Day 7 (1/31/22) In Colombia
One of my favorite activities when on vacation is buying souvenirs! Those particular items represent that piece you bring back home to remember the incredible adventure you had or share some of it with those who couldn't be with you. My father took us into town and to a specific part of the city where they specialize in affordable stalls that sell souvenirs and hand-made trinkets. They had from small figurines to handcrafted shot glasses, bags, and purses with hand-sewn leather and thread designs that reflect the indigenous ancestry of Colombia. They had small bracelets and earrings of the braided variety and the beaded style. Magnets and pins are always our favorite items to buy because we have a growing collection of both back home, highlighting our adventures across the states.
I grabbed a couple of bracelets and key chains for friends and family back home since they don't take up much luggage. Ros selected a magnet for our collection that says "Colombia" in the design of a license plate with the flag colors behind it. I also decided to indulge a bit and got myself a hand-made messenger bag with hand-painted designs on its flap. I got a second bag as a gift to my mentor, that has been helping me through my master's degree thus far by letting me sit in her class to do my observations and learn from her. We also bought a couple of local sweets called manjar blanco. It's similar to a dulce de leche from my other home country of the Dominican Republic. I can't wait to give these gifts to their respected people.
After our little shopping spree, we enjoyed some delicious seafood at a restaurant nearby. Something that stood out to me was this beautiful accent wall inside the restaurant, filled with straw hats from floor to ceiling. There were scattered illuminated lights under and around the hats, which made it look almost magical in my eyes. On the way out, I had to stop to take this photo of it for my collection.
We walked back to the car, and on the way, we explored a plaza with little art figurings hanging from the tree branches above us. Almost felt like birds flying in the sky as they swayed in the wind.
Day 8 (2/1)
La Reina & Cristo Rey
I think this day had the most significant physical challenge for us. My father insisted that it was a "small" climb. Still, sometimes I forget that he's a marathon runner that lives on a mountain, and what he considers to be a "small" climb is a hair smaller than an average city dweller like myself, being sent to climb Mount Everest. We drove for about an hour to make our way onto the other side of the mountain. We stopped at one of the entrances to the Farallones de Cali National Natural Park, which makes up most of the mountain. There was a running river that we could get close to, and we could tell that the space was taken care of by the locals who lived there. Nearby there was a small restaurant-like business, where fresh loaves of bread and pastries were sold along with warm beverages. We had a light breakfast before continuing towards the "La Raina" waterfall.
We drove as far as we could go, and we left the car in the middle of the jungle (at least that's how it felt as we were surrounded by trees and not a soul on any of the paths around us. We even had to abandon the stroller halfway up a hill because it was nearly verticle, and it became clear that unless we were superhuman, it was too risky to push the baby in it. Instead, we parked it on the side of the primary path and continued with the baby in the car seat, which was no easy feat either. We huffed and puffed our way while my father sped walked up the side of the mountain. Part of me was in awe, the other was pissed off because I felt betrayed by my father's description of "a small hike," but most of all, I felt relieved as we reached a clearing and we finally saw our first destination. At the tippy top, a ranch-style facility doubled as a resting spot for travelers on their way to the waterfall. Here they would serve drinks and food, and it seems that one could even host events.
We continued onto the final stretch after we rested our feet, fed and changed the baby, and had a few refreshments, we continued onto the final stretch. This bit was indeed a short hike, and within three minutes or so, we finally reached "La Reina". Have you ever stood in front of a powerful waterfall? Its thunderous sound vibrates within you, and the spraying mist is the most refreshing as it lands on your warm skin. For a moment, I felt that the struggling hike was worth it. The cherry on top was the fact that we had the place to ourselves! A private dipping pool by a waterfall, how magical. The three of us changed into our bathing suits and carefully explored the natural pool and got as close to the waterfall as we could. It was freezing! All that more refreshing by the end of it.
When we came back to our belongings, I realized that the baby had fallen asleep to the sounds of the waterfall. To me it was a precious moment, seeing the innocence of my child, and his trust in us to keep him safe within this jungle. We still had the climb down, so we didn't linger too long and continued our journey to the car far below.
An eternity later, we found ourselves back in the comfort of the car, the ache in our legs finally lifting as we drove another hour towards Cristo Rey. We were against the clock, as the day was getting late and we had to be back by a certain hour in order to get our COVID tests for our flight back. We could see the whole city from our vantage point, and the mountains that surrounded it. The huge statue of Cristo Rey got closer and closer until at last, we reached the entrance to the site. We parked at the base and walked through a very strategically placed shopping bazaar filled with souvenirs along the path to the statue. Once we reach it, your breath is instantly stolen away by the view of the city.
We had a small tour that included some humor and historical facts about the statue. It was completed by an Italian artist, Alideo Tazzioli, for the 50th anniversary following the end of the "War of a Thousand Days", which was a civil war in Colombia. Cristo Rey is 21 meters high with a 5-meter base, making it the 10th tallest Christ statue in the world, also weighing 464 tons. The on-site photographer took some family shots for us and printed them right then and there. When I saw the end results, I had to laugh, due to the fact that little Alekos looked just like the Jesus statue behind him. A perfect final memory to mark the end of a great trip.
Day 9 (2/2) and the Flight Back (2/3):
We said our last goodbyes to everyone and traveled into the city for dinner. We enjoyed some sushi at a mall not far from the airport. Dad was supposed to travel back with us but unfortunately, his COVID-19 test results came back positive. Ros and I had negative results, which was a relief because otherwise, we would have to extend our "trip" to quarantine in Colombia until we had a negative test. Our flight was set to be another red-eye, so we arrived around 10 pm to go through customs. Once inside the small airport, we explored every open shop and spent the rest of our Colombian pesos on souvenirs and treats. By 12:50 am we boarded the plane: another restful flight eventually brought us back to NYC. By 7 am we are once more in the city that never sleeps. What will be our next international trip? Any recommendations? Stay tuned for our vlogs on our YouTube channel!
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