Rio Claro is a nature preserve in the jungle of Colombia between Medellin and Bogota. The "hotel" inside the park offers open air rooms and is an all inclusive, meaning breakfast, lunch and dinner are all included in the price and served in the main common area...also open air. Probably a good idea to stock up on bug spray. They tout "no alcohol" on the website so of course Jesse and I had some math to do. How many bottles of wine do you smuggle into a place you will be staying at for 4 days?
After a long bus ride from Guatape, we were dropped at the front gates to the park. It was humid and hot as we stood in the sun and tried to understand how everything worked. Wait, what do you mean there is no transportation to the "hotel"? What do you mean we have to hike all the way in with our 3 enormous duffel bags and 3 horribly heavy backpacks? F#@k, why did we pack so much wine?
Loaded down with bags strapped to every angle of our bodies, we headed down the dirt road into the jungle; sweat poured ferociously down my face, burning my eyes. Parts of my body that I didn't even know could sweat, were sweating. The weight of the luggage made every step difficult and soon, our son was in tears. I could completely empathize with his pain and took his backpack and added it to my load. Now I was afraid I'd have permanent back damage as my spine roared in pain. Dad, always a champ, was carrying the heaviest of the duffel bags and his backpack...packed with bottles of wine. The air smelled of musk and wild, exotic flowers and the sights and sounds let us know that the real adventure had just begun.
We arrived at the check in, a grueling several mile hike done and thankfully gulped cold water. My head pulsed with each racing heartbeat, my body feeling oddly light after dropping the pile of bags dramatically to the ground. I panted heavily and moaned. It was a lovely scene I had created.
We had paid extra so that we could have a "fully open" room, one that would allow us to be a part of the jungle even while in bed. Because the room was so special, it was located at the end of the nearly mile long path. This path lead us up hill on a cobblestone like path. I say cobblestone "like" because cobblestones are usually rounded and these were more a collection of random, sharp edged rocks stuck in cement. After loading the bags back on our screaming bodies, we took on the last hike to our room. Just when I thought I could make it no further, we came to the step climbing portion of hell. Oddly enormous stairs loomed before us, each one making my legs violently shake under the weight of the bags. I wondered if it would be easier to drop and roll onto each step, but the sharp rocks seemed even more painful should they jab my ribs, as it was the wobble of my ankle (the newly recovering one) and the pain of my feet almost made me cry. So far this part of the vacation was awesome.
I do have to say that even in misery, this place was insanely gorgeous. Colombia just kept besting itself! As the name suggests, the focus is Rio Claro, the crystal clear river that the jungle hugs and the summer camp like lodge sits beside. The walk to our room was a challenge, but it meandered through some of the most stunning scenery you can imagine. Actually that you CAN'T imagine, it was that amazing, even your imagination won't allow you to conceive of such a place. Our room did not disappoint either. We opened the door to a dream like tree-house. The mosquito netting was tied charmingly up above the beds and the bamboo railing on 2 sides of the room let you be 100% a part of the tall jungle trees; the river bubbling far below us. There was a quaint table and chairs nestled into the far end of the room and the shower actually had hot water...sometimes...when there was water. Toucans squawked and monkeys screeched while brightly colored song birds sat at an arm's length away. We blinked wide eyed at the glory of this magical place unable to put what we were seeing into words, we each simply muttered "wow". The incredible room deserved a glass of wine, the view deserved a bottle.
-Cheers from the Vivác Winery Family!
www.VivacWinery.com
Running on Wine; from Marathons to Rafting to "Fueling" on the Patio, We are Fueled by Vivác.
Friday, March 30, 2018
Monday, March 19, 2018
Guatape Rocks!
The day after my dreadful 40th birthday, we boarded a bus for a long journey to Guatape. It was more than our massive amount of luggage that weighed us down that day; leaving Jardin was brutally painful. This little cozy blanket of a town had become home in a surprisingly deep and emotional way.
