Even before in arriving in Bogota we were hearing about how we had to go to Andres! It has been on our list but we didn’t go until this past weekend. It is a wild restaurant about 40 mins outside of Bogota and to be honest I really can’t even begin to describe it! We took some pictures! It is Colombian food but the best of it! Seth had a steak that I think was the best since we arrived! The restaurant is HUGE…to give you an idea we heard that they have 400 servers! It’s a giant maze of different rooms decorated floor to ceiling! It would never be possible in the US because of our standards for fire safety! Jackson was so overloaded by the end of our lunch with all of the excitement!

The menu in a metal box. We had to scroll through to see the choices!

Jackson ringing the bell at our table

fresh strawberry juice!

Outdoor kids area with carpentry, painting, clay, ball area, puppets, face painting. If Jackson had been older it would have been amazing for him!

squishing the baby belly. he was ready for nap before we even got seated!

the tables all had bowls of mango, coconut, little fruits that look like orange tomatoes, and oranges.

parade of people in costumes coming through the restaurant

old eye glasses sealed into the wall

when our food arrived so did the bibs!

my ajiaco…traditional colombian chicken and potato soup served with rice, avacado, capers and cream.

Our left overs came in a painted wooden box and a real metal soup pot!

our bill arrived in a wooden box with a flashlight and a magnified glass!

If any of you want to make a last min trip to Bogota we will take you!

I guess it’s about time that I blogged about my trip to the Amazon.  Not that I’ve been putting it off, it’s just that life seems really busy right now.

Which I guess is why the Amazon was such a great trip.  Since the advent of cell phones, I’ve never been somewhere for so long where I didn’t have access to the outside world.  But more about that in a minute.

Many months ago, I started talking to our South African friend Nicholas about going to Leticia (which is the Colombian city on the Amazon).  He was game, but it took a while to take off.  But we finally booked it.  We went over Memorial Day weekend, for 5 days.  We flew into Leticia, which was an interesting town.  It’s the only city in the department (state), which tells you something about the department.   It’s all jungle and forest, and those who live there are indigenous and don’t want to interact with city folk or the government.  I don’t even think there’s a road connecting it to the other departments.  Leticia also shares an invisible border with its Brazilian sister city.  So when we went from Leticia to Brazil, we didn’t even know we had crossed into Brazil.

We then took a boat ride, which lasted about 5 hours.  We were only about half way there when the sun set.  And we had to stop at some river town for a pit stop.  It was really interesting to see the way the locals lived.  As we went along in the boat, we saw the tops of huts/houses which were flooded by the Amazon and other tributaries.  From what our guide said, the owners let it flood, and then when it’s low season, they move back in.  I can’t imagine living on a river.  Not like today’s Mississippi.  Like 500 years ago Mississippi.  Living off the river commerce.  Being affected so much by the high and low seasons.  For example, when the river is in high season, it’s harder to fish, because the fish have more areas to spread out to.  But when it’s low season, they are confined to their little river.  What a strange life!!

Our jungle lodge was neat.  It was all earthy and organic.  They only had electricity for about 2 hours a day, and the only light we had during those times was 3 flourescents in a large mess hall.  The light was dim enough that you could barely read.  Which meant we went to bed at around 8 or so, because there wasn’t much else to do.  Of course, the sun rose at around 5:30, along with the rest of the jungle.  Even before the sun rose, birds and animals and insects woke you up.  We slept in little cabins that had wire netting for walls.  And then we slept underneath mosquito netting.

The weather wasn’t quite what I expected.  There were less bugs, less heat, and less rain.  None of which I am complaining about.

It was definitely hard to be so far away, communication-wise, from Kristen and Jackson.  There was no cell phone, internet, landline, TV, etc where we were.  Which was a nice break.  But was also hard not getting to see how their trip in Cartagena was going.

I definitely got to see a lot of wildlife, but not as much as I had expected.  That was partly because we went out in groups, and weren’t the quietest bunch.  But we did see monkeys, caymans, pink river dolphins, grey river dolphins, birds, and pirranahs.

