Something very special happened on Friday.
After lying on the grass having lunch in Manly, we went for a walk up to a beautiful look out point (as we do) and Josh got down on one knee and proposed to me!!!
After nearly 8 years of dating we are SO excited to be engaged and are more then ready to commit to sharing the rest of our lives together!
I just wanted to share my special news with you, but for now I must be off as my FIANCÉ is calling me for breakfast 🙂
Have a great Sunday friends!
Happy new year friends! I am a bit behind on the blogging scene, but I am making my return.
A lot has happened since our stay in the beautiful fishing village of Taganga until now. So now just a quick recap 🙂
We had a crazy few days of travelling. Think 5 countries in 2 days. Hence exhaustion hit big time! We made our way from Columbia to Punta Del Este in Uruguay (via Peru, Panama and Argentina). A highlight of our short stay in Punta was catching up with our friends Loren and Ryan. We cooked dinner together
Beached and posed with the (apparently) famous fingers, cool hey? But as you can see the sunshine never lasted long, the sky had other plans.
That was the last of our beach days. We spent the next couple of days catching up on our sleep debt, getting caught and stranded in the streets in the bucketing rain and exploring the town by bus over this insane bridge infamously known as ‘Drunken Bridge’
Another highlight of our stay here was celebrating New Year’s Eve. We dressed up, hopped on the bus and made our way to our friend Alex’s family, who live in Punta and invited us to spend New Years with them.
We had a traditional Uruguayan barbecue (asado), where the meat is grilled over hot coals, with lots of patience and lots and lots of love
Along with the meats we enjoyed delicious cheeses, insanely delicious sweet potato and potatoes stuffed with Roquefort cheese cooked on the asado, salad and traditional desserts. It was such a treat to experience this with such a warm and welcoming family. Thankyou!
After dinner, we brought the new year in with champagne and fireworks.
People in the neighbourhood buy their own fireworks and light them at their a leisure. Sitting in the back garden watching these fireworks was incredible and we actually thought we were the center of it as they were happening 360 degrees around us
The rest of the night involved hitting up a white themed apartment party (in our black and bright orange outfits) and then a longgggg walk home. Was a great night, good company and fun way to begin 2013!
Next we caught our last bus and boat back to Buenos Aires for a few days of unwinding, reflecting, debriefing, drinking, eating and enjoying the very last leg of our adventures. We ended with quite the bang! Josh had accumulated some points from work travel and managed to book us into the magical Park Hyatt hotel for our last 3 nights. Wow. Think showering without thongs, walking barefoot, FREE drinking water, a proper absorbent towel… It is totally the small things you take for granted when backpacking for three months.
The best hotel perk had to be the randomly spontaneous deliveries of fresh fruit 😉
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We also enjoyed exquisite breakfast overlooking the gardens
And complimentary champagne on our last night 🙂
But it was all over to quickly and after 4:45 wake up and 16 hour flight we arrived home VERY excited to see our families!!!
And that brings us to the end of our amazing travel adventure. What a journey!
I feel truly blessed to have shared these incredible experiences with the love of my life. We laughed a lot, and cried a lot from laughing alot.
Before I finish up, I want to thank YOU, my friends (new and old), family, fellow travellers and fellow bloggers for following our journey through my little blog. During our trip My Love Affair with Running transformed into a travel sharing space and I will now continue blogging about my passion for fitness, food and healthy living, so I hope you continue to ride along with me.
On a side note, I am always looking for new products and experiences that can enrich my healthy living philosophy to try and share with my readers. If you have got any health, fitness or natural products you are interested in me Trying and Sharing, please Contact Me by following the link 😉
Hola Taganga! Cute, charming and picturesque fishing village on the Columbian north coast. Definitely a place I could stay much longer.
The 1 street town is always buzzing with artisans selling their crafts, restaurants scaling their fish and people drink beer.
Our days here were spent walking over and around the mountain to the next cove
where the views are amazing
and even better, is the end destination.. Playa Grande
Swimming, kindles, sun and fresh fish for lunch!
