A Trip to Bogota, Colombia

We took a trip earlier this month to Bogota, Colombia and it was amazing! We had a lot we wanted to try to do, and we did just about everything on our list. We also did a lot of walking in the process.

The first night we got to the hotel I was tired. The flight from Panama to Bogota was only about an hour; however, I was still getting over my last leg of my ear infection. Doing nothing proved to be useful though since our first full day of Bogota was the start of something awesome!

We took a tour of the graffiti in La Calendaria district of Bogota. During our tour, we learned about the significance of the graffiti in Bogota and why some shop owners pay for artists to paint on the outside of their buildings. In essence, a nice mural is likely to add more value to a building. It also prevents the building from being tagged with something less appealing. The tour taught us about art culture and politics also, since the graffiti is more than just scribbles and profanity.

After the tour Robert and I went to a gold museum. The museum was nice, but not especially anything we cared about. Learning about the history of gold in Colombia was interesting, but not a highlight of our trip. You can't win them all. 

The next day we took a private cooking class and learned how to make a Colombian dish. Robert and I made slightly different variations because of me being a vegetarian, but the result was still a lot of awesomeness. Some of the things we made we were familiar with thanks to Panama. Familiar foods included arepas (a corn tortilla thicker than a Mexican tortilla. Can be filled or used like toast or a tostada shell) and patacones (plantains that are deep friend into medallions).

Others though were a fun treat including making a dish with tomatoes and onions called hogao. Another dish we made is called guiso. Basically it is hogao with cheese. However, according to our instructor, there is no such thing as hogao con queso (cheese) . One thing that surprised me was what Colombians put in guacamole. Growing up my mom basically put jalapeños in with mashed avocado. In Colombia they put a sliced boiled egg. Spiciness is added depending on the person, but food in Bogota is generally not spicy. We also tried lulo juice. Lulo is a Colombian fruit that looks like a tomato in ways, but is orange and slightly hairy on the outside. After cutting and peeling the lulo, water and sugar were added to make a refreshing drink.

After our class we ventured back over to the La Calendaria district for some shopping. We met an artist whose work we saw on the tour. Robert bought one of his paintings. The guy seemed nice, despite there being a slight communication barrier.

We then found our way to Mount Monseratti. The entrance was about a mile uphill from where we were, but a lot of people seemed to be taking the walk. From the entrance you can go to the top one of two ways: cable car or on a train. We chose to take the train up and the cable car down. This was a beautiful way of gaining appreciating of how big Bogota is (population estimates at roughly 9.9 million). The views were spectacular.

Our next adventure occurred the next day where we decided to take it a little easy. We walked to Parque Simon Bolivar. The park is bigger than Central Park in New York City. We went on a weekend and both of us were glad we did. There was a lot going on from people playing soccer, to a rugby match in sand and a cross country meet. The park even has an amusement park which includes a ferris wheel sponsored by Samsung.

After walking through that park, we found another one across the road. Robert and I spent time watching speed skaters of all ages and abilities, people playing street hokey, and others playing sand volleyball. It was something else and made me forget about being in a giant city. We then explored in a mall and saw the movie La La Land. The movie was in English. The lobby of the theater was different since there was the typical concession stand, along with a coffee shop, a candy kiosk, and a sushi bar. La La Land is a really good movie, making it a great way to end the day.

Our last day was more of a trip. We went to the Nemocon Salt Mines. It took roughly 2 hours via public transportation and bus to get to the town with the mines. Once we got there we ate a hearty breakfast and found our way to the mines. The salt mine is a cave and is not currently being mined. The optical illusions were beautiful.

This was also a filming location for the movie The 33 which is about the 33 miners who were buried alive in Chile (and also another good movie). We were able to see a replica of the room the miners were trapped. On our way back, we got lunch. Lunch consisted of beans/lentils with a ripe plantain, rice, eggs/beef, a potato, salad, and guava juice. Our bill was roughly $3 US Dollars.

