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South America

November 2016 - May 2017
  • Taylor S
A 184-day adventure by Taylor Read more
  • Taylor S

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  • Taylor STravelerSouth America

    Armenia, Colombia

    February 10, 2017 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Armenia is one of the three coffee triangle capitals in an area of Colombia where coffee production drives the economy and the cities sell sell sell!

    I stopped just to stay the evening and spent the next morning walking around the center square, fleamarket and enjoyed some coffee in the park before catching the bus to Salento!Read more

  • Taylor STravelerSouth America

    Salento, Colombia

    February 11, 2017 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Salento is quite a tourist attraction known for its brightly colored buildings, coffee tours, and its vicinity to the Valle de Cocora.

    I arrived on Salento on a Sunday when every tourist international and national were visiting. The streets were filled and the souvenir shops were open.

    I walked the hilly streets taking pictures, admiring the brightly colored architecture and the street performers. I met some local musicians and went to their house to play some music.

    I camped in the back of a hostel and woke at 5am the next morning to catch a Willy (jeep) to Valle de Cocora to go hiking.

    The Valle de Cocora is an incredibly amazing and beautiful area at the foothills of Los Nevadas mountains and national park.

    I hiked 9km along a river and up through a cloud forest to a refuge called Estrella de Agua. I then continued down and hiked to another farm house overlooking the valley and down into the Wax Palm valley (60m tall). All and all I probably hiked around 20km.

    I met a fellow Midwesterner and decided to walk back along the road towards Salento until finally hailing a Willy back to town.    Read more

  • Taylor STravelerSouth America

    Filandia, Colombia

    February 14, 2017 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Filandia is a small town on the same coffee region as Salento. Although it's only a 20 minute drive away there are no direct buses from Salento and thus you must catch a bus towards Armenia get dropped off in the middle of the highway In front of a flower shop and then catch a bus to Finlandia.

    For this reason it's not as popular with tourists and relatively more of a secret. This is a good thong because in my opinion it was 10 times more beautiful than Salento. More colorful, leas tourists and instead of hostels, souvenir shops, and restaurants you have actual stores and places the locals use and go to.

    I spent the day wandering around with my fellow midwesterner and had lunch with a view overlooking the entire region.

    The coffee there was good, I got to take plenty of good pictures and didn't feel one bit over run by tourists.

    Filandia you stole my heart, please stay non-touristy-ish.    Read more

  • Taylor STravelerSouth America

    Pereira, Colombia

    February 15, 2017 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Pereria is another one of the coffee triangle capitols. Less touristy, but still has its fair share of nice plazas and parks.

    I spent a day here staying with the sister and her family of a friend I met in Pasto.

    The town was very similar to many Colombian town with its markets, plazas, endless rows of store fronts and host of characters.

    I sat on the Plaza Simon Bolivar which sports a large statue of the independence hero naked riding a horse and listens as the local men chatted and made if of each other trying to tell me about the different characters who always seemed to patrol the square.    Read more

  • Taylor STravelerSouth America

    San Peregrino, Manizales, Colombia

    February 15, 2017 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Having friends around the world is always nice, but especially when they are from your home town, share the same friends and have some actual history. My next stop(s) was San Peregrino a small vereda just outside of Manizales built on rolling hills of coffee, bananas, plantains, avocados and much more.

    Anthony Asher Yates who went to high school with me and hails from Nordeast, Minneapolis lives in his paradise of a finca with his amazingly friendly, funny, and giving girlfriend Carolina. They were kind enough to take me in for a bit more than a week as well as Deanna from Michigan who was traveling South America as well.

    The days were spent cooking delicious food, helping Tony and Caro make their signature marmalade, sauces and hot sauces that they sell at organic markets around the area (check them out on Instagram @ketioka), walking around the beautiful landscape, and going into Manizales to buy good, food and use the internet occasionally.

    I was fortunate enough to be able to relax there and really get into the groove of country living, nothing beats rising with the sun, making coffee, eating avocados from the tree in the yard and watching the plethora of colorful birds that visit.

    One Sunday I went with them to a very small village a couple hours away close to the Sierra Nevadas to participate in a Temazcal a 4 hour traditional sweat lodge with lots of singing, cleansing and healing.

    I'm incredibly thankful for the hospitality that Tony and Caro showed me the time we spent together and all that I learned and experienced from them!    Read more

  • Taylor STravelerSouth America

    Medellin, Colombia

    February 27, 2017 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    I spent a good chunk of time exploring Medellin and the surrounding area.

    Medellin is a large city stuck between several mountains and hiding some pretty amazing secrets within its streets. I was lucky to have two different couchsurfers (Manuel & Natalia) who made my experience special and fun!

    Medellin is home to many different parks, museums, lots of little theaters, hidden cafes and of course has Pablo Escobar tagged to its name.

    One of the great things about the city is its extensive transportation system of metro, light rail, bus, and cable car which not only allows tourists to get around easily, but also allows for small populations on the other side of the valley to access the city and its economic potentials.

