Ain't Nothing Better than the Summer in the Northwest

Traveling for 13 months in South America left me with a craving to explore the immense land that is my home country, the USofA. I have done a decent amount of US exploring but a hefty amount of it was when I was really little, so it kind of doesn't count. As soon as I got back to California I was ready to leave again, not because I don't like it, I LOVE California, but because I really had the travel bug. My destination- the Pacific Northwest. This little road trip was all made possible thanks to my grandma. She was nice enough to give me her car when she decided that it was time to stop driving, so I flew up to Spokane and then drove the car back to Berkeley over the course of about a week. The drive could be done in 2 days, but I found myself wishing I had spent an entire month cruising down the coastal highways.

Spokane, as some of you may know, is by no means the nicest city in America. In fact, a friend threw around the name Spokompton because of its reputation for being dirty and extremely dangerous. Nonetheless my 89 year old grandma has lived there for years and still finds it an enjoyable place. One positive, people are extremely nice there. Literally everywhere we went people helped us with smiles on their faces and seemed way friendlier than anything you'll find in the bay area (I hate to knock my hood, but its true). It was a great 2 day visit with grams before I was off to Seattle with Scout, yup, that's what I named my car.

Driving from Spokane to Seattle I took a little detour south to visit Mt. Rainier National Park. Even though it made the drive about 3 hours longer, it was such a good decision! Driving across Washington is so beautiful! I liked that I was alone because I could stop wherever and whenever I wanted, plus I was able to sing along to my music without anyone critiquing my pitch :) Add in lots of road blocks and construction and about a million vista points and I was stopping quite often just to soak it all up, breath in that clean and crisp mountain air, ahhhhhh.

Wildflower Season :)

After stopping at Mt. Rainier and doing a little hiking, I continued onto Seattle. Well actually I was couchsurfing in Olalla, Washington, which is right across from Seattle. You get to take a ferry to get across! Staying with my couch surfing hosts, Kevin and Sara, was a great experience! They were extremely open and generous people who willingly allow tons of couchsurfers to crash at their house every night. It was basically like a hostel, but it was free. Couchsurfing is so awesome and I honestly feel like I’ll look there before I search for hostels in my future travels. Sara was basically my travel agent and told me all the cool things to see and do in Seattle, the cool neighborhoods to visit, places to eat, free things to see that were just as awesome as things that required $30 entrance tickets. I spent the night there and in the morning woke up nice and early to maximize my time in Seattle!

What a beautiful city that it, Seattle. I completely fell in love with it. Everyone kept telling me that it’s just because I had a stroke of good luck with the gorgeous weather, which is probably true, but if that’s what the summer is like, dayummmm, I wanna be there. I did all the touristy stuff, including the Space Needle (which blew my mind!), roamed some unconventional streets, saw the fish fly in Pike Place Market, took a nap in the Olympic Sculpture park, and then I got a local to take me around to some other cool sites. This isn’t just some random person I walked up to on the street, but actually my friend Dylan I met in Ecuador! This is why traveling is so great, so many connections all over the world. Anyway, I hopped on a bus out to by where Dylan lives during rush hour, bad decision. It took forever, forever. Traffic was so ridiculous. When I finally got there, we went to some typical spots for Seattleites. Green Lake was beautiful and right in the middle of a residential neighborhood, how cool! We ate at Dick’s Burgers, the In-n-Out “equivalent”, it was pretty good, but there’s just no comparison. Then, we went to Gas Works Park. O.m.g. We sat on the side of the hill at the park with an unrivaled view of the Seattle skyline and watched the sun go down. I was completely mesmerized. I ended up missing the last ferry to Olalla, which may or may not have been a conscious decision, and kicked it with Dylan and his friends for the night.

This thing called the Space Needle

The view from the Top

Looking out from Gas Works Park

In the morning, I caught the ferry back to Olalla, there were a few minor complications, said my goodbyes at Kevin and Sara’s house, and packed up the car to head to Portland. Once again, a beautiful drive. The Tacoma Narrows Bridge, ah love it. I have no idea why there was so much traffic, but there was a TON. I was stopped on multiple occasions, just rocking out to my Pearl Jam “Ten” tape. I was headed to the Portland airport to pick up my momma who was going to drive the last few bits with me! I ended up only being about 30 minutes late, but I got her and we drove off to Beth and Steve’s house. The Marchi-Youngs have been family friends since before I was born so it was really great to see them. Dinner at their house was like a mini reunion, people who my mom played volleyball with back in Sf showed up and it was just a great visit. Unfortunately it was only for 1 night. All that means is that I have to go back sometime soon.