The trip to Bogota went by fast but it was fun to be able to see and experience all we did. Not only did we get a chance to make some really delicious food, we also got see a lot of interesting things in addition to learning about some of Colombia's history.

A Review of January

My intention for 2017 was to try to blog about something every two weeks. Honestly, it has been my intention. Although considering my last post was on New Years Eve, I might need to try a little harder next month. What's been going on with us?

Well, obviously not enough to feel like I should blog about it...or maybe we've just been so busy I kind of forgot. We've both been busy with work. I am still doing social media marketing for a local company and really enjoy it. Along with posting things on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites, I also blog for the company and try to get other local companies involved. Robert is also helping out in small bits with the company I work for...doing back page "behind the scenes" things for the website. He is also staying busy with some of his other projects.

I have also been dealing with a pesky ear infection that won't go away. My doctor gave me some serious antibiotics this past week and it seemed to do help do the trick. Funny enough, some of the medicine I got was from a Pharmacy that couldn't quite get my name right.

Our building has also been without gas for about 3 weeks now. That means no cooking, no drying clothes, and no warm showers. Everyone seems to be getting used to the clothes and the cold showers. But eating out gets old. We have a crock pot but in a 85 degree weather (or  about 26° C) who really wants a hot thing running for 4-8 hours in their house? We bought a hot plate, but the thing isn't level and is kind of unstable to cook on, although it can be better than nothing. We've opted to eat salads and a lot of pizza. Don't judge. 

On the plus side of all of this, lack of heat in a warm climate is definitely a first world problem. Hanging clothes out on our little clothes rack on the balcony is nice and all but our jeans and thicker clothes typically dry within half the day.

So that is our month in a nutshell. February will be busier but I will try to be more active with the posts. I am also working on a post about what our grocery stores look like. A friend of mine seems intrigued, so by popular demand, that will be an upcoming post. What are you curious about? Let me know and I will try to blog about it!

Christmas Travels

This year we spent Christmas in the United States. We visited family in Oregon and Arizona. It was a quick 10 day trip, but it was one of the most memorable/special Christmases that we've had in a while.

Our trip to Oregon was cold. Luckily, it was only in the 30s and 40s and not in the teens like it had been the week prior to us visiting and the days following our visit. Robert and I had to find any warm clothes that we brought down during our move. You don't need jackets, hats, and scarves in 85 degree weather. We made it work though, and most of our plans involved staying inside anyway, which helped.

The first thing we did after landing in Oregon was going to Claim Jumper. It has always been one of my favorite places to eat. Good food, HUGE portions (even by US standards), reasonable prices, and over all a nice atmosphere. Is it just us, or are there places that you have to eat at when going back to where you grew up?

A tradition at PDX

The next day Robert and my dad attempted to go golfing, although that was short lived due to the frost on the course. Meanwhile, my mom and I got our hair done. I crossed off a bucket list item by chopping off over 8 inches of hair and donating it. My cause was for free wigs for women with cancer. 

Robert found out the hair salon was close to an Arby's. He requested it for lunch. He had a cheddar roast beef sandwich while I snacked on Jalapeño poppers with bronco sauce. Lunch was not healthy, but awesomely indulgent. 

The next day we were off to Roseburg. We saw one of my best friends and also got pie from Kruse Farms. If you are ever in the area, I recommend stopping by for pie. You won't regret it. 

We celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve with my brother at my parents' house. Gifts from Oregon included suitcase/carry on friendly items including gift cards, books, and clothes. Our Christmas day was very uneventful, but still very nice and relaxing. 

Our second Christmas was spent in Arizona. We landed and requested In N Out for lunch. Robert got his cheese burger and fries while I tried out a grilled cheese and got my fries and shake I used to get prior to being a vegetarian. A grilled cheese has all the fixings of a cheese burger, minus the patty. It is nothing but pure happiness. Yum!