I'll skip the details of the bus ride, the Medellin city taxi ride of death that had even our taxi driver signing the cross over himself and get to the part where our second bus dropped us off in the charming, tourist magnet of Guatape. This hilly town was bigger than Jardin and rose up from the banks of the finger like lakes that separated it from the other islands, into a colorful town plaza. Each cobblestone street that stretched out from the bustling center was filled with high end tourist shops and cafes. There was nothing beachy about this place, yet it felt like the Yucatan towns of Mexico 20+ years ago. The colonial charm was apparent, yet it felt marketed toward us, almost for show rather than inherent. Don't get me wrong, it IS cute, but it is filled with English speaking tourists and you feel the separation from the locals and the connection to the culture we had in Jardin.
Our time was limited so we tried to make the most of it with night time strolls to see the ornately wood carved church light up in different colors, pass the soccer fields full of kids and the delightful lit up decorations of the open air restaurants. During our one full day in Guatape, that we dubbed as my '40th birthday do over', we set out to explore the greater area.
El Pinol is the name of the giant rock that is the #1 tourist destination of the area. I know it doesn't sound exciting, but this sucker is immense! 650 steep steps up the cement staircase (a case of asthma and a heart attack later) you reach the rock-top patio and look out. The 365 degrees of view was pretty incredible and this area is another wonder to behold as the brilliant blue water threads its way between mounds of emerald green land. A dizzying 650 steps back down the black rock and you find yourself in a maze of little shops. My adorable hubby, wanting 'take 2' of the birthday to rock (pun intended, yes I know I am a dork), he encouraged me to pick out several pairs of adorable earrings. It was shaping up to be a great day...until we got back to the hotel and discovered I'd lost my phone.
My phone is my most important work tool and holds every detail of my life. It would be like the panic of having left your wedding ring somewhere, not as horrible as if you had left your child somewhere, but definitely worth a deep belly sick feeling. I know some of you are holding back the urge to get on a soapbox about how reliant we are on our phones, I know, I hear ya, but save it, my phone is practically a part of my body at this point...if only it truly was then I wouldn't have left it...at the top of the big black rock.
Turns out the phone had fallen out of my bag, been found and turned in to someone that worked there who gave it to a taxi driver who waited until we called the phone (thank God I had it off airplane mode and accepting calls for an important work thing that day). One thing about the people of Columbia we found over and over again was that they wanted to take really good care of us. I wish I felt more of that in the United States. Once reunited with my beloved phone and I'd recovered from my panic attack, I needed a glass of wine. Now it really felt like a day to celebrate!
We finished our day with one of the most incredible meals of our trip, looking out over the delightful town, as we toasted to the next adventure, the much anticipated jungle portion of the trip.
*this post is sponsored by the questions: "now that I'm 40 will I start loosing things more often?" and "how much wine does one buy when headed into the jungle where none is available?"
-Cheers from the Vivác Winery Family!
I'll skip the details of the bus ride, the Medellin city taxi ride of death that had even our taxi driver signing the cross over himself and get to the part where our second bus dropped us off in the charming, tourist magnet of Guatape. This hilly town was bigger than Jardin and rose up from the banks of the finger like lakes that separated it from the other islands, into a colorful town plaza. Each cobblestone street that stretched out from the bustling center was filled with high end tourist shops and cafes. There was nothing beachy about this place, yet it felt like the Yucatan towns of Mexico 20+ years ago. The colonial charm was apparent, yet it felt marketed toward us, almost for show rather than inherent. Don't get me wrong, it IS cute, but it is filled with English speaking tourists and you feel the separation from the locals and the connection to the culture we had in Jardin.
Our time was limited so we tried to make the most of it with night time strolls to see the ornately wood carved church light up in different colors, pass the soccer fields full of kids and the delightful lit up decorations of the open air restaurants. During our one full day in Guatape, that we dubbed as my '40th birthday do over', we set out to explore the greater area.
El Pinol is the name of the giant rock that is the #1 tourist destination of the area. I know it doesn't sound exciting, but this sucker is immense! 650 steep steps up the cement staircase (a case of asthma and a heart attack later) you reach the rock-top patio and look out. The 365 degrees of view was pretty incredible and this area is another wonder to behold as the brilliant blue water threads its way between mounds of emerald green land. A dizzying 650 steps back down the black rock and you find yourself in a maze of little shops. My adorable hubby, wanting 'take 2' of the birthday to rock (pun intended, yes I know I am a dork), he encouraged me to pick out several pairs of adorable earrings. It was shaping up to be a great day...until we got back to the hotel and discovered I'd lost my phone.