In the morning my mom and I set out for the Oregon coast. We drove through some wine country to get there, but all I was focused on were those huge, dark, ominous clouds ahead of us. Sure enough those clouds were parked on the entire coastline. It was still really pretty scenery with breathtaking views of the ocean, but the constant rain made the drive a little harder. C’mon, you want me to focus on the road when I have all this beautiful stuff around me? Ridiculous. 8 hours later we arrived in Brookings, Oregon. It was a random little town with surprisingly good Mexican food. Once again, it was a brief stay before we were hitting the road for California.

Ahhhh California, how beautiful you are. As we were driving through the redwoods I just kept thinking of the Santa Barbara beaches and just being in awe of the fact that I live in a place which has such incredible and beautiful diversity. I’m so lucky! But back to the redwoods, how amazing are they?! I just love them, those gentle giants. Another cool part of the drive was seeing all of these random statues on the side of the road that I actually have pictures with from when I was a wee little lass, the two most notable being an awkwardly skinny dinosaur and Paul Bunyan. The California portion of the drive was definitely the longest, but we chugged through it and eventually pulled into this little place called Berkeley, California. We made it home and what an incredible journey it was! Now, I’m ready for more. I want another road trip, a cross-country road trip, and I’m going to make it happen.

The Redwoods <3

Woah...

Its over. In a few hours I get on a plane and I say chau to Santiago (I know it's a weird spelling of "chau", but that's how they do things here in Chile). I can't believe it's been a year. I remember taking off from the San Francisco airport, thinking wow, a year is a long time, and it definitely is, but it FLEW by. Time has never slipped through my fingers so quickly. 

On the plus side: I really feel like I lived every moment to it's fullest. Yes, there are still things I wish I could have seen, places I wish I'd gone, but overall I think I did a pretty damn good job of exploring this year, not only Chile and South America, but myself as a person. I am so stoked to head back home and to be with my family and I know i will have a better appreciation for my life in California. This place has changed me, but all for the better, those of you who see me when I get back, will definitely notice a change and I hope it doesn't bother y'all too much :)

There's this song, by this Chilean artist, and there are these lyrics that say "Pedazos de ti incrustados en mi, pedazos de mi, tirados en el camino." I have become obsessed with Fernando Milagros over this year, so it only seemed fitting that his words helped me convey my expereince. "Pieces of you embedded in me, pieces of me strewn on the road." Even though I am pretty sure Fernando's words about being strewn on the road weren't positive ones in the song's context, I'm taking some creative license, and interpreting it as me leaving a part of myself in Chile, but in a good way.

It's been a roller coaster of a year, that is for damn sure, but Santiago has seen me through it all, for that I am incredibly thankful. There are so many things that I want to list and talk about that happened over the course of this year, but half of you will loose interest, so I just want to say that it's been amazing and more that I could have imagined.

See ya on the flip side Santiago! No doubt in my mind that I'll be back, I'll try to bring a GIANT fan with me to blow away the smog :)

Final Countdown

It's the Final Countdownnnnnnn!(Please take a second to sing/hum/whistle Europe's classic 80s hair metal hit) The countdown actually started a while ago, but as of today, and this blog post, it's only 9 days until I leave Chile for good. There is no doubt that I will one day return, but chances of me living permanently in Santiago again are pretty slim. For now, I am just taking advantage of every moment that I have left and trying to live it up.

Today is Monday, last Tuesday I finished with 3 of my finals and they all went really well, even that oral final for Teatro Chileno that I was freaking out about, but I still have one more to go on the 9th of July. Why my professor decided to have the final so late, I have no idea, but I do know that it will be the same old, same old, and I will not be studying until the day before the test :) 

Here are some pretty photos and some tidbits from life:

 Santiago has been killing it with the sunsets lately and I am totally diggin it. I took this one from my balcony.

 Lauren, Michele, and I went out for Mexican food and margaritas and they were delicious. I still have my heart set on a Rancho Grande chicken burrito as soon as I get home, but Taxco was decent enough to hold me over until then. Thank god these two chicas live in California, the semester wouldn't have been the same without them and I can't wait for our adventures up and down California!

