Please note: My page has moved to http://www.travelaroundwithkris.com - so follow me there as there will only be reposts on this site randomly throughout the month. New articles are being posted at the new site - with ino on Germany, Portugal and Spain added most recently. Cartagena is a crowded city transforming itself before your …
Sacsayhuaman is an large megalithic site in Peru that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is an old Inca fortress that is just outside Cusco, overlooking the town. It was excavated in the 1930s. In 2008, more ruins from the fortress complex were found and are still being evaluated. It consists of enormous rocks …
Continue reading Sacsayhuaman Incan Fortress (Sax-say-hwaman) – Peru – UNESCO site
My blog has moved. So if you enjoy it, check it out at its new and improved location - Travelaroundwithkris.com. You can sign up to receive emails at the bottom of any page. Cartagena's folk music, Champeta, and El Runner On my tour through the Bazurto market with @eltonystark, I learned not only about the market …
Continue reading Colombia – Champeta and El Runner (Colombia)
I traveled alone to Cartagena for a week and had no trouble at all as a solo female traveler. The people of Cartagena are very nice and helpful and I never felt unsafe. Here are a few examples of their helpfulness: On my first morning, while being overwatched by a 9 foot tall painting (?) …
Continue reading Cartagena as a solo woman traveler (Colombia) – helpful, friendly people
While I was in Cartagena, the daytime temperature was often only in the high 80s but the heat index was often near 110 and the UV index was usually 10 and up (6 is high). That sort of humidity and heat and sun is very uncomfortable and you get sweaty within minutes of being outside …
Continue reading Cartagena: dealing with the heat, humidity, and sun
For my recent trip to Colombia and Panama City, my airfare was $291 (after all taxes and fees). My hotel, which I found on booking.com was basic, but for the 7 nights was $187 (including breakfast). My room was basic, but I had my own bathroom, the A/C and Wifi worked well, and the location …
The Brazilian government recently changed their visa rules, so that citizens of the United States, Canada, Japan and Australia no longer need a visa for stays under 90 day (some extensions are available as well). This went into effect on June 17, 2019.. The visa can be acquired at https://www.brazilvisaonline.org or https://brazil.vfsevisa.com/brazil/online/home/index as well as other …
Continue reading Travel to Brazil just got simpler and cheaper
As you walk around the old area of Cartagena, you will see beautiful houses with bougainvillea or other floral vines climbing walls and covering balconies. Vendors walk around selling hats, sweets, and cold water or beer. Women in colorful ethnic clothing pose for photos with bowls of fruit on their heads. The people watching …
Continue reading Cartagena attractions: churches, parks, doors, and kites (Colombia)
Last night, I went to Centennial Park just outside the old city of Cartagena. I had seen capuchin monkeys here on earlier days and had heard there were also sloths. While there with the monkeys, the 3 women from the tour I took in the morning to the Bazurto market happened to wander by and …
Continue reading Cartagena – Sloths, red squirrels, and capuchins (Colombia)
The Bazurto Market in Cartagena is a sight to see (and smell). It began its existence in the now-trendy Getsemani area but was moved about a mile out of what is now the tourist area about 50 years ago. The original building from back then is currently surrounded by thousands of other stalls, with the …
12 sided stone in Cuzco - the most sides of any known stone in the area. This is at Machu Picchu and is called "the perfect wall" Some arrangements have been given names, like: Finally, this is the smallest stone found so far. Soon it will be a small hole in the wall from …
I leave for a week in Colombia in a couple weeks, and I've been investigating what things I want to see in Cartagena. (If you have suggestions, please let me know.) One thing that inevitably comes up in any search of the area is the Totumo mud volcano. It is an attraction less than an …
Continue reading Colombia – why I won’t go to the Totumo mud volcano
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