Nomad Norwoods
From Quito to NYC and all the places in between
a Change of perspective
We are embarking on an eleven month adventure from September 2022 to August 2023. Travelling to Ecuador, Galapagos, Columbia and various other destinations (which we haven't quite ironed out yet) and ending in New York.
The aim of this website is to be a link for us to share with our nearest and dearest where we are and what we are doing.
If anyone else stumbles across this then you are very welcome.
The nativity scene in the cathedral was impressive.
a morning of culture
On Saturday morning we decided to hit the cultural circuit and so did an art gallery and a museum. We also wandered the streets of the La Candelaria area of the city.
Isabella especially liked playing amongst the pigeons in one of the squares.
The bizarre world of botero
We went to a gallery and saw the artwork of Fernando Botero. His paintings and sculptures of people, animals and objects in exaggerated rotund form were really enjoyable. We particularly liked the fat horses and the fat men on fat horses.
After this we went to the Gold museum, which had lots of gold objects in it (who would have thought it!).
cerro monserrate
On Friday we decided that as we were acclimatised to being at 2600 meters we should go up the mountain to Monserrate at 3150 meters. We rode the funicular to the monastery. The views at the top were breath taking, in more than one way.
Isabella enjoying a mid-morning snack.
A view of the Andes from the door of the church at Monserrate.
We met Jorge the Colombian firefighter who was wearing a Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue jumper!
The story of Jorge
I saw a man in the line for the funicular with a Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue jumper on. With my best Spanish I explained that I live in Hertfordshire (Yo vivo en Hertfordshire). His name was Jorge, he is a firefighter, and he told us that a firefighter from Hertfordshire has a girlfriend from Bucaramanga in Colombia and that he and Jorge had swapped jumpers. So if you know this firefighter can you say hi to him from Jorge. Small world!
Above and opposite are views of the cityscape from our 16th floor apartment.
Below Posy and I wearing masks in the airport (it is mandatory to wear them in airports and on planes in Colombia - not for Posy though)
Back to BOGOTA
On Wednesday 7th we flew from Cartagena back to Bogota El Dorado airport, but this time we are staying in the city for a few days.
Thursday the 8th was my 45th Birthday (I know, I don't look a day over 35!!), however Charlotte and I were suffering from the altitude a bit, as we are currently at 2600 meters, and a touch of sleep deprivation; so the day was a bit of a wash out.
Posy relaxing in a hammock in our apartment. A lovely bit of parkay floor isn't it.
My Birthday cards that the kids made for me.
Castillo de san felipe de barajas
On Monday afternoon we visited Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas.
It is the old fort that protected the city back in the colonial times and was never taken.
The views from the castillo were very nice.
It was very hot at the top.
Isabella had a lovely time.
Posy not so much.
An evening in the old town
On Saturday we went for a late afternoon foray into the old town of Cartagena. Charlotte wanted to see the Casa Museo Rafael Nunez and we wanted to see the San Diego and Getsemani areas of the walled part of the city. After some typical Bandle map reading and directions we achieved all we had planned to.
Isabella with a statue near Casa Rafael Nunez.
Isabella with an excellent Christmas decoration (you can see the walls to Centro in the background).
A street scene in the San Diego area of the walled city.
Posy enjoying a late afternoon jaunt around the town.
The girls enjoyed the festive lights and decorations.
Posy taking it all in.
Another street scene of the San Diego area.
A street scene from the Getsemani area of the old town - this bit is more run down and gritty, but is being gentrified.
and relax
We have spent most of this week doing very little. We have got into a nice routine of going to one of the beaches in the morning, coming home for lunch and then either heading out to explore the city or popping down to the pool once Posy wakes from her nap. It has been a nice change being in Cartagena, which is much more developed and affluent than anywhere else we have been so far on this trip.
(Left: the girls enjoying their castle they made)
Playa de bocagrande
On Thursday we went to a local shopping centre called Playa de Bocagrande to get some bits and bobs and have dinner in the food court. There were lots of Christmas decorations as expected, but it is still really strange to see 'winter' decorations in a tropical country.
Isabella made friends with a snowman in the shopping centre.
The girls with Santa's grotto.
Isabella with Santa's sleigh.
And it was a very classy jewellers!
Sunset looking back down the peninsular towards our apartment.
Looking up the bay towards Centro.
Sunset Charlotte.
Charlotte is VERY happy as she got her Taganga-ginger-mishap fixed yesterday; she is back to being a brunette. She also got her nails done, so she is well and truly happy.
