Cartagena: More photos and a vid of Leo swimming

Cartagena

A couple of days were spent in Bogota unpacking, washing clothes and repacking for our trip to Cartagena. Flying out on Wednesday, we found the weather a bit damper than we expected. The big moment had arrived, what to expect of this hotel we'd booked. And I think that as our expectations were so low we were not disappointed, just ready for what we found. In fairness, I have stayed in worse places, but mostly when doing sightseeing holidays and using it as a place merely to lay our heads. But as this was a place to more or less base ourselves for a week for some sea and sand with Leo in tow we decided to hot foot it to the travel agency to find the nearest 5 star hotel sharpish. I say we but this was really my mothers endeavour, having declared the sheets unwashed and the rooms unable to sleep in without taking a tranquiliser beforehand. And from my point of view there is nothing quite as depressing as getting to a destination and feeling a sense of disappointment at having to be somewhere and 'make do' with the dreariness of the place, the extremely basic buffet food and the general lack of maintenance of the 'El Dorado' hotel. I think even the name conjures up pictures of naffness (dodgy 90's soap opera) which should have sent us running. Anyway, nuff said on that subject and proceed to the glorious 'El Admirante'.
Cartagena is a coastal city on the Caribbean coast of Colombia and has extremely well preserved evidence of its colonial past as a major port. The old city is really beautiful and the weather and great beaches make this an extremely popular destination. Right that's the blurb out the way, so what did we get up to?
Precious little it has to be said. Suffice to say we relaxed. And ate. A lot. Leo tried the sea out for the second time in his life, and didn't enjoy it any better than the first. As a beach person I found myself preferring the calm and ease of the swimming pool, where Leo seemed to enjoy himself much more, having no waves and sand to unsettle him, and neither the persistent parade of tat sellers, masseurs, ice-cream floggers to interrupt his sunbathing... ok maybe that one was the rest of us...
Leonardo captivated all the hotel staff as usual, he's a sure fire way of getting us popular somewhere. Oh and also useful for transportation and shopping in general, the ultimate accessory.. did I just call my son an accessory? Shame on mummy.
By the way BIG news, Leo said his first word this week, well syllable. And it wasn't ma-ma. We thought we'd heard something the other day in the car on the way back to Bogota, but we couldn't be sure at the time. Then one afternoon after his nap he started to say da-da. Incessantly. For the non-parents out there I can't describe how much of a big deal this is. It's like a little miracle seeing Leo unfolding from a newborn into a little boy.
Thinking about it now, for people that didn't do much, we actually did a fair bit. We saw an old fort, a monastery from which you get great views of the city, Ari and I had our first encounter with a sloth (I think that's what the animal is-please correct if wrong), Ari and I had a 'date' to a lovely place called cafe del mar (thanks Chris) and mum I went rumba-ing in a Chiva, a typical bus of the area. Not half bad. Really enjoyed our week, and dare I say it Ari did too even with mother in law in tow (no offence ma)!

Tunja, Villa de Leyva and the road back to Bogota

Spent a couple of days in the surrounds of Tunja, the place where my mum is from and where I have many childhood memories. When we used to come here as children my parents would try to immerse us in the local culture as possible, which meant going to school with Colombian kids for several weeks or having typing lessons at the house of an old family acquaintance. Not sure how many of you spent your summer holidays being the new kid in a foreign classroom (being asked how do you say pencil, pencil case, rubber etc in English over and over and over) or trekking across town with a typewriter on your back (yes the glory days before the proliferation of computers and Mavis Beacon and yes Catherine I do remember very well).

So plenty to revisit here. Loved going to visit my cousin Maria Alexandra, the old house of my uncle who's family has now relocated to Bogota, it's now a children's nursery which I found quite sad, walking around the streets and shops and taking in the colonial past of the Plaza Bolivar. Despite everyone being OBSESSED with the 'cold' it was positively sunny and, dare I say it- warm.

Villa de Leyva is famous as a perfectly preserved colonial town and a must see for anyone in the area. We spent an afternoon there taking in the history and the culture of the present, a music festival in the main square made for the perfect balance between the old and the new.

