there. The new inhabitants build stairways and connection sewer and water. In about 1995, the city started building a Metro, gondolas, and escalators to reach all of these places. Unemployment is high and most establish small businesses in an informal economy. They are organized into numbered communes. We visited #13 and bought groceries for 4 families. I presented the big bags to a single mother with 2 kids. She was really grateful.

    The metro system is impressive in its cleanliness and efficiency. The addition of the various forms of public transportation has made a huge impact on the quality of life for poor people.    Read more

  • Panama and Columbia
    A truly public bathroom
    The Goat!Inside the Goat #1Inside the Goat #2The Rock of Penol, a tourist attraction with 782 steps up.Our pontoon boat. Marcia is behind the driver on the leftPablo Escobar's club (L) and bombed house (R). The govt took the house when he died.The village is rife with plasterworks called zocalo's originally to assist the illiterateA coffee zocalo.A zocalo makerA zocalo hotelThe original Colombia coat of arms on the city hallEvery town needs a drugstore named for the Pontiff1Moon over Medellin (arrow)2The Goat had a non-stop driving beat

    Guatape Lake & Village

    February 21 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Through one of the longest tunnels in Colombia, the Tunnel de Oriented )8.2 km/5.1 mi) to the 50 year old reservoir at Guatape.
    Primarily a hydroelectric project, it also provides water for Medellin, an increasingly thirsty city. The project was initially conceived in the 1930s and took a while to gain momentum. It took seven years to build and fill as one whole town and lots of little landowners were displaced.
    After arrival near Guatape, we took a Chiva (Goat) ride to the lake where we got aboard a pontoon boat for a quick zip around.
    After lunch we did a walkabout the village which was quite colorful and crowded with tourists.
    Back through the tunnel to Medellin, we had supper to a pounding club beat.
    Tomorrow: We depart the "City of Eternal Spring" and head to Cartagena    Read more

  • Panama and Columbia
    1Corn pancake with cheese and hot chocolate -- all delicious!
    Making corn pancakesLulo -- a refreshing drink made from the local lulo fruit, lime juicelime juice, and a little sugar.3A delightful zocalo outside a hat shopZocalo depicting indigenous slaves carrying cargo and people1Guatape city hallChurch on the square -- nice paint job.Pork rib tostadas for supper tonight

    Puebliando

    February 21 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Puebliando is a Columbian word for going from town to town. People who live in Medellin love to get away from the city on Saturday and/or Sunday and go along the shore of Guatape Lake, created by the damming of two rivers in order to provide hydroelectric power. The area is lush with beautiful flowers and views of the lake. The many villages and settlements on the various fingers of the lake provide countless wayside locations for a coffee, a snack, lunch, dessert, and the another coffee.

    Our guide wanted us to enjoy a similar experience so we started with hot chocolate, a farmer cheese (similar to queso fresco) and a delicious corn pancake. This was followed by a boat ride on the lake and then lunch at a rooftop Ruston with beautiful views of the lake.

    Next stop was the colorful and delightful town of Guatape. Tom and I did a paseo around the main plaza, paid an obligatory visit to the church, and photographed many of the zocalos on the town buildings.

    I think publiando is a custom I could easily become accustomed to to!    Read more

  • Panama and Columbia

    Charming Cartegena

    February 22 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Cartagena is in the northeastern part of Columbia on the Caribbean coast . The city was founded in 2533 and served as a key port for the export of Bolivian silver and import of enslaved African people. Though it’s a city of about a million people, the historic center, where we’re staying, is very colonial in architecture and has only a minimum number of cars. The Spanish built a defensive wall around Cartegena, a World Heritage site, between 1614 and 1796. The original walls and fort are still intact. Tourism is essential to Cartegena’s economy.
    We enjoyed seeing an Augustinian monastery and the old fort that protected the city from pirates and the navies of other countries.    Read more

  • Panama and Columbia
    A sandcastle by a professional builder. There's a tip jar out front.
    Finally had the national brew. Not bad.Grilled fish with criollo sauce & coconut rice.He's everywhere!If you look closely, you can see the white cruise ship. There's room for three at the pier.The monastery' cloister. The monks live upstairs.The. Monastery from the air.Actually a fort, the builders called it a castle so the king would pay for itYour happy wanderers.2They were setting up for a soiree for 120 on the upper battery. Hope they're in good shape!What the cannoneer sees. The old city is off to the right.Old time taxis for tourists.1Fireworks while we had a drink. I suggested it was Washington' bday but turned out to be a wedding.