Merry Christmas!!
I think we have found a winner for our family Christmas card for this year!
A trip to old cartagena
On Wednesday we made our first visit to the old town or Centro of Cartagena. It is really beautiful.
Isabella amongst the pigeons.
Isabella with the lady from the front of the Lonely Planet guide (there are about 85,000 of these women).
I am lost for words - captions on an email please.
Cartagena
We arrived in Cartagena on Sunday after a long and eventful drive from Ciénaga. Our driver Arnol decided that he didn't want to sit in a traffic jam and so broke every conceivable road rule to get us past it; Including driving down the hard shoulder, driving on the wrong side of the road, going three abreast with other vehicles as he raced them down the road and avoiding lorries as they tried to block the road to stop crazy drivers from taking stupid risks. Oh and he did all this while sending and listening to Whatsapp voice messages! Anyway we made it.
We spent our first night marvelling at the view from our 13th floor apartment which is situated on the southern tip of the peninsula of the city. It has rained a couple of times and because Cartagena is below sea level it floods pretty spectacularly.
(Photos: Top, Arnol and his taxi; Middle, the night scape of Cartagena; Bottom, the puddle outside our hotel - that Audi is a SUV)
Above the view of the city towards the old part or Centro from our balcony; top right, towards the docks, again from our balcony; bottom right Isabella dreamily looking into the lagoon.
Chevere beach
We had a lovely and relaxing couple of days at Chevere Beach thanks to Alex, Luka and Mona the dog.
Our cabin.
The restaurant area.
Through the gate to the sea.
The sun-trap.
IMG_6265.MOVup, up, up and away
On Sunday we treated ourselves to a paramotor flight. Luka our host flew us around the area. There is a huge lagoon here and we could see the fishermen out in their boats, view the towns and see right back to the Sierra Nevada mountains.
I went first and then Isabella went with Charlotte. It was a fantastic experience for everyone: well not quite - if you click the link below the picture then you might be able to hear Posy's reaction to it seeing her Mummy fly away.
Me taking off.
Isabella doing her best rendition of Empire of the Sun.
Charlotte and Isabella pre-flight.
Posy having a lovely time on the beach with her Daddy.
Here are the videos taken during the flights and edited by Luka - please click on the links below each picture to view.
8a405959-2fa3-4ba1-bc42-af724419a66e.MP4657eb9c7-93bf-44aa-9fb1-7e250a3e7358.MP4what a difference a day makes
We left Palomino at 9:30 on Saturday so that I could make my dentist appointment. We got there an hour and half early and Arnol, the driver, went and arranged for me to be seen. The dentist was fantastic and to spare you all the details and a long winded story, I now have one less tooth. But wow what a difference it has made - the abscess was big and the tooth shot. No wonder I had been feeling so rough for the past two weeks. My dentist Osiris was amazing!! She really is Wonder Woman!
We then travelled on to just past Ciénaga, which is about an hour outside Santa Marta, to spend two nights here before heading to Cartagena. We are staying at a hotel called Chévere Beach which is beautiful (I know I say that about every place, but they just keep getting better and better). We have a cabin in a small resort (3 cabins and a house with rooms) which is on the beach. It definitely has the wow factor and is a great place for me to convalesce for a couple of days.
The kids have had a lovely time this afternoon playing in the sand on the beach and in the resort (it isn't a resort, but I can't think of the correct wording - answers on a postcard please!).
(Photos: Top right, Osiris and me after the extraction; Not quite top right, the view back towards Santa Marta and the Sierras; Not quite bottom right, the view of our resort from the beach; Bottom right, the view down the coast and the sunset).
Isabella spent most of her afternoon playing with Mona the dog.
Posy happily pottering around the resort.
sandwiched between the mountains and the beach
Our week stay in Palomino has been a story of two halves: on the one hand this place is stunning, with the beach on one side and the lush forested mountains on the other. The other day I was standing by the pool watching three toucans in a tree plucking fruit and tossing it into their mouths. On the other hand it has been blighted, for me, by a very nasty case of tooth infection, which means that on Saturday, when we leave here, we all have to pop into Santa Marta so I can have treatment. Hopefully I will be sorted by the end of the day.
Palomino is probably what Taganga was like before all the tourists descended upon it and then covid hit. This paradise draws the travellers in their droves: the surf is good (apparently) and there are lots of yoga and spiritual retreats here.
(top left: the view of the beach last night - hopefully you can make out the surfers. Bottom left is a view up the river towards the mountains that I took this morning)
Isabella doing her Colombian pose.
