Tired, footsore, and bug-bitten, but happy to have gone.
Ciudad Perdida Pictures
Labels: Colombia Inland
Labels: Colombia Inland
Labels: Colombia Inland
Labels: Colombia Inland
Labels: Colombia Inland
Labels: Colombia Inland
So we had an easy morning this morning, breakfast and internet before we left. However, once we got to the Manizales airport, we discovered that the airport was closed due to 'bad weather'. The approach end of the runway was fogged in.
The long and short of it is that we did eventually get to Bogota, but all the afternoon flights from Bogota to Cartagena were booked solid. So we had to stay overnight (at our own expense) in Bogota. We have seats on a noon flight out of Bogota.
We are again staying at the Platypus Plus, but the price has gone up since we were here 2 weeks ago... from 45,000 pesos to 75,000 pesos. We negotiated it down to 65,000 (about $37). But the room is the nicest we've stayed in since we left Cartagena, so I don't mind too much.
The place seems pretty full, even at these prices. There seems to be an intermediate class of travelers developing... that demand more than the $7/night backpacker place usually offers, but who don't want to pay 'gringo' prices for the big hotels.
Labels: Colombia Inland
Then we bumped and wound our way back down the bad road to the hot springs (and lunch). At that point, I was so woozy that I was just hoping that it was getting so late that we'd skip the hot springs and go on down. I was still dizzy and exhausted from the hike, and the bouncing bus was making me a little nauseous (me, with the cast iron stomach).
But we finally made it to the hot springs. After a good hot lunch, and a soak in the hot springs, I was finally warmed up and felt much better. But even a few hours later, I was still feeling the effects--it felt like I'd been up partying all night.
The trip back down the mountain to Manizales was spectacular! We were well above the cloud line and had to descend almost 10,000 feet. As the sun was setting we could see the cloud tops and green sunlit fields and forests far below. Since the van was moving at such a rapid pace and the windshield was still wet from the snow, it was hard to get a good photo that would show what we were seeing. The sheer drops and scenery reminded us of pictures we have seen of trekking in the Himalayas.
Early on Milton had told us that the road in the park was the 5th highest in the world behind three in the Himalayas and one in the Cordillera Blanca in northern Peru. What a trip and what a place! We finally got back to our hostel in Manizales at about 6 PM, just in time for dinner and a good sleep.
Even though it was a tough hike, we were really glad we went. We highly recommend this trip to others.
More pictures of the Los Nevados hike
Labels: Colombia Inland
Labels: Colombia Inland
Labels: Colombia Inland
Labels: Colombia Inland
Labels: Colombia Inland
Labels: Colombia Inland
Labels: Colombia Inland
Labels: Colombia Inland
Labels: Colombia Inland
We are taking the 8:30 am Cootranshuila bus to Pitalito, and then a collectivo into San Augustin. We will be staying at El Maco (www.elmaco.ch). I think we plan to stay 4 nights. They do have cell phone coverage out there and internet at the hotel. I will try to confirm safe arrival tomorrow night, but don't freak out if it doesn't happen. We'll be arriving late, very tired, and it may take us a day to get oriented and get on the internet.
We have studied the maps with respect to where the 'rescue' took place, and where they show the 'guerilla activity' on the maps. We have also Googled and read many recent online accounts from other travelers traveling the same way. Though our US Embassy forbids their employees from traveling by bus to these locations (and does not recommend Americans go there at all), we feel it is an acceptable risk. The word from other travelers is that nothing serious in this area has occurred for over 5 years.
We'll let you know how it turns out :)
Labels: Colombia Inland
The big news in Colombia is that the military have liberated 15 hostages from the guerillas that have been captives for about 5 years. We've seen a few interviews on the TV in Spanish and don't comprehend all of exactly how it went down. But it is a VERY big deal here. One more step on the road to normalcy, everyone hopes.
More pics of our Bogota adventures
Labels: Colombia Inland