An “emotional experience” as Josh put it.
Afternoon drinks, never without our kindles
and gorgeous sunset!
Followed by ice cold mojitos, garlic bread and the most delicious barbeque at Cafe Bonsai 🙂
We spent the next couple of days on the isolated beach of Palomino. We got a good beach run in (which reminds me why I fell in love with running) and amazing kindle time
Unfortunatey, the water was very rough and the beach was a tad disappointing (had nothing on Playa Blanca) so we left a day early so we could spend our last day on the coast in Taganga!
Following a blissful few days on the beautiful Playa Blanca we began planning the last stint of our Columbian adventures and we knew more beach time was what we were after. Enter Tayrona National Park. Beach, forest and seclusion. From the entrance you walk through the forest and stop and camp at the different beaches along the way.
Josh’s name for me is ‘Stompy’ as (according to him) I ‘just walk’ without looking where I am going with my head in the clouds. This could have turned dangerous, apparently I missed stepping on this little man by just a few cms! Josh’s lengthy research suggests this was a Colombian Boa, and was about 7 feet long and thick!
We weaved our way through forest and sand, reaching open areas with great views of the sea.
We eventually arrived at El Cabo
where we got our tent
Made our standard tuna sandwich 🙂
And spent the rest of the day on the beach and exploring…
Nothing better then sitting on a rock as the sky gently turns from blue to red to darkness, watching and listening to the waves go by
The next morning, after an eventful storm night, we had breakfast, spent the morning on the beach and then headed to Arrecifes, where we would spend our second night. On the way we found coconuts and tried every possible method of cracking it open (without a machete). Failed.
We got our tent and pretty much spent the rest our time
Right over here…
Real unspoilt beauty.
Oh Caribbean, we are most definitely falling more and more in love with you!
I write this post with a heavy heart, as my thoughts and prayers are with the families and community who are living through the nightmare of the tragic events that took place in Connecticut last Friday. So many innocent lives lives lost, and so many people left suffering. On a more personal note, my grandfather is unwell at the moment after suffering from a stroke; so too are my thoughts and deepest love with him as we pray for a speedy and full recovery.
Despite the hardships in life, things must go on. We are continuing our journey through Columbia and are loving the sunshine, beaches, colourful fruits, different culture and fascinatingly beautiful towns. Especially that of Cartagena, a real feast for the senses. Immaculate colonial architecture, brightly coloured walls lined with greenery and flowers
Fruit carts on every corner
and old school horse and carriages pass through the narrow steers and plazas.
Some quality beach time too (a bit more relaxing on day 2 when we were used to the vendors hounding us and we didn’t bring any valuables with us so we spent most our time in the water without a worry)
And beautiful sunsets!
Our friends, Jared and Ryan (who were with us in Salento and Medellin) raved about this ice cream on a stick. So guys, this photo is for you! And yes, dulce de Leche ice cream dipped in hot white chocolate sauce was AMAZING! We went back for 4ths 🙂
Now Josh, the accountant did some quick calculations, and came to the conclusion that our budget needed cutting until we make up for our unexpected flight to Columbia (remember it wasn’t on the agenda). So we resorted to beers on the sidewalk.
The old tuna sandwich for lunch (and home cooked pasta for dinner)
We also paid a visit to the Volcan de Lodo El Totumo- the mud volcano! It was a real experience of a lifetime.
Floating in this thick, dense, slimy mud- you experience the feeling of zero gravity. It was really fun! You stay in the mud for about 45 minutes, while you can pay people to take photos of you, massage you, rub you down etc, and then you head down to the lake and wash off. **budget cuts allowed us to choose one, we chose the services of the photo man.
We refreshed ourselves with watermelon. Our daily routine here is pretty much x followed by fruit followed by y followed by more fruit followed by z followed by even more fruit… It is just so sweet and plentiful!
