Medellin…

 

 

…was awesome. It has a very interesting history but is also very modern.

We stayed in El Poblado, where all the bars/restaurants are. And we were there the weekend of the holiday light festival, so in the photo above, the lights you see behind me are the holiday lights decorating Parque Lleras. The park was a total party- there were groups of friends hanging out & drinking (apparently there’s no open container ban!) then heading to the bars surrounding the park.

Culture-wise, we hit up the Museo de Antioquia and took photos around all the Botero sculptures outside (I love how voluptuous they are). We also spent time up in Parque Arvi, even meeting some really nice locals on our ride over there. All the sites were super easy to reach by using Medellin’s metro system, which includes cable cars.

We ate a lot of empanadas there (they were $1 and so tasty), but had sit-down meals as well. My favorite was at El Graspo de Uva. We had walked by it at one point (it’s in El Poblado) and then I saw this blog post singing its praises, so we went for dinner and loved it.

All in all it was an awesome weekend, and I can now say that Medellin is a great city for exploring.

View of Medellin from the metro cable

Cartagena Sunsets

  



Left photo on the city wall near Las Bovedas, right photo on the rooftop of the Hotel Charleston Santa Teresa

Bogota

 


Most flights to Colombia will take you through Bogota. This was the 2nd time I’ve been to Bogota, and I like the city, but I may skip it next time. But, if you’re there, here’s what I recommend to check out:

La Candelaria - just walk around aimlessly. It’s fun

Monseratte - take the cable car ride up to the chapel, and hope for a cloudless day so you can see all of Bogota

eat/drink at Andres - whether at the original site in Chia or at the new one right in Bogota, it’s such a fun experience

dine at Leo Cocina y Cava. The chef/owner, Leonor Espinosa, puts Colombian food on the map. The ingredients are staples of Colombian food but used in very interesting ways. We had snails, octopus, lobster, and beef medallions. There was sauce made from corozo, and foam made out of… foam? We asked the kitchen to make us their favorite dishes, and they’ve now become ours.

humansofnewyork:

TIME: “30 Under 30: Meet Brandon Stanton, the Photographer Behind Humans of New York”

When I lost my job at 26, I automatically assumed I was disqualified from things like this. Quite an honor and thanks to TIME for choosing me.

(Source: http://download.macromedia.com/)

The 2 places you have to go to in Cartagena: Bazurto Social Club & Cafe Havana.

Please and Thank You

Please and Thank You

"This is your home": Hotel Charleston Santa Teresa

I’ve been having an incredible time in Colombia these past two weeks. There was a slight misstep when we realized an expensive boutique hotel we’d reserved in Cartagena was a) more run-down than their beautiful website let on, and b) under renovation, so we left after one night. Luckily we did not have to pay for the additional nights we had reserved. And even luckier (more luckily?), there was a room available at the Hotel Charleston Santa Teresa. Our new room is perfect and the hotel and staff are magnificent. They let me check in early and when they brought me to the room they said, “If you want anything, let us know. This is your home.”

"This is your home": Hotel Charleston Santa Teresa

 
La Passion Hotel, Cartagena, Colombia

La Passion Hotel, Cartagena, built in the 18th century

 

 
Arsenal Hotel Boutique, Cartagena

Cure for December-
Arsenal Hotel Boutique, Getsemani, Cartagena, Colombia

 
Snacks in Cartagena / Arsenal Hotel Boutique / Getsemani

 

Doors in Cartagena

 
 
Food in Cartagena- Creme brulee at the Sofitel, ceviche at La Cevicheria (2 pics), & gnocchi at El Bistro

Medellin Myths & Legends Parade, Los Alumbrados

@ Art Hotel Boutique, Medellin: Well worn travel mates- simple makeup that packs easily.

Dessert in Santa Elena Medellin Colombia

botero

Botero sculpture in front of Museo Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia

 

Medellin Las Velitas / Alumbrado

Leticia, Colombia: Hotel Amazon Bed & Breakfast. Gave myself a pat on the back for booking this place.