    My time was spent wandering the streets, the parks, the museums and meeting people on every step of the way.

    Fun fact Botero the famous Colombiam artist known for his "gorodo" statues or fat statues has a statue In Minneapolis right next to the depot!

    I was lucky enough to take two trips out of the city to Guatape and Santa Elena and meet up with an old friend from Berlin who was here visiting her family.

    I still feel I didn't get to explore everything Medellin has to offer, but hope one day I can come back and see what other surprises Medellin has for me.    Read more

  • Taylor STravelerSouth America

    Guatape, Colombia

    March 6, 2017 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    I took a day trip with my Couchsurfer Natalia to Guatape! Guatape is a small town bordering the lake of Quebrada La Magdalena and sporting a nice giant rock called Piedra de Peñol.

    From the rock there is a great view over the lake, islands and blueish green water. Down on the town itself there are many cobblestoned roads with colorful houses, artists studios, musicians, old men playing cards, and wonderful art on the walls that show the culture of the city.

    In the cities small historical museum they showed us the first camera to come to the city and told us that it was not used much as the people thought it stole their souls! Fun fact I have the very same camera: Voigtlander Brilliant.

    It was a nice relaxing day outside of busy Medellin and got me craving nature again.

    Thanks to my guide / Couchsurfer Natalia for the awesome trip!    Read more

  • Taylor STravelerSouth America

    Vereda Perico, Santa Elena, Colombia

    March 9, 2017 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    What happens when you end up at a bar talking to the Argentinian bar tender and mention you shoot film?

    They put you in contact with their artist / photographer friend who lives in the countryside and has his own darkroom.

    I was fortunate to spend today's on the cold and rainy vereda of Perico near the quaint town of Santa Elena and discuss art, develop a couple rolls of film and enjoy the silence.

    Meet Oscar Molano an artist and teacher at the University of Antioquia. He has dabbled in about all forms of visual art and was kind enough to charge his thoughts, art and lovely finca just outside of Medellin.

    Check him out at : http://oscarmolano.com    Read more

  • Taylor STravelerSouth America

    Tolú, Colombia

    March 13, 2017 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    My first stop on the Caribbean Cost of Colombia was Tolú. A small town that sits inside the Gulf of Morrosquillo. After a 10 hour bus ride I arrived to the coast in the early morning and while the bus was full when we left Medellín I was the only one actually got my to Tolú and this the only one left on the bus.

    The town itself is mostly Afro-Colombian, has a small airport, a couple plazas and along the coast a line of hotels and restaurants. While not a huge tourist attraction many Colombians come here during their vacations to soak up the sun or visit the near by San Bernardo islands.

    As it was low seasons. It many people were there and I had my hotel / camp ground all to myself. I pitched my tent there at the end of town and met the owner Carlos and his father Carlos. They both spoke English even though I preferred Spanish. In fact the Carlos Senior spoke French and German as well.

    I spent two days wandering the streets, enjoying the beach, and sitting on the plaza where a giant tree with tons of vines hanging down provided enough shade from the sun. There you could find old men playing cards, dominos, and drinking tinto. You could also see as a line of fathers on motorcycles lined up to pick up their daughters from the Catholic school attached to the church, and I'm the late afternoons the marines would come and protect the square. Two actually approached me as they thought I had taken a picture of them. That is apparently not allowed. They were both on. Their early twenties and we talked a bit about their time in the military, my travels and... Trump.

    From Tolú I moved on to a place that have yet to name as I will be releasing my experience there as a photo essay and will be keeping it secret until the .    Read more

  • Taylor STravelerSouth America

    Cartagena, Colombia

    March 17, 2017 in Colombia ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Cartagena is a colorful combination of beautiful architecture, people and tranquility. The historic center which is filled with colonial buildings, plazas, small restaurants, cafes, street vendors and, at night, dancers, musicians, and horse drawn carriages is contained within the old walls of the city.

    I stayed in a part of town called Getsemani which boasts a plethora of street art, small alley like streets where families sit, listen to music, enjoy a drink or play games, and a wonderful plaza in front of an old church where at night locals and tourists alike grab a beer, some street food and enjoy live music, break dance performances, meeting new people and watching as kids play soccer or jump on a small trampoline that is set up on the plaza as well.

    I spent a good few days at a hostel called Green House that became a small family along with a few Dutch friends, the two lovely staff Mario and Elaynne and after a couple of dsys the entire block of families tienda owners and barbers.

    I was lucky to catch a Miss Colombia Carnaval style parade for the contestants of the competition, play music on the street with a few locals, and visit a part of town where a Dutch friend has a charity called Milagros de Amor and helps children in the underserved community learn to kick box, paint murals in their neighborhood and enjoy time together in a safe and enjoyable environment.

    Though touristy, Cartagena ( the center) has a real charm, the people are amazing the constant soundtrack of music in the streets is enchanting and the heat... Well there is a lot of that.    Read more

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