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Medellin

I have been a vegetarian for about 25 years. Because lately I have been very hungry and having trouble with my sugar numbers, I decided to increase meat in my diet (beans have a lot of carbs in them). Well Colombia is a place to try meat. Their beef is amazing, lean, and very flavorful. Their chicharrón is also pretty amazing. This is a typical dish here with a cocktail made of aguardiente which is a licorice flavor alcohol.

I also took a tour of Común 13. It is a vibrant neighborhood known for its dramatic transformation from one of the most dangerous areas in the city to one of cultural revival. There would be different gang sections here that would be at war with each other with mass killings for years. I loved the colorful murals, the different levels of buildings that can be accessed by stairs and escalators, and the street performances. Now it is a safe place to live and for people to visit.

This cat had his own collection box and let people play with his paws

The bottom is made out of plantain and covered with a tomato sauce.

A michelada frutela. Delicious. I also had a cold coffee drink with bubbly water. Pretty refreshing.

Mango niche. Green mango popsicle with lime juice and salt added to the bottom

After the swim a few of us from the tour went to a local hawker area that was recommended by the guide. I had madongo. It is a soup made of tripe. It was absolutely delicious

After a swim to cool down I took a walk to parque Botero. There are bronze statues created by the artist Botero. It is interesting to see how the streets on opposite sides of the park are different. One side is a literal red light district and the other side is not quite so seedy.

It is almost Easter and lots of street art can be seen.

Guatapé

Guatapé is a small town outside of Medellin that is known for its charming atmosphere, great way to spend a day away, and plenty of things to do. I joined a totally Spanish tour bus which gave me a lot of practice.

El peñol, a granite mountain you can climb (climb 740 stairs that is)

The Atypical house. You can pay to tour inside but we only had enough time to take a quick pic.

This lake is man made and there used to be a church where there is now water.

From the water you can see the house of Pablo Escobar, notorious drug lord. He was one of the most powerful and feared criminals in history. He founded the Medellín Cartel, which dominated the global cocaine trade in the 1980s and early 1990s. His wealth and influence allowed him to bribe officials and fund social programs. On one hand, he was feared and at the same time admired depending what part of society you are from. However, thousands of deaths were caused by him. He was killed by police in Medellín in 1993.

This rock houses another church which is accessed from the other side.

We also stopped at a little farm (Republica Alto De Ho Ho)

From there we went back to Medellin. A pretty long day.

Cali for Monica and Paul’s wedding…

I was honored to be invited to my dear friends’ wedding in Cali. We stayed at an Airbnb mansion and I was so blessed to be welcomed so graciously by her family. We had such a great time. Everyone’s family and the place was amazing.

Monica with Niki and her sisters Emily and Erica

After the wedding was a very fun reception. It went pretty late (sorry I had to nap on a couch at times…). The next day we went to the Cali zoo. It is a magnificent zoo and I had such a great time with her family.

A spoonbill. I waited forever for it to raise its head!

This little monkey was no larger than my hand. So cute!

Speckled bear which is common in the Andes but hard to actually find

As luck would have it, my knee swelled up training for the Camino de Santiago for September. Now I need to have a right knee replacement which has limited a lot of what I wanted to do (used a cane and also wheelchairs in airports…). From here I go to Medellin but will cut the rest of my trip short.

Bird watching

I took several trips over the year to places around Quito that are famous for birdwatching. They are an amazing group and I always have a great time. Here are just some of the pictures.

2nd trip

Spring trip

Last day in Napo lodge, Amazonas Ecuador

On the last day of the amazon vacation I took a boat to Panacoche lake to fish for piranha.

We fished for piranha but no luck…but another group caught one and I did get to try it.

One last night hike…

Napo is a pretty special place and what makes it special is the community effort and commitment.

Yasuní adventures and kichwa customs

In the early morning, I went to the tower to look for the monkeys and birds that are active right at dawn.

Manosaky monkey. Look at that face! They look like bears!

After the sunrise hike and breakfast, we went to the cultural center to learn about the kichwa customs.

Clay pots for various foods from plantain, yucca, and cacao.

Everyday food. From the top is chonta worm (a larvae), cacao bean, heart of palm, plantain (yellow at the bottom), and yucca. The base material in the center is mashed cacao.

Chonta worm and mashed cacao. I wasn’t brave enough to eat the live worm.

Hunting with a blow gun. It was surprisingly easy and I hit the target (stuffed bird) hanging in the doorway

After lunch, we went back to the Añangu river to look for giant river otters. No luck today but we saw a lot of other cool things. I got to help row the canoe. The poor guide now knows I hate to sit still.

This red howler monkey is pregnant and carrying a baby

These coatimundi babies were trying to get across to where momma went. One went up one direction and the other climbed up a vine but fell down into the water – twice. Poor thing….

On the way to various places we would see barges carrying petroleum vehicles. French companies are present here where they care for workers and the environment.

After dinner was a little night hike.