Medellin, from the rooftop of Art Hotel Boutique in El Poblado. More photos of the hotel to come…

La Candelaria. Bogota. Colombia
view from the balcony in room 305 of the Hotel de la Opera

How to choose your carry on ...

How to choose your carry on ...

Saving for Travel

Sometimes saving money is easier when there is a specific, short-term goal in mind. For some people, it’s an object like a new TV or pair of shoes. For me, it’s a big trip somewhere in the world. Spontaneous day or weekend trips are one thing, but I plan major travel with enough time in advance to save some funds. Here are some tips:

• Break it up into chunks: paying off airfare, then saving money for the hotels, then food, then spending money


• If you want, combine the food budget & spending money into a “cost per day”


• Estimate a “cost per day” budget for your destination by checking travel guides or websites


• Keep the money in a savings account, charge your hotels to a credit card with good rewards, and pay off the entire balance when you get back


• Bonus points for keeping a designated online savings account with a fun name like “jetsetter” or “best trip ever”


• Remember to call your bank/credit card company & alert them you’ll be using your card overseas


• Consider where you want to be frugal (buy lots of souvenirs, or take lots of photos?) and where you want to splurge (fancy dinner?) - it’s an extension of how you spend money normally


• Think of how great it would feel knowing your trip is paid for rather than racking up debt


• Enjoy your trip!

preach

I made these (with lots of help).

This Book: Tell Me Something, She Said

aka “What It’s Like to Fail.” a memoir from a once-successful writer in Hollywood who ended up homeless for a little while. You can read an excerpt here (it’s great) and order the book in hard copy or Kindle with the link above. I’m buying it for the next plane ride.

This Book: Tell Me Something, She Said

My problem with these convoluted, inspirational lists is that they offer no real value…

Over at Salon, Mary Elizabeth Williams offers up a few rules for being a grown-up that are much more pragmatic and attainable. Her advice boils down to taking care of yourself and not being a douchebag.

http://nymag.com/thecut/2013/11/adulthood-is-made-of-budgets-soup-and-manners.html

http://www.salon.com/2013/11/18/5_rules_for_being_a_grownup/

Travel Planning = My Happy Place

Here’s how I’ve been planning my trip to Colombia (similar to how I plan any major trip):

Airfare - We settled on our (approximate) dates for travel and bought our plane tickets to/from the US/Colombia about four months in advance. I say approximate because we had flexibility of 1 or 2 days on either side. The best site I’ve used to look for airfare is http://matrix.itasoftware.com/ which is owned by Google.

Domestic Flights: I later used the ITA Software to also look up the domestic flights I wanted to take within Colombia, but found they didn’t use the same conversion rate as the actual airlines used. The difference wasn’t significant, but remember to check the final price when you buy the ticket.

Hotels - I mainly used Tripadvisor to check reviews and then Booking.com to make the reservations. I’ve used Agoda too, but for Colombia, Booking.com had the lowest rates (as shown on Tripadvisor). Also, Agoda doesn’t always send the confirmation voucher to your email, rather makes you sign into your account on their own site to pull it up. All the reservations were just that; they don’t charge your credit card right away.

Organization - Finally, I sent all the confirmation emails for flights and hotels to Tripit and they were automatically put into an itinerary for me. I will probably carry paper copies of these as well, but it’s nice to have the itinerary up on “the cloud” if necessary.

Insurance - If you’re spending a ton of money on travel, it’s probably a good idea to get some type of insurance. You can purchase this with your plane tickets, or a package on your own, or perhaps your credit card(s) offer some type of protection. I found out the life insurance I have with my employer also offers a special travel assistance program, so it’s good to check! 