Overall it was a great and memorable trip.  I’m really glad I went.  But Kristen and I have decided we’re not the kind of couple that enjoys taking separate vacations.  Maybe one day, but not today.

A couple of weeks ago my parents flew in for a quick visit the day that Seth flew out for his Amazon trip. I will let him post about his adventures. But we had our fair share. Jackson, myself and my parents along with a friend and her baby flew to the coast to spend 4 days in the sun and warmth!

I had done tons of research on where to stay and since hotels at the coast are so expensive we decided to look into a business here owned by an American that rents out people’s apt’s for them during seasons when they aren’t using it. We found a good place in our price range, asked tons of questions and then signed the paperwork. When we arrived in Cartagena it was HOT. We got out of the airport quickly and made it to our apt smoothly. The only problem was that the A/C in 2 out of the 3 rooms didn’t work….there was no hot water…one of the rooms had a toilet that didn’t work…and it was scortching hot. We had paid good money to have at least A/C.  It was hot enough that cold showers might not have been too bad. In addition we were told it was on the first floor and right in front of the pool and beach. turns out it was all false advertizing!  So, after going back and forth with our agent we got her to agree to move us to another of her properties. The second was amazing! It had a view of the bay and working A/C and hot water! It was a place that cost far more than the one we originally rented but we got the original price because of all of the problems. So, we re-packed and moved across town. Luckily, we were all too overwhelmed to take pictures of the first disaster place so years from now we might be able to just remember the good stuff!

Once we were settled in it was great! We enjoyed our view and each other’s company. Jackson was a bit too excited to have his grandparents along so woke up at 5 or before each morning looking for his friends. Naps were sparse because of all of the fun to be had!  Here are some pictures…

Jackson’s early morning “attempting to stay quiet at 5AM” activity

Jackson loved it when Ben out “get him”

Ben just chillin’

The pigoen whisperer

The toucan at the Santa Clara hotel where we stopped in to cool off with some lemonade. This was the absolute highlight of Jackson’s trip! If only he could have brought the toucan home with him!

We arrived back home Wed afternoon a few hours before Seth was going to land. I felt kind of quesy on the ride home but figured I was just reacclamating to the altitude. Within a few hours I was the sickest I have ever been in my whole life. By the time Seth walked in from the airport he was home for about an hour before he had to take me to the hospital. We called the doctor and he recommended taking an anti-vomiting med but when I couldn’t keep that down or even water we were on our way. We spent the night there for me to get an IV as I was so dehydrated. They had a hard time getting in the IV. I have bruising all over my arms from them pressing! By the middle of the night they decided they would have to keep me and would not be able to put me in a private room because I was needing nursing care every 5-10 mins. I was so sick I didn’t care where I was! I got to come home mid-day the next day.

My dad felt under the weather as well but luckily we think his was altitude sickness and his never progressed like mine. We spent another day and half together before they had to head back to Texas.  The night they flew out we made a fancy dinner. Beef is so good and  reasonably priced that we went to the butcher and bought a huge beef tenderloin. We had it with melted blue cheese on top! After our feast they headed to the airport! It was so nice to have them around! And such a blessing to have them here when I was in the hospital!

So, our getaway was more of an adventure than I anticipated and it will be a LONG time before I travel without Seth along but it was good to get out of Bogota for a few days and have a nice view!

Today is an exciting day for our friends Dan and Margo! This is the day that their adoption is finalized in court before a judge!!  Seth and Bryce will officially be their boys forever!  Can you imagine getting a call one day that you not only have one baby but 2! Just like that!! Dan and Margo have stepped up and have been great parents to these boys! I think I would have needed a month to get over the shock of twins but they seemed to jump right in!! Congrats, Dan and Margo! We know this is a huge day for your family!

Here is a picture of the boys from recently (I snagged it from your blog, Dan and Margo) Aren’t they so handsome?!!  They are the happiest little pair.