My Favorite Place in Quito, Ecuador

My husband's family lives in Quito, Ecuador. We traveled for 10 days during the holidays last year to see them. This was Emma's first trip to Ecuador and my second one. This trip was only 20 days after coming back from Colombia and I also took a short work trip in between. I was exhausted! 

One of my biggest fears about traveling with Emma is that she will get sick. We arrived to Quito on Christmas eve and Andre's niece got sick that night. The day after we arrived, Emma got sick with a nasty virus that felt like the flu. She had a high fever for one day and after that she started to get better. I got sick the following day and Andre survived. He wasn't that lucky, he got e-coli and ended up in the ER one day. As you can imagine, we didn't do much. The only thing that we did was to spend an afternoon in the historic downtown. This is my favorite colonial downtown and I wanted to take some pictures of Emma and walk around after recovering from our tropical virus. 

Just like it happened in Colombia weeks before, Emma wanted to be carried just by me. I was prepared with my ergo baby and I walked around all of downtown with Emma on my back. She even took a nap there. The altitude in Quito is 2,900 meters and I felt sick most of the days that we were there. It was hard, but I was happy to be out after feeling sick for several days.

For new year's eve, you are supposed to burn the "old year" at midnight. We did this in Colombia too. It's fun to make it and also to burn it and make some noise to welcome the new year. Some people make a full size doll and fill it with fire works. In Ecuador, you can buy a mask and use it for your año viejo. Some of those are local politicians. You can see the masks for sale on the pictures below. 

We don't have any plans to go to Ecuador in the near future, but I am sure we will be back soon. Hopefully we won't get sick again! 

Salento Part 2 & Valle del Cocora, Colombia

Last year, during thanksgiving week, we went to Colombia. It was Emma's first trip to my home country and my first one in over 3 years. We went to the coffee region for 2 days and I fell in love with my country even more. One of the most popular places in the region is a little town called Salento. You can read about our trip and where we stayed here. The town is beautiful and it is close to a place called Valle del Cocora (Cocora Valley). I always wanted to go and see the wax (cold weather) palms. We went to the town mirador (lookout) the first day and to the Cocora Valley the second day. 

Emma was very good during the whole trip. She didn't want to walk more than 5 minutes and she wanted to be carried ONLY by her mom. I did what every mom would do: take her on my back with the ergo baby. At the time Emma was 31 pounds!!!! The 2,400 meter altitude is OK; except when you are going uphill with a toddler on your back. After a long recovery from a broken leg just a year ago, I felt really proud of myself.  

These are some of my favorite pictures from the mirador in Salento:

We hired a tour guide and he took us to the most wonderful walk. You can rent horses or just walk. We decided to walk to the river and back. We were supposed to go to the palm forest, but I was exhausted from carrying Emma after a long walk and that mean really going up the mountain. We will return when she can walk alone!! These are some of my favorite pictures from the Cocora Valley:

If you ever have a chance to visit the Colombian mountains don't miss these places. The pictures don't really show how beautiful everything is. I can't wait to return to this beautiful place! 

Colombia Trip 2014- Part 1

I'm going to try to catch up with our trips from last year. I have a lot of pictures and stories to share. I've been busy at work and the little time that I have left is to spend it with Emma and André. In 2013, exactly on November 20th, I broke my leg. I had to cancel our family trip to my hometown just one week before traveling. I got a refund in the form of travel vouchers valid for one year. We couldn't decide where to go during the year. At first, I was in crutches and recovering. After I got better André got surgery and had 6 weeks of recovery time. Time just flew last year: we just went back to our original travel plans. We would go to Cali, Colombia for 9 days. 

On thanksgiving day, we started our trip to Colombia. This was going to be Emma's first time there and my first time in over 3 years. I was excited and nervous. It didn't help that right after our vacation I was going to travel for work to the North East.  I literally had to catch a flight from Miami to Pennsylvania.  I had to take a suitcase full of work and winter clothes to Colombia and back to the U.S. 