We got to Robert's parent's house, wrapped our presents that we shipped to their house and had our second Christmas. Robert's sister had a son a few days before we arrived. I have the special privilege of being asked to be his god mother! Robert is his older sister's god father. The trip to Arizona was quick and we left 2.5 days later. 

In addition to In N Out, our other big indulgence was going to get Mexican food in Chandler. Si Señor has the best New Mexican style food I've tried outside of New Mexico. It is also our favorite Mexican restaurant. Everything there is super tasty, but their chili relleños are the best. We get the spicy option which topped with spicy Hatch Chilies. Jealous yet? You should be.

A red-eye flight home and we are back just in time for New Years in Panama. We picked the dogs up from the dog kennel and took a much needed nap. It was fantastic to sleep on our own bed next to the dogs. They were missed. 

Our plans for tonight are pretty relaxed. We are going to the roof of our building to watch the fireworks. People go crazy with them, and some are rumored to spend $15-20 thousand just for tonight. It should be a great show with no traveling. 

Have a safe and happy New Year. May 2017 bring health, happiness, knowledge, and peace. 

New Outings

*I thought I posted this earlier in December (around 10 December). Ooops! Here is the version I was going to post. Enjoy! *


Things from Otto now seem like a distant, hazy memory. Winter (aka dry season) is slowly settling in and the rain is becoming a weekly occurrence rather than a daily occurrence. This week three things happened: We went to The City to see a play, we tried a new fruit, and I got a job.

Last week we saw a play in Panama City. The  play, "Stopping Christmas," is about a psychiatrist's attempt to stop Christmas. His goal is to write a book about how Christmas is so commercialized and the fact that it seems to come earlier each year, encouraging people to stop Christmas all together.

Carolers during intermission  

The first half of the play was decent, but neither Robert or I felt we would recommend the play. Despite this, we still enjoyed having an excuse to get out for the house. After dinner we went to a sushi restaurant and had a nice dinner.  

Have you ever heard of a tomate de arbol, (a tree tomato), or a tarmarillo?   Neither had I until my Spanish teacher talked about some of his favorite fruits. Tarmarillos are called tomate de arbol in Latin America s due to the fact that they grow on a shrub and resemble a roma tomato. In most English speaking regions they are called tarmarillos.

Photo taken by Leonardo E

Not being one to shy down from trying new foods, especially fruits, I was eager to try this one. I read online that the flavor is often compared to a tomato, a kiwi, a passion fruit, or a guava. How can something be compared to fruits that seem so different?

Not being a fan of tomatoes, I was really apprehensive to try it. In general, I do not eat tomatoes unless they are sun dried or in salsa; the texture and taste of a tomato are very unappealing. Trying the fruit did not help my perception that cutting one open some what resembles a tomato.

Robert and I tried the tomate de arbol. He immediately put it down and said the fruit was not for him. According to him, all he tasted was a more acidic version of a tomato.

I am still not sure what to think of this fruit. While I see how the texture can resemble a tomato based off the wateryness (is that a word?), I felt like the taste was a mix between a passion fruit and a kiwi. The fruit is sour and acidic like a passion fruit, or a sour lemon, and the sweetness of a kiwi. I didn't like it, but I didn't dislike it.

I also got a job working a few hours a week doing social media marketing for a local company here. I will be writing blogs and posting ongoing news about the company on various social media outlets. While it does not take up many hours of the week, it is exciting in the fact that I get to write more.

December may be a little slow for blog writing due to the holidays. As most people know, the holidays are a busy time of year. I will try to do at least one more post over the next two weeks before it gets too crazy.  

An Otto be Grateful Thanksgiving

Yesterday was Thanksgiving, a day to be grateful. Robert and I have a lot to be grateful for, and we celebrated our way, just the two of us. Our Thanksgiving plans included over-eating, watching movies, and eating more food...all without being affected by Hurricane Otto. To a wonderful surprise, it happened.

