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. *

Help!

In the past few months, this pregnancy has taught me many things including patience and letting others help me with simple tasks. I refuse to get help with many things. However,  as my belly grows bigger,  I find myself in trouble and I even need help getting up or pick up something from the floor. 

I told my mom a few weeks ago that I was thinking about closing this blog because I'm not traveling anywhere anytime soon and I do not want to make this blog a baby blog. She offered to post some of her best travel pictures and write (in spanish and I'll translate) a few of her adventures around the world.  I liked the idea of having someone who thought me the love of photography share her pictures. She is the reason why I have so many childhood pictures. It is hard to find her in pictures as with any person that becomes the family photographer.  I asked her to share mostly her pictures from trips around Colombia. Since my dad and her are retired, they spend about 6 months of the year in Cali. They are enjoying their retirement and travel constantly.

Airplane Picture 1984

I posted her pictures of her most recent trip to Santa Marta, Colombia with my dad. She doesn't have a fancy camera, but she is a great artist who loves taking pictures. You can see some of her paintings here.  I can't wait to share some of her memories in this website. 

Santa Marta, Taganga, and Tayrona

Last night, I found a great blog that talked about Colombia. It was so nice to read good things about home. Emily also went to Colombia and I'm feeling VERY home sick!! I haven't been to Cali since my wedding last year, to Bogota since 2010, and to Cartagena since 2004.

I  regret that I was never a tourist when I lived there. I always wanted to go to the same place, San Andres, over and over. Apparently, my parents didn't care that we spent our summer and Christmas vacation in either San Andres or Cartagena EVERY single year. Maybe it was because we always thought there could be another time to see something else. Sadly, that time didn't come when it was just a short 1 hour flight. I can't complain, Miami is only 3 hours away from most Cities in Colombia. The worst part is probably my Tampa-Miami flight, the waiting at the airport, and immigration and customs. This means it is a whole day of traveling not just a 3 hour flight.

My parents are now retired and they spend about half the year in Cali and the other half in Tampa. They have started to travel in Colombia again. They recently went to Santa Marta, Taganga, and the Tayrona National Natural Park. I asked my mom to share her travel pictures in this blog. I can't wait to visit this wonderful place.

On Giving Thanks...

Thanksgiving is not an important holiday for me. I've lived in the United States for almost 13 years and turkey is not my favorite food. However, I like the idea of giving thanks and the 2 paid days off are always welcome. I usually travel abroad since November is low season for international travel. Last year we went to Ecuador. This year we had plans to go to Peru. Since I am 8 months pregnant, I am not allowed to get on an airplane anymore. I'm Tampa bound and I plan to enjoy the days off doing the best thing to do this weekend: Shopping!!!!

Black Friday is probably the craziest and busiest shopping day of the year. I'm not planning to join the masses on this day. I am planning to go during the weekend to an outlet mall since they have great sale specials during holiday weekends. 

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

The only choice we have to make is which of the 3 nearby outlet malls we should go to. There are 2 in Orlando and one in Sarasota. It takes about the same time to get to both. The only difference is that the Orlando Outlets have more stores and that since it is a tourist destination they are always PACKED! Black Friday or not, parking is impossible and you feel like they are giving away everything for free because of the excitement of the shoppers. 

One of the things to do when you come to the U.S from other Countries is to shop!! My friends from out of town always ask me which outlet is the best. They are all great, but it depends what you want to buy. They all have Coach, Ninewest, Lacoste, Polo, Banana Republic, Gap, Jcrew, Michael Kors, Nike, Guess, BCBG, Ann Taylor and many other stores. 

Ellenton Premium Outlets

This outlet is typically my choice when I don't want to go to a massive place and I don't want to spend all day shopping.  There are over 130 stores with a great selection and not many tourists. Parking is easy and I love the drive to Sarasota. The only store that is different here is the Saks 5th Avenue that has a great selection of shoes, dresses, designer jeans and all other amazing Saks merchandise at great prices. 

Photo Credit: www.premiumoutlets.com

Orlando Premium Outlets - Vineland Avenue

This is typically my choice when it comes to shopping in Orlando. Probably because it is closer to Tampa. Traffic getting in the parking lot and even out can be tricky. There is only one main exit road and unless you are familiar with the back roads you will be in traffic for a long time. There are over 150 stores in this mall. Some of my favorite stores that are not found in the other outlets include: lululemon, Prada, Burberry, and Tory Burch. My sisters like it because there is a Toys r us outlet store for their kids. The 7 for all mankind store is always a must for me, but you can also find one in the International Drive Outlets. 

