travel – Page 24 – PalmTreeMusings

From Colombia to Panama: Hiking the Ciudad Perdida and Sailing the San Blas Islands

August 14, 2013March 20, 2022Posted in Caribbean, South AmericaTagged best things to do in, ciudad del perdida, Colombia, panama, Panama Canal, sailboat Colombia to Panama, San blas islands, South America, travel, travel blog1 Comment

woman with lobster sailboat panama sailing

What a fun two weeks! And yet exhausting! We flew down to Colombia, landed in Barranquilla, and stayed at the Puerta del Sol hotel for one night- very nice! Then a bus ride to Santa Marta, where we prepared for our hike to the Ciudad Perdida. Previously in territory that was dangerously close to the FARC rebel group, this hike takes hikers to the remnants of a hidden city deep in the jungle. The hike itself was 46 kilometers over four days, and involved hiking up – and then back down- three large mountains and crossing six rivers- or the same river six different times, I’m not sure. Between the rain each day, the intestinal discomfort that eventually reached every single one of our group, and the heatstroke that took out one of our group, it was very challenging and at times absolutely exhausting, but I made it and getting to see the ruins of a 7th century city was amazing. And I learned that sleeping in hammocks isn’t so bad.

green fields ciudad perdida Colombia — Chris and Deah, hiking to the Ciudad Perdida

Chris and Deah, hiking to the Ciudad Perdida

man crossing river with rope line ciudad perdida colombia — After a heavy rainstorm, this river was treacherous to cross

hiker ciudad perdida colombia trail wooden bridge over stream — After a heavy rainstorm, this river was treacherous to cross

After the hike and a day of recovery in the quaint town of Santa Marta, we went to Cartagena de Indies to enjoy the beach and the old walled city. I liked the cobbled streets from the old section and seeing how it’s been revitalized and still retained its quaintness. Home to writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a visitor so taken by the charm of the city once remarked to the famous author “You’re just a notary without imagination”.

Caragena Old Town walls at night Colombia — Cartagena Old Town

fortress in colombia cannon — Cartagena Old Town

Ready for some ocean action, we signed on to take a sailboat to Panama. We loaded up with supplies, met our captain and the other couple sailing with us, and set sail. The first two days were ocean crossing, and a bit rough, but we made it through and the last two days were blissful sailing and swimming around the beautiful San Blas islands. Snorkeling, swimming, kayaking, sailing, and lobster to eat- what more can be asked of a vacation? Plus a bottle of Medellin rum, shared four ways.

couple paddle board san blas islands sailboats panama — Paddling around the San Blas Islands

Finally we left our sailboat and made our way in to Panama City, where we went to see the engineering marvel that is the Panama Canal. We enjoyed staying at the Central Park Hotel and Casino and especially their shower and their bed that did not go up and down with the swells. We toured the museum at the Canal, and watched several really large cargo container ships pass through. They are building a second set of locks that will accommodate boats up to three times bigger! That is incredible. All too soon it was time to head home, although to be honest, this time I think was ready to get back to normal life for a while.

Panama Canal boats locks — The Panama Canal

4th of July at Niagara Falls and Toronto, Canada

August 11, 2013May 19, 2023Posted in North AmericaTagged best things to do in, July 4th, mystic muffin, Niagara Falls, Toronto, travel, travel blogLeave a comment

Niagara Falls with skyline in background

For the long July 4th weekend, we decided to drive up to see Niagara Falls and Toronto. We left Wednesday after work, and spent Thursday afternoon and Friday morning at the Falls. We took the Maid of the Mist boat tour, saw the fireworks for the 4th, and tried a couple of restaurants. All in all, Niagara is a cute and somewhat tawdry place to visit for a day or two, not really enough for a whole weekend, unless you also go visit some wineries in the Niagara On the Lake area.

Man standing at Niagara Falls Canada — Niagara Falls

On Friday afternoon we drove to Toronto to check out the city. We stayed close enough to downtown to walk in, and we visited the CN Tower on the first day. We also had some great Indian food, but unfortunately I can’t remember the name of the place. On Saturday we had breakfast at Mystic Muffin, which was a really interesting place, and we enjoyed talking with the owner- a super nice guy. And amazing apple cake. In fact, I planned on going back on Sunday morning to grab some stuff for the drive back, but unfortunately they are closed on Sundays. Sad.

We enjoyed the parks and greenspaces of Toronto, as well as the museum, and overall, had a very enjoyable visit there. I’m glad we visited in the summer- it was hot but not too bad, and we didn’t have to deal with all the snow!

A Return Visit to Haiti

June 28, 2013March 20, 2022Posted in CaribbeanTagged best things to do in, cap hatien, Haiti, labadee, petionville, port au prince, travel, travel blogLeave a comment

four colorful deck chairs overlooking ocean

I took a short trip to Haiti this weekend to visit friends on the island. I can’t believe it’s been ten years since I moved to Haiti to teach- ten years since I moved overseas! So I hopped on an American Airlines jet and went to visit Monica and Andy, my second family.

