It is hard for us to believe, but our Pan-American road trip came to an end nearly a year and half ago. Since our return, Maggy and I both have been yearning to return to Colombia, our favorite nation of the journey. We started our trip in Bogota, a city which Maggy had never been to before. (I travelled there my first trip to Colombia in 2012 with my parents) Here in Plaza Bolivar, the pigeons are so well trained, they know to huddle around you before you even open the bag of treats!

According to Maggy, the number one thing she wanted to accomplish in Colombia was to eat Bandeja Paisa daily. We succeeded. This traditional Colombian platter, from the Paisa region, has pretty much all of our favorite foods. Steak, chicharron, chorizo, rice, beans, fries, avocado, plantains, arepas, and morcilla (blood sausage) in varying portions made this $8 plate well worth it.

Bogota is a temperate city, situated in a valley some 8,600 feet above sea level. With a population well over 6 million, finding solace can be difficult at times, yet those who make the early morning journey up to Monserrate are often rewarded. This 17th century church is accessible by funicular, but many still chose to test themselves by climbing the winding steps from the mountains base.

Conquering the stairs is no small feat. Sitting atop a bordering mountain ridge, the church gives astonishing views of the valley of Bogota. Here at 10,300 feet, you can clearly see the expansiveness of the city from the skyscrapers of the city center to the outskirts heading towards Soacha.

After spending a few days in the capital, Maggy and I rented a car and headed off towards the coffee regions of Quindio and Risaralda. Our first stop was Santa Rosa de Cabal, which is known for its three waterfalls and world-class hot springs. We splurged for the night, staying at the Termales Hotel which was home to one of the two springs. This small hotel, built in 1940’s was just steps away from this waterfall. You can just barely see the blue outline of Maggy, standing by the creek looking up towards the ridge.

While I enjoyed sitting in the thermal pools, Maggy spent most of her time photographing the plants and bugs around the hotel’s grounds. The day we arrived was incredibly misty, leaving water beads on this cobweb. The plant itself was so large, Maggy could complete shield herself with a single leaf.

While the economy room included a private bathroom, it did not happen to include a shower; instead we were instructed to use the showers out near the pools. Maggy didn’t seem to mind. She embraced the walk, which gave her more opportunities to spot little critters like this one.

Once we departed Santa Rosa, we turned south towards the town of Salento. Maggy and I were low on gas, but I recalled a gas station along the route from our previous travels and opted to push onwards. Fortunately we didn’t run out of gas and were rewarded with this Rhinoceros beetle in the field next to the pumps. Through all our travels I have developed a theory on gas stations in remote stretches such as this – they always place a gas station at the base of the mountain, that way if you run out of gas on your way to the top all you need to do is turn around and coast back down to the fuel depot.

In Salento we returned to one of our all-time favorite hostels, the Plantation House. Perched on the edge of town right where the historic Camino Nacional converts back into a rutted mule trail, this hostel offers tours of their own small coffee finca. While we were there, this yellow Oasis Overland caravan was undergoing some repairs while it’s passengers checked out the palms in the Valle de Cocora. This was my first time seeing one of these big trucks, which offers overland tours across the length of South America.

By now I am sure many of you all have heard of Wheelys Cafe, the bicycle cafe chain with locations sprouting up around the world. Maggy and I got a kick out of this Cafe Willys, which was fully integrated into this 1950’s jeep. If you look closely, you’ll notice that not only is this Willys perfectly restored, but it actually has an espresso maker and milk steamer built into the roof supports and rear storage areas.

This photo pays homage to Foster Huntington, the force behind van life and the blog A Restless Transplant. (www.arestlesstransplant.com) Not only has Foster influenced my blogging style, but his photo’s kept me motivated through Kings Point to pursue traveling upon graduation. This Toyota 70’s series Land Cruiser is the international standard for 4×4’s; sadly they are not available for sale in the United States.

Leaving Salento after only two nights, we headed towards our second home, Medellin. After traversing the twists and turns of the highway leading out of Pereira, we stopped for a coffee break at top of the ridge. This section of the Pan-American highway is unique, as the road splits off, with north-bounders heading up one mountain face, while those heading south descend down an adjacent mountain face across the valley.

We wasted no time returning to our favorite spots in El Poblado. Just down the street from Hostal Maloka is a small coffee bistro, Cafe Alma. We ‘discovered’ this place on their first day in business, when they handed us a free sample of coffee as we walked by. Aside from having excellent coffee, we explored their menu and came to realize they have one of the best Eggs Benedict’s we’ve ever had – anywhere!

Most foreign countries (aside from EU and other ‘developed’ nations) are a bit behind on the craft beer movement. Colombia is definitely an exception. While the boring national brands like Club Colombia and Aguila dominate most bars, you can occasionally find 3 Cordilleras which produces a great pale ale and stout. We met up with a friend we made during our first visit to Medellin, Samuel, who drove us to the bottling plant which was located in a nondescript industrial area. Unfortunately, the breweries small rooftop bar was closed on Wednesdays so we missed out.

During our month in Medellin undergoing repairs on the FJ60 in 2014, Santiago and Patricia took us in and made us feel welcome in this great city. Santiago just recently opened up his own auto shop, which specializes in restorations among other things. Remembering how much we love Bandeja Paisa, they organized a lunch at a friends restaurant were Maggy and I had an all-we-could-eat feast!

After completely filling us up in the Sudamericana neighborhood of Medellin, they invited us out a few hours later to join them for dinner on the outskirts of the city. After driving up Las Palmas, we made out way to their friends small Pasteleria where a mountain of Empenadas, Tortas de Chocolo, Arepas de Chocolo, and Buñuelos were prepared just for us. This was a special treat for us, as this was the place where we wished each other bon voyage when we continued on towards Ecuador by motorcycle during our Pan-American trip.

The week went by too quickly, but we managed to do so much in such a short amount of time. Colombia will always have a special place in our hearts – particularly the mountain regions of the interior. While Maggy would have loved to continue on our journey behind the wheel of this 1946 Chevy COE (cab-over-engine), we sadly had to say our goodbyes and head for the airport. Ciao Colombia, see you before you know it.  😉