A Good Year in Review

2012 was probably one of the best and the hardest years of my life. Life has a way to surprise us and this year we found out that we were going to be parents. We are now less than 3 weeks away from holding our baby girl in our arms. We are excited to have a family and to have new adventures the 3 of us together.

Fun times in Buenos Aires

We started this year with many travel plans that didn't happen. We went to 3 new Countries this year, which is fine with my goal of visiting at least one new country every year. It is not a hard goal, but for 2 expats that always feel homesick it is quite difficult to fit in a third vacation. We loved Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay. Sadly I couldn't have all the wine that I wanted, but we absolutely loved the Cities that we visited. I also loved our trip because I got to see 4 special friends. My cyber friends Kyle and Emily in Santiago and 2 of my childhood friends in Buenos Aires. The later 2 hosted us in BsAs. Our time in South America was amazing. I even forgot about my morning sickness during this trip when I was thinking about those days. I was 7 and 8 weeks pregnant while we were there and it was definitely hard to be away from home. We did not make it to Colombia or Ecuador this year. 

New Friends in Santiago

Old Friends in Buenos Aires

In March, we went to Miami to see one of my favorite singers,  Juan Luis Guerra, in concert. We had a great weekend in Miami and the concert was better than the one that I went in 2005. After the concert we went to a great Colombian-owned Club in Miami. We NEVER go out dancing, so this was one of the highlights of that weekend. 

Miami, Fl

We took a little baby moon trip to Sanibel Island in September. I wanted a real baby moon somewhere in the Caribbean, but we have to be responsible and save our vacation days for January. We decided to stay local and save those days for when we really need them.

Sanibel Island

I spent a lot of time at the beach this summer. I felt tired all the time, but the beach is so close that I tried to go as often as I could. I also went to Daytona Beach after 10 years for a work conference in June. 

Ft de Soto Beach, fl

Daytona Beach, Fl

I had several friends visiting this year. Of course we went to the beach.

Ft. de Soto Beach, Fl

Last Christmas, I got my first DSLR. I started the year very motivated to find sunsets, beaches, and local places to photograph. Andre and I took a photography class early this year, but I could definitely use more practice. Santa got me a new lens this Christmas, so I am excited to learn more about my new hobby.

We also spent a lot of time at the theme parks. We had the Disney annual pass until April and then we got the Busch Gardens/Sea World Pass.

For my birthday in October, 2 of my best friends flew to Tampa to celebrate with me. They also planned a baby shower for Emma. We had 3 very special guests that we didn't know were going to be be in town when we picked a date for the shower. My cousin from Colombia, my Mother in law from Ecuador, and Andre's favorite aunt from Jacksonville. Also, two of my oldest friends surprised me that day driving from Miami. One of them was in Miami for a few days on her way to India (from Colombia) and the other one lives in Miami. I was so happy to see them that I cried. I cry a lot these days, so that might not be a good sign of how surprised I was. It was a very special day and that comes from someone who hates baby showers!!

Now, we are just waiting. I guess I finally understand why pregnancy is also called "expecting". I feel like I've been pregnant for over a year. Counting weeks only makes the wait longer. 

I'm extremely thankful for the love and support from my friends and family.  This will definitely be a new chapter in my life. I can't wait to see what 2013 has planned for us as a family. For the first time in a long time I have no idea where I will try to go next year.  I know that it will be a hassle to travel with a baby. However, I'm not willing to stay with a routine for too long. Plus babies travel free until they are 2 years old. We better take advantage of that and start getting her passport stamps.

May 2013 be filled with happiness and new adventures for you!!

Another Sunset from Cypress Point Park

Last weekend, we finally went to a nearby beach to take a few pregnancy pictures before it's too late. Our baby girl will be here in exactly one month (or hopefully less) and we were running out of time. Since sunset is now so early we went to Cypress Point Park located only 15 minutes away from our place. I have been there before to take sunset pictures with a photography group. I love this place because is next to the airport and is right under the flight path. All the airplanes landing in TIA make me dream about traveling. This is not the prettiest beach in the area, but it is a nice place to watch the sunset and take a nice walk by the water.

