On The Road Again

I love coffee. So when we were planning our trip to South America, my first port of call was to visit a Colombian coffee farm in Salento. Having now been there and done that, I can safely say that Colombia coffee is right up there with some of the best I’ve ever had! Table of Contents What makes Colombian coffee so unique? Salento Coffee Tours: Visiting Finca el Ocaso Coffee Farm Don’t get lost! The beautiful Colombian landscape Colombian Coffee Farm Tour at Finca el Ocaso in Salento Picking coffee beans The coffee making process: “Cafe natural” method The final product What makes the Finca el Ocaso coffee tour in Salento so impressive? Third Wave Coffee in Colombia Colombian coffee exports The true taste of Colombian coffee Practical Information about the Finca el Ocaso Salento Coffee Tour Practical Information about Visiting Salento, Colombia What makes Colombian coffee so unique? Yes, I’m a coffee snob and can definitely taste things like over-extraction and bitter

During our month in Colombia, we were blown away by how good the food in Colombia was.  It took us totally by surprise – Colombia wasn’t the country in South America that we were most looking forward to eating our way through. But it turned out to be our favorite! Colombian food is wildly varied depending on region, and all of it is delicious (you can read all about it in our post on the best Colombian food ). But our favorite food in Colombia is found in Cartagena de las Indias, a colonial Caribbean coastal paradise with a dark history and a flourishing present day. We discovered the best food in Cartagena and ate as much of it as we could at some of the best restaurants in Cartagena – the ones that fit our budget, of course. We had a full 2 weeks to eat our way through Cartagena, but you can take a shortcut by booking a food tour like this one or this one. Here are our tips for what to eat in Cartagena, Colombia on a budget, and the best restaurants in Cartagena!

“It’s a sniper hole” , our guide casually mentioned as he brushed away some leaves and picked up what looked like the lid of a small box built into the ground. Beneath was a dark hole, stretching into a tunnel that looked like something only a small child could fit into. “Does anyone want to climb in and close the lid?”  “Yes”. Wait. What? Had I just agreed to that?   The sniper hole at the Cu Chi Tunnels near Saigon, Vietnam Travel can teach us to choose adventure, in the face of a more normal cautious response. When you’re travelling it’s somehow easier to take chances. Something about being in a different place can help you throw off your inhibitions and step outside of your usual self. Swim in water in a national park in the middle of Vietnam infested with god knows what? Yeah, why not? Creep around in some caves in the back and beyond of Canada, no gear, no torch, and no one knows where you are? Sounds fun! Move to a new country, sight unseen? Well clearly it will be awe

Sundays at Harajuku are special. Sundays are when many Japanese are known to dress in cosplay costumes and hang out at Harajuku. Sundays are especially special at Meiji Shrine, because there’s a good chance you’ll come across a traditional Japanese wedding procession. On the Sunday that I went Meiji Shrine, I saw more than one wedding procession. I also saw the annual chrysanthemum exhibition. More importantly, it was also Shichi-Go-San festival! (Update: I removed many photos from this post as a form of respect for their privacy.) Meiji Shrine gave me so many pleasant surprises that day! This is the gravel path that leads people towards Meiji Shrine, which is deep inside the forest. I had quietly followed the trio with the girl wearing the red cap, all the way from the train station, because I didn’t really know where Meiji Shrine was located at. I presumed they were going to the shrine too! Because they had been looking at the same map as m