Time to trek back to Bogota now and spend some time chilling before traveling to the coast. Lovely Esperanza (mum's cousin and an absolute saint who's driven us round all this time) took us to lunch in her exclusive country club and then left mum and Elvita there keeping an eye on Leo while we took a trip to a place called Zipaquira, famous for it's bizarre Cathedral cut deep within a salt mine. Not sure who dreamed this one up but the end result does make for quite a spectacular viewing, though not for the claustrophobic.

Little towns of Boyaca

On our travels we have passed through some pretty colonial towns, a few photos of which you can see now. My mum gave that kid in the picture some money that was out of circulation so we felt sorry for him and bought him a sweet the poor chump.

Boyaca (affectionally known by us as Booyakasha) first stop Paipa

Hi there,
What a busy week this has been. I've finally found time to write as the boys sleep, both have colds, one of them is getting on with things while the other is struggling with the sufferance of it all, I'll leave you to guess who is who!
Since I last wrote we hit the road towards Boyaca county, a road I remember as being extremely perilous but has now fortunately become a dual carriageway for the most part and in my Mum's cousin's people carrier makes for a stress free trip! Leo even had a car seat lent to him which again was a stroke of good fortune for all.

For those that might not know (most of you no doubt), Boyaca is a county about 2 hours drive from Bogota in the mountains. Being so high the climate is mild, not dissimilar to England at present, and being close to the Equator is the same all year round. It is strikingly beautiful, an undulating countryside with hills that intermingle with the clouds. The odd factory here and there does pollute the area and the landscape, but this effect so far is minimal and does little to spoil the area.

Our first stop was a town called Paipa, named after the Indigenous chief who first first claimed the territory. It is famous for it's thermal springs and because of this has developed into a local tourist attraction for its hot pools maintained within spa hotels. Lucky us to spend 3 nights here.
The first morning was spent in the medicinal baths, we we undertook a circuit of thermal waters, jacuzzis and mud scrubs in order to beautify the skin and pamper the soul. SUCH a hardship this travelling malarkey. Mr Leonardo I hear you ask was very happy to watch from afar in this pushchair whilst being tended to by one of the therapists, and what luck to have Abuela Olga Lucia and Tias Elvita and Esperanza to look after him whilst Mummy and Daddy went off to luxuriate in an algae massage. And from here the experience took a turn for the worse..

Now I've had some interesting massages in my time, no nothing sordid I hear you disappointingly sigh- but do include being scrubbed with a horsehair brush on a cold soapy marble slab by a big Turkish man in well, Turkey, and being slapped about by a similarly big Hungarian woman in communal hospital like quarters in Budapest, and this probably ranks up there with these encounters. Not to bore you with too much detail but the words, cold, soggy pants, algae in places where one should definitely not have algae, left out to dry, Leo screaming over the 'relaxing' music, hopefully paint an accurate picture. Funnily enough I was told I was pretty tense around the neck and shoulder region. No s@*t Sherlock. And Ari came away with similar expletives and to top it off a cold that has been plaguing us since.

Not to tarnish the whole experience, the hotel, area and company was extremely lovely and special. When we had the chance we went for a dip in the thermal pool in the hotel, which fricking boiling Mr Bigglesworth and like typical wusses took us half an hour of mental preparation before simpering in. But was worth it in the end, and came out rejuvinated like Adonis and Aphrodite personified. Sadly I have no picture of this moment to back up such claims, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

Colombia (by Leo)