Here are some of my favorite shots. These were taken by Andre, my husband, and with the help of a tripod for the pictures of the 2 3 of us. 

Guest Post: Day Trip to Salento, Colombia

Desde que nos mudamos a Estados Unidos have 13 años, hemos apreciado mas a nuestro pais. Cada vez que viajamos, tratamos de visitar lugares a los que nunca habiamos ido o que no habiamos visitado en muchisimos años.  Uno de estos lugares fue Salento. Este hermoso pueblo esta hubicado en la region cafetera a menos de 3 horas de Cali y aproximadamente a media hora de Armenia. Lo mas lindo de la zona cafetera es el paisaje, su clima, y los paisas quienes son probablemente las personas mas amables que existen. Una de las cosas que siempre habiamos querido hacer era un tour en Jeep Willys, uno de los emblemas de la region cafetera. Los Jeep Willys fueron importantes en el desarroyo de la industria del cafe Colombiano y todavia es usado para transportar el cafe y la gente de las fincas.

El jeep que contratamos nos recogio en la mañana en una finca de la region donde nos estabamos quedando junto con mi esposo, mi hermano y mi cuñada. Para nosotros fue toda una aventura montarnos en este jeep abierto en carreteras destapadas y sobretodo a nuestra edad. Este dia no solo fuimos a Salento sino tambien a los pueblos de Filandia, Quimbaya, Montenegro y Pueblo Tapao. 

After we moved to the United States 13 years ago, we appreciate our native Country even more. Every time that we go, we try to visit new places or places where we haven't been in a long time. One of those places was Salento. This beautiful town is located in the coffee region less than 3 hours away from Cali and approximately 30 minutes from Armenia. The best about the coffee region is the scenery, the weather, and the paisas - some of the nicest people you will ever meet. We always wanted to take a Jeep Willys tour which is one of the emblems from the region. The Jeep Willy's was an important part in the development of the Colombian coffee boom and it is still used to transport coffee and people from the coffee farms. 

The jeep that we hired picked us up in the morning in a country house where we were staying along with my husband, brother, and sister in law. It was an adventure for us to be riding an open Jeep along the unpaved roads at our age. We visited Salento and also the nearby towns of Filandia, Quimbaya, Montenegro, and Pueblo Tapao. 

Our ride

Si necesitan prueba que el Jeep Willis es importante en la region cafetera miren las siguientes fotos...

If you don't believe that the Jeep Willys is so important in the coffee region, see the pictures below...

Salento es famoso por la comida, la arquitectura y el mirador. Para llegar al mirador hay que subir mas de 250 escaleras. Vale la pena subir porque desde alli se puede apreciar el Valle del Cocora.  En este Valle crece la palma de cera, el arbol nacional de Colombia, la cual es la unica palma que crece en clima frio. Nosotros no subimos porque ya habiamos ido en otro viaje y ademas acababamos de llegar del mirador de Pueblo Tapao. Nuestra visita a Salento la disfrutamos comprando artesanias, tomando fotos, y almorzando la comida tipica que es trucha con patacones.

Salento is famous for its food, the architecture, and the lookout. To get to the lookout you have to go up over 250 stairs. The climb is worth it because from there you can see the Cocora Valley. The wax palm, the national tree, grows in this Valley. This is the only palm that grows in cold weather. We didn't go to the lookout during this trip because we had been there before and also because our tour included a stop at the lookout in Pueblo Tapao. We enjoyed our trip to Salento buying handicrafts, taking pictures, and having a traditional lunch of trout with fried green plantains. 

From the Pueblo Tapao lookout

Valle del Cocora

Las escaleras que se ven al final de la calle (amarillas y azules) son las que llegan al mirador. 

The stairs at the end of the road (yellow and blue steps) lead to the main lookout in Salento.

Colombia es un pais del cual la gente se enamora por su cultura y por su belleza natural. En mi opinion, uno de los atractivos mas grandes de latinoamerica es ver los pueblos que todavia conservan su arquitectura española. Esta fue nuestra tercera visita a Salento pero en el Jeep Willys disfrutamos aun mas. 

Colombia is a Country that people love because of its culture and its natural beauty. In my opinion, one of the highlights of latin america is visiting the towns that still preserve the Colonial architecture. This was our third trip to Salento, but with the Jeep Willys tour we enjoyed it even more.