    Cartagena de Indias

    February 22 in Colombia ⋅ 🌬 27 °C

    A stark change in climate and attitude today. Medellin is high in the hills, an energetic city continually making room for more.
    Cartagena is on the Caribe, hot, humid, beachy and tourist to the max.
    The city was wrestled away from the natives and for centuries it fended off pirates of all stripes. Initially a series of islands (hello, Venice), the Spanish filled in or bridged the flats to create a city.
    We are staying in the old, walled city. Of you woke up and didn't know you were here, you might think you were in Old San Juan. There are many similarities.
    After arrival, we had a windshield tour of the Old City, had lunch, a tour up to the most prominent landmarks (the Augustinian Monastery & the Castillo San Felipe).
    This evening we simply had a glass of wine on the hotel's rooftop bar & called it a day.    Read more

  • Panama and Columbia
    I find the colonial houses very appealing r
    2The gecko indicates that nuns were the original inhabitants. Not clear about the symbolism.An owl indicates the home of a professor or learned personJohn Paul II visited Cartegena in 1988. Very popular here.Look who came walking down our street this morning! Escaped slaves from the Caribbean we're called oDarling girl at the music school. Traditionally, braid patterns indicated a slave escape routeSt Peter Claver was a Jesuit in Cartagena in 1600s. Was called the "slave to the slaves."2Awaiting rehabA renovated block. Designation as a World Heritage Site brought $ and motivation.JP II visited in 1988 and is very popular here.Seafood ceviche at our fancy farewell dinner.Their chocolate ice cream was soooo delicious!One of my favorite buildings

    Farewell Cartegena

    February 23 in Colombia ⋅ 🌬 27 °C

    Cartegena’s designation as a World Heritage Site brought attention from tourists and the Cartegena government. The old buildings had great bones but they’d fallen into disrepair. Upon realization that tourists like history and charm, the locals got busy. Results are very appealing.

    Cartegena has a more energetic and vibrant feel due to its location on the Caribbean coast. Many slaves from the various Caribbean islands escaped to Cartagena. The were called Maroons or Morones. The Maroon Music School is working hard to teach the African music, dance, and traditions of their ancestors. Their presence has also influenced the food — really flavorful.

    Columbia considers itself very aligned with the US. Their economy appears to be in good shape and focused on helping the poor achieve financial success through improved transportation, infrastructure, and education. The 4 big regions are quite different from each other but work together harmoniously under a central government. They consider the country a strong democracy and are proud of their success in reducing drug cartel operations.

    So glad we spent time in Columbia. Thanks to Kevin and Tom, we’ve now added Bolivia to our travel plans. Central and South America have a lot to offer.    Read more

  • Panama and Columbia
    2Cat on a hot clay roof
    2The old cityThe door knockers have meaning. This one means mins live here1Sea creatures = MarinersDriftwood DrummerI guess these fishers didn't go out todaySpanish Colonial Art Deco1The ManThe city bought these to replace the horse-drawn carriagesThese guys were setting up for a big event tomorrow, perhaps? Neat logoShe's an icon of Cartagena. Heroica.A spelling variationChurch & Tomb of St Pedro Claver. A true saint.2Columbia sent naval vessels to the Korean WarNot sure I'd like to live on this Calle1Take me back to Old Habana!Our drum lesson beckons

    Final Day in Columbia

    February 23 in Colombia ⋅ 🌬 27 °C

    We head out a bit earlier as the day promised to be warm (it kept it). We had a pleasant stroll through the old walled city of Cartagena checking out the architecture, landmarks and points of interest. It is a nice town with lots of little shops, cafes, et al.
    Mid-morning we bused east to a much less affluent coastal area populated historically by fisher folk. There we were educated into the intricacies of Afro-Caribe music including drumming lessons and a group dance. Some of our group were more nimble than others but it was great fun for all.
    We had the afternoon on our own so we continued the walk about the old city including St Pedro Claver Church & Museum, and the Museo Naval del Caribe.
    After a bit of re-pack & getting back out our cold-weather clothing, we moseyed down the Calle for the farewell dinner.
    Supper was an exceptional experience. Old Habana style music, Afro-Caribe dancers, fish & wine. The lead off was a rum cocktail -- very smooth and saboroso.
    0300 Reveille. Oof.
    In the words of Simon Bolivar, "People of Cartagena, if Caracas gave me life, you have me glory...Hail redeeming Cartagena!"    Read more

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