Great day, smiles all round 🙂
Next day, bright and early we caught an overwhelmingly speedy speed boat to Playa Blanca, the nearby Caribbean beach on Isla de Baru.
Our 3 blissful days on this small island beach consisted of this. Heaven on earth!
Life seems pretty simple when you are staying in a small cabana (approx $7 each a night), with only a bed, just a few meters from the waters edge.
Hop out of bed from (a)
to (b)
Before you are spotted, smooth talked and basically forced into having a massage from one of the local ladies
Only one option for lunch and dinner! Fresh (and confronting) as it gets…
Devoured and enjoyed every last bite
Followed by…
and a piña colada!
and as the hours slip away, this
becomes the backdrop to a magical evening sunset
From both of us here, cheers, salud, la chaim.. to good health, healing and happiness.
And an extra toast to my amazing dad on his birthday today!
Happy birthday Dad! I hope your fun-loving spirit stays young forever. Wishing we were home to celebrate with you, but we will have a drink for you tonight. Love you lots!
Check out our Travel Page for more of our adventures!
From the lush green coffee fields of Salento, to the interesting city of Medellin.. Also commonly referred to as medi-yin or medi-gin . Now this city has a hidden side, a history of murder, drugs and scandal. But today things have changed and we enjoyed a hassle free time roaming the streets, eating good food, drinking in the cool bars and basking in the good weather. The coolest area by far is Zona Rosa – great vibe with bustling bars and restaurants.
Columbia has got to have the juiciest, sweetest fruit and best part about it is the street vendors cut it up for you! Perfect refreshment when walking the busy markets in midday heat
After struggling to find this mysterious park, failing to appear on any of the street maps we eventually came across it- Plaza Botera. This cute plaza houses endless statues of voluptuous figures
We stopped for lunch at a local joint near the markets. Always a great vibe at these types of places, perfect for people watching 🙂 my lunch was a bit boring- egg salad as choices were limited, but the guys enjoyed their chicken.
A fun thing we did was take the Metrocable which gave us an awesome view of the city and forests. It was way longer than we expected and at the end there were awesome little markets where tried every possible type of market food.
We even climbed a mountain.. Not. Self timer pic 🙂 have to post to pay respect to the effort it took to take it.
We then enjoyed sunset…
At a beautiful spot
And in good company!
Dinner time! Dessert was frozen yoghurt that Jared snuck out and sneaked in 🙂
It was time to say farewells to the boys, great fun to travel with! Back to being me and Josh, which isn’t that bad 😉 we went on the Pablo Escobar tour hosted by Pablo’s brother, and right hand man, Roberto (here he is with us, and there he is in the wanted sign,) they were the head of Columbias infamous Medellin drug cartel
Crazy huh? I am rushed for time and can’t share too much about it now but read up about it if u get a chance!!
On a lighter note, visiting the Christmas lights was the perfect way to end up Medellin stay!
It was exquisite!!
100s of 1000s of people, markets, lights and buzz!
Off to the Caribbean coast now, rushing to take a bus! Adios amigo
Check out our Travel Page for more of our adventures!
After being on the road and hearing stories from other backpackers, we knew we needed to make time to visit Columbia. So we shuffled around our plans and before we knew it we were on our way from Lima to Columbia! First stop Salento, the seriously beautiful coffee region, with a quaint and charming town.
We stayed at a place 20 minutes walk out of town called La Serrana, an Eco farm and hostel.
Such a peaceful and magical place, with panoramic views of the valley and mountains.
Our stay here was going to be amazing no matter what as we met up with 2 friends from home, Jared and Ryan. It was great to catch up, drink, eat, share travel stories and enjoy being in this cool place together!
Our first night got rolling with the delicious hostel dinner, some drinks and then we headed out to play the local game, tejo aka hit the gunpowder with a metal weight. Only in Columbia.
The next morning we headed out to the Valle Del Cocora, all tightly squeezed into the jeep
The views were breathtaking, ground muddy and fields green and lush.