This past week was very reminiscent of Fall for me as we had a lot of drizzly rain, steady winds, and a lot of cloudy weather. Egrets could be seen from our balcony cruising the wind. I loved it! Come Tuesday I realized the weather was due to the tropical storm/possible hurricane, Otto. Panama is below the hurricane belt and there has not been a hurricane on record, to my knowledge. It was expected to hit Nicaragua and Costa Rica Thursday. Despite this, I was keeping a watchful eye on it, making sure history was not in the making.

While we were enjoying the cool weather, other parts of Panama got hit pretty hard with flooding and landslides. It was expected that areas near Costa Rica would see heavy flooding and upwards of 12 inches of rain. Areas of Panama City were flooded and there were three deaths in the country. The last news reports I read stated that Panama was the only country that had deaths and that hit made landfall in Nicaragua as a category 2 hurricane.

The most interesting thing about this experience, for me at least, is that it seemed like the news in North America had not mentioned anything about Otto. Robert and I both called our parents Tuesday in order to reassure them we were okay in the event they heard about it. Neither of them had and we were bringing the news to them. The after thought was that if they heard about it, our emails and phones would have been exploding.

Thanksgiving came and we had calm weather. It was the first day the weather was not windy, rainy, or cloudy. We were making phone calls/Skype calls to our parents and siblings while food was in the oven. Robert made turkey for himself and a great tasting pumpkin pie to share. I had a black bean lentil loaf that purposed as my main dish.

Black Bean Lentil Loaf

Cranberry Stuffing

Robert's awesome pumpkin pie!

Late lunch was awesome and the dogs seemed to agree. Both kept trying to dig in the garbage for drippings.

Turkey coma!

Our little dog was not fond of being told no and started a growling match with Robert.

It was hard not to laugh

Movies we watched included Die Hard (it is a holiday movie, right?) and It's a Wonderful Life. The power went out during the second half of It's a Wonderful Life. We decided to walk down the stairs and walk the beach. The sunset was inspiring offering an array of pinks, oranges, and blues. We tried to wait out the power outage, but it was starting to get dark and we thought it would be best to climb the stairs while we still could. Have you ever climbed 11 flights of stairs on a full stomach? It is not something I recommend. The power eventually came back on and we were able to finish the movie.

Christmas is coming up in a month and today marks the official kickoff of that. Did you go shopping on Black Friday? Thanksgiving was a nice, relaxing day. We could not have asked for anything more.

As a side note, since I have been asked, Panama does not celebrate Thanksgiving. However, Canada does in October. 

Laptop Down and The Election.

A lot is going on lately. Not just in my life personally, but from a global perspective as well. I have been absent from the blog for about a month (despite not wanting to be) due to the fact that my laptop is currently down and I have to share a laptop. The election also just happened. I have to be honest, I am glad it is over. Because of the election, I am going to talk some politics, despite being raised otherwise. Sorry Mom.

My laptop died last week. I called Mac support to see if they could do anything. The only thing that can be done is to send it in for repair. Buying a Mac is awesome in the fact that it is still under warranty, which means that any time something goes wrong, I can send it in and get it fixed, no charge; however, it has to be with an authorized Mac repair store. My warranty does not extend to Latin America, so I would have to do it in the US. Friends of ours graciously took my laptop back to the US, since I would not be able to do it. We are sharing a laptop for the next six weeks. 

Now, with the election. The reaction within the US and worldwide is pretty intense. People kept asking me my opinion. There is one person I have openly spoken about the election with outside of Robert. I needed time to process my feelings about the election. So my fellow inquisitor(s), here is my opinion about the whole thing. 

Disclaimer: These are my opinions that I feel strongly about. I try to be as objective as I can about a subjective topic, in the respect that I try my best to back up my reasons when I deem appropriate. I welcome free speech. Any hateful rhetoric will not be tolerated, if I see any in the comments.

People I know had mixed emotions about the election. Some people were enthused about the news, while others are planning on moving out of the country. People that are not from the US also had mixed emotions. Some were excited about the results; however, many seemed distraught. 

