the art of doing nothing (in Colombia)

"What if you pulled away from this constant stimulation? Stepped out of this forward-gushing wave of modern life and did something else? What if you found your own rhythm, one that's insightful and nurturing like the lapping of waves on a sandy shore — sometimes rough, sometimes quiet, sometimes still like glass?"

- from The Way of the Happy Woman by Sara Avant Stover

While we were in Colombia, we spent a week in a small town called Villa de Leyva. Several of my family members, including my mom, have holiday homes there.  My mom's house belonged to my grandparents, and as they hadn't been in a long time it was needing some TLC. My husband and my mom spent the whole week gardening, cleaning, decorating, organising repairs and then gardening some more. Me, I took care of Clementine.

The pace was slow and the days were long. With no wifi, I found myself bored for the first time in, well, a very long time. It was so good for me. I couldn't edit photos, write blog posts, watch tv, check comments, scroll through instagram or look at Facebook (boy am I disliking facebook more and more these days!). Instead, I took photos, gave Clementine my undivided attention, ate well, watched the fire, contemplated, admired my aunt's beautiful quilts, did nothing, napped, and read books. Two whole books: Death Comes to Pemberly and Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, both of which I loved.

It was grounding and made me hyper aware of my surroundings in a way I haven't been in a long time. I was present, because there was nowhere else to be. It's a practice I think I should embrace more often, perhaps for shorter stretches here and there and for one long stretch a year.

How do you unplug?

p.s. do you bring your iphone to dinner? and do you check your phone first thing in the morning?

bogota baby

We are home from our whirlwind adventure abroad. Over two months we visited two continents, 3 cities, 1 island, and 3 towns. We caught up with old friends, introduced Clementine to nearly all of her extended family, and had some precious family time while my husband didn't have to go to work. It was marvellous, but it was also exhausting. By the time we got in on Sunday I felt like hibernating for a week.

You already know all about Canada, so today I bring you Colombia. Part 1. The above photos are from our brief time spent in Bogota, which is where my family lives. On our drive home from the airport, I immediately remembered what always astounds me about this city - the traffic! So much traffic. And so many roads with no lanes at all; however many cars fit, that's how many lanes there are. Occasionally you'll even see a horse drawn cart on the freeway, quite a sight for this Canadian.

Mostly we hung out with my aunts, uncles, cousins and my 95 year old abuelo. But we also enjoyed some shopping, lunch at the Bogota Beer Company, eating my weight in areas and the views from a penthouse apartment overlooking Bogota. An absolutely massive city, it was amazing to get a bird's eye view of it.

For our last weekend in Colombia, we ventured to Choachi, a funny little town an hour from downtown Bogota. My husband said it was exactly how he imagined Colombia to be - tropical, warm and lush. We stayed at an amazing house, surrounded by coffee plants and banana trees.

One of the days we were there we went for a walk along the river. Where the white river and the black river meet there's a tiny town called La Union. It was a Sunday so most of the town was at church, and while we sat in the shade enjoying our popsicles we could hear them singing hymns. A guy rode down the main street on horseback and a stray dog followed us; it felt like a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel and it reminded me why I love this country.

summer dreaming

It's cold, wet and grey here today and some parts of the state have woken up to snow. Highly unusual for this time of year, to say the least. So while I spend the day inside drinking tea and reading my book, I'm dreaming of the perfect summer outfit. Here's mine:

1. Gorman Sunglasses. Love this shape and the great colours.
2. Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin. I just finished reading The Happiness Project and I figure this follow up book would be a terrific summer read.
3. Etsy camisole. Antique underwear makes for the perfect summer top.
4. Madewell shorts. Can't beat a pair of worn in denim shorts.
5. Gorman backpack. The one thing on this list that I'm coveting above all else - a fashionable mochila. There's a Colombian tribe called the Wayuu who are famous for making these beautiful bags. This one is right up my alley.
6. Tan Saltwaters. My favourite summer shoes.

my colombia travel tips

Whenever I meet people who have travelled throughout South America, they very often tell me that Colombia was their favourite place. It's mine as well. There's something completely captivating about the land and the people, despite the country's tumultuous past. I'm happy to say that it really is quite safe to travel there now - my only safety tips would be not to flag cabs on the street (call them instead), and make sure you're in a safe place when taking money out from an atm. 