The first issue we encountered on our way there was that I left Emma's diaper bag in the car. My sister took us to the airport with plenty of time. We got the bags out, the stroller, the kid and went to our gate. When we were putting everything through security, I realized what I had done. I forgot the diaper bag in the back seat. Emma's diaper bag was loaded with diapers, food, antibacterial wipes, regular wipes, 1 set of extra clothes, sweater, bottles, milk, sippy cup, toys and everything I wanted to have during the flight. We called my sister and she drove back to the airport. André went (ran) outside to pick it up. He made it in time to come back inside the gate before it was time to board. I really thought that I was going to have a panic attack. In the mean time I went to look for diapers inside the terminal. I found some but they only sell one size (4) and Emma is a size bigger (5). It was not a huge difference but soon after using the smaller size, her pants got wet. I was lucky to have the diaper bag with us again and our additional set of pants saved the day. I'm so relieved that we had time to spare that day. I don't think that we could have survived without her diaper bag. 

The second mistake I did that morning was that I forgot my iPad loaded with apps and movies for Emma at home. I wanted to charge it until the last second and as a result I completely forgot about it. Emma was addicted to YouTube and watching the wheels on the bus was her favorite past time. We were OK during the first flight which was only 30 minutes and at the airports because I had internet. However during the long flight, there was no wi-if available. We made it with books, coloring books and a few apps that I had in my phone. It was hard but we survived the 3 hour flight without an iPad. 

We finally took a break during our layover and had lunch and a Juan Valdez coffee. If I fly in or out of MIA's D concourse I have to have one. I had to buy souvenir pants for Emma because she got her second pair of pants wet and I had no dry clothes with us. It was a Minnie Mouse PJ with shorts instead of pants. Apparently when you can only find shorts in Miami. At least they we're dry. 

I tried to feed Emma some real food during the long travel day. I got her lunch and dinner at La Carreta, a Cuban restaurant located in MIA. Emma didn't want any of it and she just ate fruits and snacks. When we got to Cali our cousin had dinner ready for us. I had never seen Emma eat her dinner so well like she did that day. She was so happy there. She was excited to see motorcycles. I didn't even know that she knew how to say "moto". The first thing that I ate when we arrived at home was a granadilla. This fruit is sweet and is one of my favorites. A trip to Colombia is not complete without my daily granadilla. We went to bed after midnight exhausted and ready to relax for a few days. 

Salento, Colombia

For several years, I wanted to visit Salento. Not Salento, Italy; Salento, Quindio, Colombia. This is a small town in the middle of the Colombian coffee region located 3 hours away from Cali. It was isolated for a long time and as a result, the traditional architecture was preserved. We finally planned a short trip last December while we were in Cali. It took us almost 4 years to get there. Emma was amazing. She didn't cry or complained except almost at the end. We had to improvise her lunch making a quick stop on the road. Luckily, highways are very interesting in Colombia. You drive through the towns and there many things to look around. She got car sick and as a result we had to continue our trip with the windows down. That was all part of the "adventure". 

I fell in love with Salento and with the beautiful mountains around it. After living in Florida for 15 years, I get very excited to see mountains and green landscapes. We had the typical food lunch: trout and a huge green fried plantain. André loves his tostada as you can see below. 

The best part was having a Colombian coffee right in the middle of the mountains where it's produced. The coffee shop was antique and everyone makes you feel welcome. If you want to go, it's on the left side of the church if you are looking  at it from the town's main square or plaza. The barista has been the same for over 20 years and he has pictures to prove. 

Our hotel was only 2 blocks away from the Main Street (5th) and I would recommended it for anyone who wants to go. It's called Salento Real. It's a new building, but it was built to reflect the typical architecture. The rooms are small but comfortable, and the service was incredible. 

There are 3 big reasons to visit Salento and stay a few days: the town, the mirador (overlook) and visiting the Cocora Valley. I will share lots of pictures to share what we did in 2 days. It was enough time to see what we wanted to see, but sadly 4 hours each way is a long way to go and we were too exhausted. I would recommend staying for 2 nights instead of only one night. 

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!!