This mushroom gives off a foul smell to attract insects

Clay lick birds, Yasuní national forest

The clay lick at Yasuní (which in Spanish is called a saladero) is a natural mineral-rich area in the park where parrots, macaws, and other wildlife arrive to consume clay. This behavior helps them neutralize toxins found in their diet of fruits and seeds.

We woke up early in the morning to get there and see flocks of parakeets (yellow crowned, yellow tailed, and blue headed) in the first clay pit and macaws and parakeets in the second location. They eventually cover the walls of the clay banks and are something spectacular to watch. We were fortunate to not have to wait too long for the birds to arrive.

Along the way we saw other animals like this little owl.

Red howler monkey

This is the blue Morpho butterfly but the blue is on the inside of the wings. When it flies it is hard to get a good picture.

Poisonous mushroom.

Later in the afternoon I went to watch the sunset at the top of a very tall tower. Unfortunately there was a very hard rain before and fog covered over the area. I did see a red howler monkey pair.

Ecuador Amazon, Napo Cultural Center

The Napo Anangu community is an Indigenous Kichwa community. They are located in Yasuní National Park in the Ecuadorian Amazon. They are committed to conservation and sustainable ecotourism. They operate the Napo Wildlife Center, There is a lodge at the Napo wildlife center and also the Napo Cultural Center. Both are renowned eco-lodges that provides employment for locals and preserves the rainforest.

Yasuní National Park is a Biosphere Reserve, and is one of the most biodiverse places on Earth, The park contains vast oil reserves,which is troublesome as there is drilling in parts. There are also other groups of indigenous peoples who still remain uncontacted today.

After climbing up an observation tower we saw a banded toucan.

View from the tower towards the Napo river.

The next morning we opted to pay for a different tour to the wildlife center in search of the giant river otter. In the video you can see it in the first few seconds. They are fast and elusive.

This large structure on the tree is an ant nest.

As we were watching red howler monkeys and a baby climbed a branch directly over our heads. As we were trying to get pictures we saw that it had started peeing. It missed but was pretty close to the boat. Mono travieso which means naughty monkey.

The row of dark things on this tree are bats.

I loved the reflection of the foliage on the surface of the water. The water is the color of coca cola due to the break down of leaf material. It makes the water slightly acidic.

View from the top of the Napo wildlife tower.

We saw a variety of monkeys on this trip and it was easier to capture videos than pictures.

Unfortunately he drops the snail trying to open it.

The baby squirrel monkeys were so playful.

Not much to see on this video but turn up your sound to hear two groups of red howler monkeys communicating

Mendoza, Argentina

On our final leg of the holiday vacation, we spent a few days in Mendoza which is known for its amazing wines.

The first day we went to Bodega Clos de Chacra for tasting, tour, and lunch.

Wine used to be kept in clay caves and would flow the wine in channels

Lunch was 7 courses (siete pasos). Great food and a lot of wine. Good thing we had a driver!

Needless to say we did not do anything else the rest of the day….

The next day we visited a few wineries. Cruzat is one of the few wineries that produces sparkling wine.

After 2 more wineries, we stopped at Rincon Gieco for a sandwich and wine tasting (by this point I didn’t want any more wine.)

Next is sailing here in Potrerillos, Mendoza followed by a return to Santiago and then to Quito.

Rapa Nui (More photos)

I went to Abu Tahai for sunset. So beautiful. The cemetery is near the archaeological site.

I rented a bike one day and rode across the center of the island. Harder than I thought and very sunny. But I made it to Anakena Beach, had a swim and some pineapple juice and made the trip back. One way is 1.5 hours stopping for pictures.

Vinapu

There are only so many female maoi statues. This is a drawing of what a complete one would look like.

The column in front is the female statue minus the head. The head however has not been recovered.

The pukao or top knot which is the hair (man bun) and are made of red scoria a lighter weight volcanic rock.

Many platforms were reused especially when resources were scarce. The stones were reused for houses and underneath the platforms was a place for burials or houses.

.irador Rana Kau

This crater is a collapsed volcano and some produce found here grows on some of the slopes of the crater.

The petroglyph on this rock is that of the birdman.

Orongo

This is on the other side of the volcano Crater. There is remains of Rapa Nui houses from the 1700’s and reconstructed houses to show what they would have looked like. Here the birdman competition would happen. A representative(s) from each klan would go to the island on a log like surfing to retrieve the egg of the sooty tern.

Ahu Huri A Urenga

Puma Pau

Interesting tree. Not a pine but leaves that are stiff and a bit sharp.

Ahu Akiv

Maoi generally face inland. This looks like it is facing towards the water, but there would have been a village in front of it. The maoi always face towards the people as they represent mana and enlightenment.

So what if there was an alternative explanation to the Rapa Nui culture disappearing?

A theory is the inhabitants of Rapa Nui could have attempted to move to another island They were skilled Polynesian navigators capable of long ocean voyages. Why it is not likely:
1. Rapa Nui is one of the most remote inhabited islands in the world.

2. By the time of their decline, deforestation meant that they lacked materials for constructing large seafaring canoes.

3. They also had less capacity for organizing expeditions.

It has been an amazing 5 days here. Relaxing and so peaceful. Not overly touristic but just enough.