Day Trip to Guatapé & La Piedra
The two hour bus ride to Gautape was undeniably uncomfortable. The bus swayed as the aggressive driver swerved motos and taxis as he traversed his way up the mountains and out of site from Medellin. The guy sitting next to me undoubtably smelled like old tobacco and fresh wet dog. In exchange for his odor […]
SPANISH, CHAPTER 5: Getting Organized
It feels good getting back into using my second tongue. I’m still far from fluent but I’m starting to grasp the vocab and dialect I need to have a decent conversation. One of my major goals for this trip in Colombia is to get my words organized and get a better understanding of the correct structure […]
Photo Tour: Pablo Escobar’s Medellin
Medellin is synonymous with the name Pablo Escobar, it’s un-deniable. Whether you’re familiar with Vinny Chase’s poor performance on Entourage, or you’re fascinated with the underworld like I am, you know the name. Pablo Escobar is one of the most notorious criminals that has ever walked this earth. Supplying drugs all over the world, he became […]
First Impressions of Medellin, Colombia
Like every travel agent and Colombian guidebook will tell you, “Medellin is one of Colombia’s safest cities”. One of Colombia’s safest cities who, in 2010, had the highest increase in violence of Colombia’s urban centers. Although the Medellin River splits through the heart of the city, distinctly dividing central areas and neighborhoods, I don’t think […]
Bus trip from Bogota to Medellin
The bus ride from Bogota to Medellin wasn’t at all what I expected. I guess I got used to the big beds, first class service and flat, open roads that came with an Argentine bus trip. It wasn’t 5 minutes into the trip that I knew this one would be a lot different. I took […]
New Years Eve in Bogota, Colombia
Carrera 7 is one of the main avenues leading into central Bogota and on New Years Eve it’s closed off to cars and buses to make way for street vendors and live music. As I walked down the street to the big concert downtown I was offered everything from beaded necklaces to weed to life-size […]
The Best Business in Bogota
The streets of Bogota are lined with these walking telephone booths called “Minutos”. It’s a simple operation consisting of a resourceful entrepreneur connected to a plethora of basic cellular phones via chains or rope. People just walk up, grab a phone and have a chat. Once the call is finished the operator reels the phone […]
Taxi Cab Confessions: Bogota, Colombia
On the morning of an international flight to a place I’ve only heard about from glorified gangster movies you would think that my nerves would be at an all time high. Well as anti-climatic as it may be, they weren’t. Even with JFK being packed with stranded travelers no anxiousness or doubt set in. Even […]
Miami Art Deco – South Beach Information
Following the austerity of world war one, the art deco movement was a bold artistic style that grew up through the 1920s. In the 1930s the style reached Miami’s South Beach, and influenced the architectural style of the buildings that went up in this neighbourhood. Today, this collection of Art Deco style buildings is a […]
The Best Florida Vacation (on a budget)
As weather started to cool off in good ‘ol Rochester New York last week, I convinced myself that some “training” was in order in preparation for my next adventure. So with a little planning and 2 very low-key visits to the tanning booth (It didn’t help), I caught a flight to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on […]