During our stay in Quito, we had the opportunity to visit many of the churches in the historic city center. Within a five-block radius from the central plaza, there are fifteen colonial catholic churches (there are 25 colonial catholic churches in the historic city center) each with its own unique character and beauty. Some of them are pictured below. As beautiful as these churches are, the most impressive church in Quito sits atop a hill overlooking the historic center. El…
North of Quito, Ecuador is the renowned indigenous market of Otavalo, a place full of traditions and handicrafts. We took a day trip to this beautiful pueblo about 60 miles north of Quito. We hopped on a tour bus that passed through several small towns before arriving at the famous artisan market. Cayambe: The Home of Bizcochos North of Quito, we stopped in the small town of Cayambe where we watched how bizcochos are made. People in many Latin American…
Well, we’re now in Ecuador. Our original plan was to go from Medellín, Colombia to Cuenca, Ecuador (Cuenca is a smaller city popular with American retirees for its weather, livability and low cost of living). But to get to Cuenca, we had to go through Quito. There are no direct flights to Cuenca, so we decided to stay a couple of weeks in Quito. Several years ago, we stopped in Quito for a day on our way to the Galapagos…
Well, after six months of living in Medellín, we say good-bye. We are now in Ecuador to experience new adventures and challenges. Over that period of time, we felt really comfortable living in Medellin, we figured out how to get around, learned about the neighborhoods, the people, and the culture. On balance we really liked the city, but no city is perfect, and there are some aspects of Medellín we really liked and other aspects we didn’t like. DISLIKES Noise…
We have been in Medellín for almost 6 months. Next week we head to Ecuador to continue our adventure in a new country. We expected to miss our family and friends, but there are other things we found ourselves missing that we didn’t anticipate. As we planned for the trip, we spent a lot of time deciding what to take and what to leave behind. All in all, we planned very well and have had no major issues with clothing…
Medellín is truly blessed with the natural beauty of lush, green mountains completely surrounding the city. On a beautiful Saturday morning, we headed to a lesser known park called Parque Ecoturistico El Salado located in the mountains of the Medellín suburb, Envigado. After a short ride on the Metro, we hopped on the local bus that took us up the mountain to the park entrance. The Park The 42-acre ecological reserve contains picnic and swimming areas, trails, play structures, and…
Okay, let me start out by stating I am not a big soccer fan. I do know the general rules of play; but I don’t know the fine details of the game including strategies, the players and all the rules. Nevertheless, while in Colombia, I decided that we had to attend a football (soccer) game; after all, it is the number one sport of Colombia and Latin America. As with the popular sports in the United States (football, baseball, basketball,…
Cycling is Colombia’s second most popular sport, only football (soccer) is more popular. Aside from the heavy traffic and hills, Medellín is very conducive to cycling. Ciclorutas Medellín has over 60 miles of bike paths (ciclorutas). These are separate, dedicated bike paths, often along streets and parks. For many people, biking is their main method of transportation. Encicla Medellín also has a bike sharing program throughout the city. Encicla consists of 51 bicycle stations with over 1,300 bikes. Once you…
There are many places in Medellin with a panoramic view of the city. Because Medellin is in a valley surrounded by hills and mountains, it doesn’t matter which direction you go, all around there are hills and overlooks with stunning views. On an early Saturday morning, we hiked up one of the hills called “Cerro de las Tres Cruces” (Hill of Three Crosses). The trail is rated a 2.5-3.0 difficulty on a 1-5 scale. What makes this trail unique is…
For nearly five months, we have been exploring Medellin, Colombia. We have toured different parts of the city, explored neighborhoods, discovered exciting events, tasted new food and drank many cups of Colombian coffee in trendy coffee shops. Medellin has become very familiar to us and feels like home. We know many of the customs and idiosyncrasies that make Medellin a unique and popular city. We have ventured outside of the city to explore some popular pueblos including Guatapé and San…