March 11 - April 8: Mancora (Peru)

After almost 10 months of travelling, it was time for us to do one of the things that Ace had been bugging Gen about the whole trip: settling down for a whole month in a little surf town somewhere in the middle of nowhere. With a little bit of research, we picked Mancora because it sounded like a place that wasn’t yet developed enough to have lost its charm, while still having more to offer than just good waves. Fortunately, our instincts were right and Mancora was a perfect spot.

We ended up picking a cute boutique eco-lodge to stay for the month. Tom, the owner and French architect about our age, did an amazing job of hosting us and even became a friend to hang out with while we were there. The lodge was very homey (even though it was made out of donkey dung and mud!), and there were usually no more than a couple other guests while we were there. The location was just far enough out of town to be peaceful, but only a 5-minute walk to the beach (although running back barefoot on the scorching hot sand following an afternoon surf session became the few minutes that Ace learned to dread everyday). Another big bonus was that Tom’s girlfriend was an amazing cook so we had yummy breakfasts and even home-cooked dinners when we were lucky. Plus we got to play with our newest friend Tofu, their adorable little dog.

Our days in Mancora were very simple (in a good way), with Ace usually going for a couple surf sessions (unless his shoulder wouldn’t cooperate, which happened often enough), Gen doing her Insanity workout, some reading by the pool or at the beach, possibly some yoga or a hard core massage (the local masseuse was amazingly effective, but incredibly rough… she must have been half German soldier, half sumo wrestler in a previous life), and being asleep by about 9pm. Our lodge didn’t have TV, which made for a nice change as it forced us to entertain ourselves in other ways. Oh – and we must not forget the multiple trips to the bathroom from our daily routine – we think Mancora must be the turista capital of South America!

Digestion problems set aside, the food was surprisingly good for a small surf town. Delicious cheap ceviche, Mexican burritos, and all the fresh tuna one can imagine - tuna tartar, tuna causa, tuna steak, tuna tiradito, tuna salad, tuna tuna tuna! This was a pleasant surprise as it’s fairly important when staying somewhere for such a long time. That said, maybe we’ve had enough tuna for the next little while J

So overall Mancora was a success, and we feel it was a great decision to stop somewhere and relax for a whole month before returning home to the real world in May. But we’re not coming back yet – the next month is packed with what we hope to be some amazing adventures: visiting Cusco and Machu Picchu, hiking in the Andes, sand boarding in the desert, lake Titicaca (the world’s largest high-altitude lake) and the surreal Bolivian salt flats.

Photos - March 11-April 8: Mancora (Peru)

Top Picks - Colombia

•  A sunny afternoon hanging out around Parque 93 in Bogota
• Strolling through the Sunday flea market in Usaquen, Bogota
• Delicious tapas-style lunch at Bistronomy in Usaquen, Bogota
• Friday night drinks and a walk around Zona Rosa, Bogota
• Breathtaking sunset view from Cerro Monseratte in Bogota
• Renting an apartment inside the old city walls of Cartagena
• Spanish lessons at Colombo American Cultural Center in Cartagena
• Trying out some of Cartagena’s best restaurants: Tabetai for sushi, La Paletteria for home-made popsicles, El Santissimo for delicious meat, the Cevicheria and Pizza en el Parque
• A trip from Cartagena to Spa Karmaira hotel for a beautiful resort and amazing seafood
• Watching the locals dance to salsa over drinks at Donde Felipe in Cartagena

February 20 - March 11: Colombia

After 2 months of visiting family (including meeting our newborn twin nieces J), celebrating with friends, watching movies on our couch, sleeping in our own bed, and over-indulging in virtually everything that we had missed at home, it was time to get back on the road!

Colombia was an interesting start to South America, as most of it has clearly not yet become a common tourist destination (we probably saw less than a dozen tourists in our entire first week). While there’s something refreshing about getting off the “gringo path”, it also has its challenges – namely that very few speak any English (conveniently forcing us to work on our pitiful Spanish), and simply figuring out where you want to go (let alone getting there) can be a challenge.  We were also very surprised by how expensive everything was; food and lodging in the areas we visited was almost on par with Canada.

In line with our new plan of slowing down the pace, we only made 3 stops: Bogota, San Gil and Cartagena. Bogota was a success – fantastic restaurants, great markets (our favorite being the Sunday flea market in Usaquen), some beautiful neighborhoods (we stayed in Parque 93, which felt a lot like a Europe), a vibrant clubbing district (Zona Rosa), and a trip up to Cerro Monseratte for an awesome view of Bogota at sunset were our highlights. This was another city that surpassed our expectations in terms of development, with a strong transportation infrastructure (even bike and jogging paths) as well as a high level of security. Well worth a visit.

San Gil, on the other hand, was a complete flop. A small town in the countryside, it is advertised as being the ecotourism capital of Colombia (really?!?). The rafting that supposedly “just might cause our heart to stop beating” turned out to be baby rapids in a little 3-person dingy (check the photos to see our rafting taxi getting setup!); the only “breathtaking hike” that we found was a 20-minute stroll to a nearby waterfall; and the waterfall that “only maniacs should abseil down” turned out to have… well… basically the equivalent of a couple shower heads worth of water. On top of that, our boutique eco hotel happened to have a whole class of school kids staying with us. What can we say? Can’t win them all!!! Next J

Our last stop, Cartagena, was a much more pleasant surprise. It’s easy to understand why this colorful walled colonial town with cobblestone streets, beautiful churches and leafy plazas is renowned as Colombia’s most beautiful city. We stayed for a week and a half, took Spanish lessons at the local school, enjoyed the great variety of delicious restaurants (including some fantastic seafood, sushi and artisanal popsicles), and best of all welcomed our friend Pat to Colombia for a long weekend of the same. The only possible complaint was our failed attempt to find any nightlife, although we got our fair share of that at home over the holidays.

So that concludes Colombia. We had told ourselves that we would do less planning on this last part of our trip, but in hindsight this might be a country that requires a bit more planning (and budget) to experience to its fullest potential. We have been told that we missed some of the best spots such as Tayrona National Park and San Andres. Maybe that’s where the secret jewel of South America that we were hoping Colombia would be remains to be discovered…

Next up, Ace’s long awaited request: a month of surfing in Peru!

Photos - February 20-March 11: Colombia