Charlotte and Posy doing their Colombian poses.
Walking down our road to the beach.
Isabella playing on the rocks outside of our room.
Isabella taking a picture of the tortoise at the hotel.
The aforementioned tortoise.
Isabella and Posy enjoying a spot of prebreakfast-breakfast.
Posy loves a selfie!
Isabella contributing to coastal erosion.
Isabella getting caught contributing to coastal erosion.
The girls loved playing in the river.
Every so often we see something like this and are reminded of the time of year it is.
Palomino
We arrived in Palomino on Saturday after a very scenic drive along the coast; we went from rain forest to plantations to stunning beaches and coastlines. The sea is really rough so we can't swim here and the currents are deadly. It is two colours, brown near the shore and blue further out, this is due to all the rivers dumping into the sea (there are so many rivers coming down from the Sierras). And for you geography buffs out there, it is no longer the Caribbean Sea (sniff) it is the Atlantic Ocean (boo): Well that is according to Apple Maps, the locals say it is the Caribbean. It is really hot and humid here. Palomino is a small idyllic town which has become a bit of a tourist magnet in recent years (I suppose since Taganga was a bit defiled by the tourists). It is very tranquil here.
Isabella's tour of La casablanca
This the small pool that I liked to make Mummy to swim in (it is cold and smelly).
This is the path to the big pool.
This is the big swimming pool, where Daddy and I swam and had ice cream.
This is the path from the big pool down the hill to reception - it turns into a river when it rains and it rained a lot here!
This is the block where our room is - it is on the bottom floor, middle door at the top of the steps. I know that architecturally it isn't much to look at, but it was very nice and comfy.
tayrona national park
Even though Posy and I were still not feeling great, we thought that we should attempt to go into Tayrona National Park on Friday as we are leaving this area on Saturday.
We caught the bus to the main entrance of the park and then did a short walk to an eco-lodge and restaurant near a beach. It was a very hot and sweaty walk, but we managed to avoid any major downpours (which was very lucky).
After exploring the beach and a spot of lunch we decided that we had pushed our luck as far as we should and headed on back to the sanctuary of Calabazo and our hotel.
Isabella looking suitably impressed with her day out in the national park.
Poor-little-sick-Posy passed out at the restaurant and slept on some chairs.
Isabella at the restaurant in the national park.
Us leaving the national park.
Great timing as a bus for home was about to leave.
Posy in happier times.
hotel la casablanca
We arrived in the town of Calabazo and the Hotel Casablanca on Tuesday around lunchtime. It is just outside the Tayrona National Park and it is lovely to be back in the jungle.
Unfortunately, Posy and I haven't been feeling too well for the past few days and so we have spent most of our time here at the hotel trying to sleep off whatever it is we have picked up.
Isabella has had a wonderful time playing in the two pools at the hotel.
On the day we arrived we went to a local restaurant for lunch and there were humming birds and parrots. In the afternoon, while we were at the pool, we saw a toucan fly over and monkeys passing through the hotel grounds: it's an amazing place.
It was great to have humming birds buzzing around us again
The parrot at the restaurant.
Posy and Charlotte waiting for their food
Me in my sick-bed-hammock and Bellie 'nursing' me with her jelly.
last day in taganga
Monday was our last day in Taganga. Tomorrow we head east to the Tayrona National Park for four nights. It means we will be away from the beach but venturing into the mountains.
So this morning was our last time at the beach. It is a public holiday today so the beach was very busy with people coming from all over Colombia to enjoy the sun, sea and sand.
Isabella and Posy have loved playing in the sea and the sand with inflatable unicorns and their buckets and spades.
We have also enjoyed meeting some really lovely people who chat to us in the sea or around town.
The girls playing in the shallows.
Busy day at the beach.
View up the beach. Santa Marta is over the hill.
View down the beach towards Tayrona.
Friday night dinner
We went out for dinner on Friday evening at Pachamama again and there was another glorious sunset. Isabella and I went on to the beach and took some pictures.
a quick dip in the pool
On Wednesday afternoon, after another busy morning at the beach, we went to use the pool at hostel Divanga which is just round the corner from our place. It was excellent as they let us use it for free (well almost, we felt that it would be rude if we didn't at least order some drinks from the bar). The girls loved splashing around in the pool.
