Exploratory Mission

In the summer of 2015, Lea and I took the kids to Colombia for a two week exploratory vacation. Our goal was to see and enjoy as much of the country as possible while also trying on the digital nomad lifestyle we were planning for our future.

originalWe stayed 3 nights on a finca – a traditional Colombian coffee farm. While there, we at home cooked meals made over a wood fired stove in the farm kitchen. It was a magical place. Like going back in time. The chickens had to roam each night before roosting, there were fresh coffee beans drying in the racks. No tv or cell service. Not a word of English. The kids played soccer in the yard with the staff after dinner and taught the younger kids how to play cards. It was a great place to start out.

We next went to a small village named Solento. The town – like many in Colombia – was first settled by the Spanish and was designed 0627151452aaround a central square featuring a church. The village is set high in the mountains with beautiful views in all directions. The national football team was in a playoff match with Ecuador on one of the nigthts we were there. The town set up a massive video screen in the main square where it felt as though the entire town had shown up to watch. It was huge spectacle. Colombia lost in the last moments of the game – everyone went home, there were no riots, no fires, just football fans whose home team had been sadly defeated.

From Solento we visited the massive city of Bogota, the nation’s capitol. Although, Bogota has a lot of appeal to some with lots of art, history, dining, and other entertainment, we all found the city to be a bit to bustling for our tastes. We took a bicycle tour of the graffitti are that lines much of the city. The artists almost all have a story to tell about the country’s history or politics. It was very interesting.

0627151608aVilla de Leyva

Cartagena

 

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