It was fun to be in the wet, rainy, muddy wilderness together
And the highlight was of course paying a mysterious ‘park’ entrance fee in the middle of nowhere to a mans restaurant which came with a complimentary hot chocolate and cheese. FYI Break the cheese up and put in hot chocolate.
After a tiring day, drenched and hungry we ate and relaxed then night time called for a poker game… Excuse the awkward pic but the runner up is staring right back at ya 😉
The next day we went to a local coffee farm, where we took a tour around the family run farm learning about the coffee plants and how they produce their coffee.
Salento is the type of place you can really lift your feet up and be swept away by the slow-pace, tranquility and beautiful surroundings. It was so great to spend a few days here, surrounded by nature and great company 🙂
Next stop Medellin! For those of you just tuning into our travels now, be sure to check out our travel page and of course foodies and runners feel free to stay and explore!
Check out our Travel Page for more of our adventures!
Welcome to Lima! After a crazy week in the jungle, where we celebrated Josh’s birthday, festivities continued with a well deserved scrub up, yum meals and comfy bed back in civilization 🙂
Our first night kicked off catching up with Diana and Sylvia from Lima who I stayed with when I was visiting a few years ago. It was so lovely to see them both and catch up on time gone by.
After drinks we had a very special dinner as a birthday gift from Josh’s parents. We had a great meal and savoured every last bite.
The highlight was for sure the ceviche which is a Peruvian speciality – fresh white fish marinated in citrus fruit and chilli. It was delicious!
The rest of our stay in Lima involved walking the streets as we do; visiting the city centre which was buzzing with parades and festivities
And then we headed to Lacomar, a cool open air shopping mall with restaurants and a great waterside view.
Night time came around too quickly again, and we enjoyed a pisco sour at the hotel bar. Another Peruvian speciality consisting of pisco, lemon, sugar and egg white. Don’t judge till you try!
Our night ended at a games room. Need we say more? We spent a lot of money getting these tickets… Which got us 2 packs of chewing gum, hello kitty hair clips and a small ball 🙂
A fun few days in Lima, but time to reacquaint ourselves with our backpacks and off to Columbia we go!
Check out our Travel Page for more of our adventures!
Next stop, Taricaya Conservation Lodge in the Amazon jungle! In 2009 I spent a month volunteering here here so I couldn’t wait to return this time with Josh.
We caught an hour long long-boat to the lodge hidden deep in the jungle along the Rio Madre De Dios
Arriving at the lodge, it was time to meet and greet the volunteers mosquitos, wasps, ants, bees and all the other lovely creatures. And of course it was time to get working! Our first morning job was feeding the animals.
Taricaya takes in animals who are in need of care and rehabilitation with the ultimate aim of releasing them back into the wild. But for now, nothing beats a cuddle with these cheeky little things!
These baby spider monkeys all have their own story of why they are here e.g. Kept as pet and seriously malnourished, lost their mother etc. it was great to see that many of the spider monkeys that were there in 2009 had since been released and are now living free and wild.
Feel the love?
Now this little fellow, 1 month old Theo, is the newest member to the Tarikaya Tapir family. He is the cutest, oddest looking creature on earth!
We had fun cleaning out the tapir poo pool (on Josh’s birthday)
One of the afternoon jobs at the new farm near the lodge is feeding the turtles which have been bred in protected area at the lodge to prevent hunters poaching the eggs to all in town. This project has been so successful and it was great seeing all the beautiful turtles! Here we are preparing their food which consists of extremely finely cut spinach, cabbage, carrots and chicken liver. We were sweating buckets here!
But the turtles of all sizes enjoyed their meal
And in return, we enjoyed playing 🙂
Another activity was animal enrichment where we made paper mâché snakes and filled them with meat for the cats to practice their hunting. Loved seeing josh being creative 😉
Now in Tarikaya you feel as though you are taking risks all the time. Climbing the new animal enclosure (no adequate ladder of course) to continue on with the building is just one example. I never quite made it up…
A few hours of machetting in crazy humidity takes it out of you!