Hey dudes, it's me, the little one, just popping in to say hi. It's been all go as far as I'm concerned, one day I'm wandering the streets of Hampstead and the next, well all I know is this ain't Hampstead if you catch my drift. It's been really busy, one place here, another new place there. I've been meeting people and when I smile at them, they go crazy, so I'll just keep on smiling and hope that keeps me on the straight and narrow.
Sometimes it's colder than I'm used to, and sometimes it's hot. I like it hot as I get to go in the nud, it's my favourite! I like swimming, but not in the sea, it's far too cold and the waves are scary and they go up my nose.
I've been in aeroplanes and cars, and in a cable car up a hill. Oh and I've played in my first ball pool, it was great!
I've been eating lots and lots, as you can probably tell, but hey, a kid's gotta grow! My favourites are the fruits, man I LURVE the fruits which is good as there's plenty to go round here.
So far I've slept in 5 different cots, but I'm all good as I know I've got Mummy and Daddy right here with me. And my dummies of course.
Everyone here keeps making a fuss of my cheeks and my hair, not sure why, I suppose my hair is good for a pull now and then, and my cheeks are good for storing all that fruit! I get called 'Coqueton' which I think means flirty and I think is as a result of my smiling tactic, and also Gordito, but hey, like I said, a kid's gotta grow..
Oh almost forgot, my big news... 1) I've got two bottom teeth, they're coming through and are REALLY sharp and 2) I have a new word, da-da, it's my only word so it's a good job it's my favourite!

Not sure where Mummy and Daddy will take me next but I'm sure it'll be fun..

Bogota

Hi!
We've been almost a week in Bogota and I've finally adjusted to the new time zone with baby Leo's slightly erratic sleep patterns, busy days and late nights slowing down the process, and have booted Ari off the net for a while long enough for me to write y'all.
The journey out was fine, our flight from London to Miami was perfect, we got bulk head seats and a cot for Leo and couldn't believe our luck. The transfer in Miami however was a bloody nightmare. Never transfer in the US unless you absolutely have to, unless you have a particular penchant for having to queue endlessly in completely unnecessary immigration/customs, collecting and rechecking baggage... anyway this should be a distant memory very soon.. Ari's bag failed to arrive with him and went without his stuff for 24 hours, not a happy bunny after a soaking in the rain meant he had to resort to wearing a few choice items from my wardrobe, oh how he wished he'd let me bring those extra jogging bottoms...

So far we've spent time with family who have totally gone out of their way to make us feel welcome at home and have truly given us every attention.
I should note at this point Ari's Spanish is surprisingly good and am pleased that all those lessons have not gone to waste! He makes every effort to speak the lingo, and has coped admirably with the onslaught of such family attention. Bless.

Leo I'm pleased to report is as usual a complete doll, and I would be no true mummy if I didn't make one embarrassing toilet comment, he had a bout of constipation but is now well and truly sorted in the engine department! He has been charming all who meet and so far shows no signs of missing his cot. I'm sure he'll have sometime later to post his own opinions on the holiday so far.

And what of Bogota? After a couple of days of unpleasant rain (somewhat home from home I think) we've managed to get a good impression of the city. It's a huge and sprawling place but the backdrop of the Andes make for a pretty picture. The more dangerous and poor areas are off limits to us so we've seen all the characteristics of any modern metropolis, plush shops, restaurants and bars and a definite absence of a certain narcotic availability (I clearly haven't been looking though). What is evident is the kindness and hospitality of the people and their love of food (I was hoping to lose the baby weight and it's proving a challenge so far..) music and dancing. Even Ari has been dancing 'al Latino'. Offers for prices of photographic evidence please.

The infrastructure is somewhat frustrating. We booked a mini holiday to the Colombian coastal city of Cartagena by the old fashioned slow method of travel agency only to come across comments about the hotel on trip advisor such as 'No lo recomiendo', y 'es lo peor' and the worst 'que ceirren ese hotel YA'. Not very encouraging. As the panic set in that we would be faced with a 'faulty towers' type scenario we have spent all morning trying to change hotel, but have made little progress. Ari and my Mum have just got back from the agency with the news that every other hotel is fully booked and at best we can get a few days somewhere else. Watch this space.

So our journey continues tomorrow, when we head for the country and the hometown of my mama and the place of all my childhood memories of this country. More posts to follow soonxxx

Preparing to Fly

Well, this is really just to get the ball rolling, we're off and hope to have packed in time to make the flight. Not sure how we're going to maneuver with the sheer volume of equipment we are travelling with- but hey let's not worry about that right now.

Leo doesn't know what's going to hit him! Gone are those heady days of having one's own proper cot, peaceful slumbers in cool, British climes.

So, watch this space and here's hoping for the trip of a lifetime!