 A huge plus for the winter in Santiago are days like these, clear blue skies and snowcapped mountains. After if rains, ALL the smog disappears and it is just the most beautiful sight. I was walking to the metro and I saw this couple just stop and stare, and at first I thought they were really weird, and then I turned around, it's a damn good view. Good thing I carry my camera in my backpack or else I wouldn't have been able to shoot this beaut.

My littie kiddies at ParvuNautas, I am really going to miss them! Last Friday was my last day and it was really sad. It was happy too though because I made them yummy snacks and they made me the most adorable card and framed a photo for me, but it was still sad to say goodbye. It's official, I have to work with kids in the future, it's amazing how much they brighten my day. (I mean, how could you be sad in a classroom painted lime green?)

This blog is turning into a random compilation of random last moments from Santiago, but I still hope you enjoy reading! More to come from my last days in Santi Town.

And the Goodbyes Begin

In exactly 2 months I will set foot on California soil, for good, not just for two weeks like last time. It's still weird to think that I will no longer be living in Chile, but I'm going through the process of mental preparation. Mental preparation is key to my return to California, and I am starting to get excited, but it will definitely still be a shock. The mindset is a completely different one. When moved down here, I knew that I would have a life waiting for me back in Cali when I returned, but not this time. When I leave Santiago, it's for good. The life that I have created here will no longer exist, in 4 months or 4 years. It will be a memory, but a fantastic one at that. I have made some amazing friends that I know I will have for a lifetime, but having to say goodbye still sucks. Tonight is the going away party for one of them, it just seems too early! But, the reality is that the goodbyes are starting and this chapter of my life is really coming to a close. It's sad, but at the same time I'm excited to continue on this journey that is my life. It's like reading Harry Potter, you don't want the chapter to end, but when it does, you can't help but be eager to start the next one. 

Chiloé

Palafitos

Bus on a boat

What an absolutely incredible and special island. The south of Chile is notorious for it's beauty, but Chiloé was just something special. I know I haven't posted about Santiago in a while, but if feels weird to me to just write about normal life. Instead, I am going to tell you, and try to show you, the beauty of this place. One of the top 2 favorite places in all of South America (the parts that I've visited).

Castro <3

Thursday night we set off from the the central bus terminal and 14 hours later (Friday morning) we arrived in Castro, Chiloé. Since our final destination was an island, our bus had to drive onto a ferry to cross the water. I just really love boats and being on the water, so it was cool to be on a bus on a boat. We were able to get off the bus for the ferry ride and I was hit with a freezing cold brick wall as soon as I stepped off the bus. It was really nice though to be in the cold. When I am all bundled up and have the right clothes, I really enjoy the cold.

When our bus pulled into Castro we set off to find our hostel. It was on one of Chiloe's famous palafitos, basically houses on sticks. CUTEST HOSTEL EVER! I fell in love with it. The atmosphere was just really chill AND it had a balcony that lead right out onto the water. So perfect! Since it's offseason, we had the place to ourselves. Just us and Pato, the receptionist. He was really cool too. Lot's of recommendations and just really fun to talk to.

The Hostel

View from the dock

Lauren and Lewis, my traveling companions

The Church in Achao

We wasted no time at all and within the hour we were out the door again setting off to explore. Destinations for day 1: Dalcahue and Achao. Such fun names. Everything is pretty close on the island and it only took us 20 minutes on a bus to get to Dalcahue. We ate at the local cocineria and it was delicious and cheap! Fried food and an abundance of sea food. I think my lunch total was $3... The artesania market in Dalcahue is famous for it's wool products, obviously I did not miss an opportunity to go shopping. What is a little less obvious is that I didn't buy anything! I was really impressed with myself (until the next day when I would buy a ton of stuff). Finally, we were at an artesania fair that didn't have all of the same crap that I see in Santiago/ saw in Peru and Bolivia. It was so great.  Then we got on another bus, only to drive onto another ferry, to cross over onto the island where the city of Achao is. On the drive over, it began to rain. Like, really rain. The oldest church in Chiloé is in Achao, so we really wanted to get off and see it. We did, and about 30 minutes later we were on another bus heading back to Castro. It was raining SO HARD! We saw the church then sought refuge in this little beach lookout/shelter thing. Not the best idea. Why? Well, the closer you get to the water, the windier it gets. It was so out of control. I could barely walk because the wind was so powerful. I was in a fit of laughter and just could not stop. It was completely uncontrollable, but I just found the situation so hilarious.