Orlando Premium Outlets - International Drive

There are over 180 stores in this Outlet and you don't get to see all of them in one day. I usually plan what I want to buy before I go. Some of the stores that can only be found in this Outlet are Victoria's Secret, Champion, Forever 21, Aldo, and Ugg. There is a Pinkberry to take a break. There are a few better options for food apart from the food court. This is the newest Outlet mall in the area and in my opinion the best option. 

Updating the blog

I've been MIA from this blog. I am officially too busy (and tired) to spend time taking pictures and going to new places. I'm 8 months pregnant and trying to get the nursery ready. Also, I've been working a lot of extra hours in the past few weeks. This has been "interesting" since my energy levels are very low. I don't want to make this blog a pregnancy blog, but here are a few pictures of what I've been up to.

Visiting the Chihuly Collection in Downtown St. Pete, FL

For my birthday this year, I took the day off. One of my best friends birthday is the same day. She flew from Houston to celebrate together. We decided to spend that afternoon in Downtown St. Pete while everyone else had a normal workday. We had lunch at Ceviche, one of our favorite restaurants. After a nice and long luch, we decided to play tourist and went to the Chihuly Collection. This was the first time that we went to see this gallery.

Chihuly Collection, Downtown St. Pete

The Chihuly Collection, part of the Morean Arts Center, is located in Downtown St. Petersburg along Beach Drive. There is a permanent collection from the famous artist Dale Chihuly in the Gallery. The pieces are truly impressive. The entrance is $14.95. There are several ticket options to visit the shop and the glass studios. I got my tickets from Groupon a few months ago at 50% off. There are free tours at the Gallery that I'm sure are a great way to learn more about the artist and his work. Sadly, we didn't have a lot of time to wait for the next tour. Our visit was short, but I'm glad that I visited one of the most famous attractions in St. Petersburg. Pictures were not allowed inside. I got the picture below from the official website.

Photo Credit: www.moreanartscenter.com

Downtown St. Pete

The Vinoy Resort is one of the prettiest hotels in downtown St. Pete

The Best of Washington DC In a Weekend

The main tourist attractions in Washington DC are located around the National Mall. There are several metro stations that can take you there. I created a walking tour map for my sister who will be traveling to DC soon. Hopefully this map will help her see most of the main monuments - except the Jefferson Memorial which is a little out of the way. If you still have energy and time, this monument is worth a visit. There are countless ways to see the monuments, this is just a suggested itinerary. 

This map starts at the Capitol South Station (Blue/Orange Line of the Metro). The first stop will be the Library of Congress. There is a copy of the Gutenberg Bible here. The building is beautiful and since it's free why not take a look inside. Next to the library is my favorite building in DC, the US Capitol, house of the US Congress. I've never been inside, but I know that there are ways to get tickets if you plan a visit in advance. After taking a good look at the Capitol from outside, keep walking along the mall. Decide if you want to stop by any of the many museums along the Mall. 

Library of Congress

US Capitol at Sunset

The Washington Monument is closed after the earthquake last August, but you can still admire the magnificent Obelisk. While you keep walking towards the Lincoln Memorial, visit the National World War II Memorial, walk by the Reflecting Pool, and visit the Korean War Veterans Memorial.

Washington Monument

Lincoln Memorial seen from the Washington Monument

The Capitol seen from the top of the Washington Monument

Korean War Veterans Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

After you catch your breath, visit the Vietnam War Memorial and keep walking towards the famous Pennsylvania Avenue to see the front of the White House. 

Protesters outside of the White House

After a long day of walking, take a cab towards Georgetown's Water Front and relax by the Potomac River.The metro doesn't go to Georgetown, but you can take the bus. If you still have energy to shop, this beautiful neighborhood has many unique shops and stores. This is my favorite neighborhood in DC.

If you have more time, go to Old Town Alexandria and the Arlington National Cemetery. These places are located in the State of Virginia, but they are all connected to DC with the metro system. I was never interested in visiting the Cemetery until my dad insisted that we had to see JFK's eternal flame. I was surprised, I loved this place. The grounds are beautiful and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and change of guard are worth a visit. It is a very peaceful place. I'm glad that my dad insisted on this.

Old Town Alexandria

Arlington National Cemetery

There are many other things to see and do in DC. My visits have always been short and I always get to see something new. It helped to have my best friend as my local guide.  I would recommend spending time at the Museums if you can. They are free and there is one for every interest. You will never be bored if you to to Washington DC.