Now, on to my three favourite places and my must see's in each one:

photo via

• The Musea del Oro (the Gold Museum) is a breathtaking museum displaying Colombia's archaeological history, with a focus on gold. 
• The Museo Botero has an impressive collection of one of Colombia's most celebrated artists, Fernando Botero. Gotta love someone who only paints and sculpts fat people.
• The Zona Rosa is a happening neighbourhood filled with trendy restaurants and great shopping.
• La Candelaria is another wonderful area in the city. Perfect for whiling away an afternoon and visiting the above mentioned museums.
• Usaquén is home to a famous flea market on Sundays, definitely worth checking out.
• Expoartesanias - this is my number one favourite thing to do in Colombia, but it only happens once a year in December. It's South America's biggest art market and each time I go, I spend hours walking through the stalls and emptying my wallet. 

• Villa de Leyva is a little town about 3 hours away from Bogota by car. It's beautifully old fashioned, with colonial architecture and the cutest little shops and restaurants. My advice would just be to go to the plaza and start walking. 
• If you want something touristy, my mom suggests leaving the town to explore the Convento del Santo Ecce Homo.
• If you do go, let me know and I can help with accommodation. There are lots of nice houses to let.

• Cartagena is a touristy hot spot, so accommodation ranges from cheap and cheerful to VERY expensive and luxurious. On the cheap and cheerful end, the Hotel Tres Banderas is a great find. If you're rolling in it, the Santa Clara is a magnificent old monastery turned 5 star hotel.
• La Vitrola - one of my favourite restaurants in the old city serving up traditional Colombian fare in a beautiful room.
• La Manga is an area quite different from the walled city, but beautiful nevertheless.
• Even though Cartagena is a coastal city, I have to say that the beaches are disappointing. If you're a tourist, you will be harassed nonstop by hawkers and it's just not worth it. Stick with pools. 
• Cartagena is really all about the ambience. So get out, explore, eat the street food and take photos. A post lunch siesta doesn't hurt either.

One last note on food - I just love Colombian food! Make sure to try: arepas, empanadas, bandeja paisa, ajiaco, and as much juice as you can get your hands on (curuba and guanabana are good starts). Well, that's that! Feel free to ask me any other questions; I'm happy to help. And thanks to my mom for helping me put this post together.

on being half colombian

photos from cartagena, old and new

Recently, a sweet reader emailed me to ask if I could write some more about being Colombian, and travelling in Colombia. It's something I've been meaning to write about anyway, so I'm thankful for the encouragement! Today, I'll share a bit more about my family and our story and next week I'll write my Colombia travel tips.

My mom grew up in a big Colombian family in Bogota. Educated at an American school run by nuns, she was basically fluent in English and decided to go to university in Canada or the US. She somehow ended up under the impression that Vancouver was "practically tropical" (we tease her about it to this day) and decided to do her undergrad at SFU. There, she met my dad, a Canadian from the other side of the country.

Over the next decade or so they moved back and forth between Colombia and Canada. My dad learned Spanish and fell in love with a continent that, to this day, is his favourite place on earth. When I came along they were living in Vancouver, but the three of us moved down south when I was only a couple of months old. They never did live in Bogota though; both preferring the tropical climate and pull of the coast. For my first few years of life we lived in Cartagena, in the historic old city.

Cartagena is like a fairy tale city. Surrounded by la muralla, a huge wall built in the 16th century to protect the city from pirates, it melds colonial architecture with lush tropical colours and Caribbean influences. It is so, so hot but my dad loved it and would regularly be out riding his bike at midday when everyone else was having a siesta. I don't really remember living there, but I'm pretty sure we were having a good time. My dad leading scuba diving tour groups and my mom teaching English. But it was the 80's and the height of the drug wars. Cartagena became more and more dangerous, and a car bomb exploding near our house while I was outside playing was the last straw. We moved back to ever-so-safe Vancouver.

The funniest part of this story is that when we got back to Canada, I didn't speak any English. My Canadian grandmother remembers me as a toddler, yammering nonstop in a language she couldn't understand. Apparently I didn't mind. And I did learn English, pretty quickly.

Because my mom is the only member of her family who ever left Colombia, we went back to visit as often as we could. My brother and I loved going to Bogota to hang out with our cousins, even though he doesn't really speak Spanish and I stuck out like a sore thumb thanks to my glaringly white skin and green eyes. Nevertheless, it's a place that feels like home, every time I arrive.

I haven't been back in over 5 years now, mostly because Australia is damn far and I've been focusing on seeing this part of the world. I miss it though. Every time I hear someone South American speaking Spanish I think of my mom and her family. I can't wait to go back someday and show my husband around; I know he'll love it.

baby me
missing colombia
my family, vintage

baby me

Shortly after I was born, my parents whisked me off to Colombia, where we settled for the next few years. We lived in a beautiful and oh so romantic city (you can see photos from the last time I visited here) and my dad is a photographer, which means that I have some pretty great baby photos. Of course, it doesn't hurt that my parents were both so good looking!