M&A have turned their lovely home into an 8 room bed and breakfast, which is just beautiful. I got to sleep in the same room I often slept in, so it really felt like home. They’ve made some awesome additions to the place, but the vista of the bay of Port au Prince is still as beautiful as ever (PaP always looks better from a distance). We spent the first day and night up in Pacot and in Petionville, having lunch at Papaye and seeing how Petionville has and has not changed since the earthquake and with more development coming to Haiti. After a lovely dinner- with plenty of wine, of course-, we were all tired and ready for bed.

bed and breakfast in Haiti Petionville Pacot Villa Bambou — Villa Bambou

Villa Bambou Haiti Pacot Ansaldi bed and breakfast port au prince luxury — Villa Bambou

On Saturday morning we went to the municipal airport and took a 30 minute flight to Cap Haitian, flying over the Citadel on the way. We landed, and half an hour later we were at the beach house, changing into our suits. The property is just beautiful, with sandy beaches, an old French fort dating back to the late 1700’s, and a lovely high deck that shows off a great panorama.

haiti cap haitian beach house and ocean — Cap Haitian

lady standing in front of small plane — Cap Haitian

We swam, jet skied, and drank lots of rosé wine. Too much of all three! It was fun to ride the jet ski and go by Norm’s Place, where I stayed years ago, and Labadee, the port for Royal Carribbean, and spend a few hours at a tiny island, just playing in the warm ocean.We hunted sea glass and visited with some daughters of their workers who were having their First Communion.

Haiti first communion four little girls in white — At the beach

two ladies in swimsuits at beach house in haiti — At the beach

On Monday morning it was time to fly back to the capital. I was pretty much ready to leave the beach, as I was sunburnt and tired. We went shopping in town, to pick up some Barbancourt rum and spicy peanut butter, and after a final lunch of my favorite Haitian dish- sauce poids and rice– I headed back to home. My other home.

A weekend in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

May 27, 2013March 20, 2022Posted in US City GuidesTagged best things to do in, falling Water, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Three Rivers, travel, travel blogLeave a comment

Chris loves his National Geographic Traveler, so when they ranked Pittsburgh as one of the top 25 places to explore (in the world?!), we had to go. And while I would have to say a visit to the fjords of Norway or the beaches of Bali might have been nicer, we did have a lot of fun.

It’s a four to five hour drive from our house, so we left mid-day on Friday and visited Falling Water along the way, Frank Lloyd Wright’s house that he designed for a Pittsburgh family. Amazing blend of architecture and nature. I could totally live there. And never leave.

couple at falling water frank lloyd wright pennsylvania — Falling Water

Frank Lloyd Wright Falling Water house pennsylvania — Falling Water

We got to Pittsburgh around dinner time, visited the Warhol museum (open late on Fridays and half price!), then found a bar downtown that was showing the Stanley Cup semifinals, where the Penguins were playing. We had corned beef sandwiches and Iron City beer (a local specialty) and then wandered around downtown in the cultural district, winding up at Andy’s Wine Bar in the lobby of the Fairmont Hotel. I tried a new drink: a ginger beam, made with Jim Beam, ginger, syrup, and ginger beer. Yum.

polka dot art installation at the mattress factory museum pittsburgh pennsylvania — At the Mattress Factory Museum

bridge entering Pittsburgh with skyline — At the Mattress Factory Museum

On Saturday we visited the Mattress Factory, a very weird and yet very fun installation art museum. I loved the room full of silver helium balloons, Chris loved the polka dot room with infinity mirrors. Then we took the funicular up to the top of the hillside that overlooks the three rivers (a bit reminiscent of Khartoum), and then walked along the downtown and South Shore trails until we found the Hof Brau House. I should have known better than to take Chris there mid-day, because we basically got stuck there and had not only lunch but dinner there as well, with several liters of beer between us.

woman sitting on brick window wall with ivy — Pittsburgh Skyline

Sunday, our last day, we visited the Carnegie Science museum, and watched Star Trak: Into Darkness at their OmniMax. Big. Maybe too big. The science center was fun, especially their Sports Works section, and then we just had one final building to look for: Church Brew Works, an old church that has been turned into a brewpub. Great beer and a great lunch, with a lot of ambience.

interior view church brew works pennsylvania pittsburgh — Inside Church Brew

Hopefully our next trip will be more along the lines of the jungles of South America, but Pittsburgh actually turned out to be pretty nice.

Spring in Northern Virginia

May 5, 2013May 19, 2023Posted in North AmericaTagged best things to do in, marathon, northern Virginia, sebring, travel, travel blog, West VirginiaLeave a comment

woman after Washington DC rock n roll half marathon

lady with red convertible car chrysler sebring

Not a lot of travel yet this year- I’ve been sticking closer to home. I’ve been busy though! In March I ran a half marathon, the DC Rock and Roll Half. Then a week later I visited family and friends in Texas for a week, and then flew back to Virginia, and welcomed Chris home two days later. We bought a new convertible and have been tooling around in that enjoying the nice spring weather. We hopped over to West Virginia last weekend and did some mountain hiking and enjoyed the area around Berkeley Springs. The trees are in bloom and it’s a great time of year up here. So happy to be able to spend it together!