Lots of German style homes

By 6p.m. we were back in Castro and the sun had already gone down. We cooked dinner every night to save money but had to get a little creative because the hostel had no over (the ONLY negative about that place). We didn't know that there was no oven the first day, and what did we decide to make? Pizza and crumble for desert. So we ended up making the pizza in a wok and the crumble in another pot, but everything turned out really good. We are such resourceful college students.

Castro

Wooden interior of Castro's church

All of the next day we just hung around Castro. In the morning we went to the local vegetable/fish market. Such a great combination. It was a really good market too for such a small city, I guess those are always the best, at least the most authentic. We found this lady who sold homemade garlic sauces and OMG they were amazing! She let us try every single one and was just so nice, so of course we bought some to snack on. After the market, we headed down to the waterfront and walked along until we came up to the artesania fair in Castro. It was HUGE! We made about 3 rounds before actually buying anything, but we definitely bought. We had lunch across the street and I ate the biggest piece of fish I have ever seen in my life. Jeeez, everything was just so fun and perfect, and just buena onda. I guess good vibes would be the best translation, but even that doesn't seem fitting.

Day 3 we went to the national park. We had somewhat putting it off, hoping to wake up to really good weather one day, and on day 3 we woke up to clear blue skies. The weather was PERFECT! We really, really lucked out. We explored the park with two German kids that we met, Carmine (who is actually Italian) and Sebastian, and took advantage of the beautiful weather. My favorite part was our beach picnic surrounded by cows. I know it seems like beaches and cows don't really fit together, but in Chiloé they exisit in harmony. There were so many cute little baby cows and horses, I just wanted to pet them all. I can't explain just how beautiful Parque Nacional Chiloe is, so here are some photos:

The Pacific Ocean

Lauren, Sebastian, Carmine, Lewis

!!!

A Note About Earthquakes

Chile is the most seismic country in the world. They don't just have the word "earthquake" they differentiate between temblores and terremotos, only if it's bigger than 8.0, is it an actual terremoto (earthquake). So when everyone gets on facebook 3 seconds after the ground stops moving, all the Chileans make sure to comment on the statuses of the foreigners clarifying that it was a temblor and we have nothing to be freaked out about. What does all this mean for me? I have gotten really used to the ground moving. In a span of about two and half weeks there were 3 major ones, each one a little stronger than the last. The thing that makes them different from the ones in California is that they last forever! Seriously, they last long enough for me to realize what is happening and then run through all the possibilities in my head. The strongest yet lasted about a minute. Think about that for a bit, an entire 60 seconds of the earth freaking moving beneath your feet, that's a really long time. I have not had to evacuate yet, but for the 8.0 one about 3 weeks ago a lot of people headed for the streets. On the plus side, turns out I am remarkably calm in these situations and don't freak out.

Fun Fact: Chile has created a delicious new drink called the Terremoto. Why? Because it f***s you up, and after a couple you are definitely stumbling.

Roaming Some Familiar Streets

It's been about 2 months since I have arrived back in Santiago. I just spent so much time catching up on summer vacation that I have now completely neglected what is currently going on in my life. When I arrived in Satiago after basically 3 straight months of moving around, I felt like I was coming home. Walking into my house was just the greatest feeling, complete comfort, like returning to California after a long vacation, except this time I was returning to Chile, but it still felt like home.

School is in full swing and midterms are right around the corner. For some reason my classes are a lot more challenging this semester. Maybe it's because I am understanding a lot more, so I am actually processing the concepts, and not just the language on the surface. I'm taking 4 classes: 

1. Nobel Prize Literature of Latin America

2. Chilean Theater (Which is completely kicking my ass)

3. Geography of Latin America (more like human geography)

4. Chilean Culture

I cannot believe that i only have 9 weeks of classes left! I know that seems like a really long time for some of the people reading this, but after an entire YEAR that is absolutely nothing. It's a really strange feeling to realize that this experience is coming to an end.

I have no class on Fridays, so I have dedicated my time to working at a kindergarten. 6 hours a day hanging out with 2-5 year olds, I LOVE IT! They make me so happy and I always leave with a smile on my face. Yes, it is extremely hard work and takes it's toll (especially when I decide to go out on Thursday night...), but it has just been the best experience. I don't think I could do it every day of my life, so I have gained a lot of respect for the people who work at the kindergarten full time. It's an intense job. The kids are just so cute though! Pictures will come soon, my boss said it was ok to bring my camera one day :)

These aren't photos of little kiddies, they are however, some things in Santiago that captured my attention upon my return. 