Yolanda Suarez, my mother, is an Colombian artist. She will be posting and sharing her pictures in this blog while I'm on maternity "leave" and I can think about traveling again.

Guest Post: Overnight Trip to Villa de Leyva, Colombia

Nuestro paseo empezo en Bogota donde una empresa de transporte nos llevaria hasta Villa de Leyva. El tour que contratamos era una van que se paga por puesto. El precio fue aproximadamente $200 dolares por persona e incluia el transporte, guia turistico y una noche de hotel. Nosotros eramos los unicos pasajeros en este viaje con el guia turistico solo para nosotros. El nos instruyo acerca de la historia de cada region por la que pasamos. La primera parada en el camino fue en Sutamarchan a comer arepas y comida tipica Boyacense. Lo mas representativo de este lugar es la longaniza (un clase de chorizo).

Our trip started in Bogota where a tour company would take us to Villa de Leyva. They took us in a van that was paid by seats. Sharing rides is a common practice in Colombia for out of town trips. We paid approximately $200 dollars per person for the round trip, a tour guide, and one night in a hotel. We were the only passengers that day and had the tour guide for ourselves. He gave us history lessons about every region along the way. Our first stop was in the town of Sutamarchan to eat arepas and typical food from the region. This town is known for its longaniza (a saugage).

La segunda parada fue a conocer el Puente de Boyaca, un sitio historico porque aqui fue donde Simon Bolivar gano la batalla definitiva para la Independecia de Colombia el 7 de Agosto de 1819.

Our second stop was at the Boyaca Bridge. This is a historical site because this is where Simon Bolivar won the last battle for the Colombian Independence on August 7th, 1819.

Approximadamente 4 horas despues de salir de Bogota, llegamos a Villa de Leyva. Esta ciudad es Patrimonio Nacional y en mi opinion la mas linda de Colombia. Este pueblo parece seguir en el siglo 19. Las nuevas construcciones estan obligadas a seguir la misma arquitectura. Todas las casas deben ser blancas con puertas y ventanas verdes; las calles de piedra pueden ser transitadas por carros. Pasamos la noche en un hotel tipo hostal cerca de la plaza mayor con habitaciones y baños privados que incluia desayuno tipico.

After approximately 4 hours we reached Villa de Leyva. Villa de Leyva is a national heritage site and in my opinion the most beautiful town in Colombia. This town is still looks like the 19th century. Any new constructions are required to follow the Colonial architecture. The houses are all white with green doors and windows and the cobblestone streets can be used by cars. Our tour included one night in a local hostel with a private room and bathroom near the main square. The hostel also included a typical Colombian breakfast.

Plaza Mayor, Villa de Leyva

Hostel Entrance

Nuestro tour tambien incluia una visita al Convento del Santo Eccehomo. Este convento esta en las afueras de Villa de Leyva.

Our tour also included a visit to the Santo Eccehomo convent located outside Villa de Leyva.

Al dia siguiente, paramos en El Fosil, el museo de los fosiles donde hay un Kronosaurio exhibido. 

The next day we visited El Fosil, a museum where you can see a kronosaurus.

De  regreso a Bogota pasamos por Raquira para comprar artersanias y disfrutar de la comida tipica de la region por ultima vez. Nuestro guia tambien nos llevo a Chiquinquira a conocer a la famosa Virgen de Chiquinquira.

On our way back we stopped by a town called Raquira to buy crafts and eat local food for one last time. Our tour guide also took us to the town of Chiquinquira to see the famous Virgin of Chiquinquira. 

Raquira

Iglesia de Chiquinquira

Virgen de Chiquinquira

Lo mejor de viajar por Colombia es el cambio de paisaje y de climas en el camino. Este pais es rico por muchos motivos y uno de ellos es la cantidad de pueblos conservados en el pasado.

The best thing about traveling in Colombia is the change in scenery and climate along the way. This country is rich for many reasons and one of them is the little towns preserved in the past. 

*This post was written by Yolanda Suarez, my mother. She will be posting some of her travel pictures in this blog. For more information about Villa de Leyva, there is a NYTimes article here. *