The weather here has changed and is now dry and sunny. The temperature though is not too hot and the heat is not very humid, It seems this could be the perfect place to see out the British winter in future.
a day trip to Santa Marta
As Tuesday was the hottest and sunniest day we have had since we first got here, we decided to head to the sweltering hub that is Santa Marta. Located about 20 minutes along the coast from Taganga, we thought we had better visit the place (we did fly into the airport, but thought this didn't count). In hindsight we should have gone to the beach!
A bit of history for you, Santa Marta was the first settlement established by the Spanish on mainland South America. However it was then overshadowed by Bogota after it was founded and wasn't really looked after; throw in an earthquake and repeated attacks and sackings by pirates and other colonel powers and this has made Santa Marta a bit sad. The old colonel part of the city reminded us of the old town of Panama City (for those who have been). For me though the most exciting historical event that took place here is that Simón Bolívar (you know the guy that liberated five South American countries from Spanish rule and gave his name to another country) died in one of the houses (and yes I did know that before we came away!!).
Isabella looking suitably impressed in the Plaza de San Francisco.
Same plaza different view and no Isabella.
Museo del Oro or gold museum. However, this is the building Simón Bolívar died in.
And that's the room from the outside (we did go in, but I didn't take a photo of the inside).
Looking towards Parque Bolivar.
The bay area (there is a massive port in the other direction).
Parque Bolivar again. Basically you have all 'done' Santa Marta, so please don't feel the need to visit it!!
Pachamama
On Sunday evening we went to the beach front to have dinner in a restaurant called Pachamama (oh how we have changed since Galapagos!). The meal was delicious and the sunset divine.
Posy and Charlotte admiring the view.
A day at the Mirador
Saturday was a wet day (well it is the rainy season after all), so we decided to take the recommendation of our Airbnb host and headed for the Hotel Mirador de Taganga for the day to use their pool and as a haven from the rain. It was brilliant as the pool overlooked the bay and the restaurant did good and cheap food (my favourite: bonito y barato). Isabella loved the pool, much to the worry of the hotel staff who thought she would disappear over the edge. She refused to get out even when it was blatantly obvious she was cold.
Isabella refused to have her photo taken with me in the pool (sad face). It is a good view isn't it!!
Isabella enjoying the pool.
The view of Taganga from the hotel's veranda.
Charlotte dancing with Po.
Bellie and Po enjoying the swing seat.
They had a wonderful time playing on and with it.
Happy 18 month birthday posy!!
As today was Posy's 18 month Birthday we decided to do something different, so we went to the beach. Well to be honest we didn't actually realise the date was the 4th November until it came up in conversation with an American man in the Caribbean Sea. Anyway we are sure Posy didn't mind.
Isabella engaging in some crafting.
I think this picture speaks for itself.
These are the views of the mountains behind us and the bay in front from the sun terrace of our house.
Where the mountains meet the CARIBBEAN
If we are being completely honest Charlotte and I were thinking last night that we might have made a massive mistake coming here. It started to rain at around middayish and the deluge, which was slightly apocalyptic, continued all afternoon and throughout the night. Seriously, I have never seen that amount of rain (and thunder and lightning) for such a sustained period of time. When we were told that this is normal as it is the rainy season that's when the doubt crept in. However I am happy to report that today we went to the beach and the weather was perfect (for us and the two little ones).
This place is gorgeous. The Sierra Nevada mountains surround the bay, the sea is warm and it has the feel of the Italian Riviera.
Isabella had a wonderful time playing with her new unicorn inflatable.
The girls with their unicorns on the beach.
bienvenido a colombia nomad norwoods
After two days of travel from Santa Cruz to Quito on Monday and then from Quito to Santa Marta, via Bogota, we arrived late yesterday afternoon.
We have two weeks in our Airbnb here in Taganga, which is sandwiched between the Sierra Nevada mountains and the Caribbean Sea (I know life is tough, but, if it makes you feel better, it is currently raining). Thankfully Colombia seems to be much cheaper than Ecuador. We did a big shop this morning and were like kids in a sweatshop: we bought sweets and wine and crisps and shower gel and all the other things we have denied ourselves for the past two months. Happy days!! As I am typing this Isabella is playing with her new unicorn inflatable that she has coveted since she played with Estefani's in Nanegal.
The people here are super nice and friendly. We had been told this by various people in Ecuador and gladly they didn't over exaggerate. As soon as we landed at Bogota El Dorado airport (I love the name of that airport) people were greeting us and chatting to us. Even while I was taking the photo opposite of Isabella with the cow a man was introducing me to his family and telling me all about them; great guy!!