The Costanera Tower, the tallest building in South America

Flowers in bloom at Campus San Joaquin

A tile store

My street, at 3a.m.

Easter morning

Back into the Cordillera

Plaza Bolivar

Heading back to the cordillera also meant more cold and rain. The weather was really fitting to Bogota in my opinion, the whole city has this gothic and kind of ominous feel. I guess the gloom added to my actual feelings, Bogota was our last stop on this epic summer journey and I was not ready for it to end. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't dreading going back to Santiago, but I just could have kept exploring.

The Cathedral at Plaza Bolivar

The hostel in Bogota was one of my favorites from the whole trip. It was really small and probably had room for a total of about 15 people. Breakfast was included and there were hot showers! The neighborhood, La Candelaria, was also one of the best in Bogota, so I felt really comfortable walking around. Since the hostel was so small and only about half full, I actually got to know the other people staying there. That's where I met Kate! It is seriously such a small world, she is also studying in Santiago at my university for the year. Basically we were friends instantly.

So "me"

Most of the time when people think Colombia they think drugs and danger, but in all honestly, Colombia was the country where I felt the most safe. The people are just really cool and don't seem like they are out to get you (ehhmmm, Peru!). That being said, it wasn't that smart to wander around certain areas of Bogota at night, or really during the day, so we stuck to the well-lit areas.

In terms of sightseeing, day one was all the standard stuff: The central plaza, the biggest cathedral, and the government building (which are generally all in the same place). In Bogota that place took the name of Plaza Bolivar. Ohh and finding the grocery store is also vital. One major bonus for the grocery store in Bogota: doughnuts! They had like a legit selection. Grocery stores are really fun in other countries, seeing what they have to offer, Colombia was killin it in terms of a "global" variety of goods. We found Kraft Mac and Cheese...!!!! Nearing the end of the trip meant also nearing the end of our budgets, eating in was a must. Colombia surprised me with how expensive it was. It was still way cheaper than the US, but coming from Bolivia/Peru/Ecuador is seemed super expensive. The one absolute MUST-SEE in Bogota is el Museo de Oro (The Gold Museum). So much gold! It was really beautiful stuff too. An incredibly huge collection of ancient gold artifacts from latin america, I was blown away. Colombia also has some really awesome artesania, so a gander around the markets is definitely worth it.

















March 1st eventually rolled around and that meant it was finally time to go back to Santiago. Summer vacation was over and it was back to reality. Hands down, the best summer of my life. To sum it all up: November/December- Patagonia, Santiago, Home; January- Argentina (Buenos Aires, Iguazu), Bolivia (La Paz, Salar de Uyuni, Copacobana and Lake Titicaca), Peru (Cuzco and Machu Picchu, Lima); February- Peru (so many ruins along the north coast, Huaraz, Trujillo, Huanchaco), Ecuador (Guayaquil, Puerto Lopez, Quito), Colombia (Cartagena, Taganga and Tyrona, Bogota). What a freaking awesome trip!!!! To top it all off, when I got back to Santiago I had to go to the U.S. consulate to add pages to my passport because there was no more room for stamps :)

The end of a great vacation.

Taganga and Tyrona

Taganga :)

That's a fun title. Anyway, February 24th, my journey along the Colombia's Caribbean coast continued. The trip East started with the sketchiest cab ride of my life. I don't know why I was so paranoid but I was just on edge the entire time. Nothing bad even happened, but I was just running through all these scenarios in my head. What was I most worried about? My camera, obvio. Photos>Personal safety. I would have been pissed if my camera got robbed with all my photos on it. Nothing happened in the end and we made it to the bus terminal, but Briana had the same sketchy feeling the entire time too. Afterwards we laughed about it, but in the moment I was contemplating ways to escape from a moving vehicle.

 6 hours later we arrived at our final destination. Lot's of people told us that staying in Taganga was better than staying in Santa Marta, the nearby city, and I think they were right. Well, I actually never stayed in Santa Marta, but the small fishing village had a lot of character. Life there was just so relaxed, people were definitely not in a hurry and had a pretty laid back lifestyle. The next day we were heading into the Parque Nacional Tayrona, so while we were still in town we needed to load up on non-perishables. Standards: bread, jam, tuna, doritos, WATER and of course lots of toilet paper. Later that evening, at around 7p.m. the power went out, in the entire town. Another bummer: using the water requires and electric pump, so that was down too. It was kinda fun, but I was happy when the electricity came back on 2 hours later.