But other projects like butterfly catching and releasing are a bit more chilled
As is picking mangoes that have fallen off the trees near the hammocks and devouring them… Knife not even necessary!
Where ever you go here, there are animals! This man paid us a visit in the dining room.
And Trumpy enjoys his regular tickle under his chin by the hammocks
Other birds require binoculars and a 45m rickety canopy platform to be sighted.
My favourite thing to do in the jungle is just to walk, listen to the sounds of the forest an enjoy the serenity.
Night time in the jungle involved many games of cards
And an awesome cayman catching session on the long boat with Stuart. He first gave us a talk about the creatures which are part of the crocodilian family and then we set out in silence and darkness on the long boat where he spotted, pounced and caught a cayman, showed us and released it.
Finally, Josh got to play his long awaited soccer! Peruvians verse volunteers for a large coke. Peruvians won 10-9.
And last but not least we celebrated a very special milestone in the jungle, Josh turned 25! Yummy dinner (home cooked food was well received by us)
And then cake time…
Followed by machetting the piñata 🙂
A birthday spent in the Amazon jungle, not bad ay?
I just love this boy!
Plane is now taking off to Lima where we are super excited to scrub up, wear clean clothes, no insect repellant, use a dry, fresh towel and enjoy the city for 2 days before heading up to Colombia! Let the adventures continue…
Check out our Travel Page for more of our adventures!
Music, colour, history, ruins and the warmth of the wonderful people. Welcome to Cuzco and the Sacred Valley of the Incas! Spending time chatting with Maximus on top of the mountain overlooking Cuzco was a highlight!
We arrived in Cusco at 4:30am, unable to check into our hostel until 9:30am… What did we do? Walked the streets and awaited sunrise 🙂 Feeling slightly on the lost and hungry side, we stumbled across a Novotel hotel and saw a mammoth buffet breakfast on offer. We decided to treat ourselves and made ourselves comfortable for a good few hours!
Now Cuzco is the most charming city with cobble stone streets, narrow alley ways, beautiful green plazas and colonial style Cathedrals. We spent plenty of time walking the streets, having tea or a happy hour drink on the balconies of the little restaurants and bars overlooking the plaza
But what I was most eager to do was head to the small town of Urubumba, where in 2009 I spent a month teaching English and living with a host family. We arrived in Urubumba and walked through the busy market place where they sell everything from live chickens to lambs, 100’s of different types of potatoes and corn, hard wares, clothes and everything else you can imagine.
We then headed to some other markets, where we stopped for a fresh banana and mango fruit juice.
Feeling fuelled and a bit anxious to approach the house of my host family, we walked down the street and immediately recognised the house and knocked on the front door.. Only to be greeted by the warmest hug and shrieks of joy of my host mother. It really was a very special moment! We sat down, had a drink and some fruit and chatted away. It was so lovely seeing her and laughing about how she taught me to hand wash my clothes and whip the clothes dry before hanging them on the line! Oh the memories!
Arriving back in Cuzco we visited what was my favourite cafe, Jacks, and it still delivered the most amazing salad and warm delicious bread. Sarah, I thought of you every bite through 🙂
Cuzco has some great bars.. And happy hours
we watched this guy play and he was amazingggg!
Another special spot in the Sacred Valley is Ollantaytambo. We walked up the ruins here
And enjoyed the beautiful view of the town.
Sun got a bit much for this lad 😉
Now the highlight of visiting this region is going to Machu Piccu. I never went with this time as I had been before and it’s a bit of a splurge to do twice… So lucky Josh had a day free to himself 🙂
Can you spot the face in the mountain below???? Once you see it, you can’t escape it.
Such a fun stay, but its over now and next stop 1 week volunteering at a conservation lodge in the Amazon JUNGLE! And guess who will be celebrating his 1/4 of century birthday…
Check out our Travel Page for more of our adventures!
My love affair with running 