katsiris.com

My first 'real' destination in South America, Cartagena blew my high expectations way out of the water with its beautiful colonial buildings, lively plazas, salsa from every corner, and incredible Colombian people. My time was limited but I will be back.

Blog - Colonial Cartagena

36 files, last one added on Feb 16, 2010
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Carnaval is of course most famous in Brazil, but it is a Latin American celebration that's big in Panama, Mexico, and here in Colombia. The centre of the action was Baranquilla and Phil and I dropped in on the festivities with excellent results!

Blog - Carnaval in Colombia

57 files, last one added on Feb 18, 2010
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A really quick stop in this pretty and well-planned city, famous for its nightlife. The city surpassed expectations but the nightlife was average.

Blog - Medellin and Medellout

35 files, last one added on Feb 28, 2010
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At last we arrived in Bogota, where we have many friends living. It was a pleasure all too short catching up with them and a city not explored nearly enough.

Blog - Home Free Bogota

45 files, last one added on Mar 02, 2010
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I stopped in Armenia on the way to Cali to see Katie, an old friend that is currently teaching at a Colombian school there. I toured the nearby coffee town of Salento, her school, and played a game called Tejo involving stones and dynamite.

Blog - Dynamite Dean at Last

67 files, last one added on Mar 04, 2010
Album viewed 25 times

Cali is a place famed for it's nightlife, girls, empanadas, and the Cadena sisters. I met the latter, ate the third, danced with the second, and partook in the first as well as saying bye to Phil, taking salsa and Spanish classes, and doing little else.

Blog - Cali Born, La Girls

56 files, last one added on Mar 08, 2010
Album viewed 30 times

Popayan, the white city, was the real start of my solo travels. Also, with a week of basically not using my camera, my inner-photographer was starving. Popayan, then Pasto, and the magnificent Sanctuario de las Lajas satiated that hunger perfectly.

Blog - Down and Out of Colombia

59 files, last one added on Mar 13, 2010
Album viewed 28 times

My first stop in Ecuador was a delightful small city in the eastern Andes where I arrived just in time to visit the famous Saturday markets and load up on Alpaca wool. From there, plentiful hikes through the countryside to small indigenous towns, waterfalls, and lakes awaited.

Blog - Octavalo Highs

49 files, last one added on Mar 19, 2010
Album viewed 23 times

Ecuador's Quito is the second highest capital city in the world, clocking in at 2850m and also sits just below the equator. As well, it is a city surrounded my mountains, volcanoes, and is one of the most historic in all of South America.

Blog - Ecuador's Equator

60 files, last one added on Mar 30, 2010
Album viewed 23 times

To get acclimatized for my climb to the top of Cotopaxi - the world's highest active volcano - I spent a week or so at Secret Garden Cotopaxi. Amazing food, great hikes, and views of Cotopaxi right out the window awaited.

Blog - Home on the (Mountain) Range

43 files, last one added on Mar 30, 2010
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We set out at noon to conquer the highest active volcano in the world, Cotopaxi, and fought any number of maladies to reach the summit at 5897m above sea level. Possibly the greatest thing I have ever done.

Blog - Such Great Heights

44 files, last one added on Apr 01, 2010
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A small town perched on the cliff of an active volcano and a valley below surrounded by waterfalls, other mountains, and of course, the hot springs for which it is named.

Blog - Finding the Baños

54 files, last one added on Apr 06, 2010
Album viewed 25 times