My phone is my most important work tool and holds every detail of my life. It would be like the panic of having left your wedding ring somewhere, not as horrible as if you had left your child somewhere, but definitely worth a deep belly sick feeling. I know some of you are holding back the urge to get on a soapbox about how reliant we are on our phones, I know, I hear ya, but save it, my phone is practically a part of my body at this point...if only it truly was then I wouldn't have left it...at the top of the big black rock.
Turns out the phone had fallen out of my bag, been found and turned in to someone that worked there who gave it to a taxi driver who waited until we called the phone (thank God I had it off airplane mode and accepting calls for an important work thing that day). One thing about the people of Columbia we found over and over again was that they wanted to take really good care of us. I wish I felt more of that in the United States. Once reunited with my beloved phone and I'd recovered from my panic attack, I needed a glass of wine. Now it really felt like a day to celebrate!
We finished our day with one of the most incredible meals of our trip, looking out over the delightful town, as we toasted to the next adventure, the much anticipated jungle portion of the trip.
*this post is sponsored by the questions: "now that I'm 40 will I start loosing things more often?" and "how much wine does one buy when headed into the jungle where none is available?"
-Cheers from the Vivác Winery Family!
Monday, March 5, 2018
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly 40's
It took me forever to write this post because I was stuck, unable to move onto the major adventure portion of our trip (oh yes, there are some crazy stories ahead)...because I was stuck on the experience of my 40th birthday. Most people say the 40s are great and considering I was in a shit storm (excuse my language) last year with my health, you'd think I'd agree, BUT I am a big baby and having a temper tantrum. Why you ask? You were in Colombia on vacation after all right? Yes, I physically was in a wonderful place, mentally however, I was a hot mess.
The big day arrived... my 40th birthday, our last day in the Garden of Eden, and my child got horribly sick. It was the icing on the cake. Now, like all mothers, I took it in stride; there is nothing like seeing your child sick to kick mama mode into gear. So I ignored the birthday plans we'd made and settled in to spend the day in our apartment. We tried our best to make it fun, my husband Jesse seriously rose to the occasion to make the most of the day, running out to get coffee and food and lots of wine, perhaps aware of what boiled under the surface. Yet the overarching symbolism of my loathsome 40th being filled with puke was not lost on me and by the end of the day I was in tears. The end of the year had challenged me emotionally in ways I can't share in this forum (yes, there ARE some things I don't post publicly) that also added to my midlife crisis. It was as if the culmination of the last 2 years, all the emotions stuffed down, couldn't be held any longer and I wept on Jesse's shoulder.
I can sense your eyes rolling at this point. I know, I know, grow up and get a grip. I actually am, but I had to find a way to describe the birthday because that in part, sets up our next leg of the trip as we leave Jardin and dive deep into the jungle.
-Cheers from the Vivác Winery Family!
www.VivacWinery.com
The big day arrived... my 40th birthday, our last day in the Garden of Eden, and my child got horribly sick. It was the icing on the cake. Now, like all mothers, I took it in stride; there is nothing like seeing your child sick to kick mama mode into gear. So I ignored the birthday plans we'd made and settled in to spend the day in our apartment. We tried our best to make it fun, my husband Jesse seriously rose to the occasion to make the most of the day, running out to get coffee and food and lots of wine, perhaps aware of what boiled under the surface. Yet the overarching symbolism of my loathsome 40th being filled with puke was not lost on me and by the end of the day I was in tears. The end of the year had challenged me emotionally in ways I can't share in this forum (yes, there ARE some things I don't post publicly) that also added to my midlife crisis. It was as if the culmination of the last 2 years, all the emotions stuffed down, couldn't be held any longer and I wept on Jesse's shoulder.
I can sense your eyes rolling at this point. I know, I know, grow up and get a grip. I actually am, but I had to find a way to describe the birthday because that in part, sets up our next leg of the trip as we leave Jardin and dive deep into the jungle.
-Cheers from the Vivác Winery Family!
www.VivacWinery.com
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