"Serving the dreams of children and adults" - the Gotham Examiner

Bat Kid

Alpaca wool capes and ponchos - Made in Peru: incredible video on how raising alpacas helps communities in the Peruvian highlands run a sustainable business

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

What to Pack for Colombia

via Travel Fashion Girl & Jasmine Wanders:

Cartagena – As Cartagena has a tropical climate be sure to pack your favourite pair of sunglasses, a hat and plenty of sun cream to protect you from the suns glare, light coloured flowing maxi dresses and skirts are perfect for women, men should purchase a ‘guayabera’ for a local clothing store, it’s kind of like a safari/camp shirt, popular in South America. Don’t forget to pack a printed swimsuit/bikini and cute cover-up to hit up Cartagena’s beaut sandy beaches.

Medellin – For this fashionable city pack your favourite printed dresses and colourful tops team these with a pair of on trend jeans and you’ll fit right in, oh and don’t be afraid to show a little skin.

Bogota – Think slightly conservative and sophisticated clothing (if you want to fit in, maybe you don’t though!), essentials include sunglasses for during the day, a pair of jeans or dark pants, a printed scarf and a light coat and jacket, dress up not down!

What to Pack for Colombia

whatarenouns:

 

inspiration / depressing fact

What would you do before you get a double mastectomy? Deborah Cohan dances to Beyonce at her hospital in San Francisco. More power to you, Deborah, and best of luck with recovery.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/07/breast-cancer-flash-mob-deborah-cohan_n_4227915.html

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/deborahshealingjourney/journal/view/id/527478aa8b5cd3a06104d5e4

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

The secrets of the world's happiest cities

how Bogota turned itself around by redesigning how people get around the city



The secrets of the world's happiest cities

Can I wear those shoes with these pants?

http://www.businessinsider.com/what-color-shoes-to-wear-with-pants-2013-11

totally smitten with Smitten Ice Cream

http://smittenicecream.com/

"I’m still the kind of person, if I see someone cutting in line, it’s like, excuse me, what are you doing? I’ll get in a fight in, like, the Easy Spirit on the Upper West Side, on someone’s behalf."

The Collected Wisdom of Tina Fey

h/t The Billfold

"Blog about it."

I’m going on a 2-week trip to Colombia in early December. I only have a PDF travel guide from ‘09 (which was outdated when I first traveled there in 2011), so I went to 2 different independent bookstores in San Francisco and checked out their travel guide shelves.

There were no books available on Colombia. Central America, yes, Costa Rica, yes, even Cuba. But not good ol’ Colombia. I looked online, and the latest Lonely Planet edition was around ~$20 (still $17 for a used copy) and the reviews weren’t great. I joked to a friend, I think I need to write a travel guide for this place. And they said, you should; just blog about it.

Granted the ‘guide’ will be just one point of view, but we really should have more resources on Colombia. So tumblr is where I’ll record what I’ve pieced together in planning this trip, and while there. Enjoy.

Tim Cook's Employment Nondiscrimination Act Op-Ed

parislemon:

Tim Cook:

We urge senators to support the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, and we challenge the House of Representatives to bring it to the floor for a vote.

Protections that promote equality and diversity should not be conditional on someone’s sexual orientation. For too long, too many people have had to hide that part of their identity in the workplace.

Those who have suffered discrimination have paid the greatest price for this lack of legal protection. But ultimately we all pay a price. If our coworkers cannot be themselves in the workplace, they certainly cannot be their best selves. When that happens, we undermine people’s potential and deny ourselves and our society the full benefits of those individuals’ talents.

How on Earth could you argue with this?

Tim Cook's Employment Nondiscrimination Act Op-Ed

Full leaf kale chips. The lazy girl’s guide to cooking.

Not that you can tell, but I put salt & vinegar on these guys and they taste awesome.

Childhood heroes & adulthood hero

Great post in The Atlantic about how the position of First Lady of the United States of America is a weird anachronism (does anyone aspire to be First Lady?), but one that Mrs. Obama is totally rocking.