Why do I bring up non Americans? Because a lot of countries are affected by our politics. Panama for example, has it's own currency, but their economy is 1:1 with the US Dollar and we use Balboas (Panamanian currency) interchangeably with US currency. One expat I know said the following quote:

I am slowly starting to see and understand this.

Personally, I did not find either candidate to be without flaws. My reaction to Trump winning, I imagine, would have been similar to if Clinton won: unsure of what the future holds for the US and the world. This election, for many, was not about the best candidate, rather the lesser evil of the candidates.

Protesters are going crazy, especially in Portland. People on both sides are upset on social media. Opposition against the protesters are calling these protesters babies. To those people who say that, please keep in mind that Trump supporters were already preparing for protests, including the Milwaukee sheriff that said it is "pitchforks and torches time" if Clinton were elected. While I do not agree with the riots, protests were bound to happen regardless of who got elected. 

It astounds me how people hope that Trump fails. If he fails, we fail. Regardless of whether we like it, Trump is going to be our next president. If he gets impeached (based off various news articles stating this could happen) then Pence will be president. Those who are anti-Trump will be dealing with somebody with a very conservative tract record. 

I have some hopes over the next four years. I hope that Trump is a successful president; his success is our success. I hope that Trump is able to bring the US together. I hope now that the Republicans control the three major governments things will get done without blaming the Democrats. You guys have no excuse, so get it together and walk the talk you've been talking.

I hope that people realize how important voting is. I read that this year was a "good" voter turn out with 57% of  people voting. The US may not be perfect, but we are able to have an opinion and put our opinions into action by voting. Not everyone gets that right.  Regardless of which candidate you vote for, VOTE!

So, that is my take on the whole election. That is what is going on in my life right now. I will try to do another post in about two weeks, around Thanksgiving. On that note, I hope everyone has a safe and festive holiday and that nobody has to work.

A month of completing Challenges.

There was a tradition I started back in college that was inspired by friends. Starting in November they would post something each day that they were grateful for until Thanksgiving. I loved this idea and after my first year of doing it, would go the whole month. Last September I remember thinking about how grateful I was for something and how I wish November would come around so I "could write it down." Then I thought, why I can't it be today and why just a month? Challenge accepted and this month completed my "365 Days of Gratefulness" challenge.

What was my challenge? It was to write down something I was thankful for that day and meditate/think about it and what it meant for me. Popular themes included Robert, the dogs, friends, family, and yoga. Other more random days included scotch tape for killing ticks (I never said it had to be zenful), being able to donate blood, and getting better at making biscuits. 

It serves as a reminder to be grateful for the small things in life, even on hard days. 

My other challenge for the month was a 21 day challenge to avoid the following:
-soda
-chocolate
-pastries
-ice cream
-pretty much any dessert/sweet related item

If you know me well enough, then you know I cannot turn down desserts, especially decadent chocolatey ones, cheesecake, cake-... you get the idea. I have a pretty big sweet tooth and I was going to go three weeks without satisfying it.

Did you know you can get sugar withdrawals? True story. I was very lethargic the first couple of days. Robert and I like to keep Snickers bars on hand. I decided to start this when we had four of them stocked in the refrigerator. If I ate one, I would not be lethargic and I would get energy, like they do in the Snickers' commercials. Talk about temptation!

Once I got over that, there was another big temptation: a volunteer where we teach English bakes whenever she is there. She was there a week before my challenge ended with banana bread. I declined and Robert took my slice. Everyone was talking about how good the treat was.

The plus side to this is the fact that I began eating more whole foods and drinking more water. I actually lasted about 25 days for my challenge before getting a brownie milkshake. I usually get the small, 10oz size. The awesome part? I got a stomach ache after about 7oz of it, so the rest went to Robert.

Life can be a lot of things: challenging, rewarding, scary, and beautiful. I have learned a lot about myself in the last year. I not only feel healthier physically, but mentally as well. What are you grateful for today?