Not our boat, but ours looked like this

Sleeping accommodations in the park

In the morning we set out for Parque Nacional Tayrona. We had heard nothing but good things about the park, everyone just raved about it, so I was really excited. To get into the park we took a boat, it was another crazy boat ride on the Caribbean sea. The driver said that we should put all of our valuables in the storage part of the boat because a lot of water enters. I wanted to have my camera in a plastic bag, but the driver disapproved, thank god I listened to him. We got SOAKED, head to toe, it was like endless drops down the Log Ride. I was cracking up the entire time, which only increased the amount of salt water that I swallowed. I just found it hilarious every time water hit the boat, I don't know why, but I am giggling just writing about it. It wasn't what I expected and I wouldn't say it was "fun" but it was a great moment. I was pretty glad to dig my toes into the sand when we finally arrived. Welcome to paradise.

A look to the right

The park conserves the pure beautiful coastline and has some scattered campsites for visitors to stay. There are lots of trails which lead into more jungle-like surroundings and obviously there are the gorgeous beaches. First things first, we picked out which hammock we would be sleeping in for the 2 nights we were there. Soon after we headed to the beach. It was really nice because there were a lot of people staying at Cabo San Juan, but it was easy for everyone to find a secluded spot on the beach. So peaceful, the waves splashing on the shore drowned out the conversations of the closest group of people, so it really felt like you were on a private beach. The entire day we were on the beach, reading, and dipping in the water, and napping and going back into the water. First night in the hammock was fun. I actually found my hammock quite comfortable and did not mind sleeping in it at all. The thing that got me, the mosquitoes! They attacked my entire face. Both nights, it was slightly out of control. I was covered neck down, so those little buggers went for the only exposed part of my body. Such a low blow, even for blood-sucking insects. I got lots of "well the mosquitoes sure do love you" comments.

The next day Briana and I hiked up to Pueblito, which was supposed to be an indigenous village. We thought it was still populated, but no, it was just empty. The hike to and from was worth it though because the scenery was gorgeous. I really liked how as soon as you left the sandy shores you were in the middle of dense jungle. There we so many cool animals and insects! We even saw an anteater!!! The one we saw is of a special species and is small and lives in trees, way cool. The butterflies were awesome too! So many pretty wings, I think I counted 11 different ones in about an hour. Unfortunately this entire beautiful day was not captured by cameras because we heard reports of being robbed, and like I said earlier, I cannot afford to loose my camera. I kind of like it though, because in my head the images are still pretty close to perfection. We completed the hike's loop and ended up on the beach, a nude beach just btw. Plenty of people embracing their "free spirits." We headed back to the campsite, changed into our bathing suits, and set off for the sandy shores once more.

The morning of our last day in Tayrona we packed up all our stuff and set off for the trail that leads to the entrance of the park. We decided to backpack out to save some money and to see a little more of Tayrona, apart from our little piece of beach heaven. Just breathtakingly beautiful. We got about halfway and then we saw horses. Obviously we were all about them, so we hopped on, with our huge backpacks, and continued towards the entrance. This is not ay mythical as it sounds, we didn't find wild horses and commander them and start galloping away into the distance, it was more like a guided trot through the dense jungle. Gorgeous. Sidenote: I do not recommend wearing shorts while riding horseback.

Once out of the park we headed back to Taganga, a 40 minute drive, only to be welcomed by no electricity. All I wanted to do was shower, but I couldn't, it was sad. So what do we do? Go to the beach, of course! It was so flipping hot that day, I could only be out of the water for about 8 minutes before I needed to go back in again. The electricity did not come back on until 10pm but by that time we were passed out, that sun really tires you out. Although I really loved Taganga and Tyrona I wasn't too sad to leave. I could have stayed there forever, and that is the problem, I still need to be productive with my life. I realized I can't spend all my time sprawled out on beaches if I want to see the world! I'll just do that every once in a while ;) We said goodbye to the Caribbean and headed into the heart of the cordillera.  

A little more visual stimulation:

We stayed until there was no more sun to be soaked up

Backpacking out of the park

Birana's backpack riding a horse

Attempt at a photo of Taganga Bay as we drove away