Meanderthals in South America 2023

  Bogota was a wonderful final stop in Colombia: even though it was winter, the cold was not too harsh and the people were super friendly so we enjoyed a lot. One day we went on a graffiti tour; this was super interesting as neither me nor Sunny knows much about graffiti or street art in general, and the tour touched on this culture in addition to the art pieces themselves. From political to decorative, they were a beautiful splash of color to this huge city. We additionally made visits to the top of Monserrate hill for views of the city and to the renowned Gold Museum whose collection of fine gold artifacts was impressive to say the least! As a day trip from Bogota we visited the nearby Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira. This site has been an active mine for salt for over a century, but got its claim to fame as the “first wonder of Colombia” due to the transformation of various chambers into an underground cathedral carved into the salt rock. It was surprisingly impressive if gimmicky a...

  Salento is a small town nestled in the Colombian hills best known for its coffee production. We took full advantage of this and learned a ton about this bitter drink by visiting one of the local coffee farms and going on the tour. Unfortunately I still can’t find much enjoyment in a cup, but Sunny enjoyed tasting a few varieties and we walked away significantly more knowledgeable than when we started!   The other highlight of Salento are the super tall-about 60 meters- wax palms that grow in the Coroco Valley and the hiking throughout the nearby national park. We got to see these wacky palms as we embarked on a hike up to 3,400 meters. The hike was probably the hardest Neive done between the altitude, rain, and basically constant uphill climb, but we finally made it to a peasant farm up in the mountains and communed with other hikers for an evening before descending. Unfortunately we weren’t treated to many views but the fresh morning air cleared out the cloud cover for me t...

  Our first stop in Colombia was to the city of Medellin. This immediately reminded us of a greener, more gentle-sloping La Paz, though a lack of sun made it difficult for us to really appreciate the mountains surrounding this valley city. The requisite city tour gave us insight into the city’s history, including both the Escobar era and more ancient history. The guide also encouraged us to look towards the future and the positive nature of the country’s people, as they are more than just one bad epoch. Additional highlights were taking the cable car up the hill for a view of the city and attending a football (soccer) game in the stadium. The two biggest club teams-Medellin and Bogota- were playing so the turn-out was enormous and full of songs and energy. This was Sunny’s first time at such a sporting event so a true South American experience. Our las stop was a day trip to Guatape, a small town that became a tourist destination after a hydroelectric dam created a reservoir giving...

São Paulo didn’t offer much in the way of tourist attractions but we did manage to enjoy the few days we spent in the financial capital of Brazil. Most of our time centered around a visit to Japantown, a neighborhood in the downtown area created by a large number of immigrants, especially following World War 2. We feasted on traditional Japanese dishes and enjoyed window shopping.  The other major sight was going up what was once the tallest building the city and what has now been converted into several art gallery floors in addition to office space. One cool exhibit combines art with technology: you can color in a flower pattern and project it into the art display, where electronic versions of your flower will grow and disperse dynamically. As the building was once a bank, the basement vault is now a trendy bar that we were able to check out at the suggestion of our friends Rodrigo and Paula, who were the real highlight when visiting this city. Our final stop in Brazil was to the ...

  To get a break from city life and experience some of the incredible natural Brazil has to offer, we headed to Bonito, a small town known for ecotourism experiences. Apart from torrential downpour the first day, we were fortunate to do so exploring of the flora and fauna of this jungle area, close to the Pantanal wetlands. One day we headed to a natural lake with beachfront and water sports. There, Sunny’s parents tried their hand at all sorts of new activities, including stand up paddle boarding, kayaking, and waterslides! The more adventurous also tried out the zip line into the water. Topped off with some fruity tropical drinks, it was a fun and relaxing day for everyone. The next day we did a small jungle trek from waterfall to waterfall, some of which we could swim in. The falls were all beautiful and the dip in natural water refreshing. Not to mention the buffet lunch waiting for us back at the lodge! Our last day we went low-key spelunking (I say low-key because it was a se...