Category Archives: Daily Life and Other Musings

Moving to WordPress.Org

Posted on May 1, 2011 by Little Observationist

Looking for more updates? Head over to the new site. http://www.littlecolombiaobservationist.com See you there. Don’t forget to re-subscribe 🙂

Posted in Daily Life and Other Musings | Tagged blogging, colombia, culture, latin america, new site, south america, stephanie sadler, wordpress.com, wordpress.org | Leave a comment

Fique: Fibre for Pretty Things

Posted on April 29, 2011 by Little Observationist

Spools and spools of fique fiber fill the shelves of Colombia’s artisan shops next to colorful woven bags, shoes, sacks, tapestry and little sombrero key chains. This material comes from the fique plant which has long green spiky leaves. It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Daily Life and Other Musings | Tagged bolso, colombia, craft, culture, fique, handmade, latin america, mogotes, plant, production, river, south america, travel, weaving | 3 Comments

Surviving Semana Santa

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Little Observationist

Last week – Semana Santa – was one of the most religious times of year in Colombia – a country that is 90% catholic. For someone who is not religious and not used to having a huge amount of family … Continue reading →

Posted in Daily Life and Other Musings | Tagged candles, catholic, church, colombia, culture, easter, family, good friday, jesus, latin america, mogotes, palm sunday, photography, procession, religion, santa semana, stephanie sadler, tradition, travel | 4 Comments

Chicamocha Canyon

Posted on April 23, 2011 by Little Observationist

Deeper than the Grand Canyon and just as majestic, this is Colombia’s Chicamocha Canyon which we passed on our drive from Mogotes to Bucaramanga. At the bottom of the canyon is a small town which amplifies the height of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Daily Life and Other Musings | Tagged adventure, bucaramanga, cable car, Chicamocha Canyon, colombia, culture, grand canyon, mogotes, mountains, park, photography, santander, south america, stephanie sadler, travel | 3 Comments

Eating Big-Ass Ants

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Little Observationist

They’ve arrived. The air in Mogotes is thick with their distinct scent. It’s woodsy, smoky, meaty. Colombians call them Hormigas Culonas. Foreigners refer to them as the “Big-Ass Ants”. They’re shiny, about as long as the top joint of your … Continue reading →

Posted in Daily Life and Other Musings | Tagged big ass ants, colombia, culture, delicacy, food, hormigas colunas, santander, stephanie sadler, strange food, travel | 9 Comments

Just Over One Month In…

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Little Observationist

…and I’m scrambling for some reliable visa information (links in the comments appreciated!). As they say about Colombia, “The only risk…” Yes, I do want to stay. There couldn’t be a place in the world more opposite from London. The chaos of … Continue reading →

Posted in Daily Life and Other Musings | Tagged colombia, culture, DAS, english, south america, spanish, stephanie sadler, the only risk, travel, visa, visas | 3 Comments

Exploring Colonial Towns Barichara and Guane

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Little Observationist

BARICHARA In 1975, declared “The prettiest village in Colombia.” Altitude: 1,237m (4,058ft) Population: 4,149 Average Temperature: Around 23ºC (73°F) In the local dialect, Barichara means “Place of Rest” and it is certainly that with sleepy colonial streets and shady central … Continue reading →

Posted in Daily Life and Other Musings | Tagged ants, barichara, camino real, cemetery, Chapel of Jesús, Chicamocha Canyon, church, colombia, colonial, construction, culture, graffiti, guane, guane indians, hiking, hormigas, museum, Parque para Las Artes, photography, pretty, rock-carving, san gil, Santa Lucia, santander, sculpture, south america, stephanie sadler, textiles, travel | 3 Comments

The Devil’s Cascade and a Tropical Bird Hole

Posted on April 10, 2011 by Little Observationist

Our car bounced and rattled over the rocky dirt path toward La Cascada del Diablo (The Devil’s Waterfall). This picture doesn’t begin to describe the roads – they get a lot worse. The population of Mogotes really thins out once … Continue reading →

Posted in Daily Life and Other Musings | Tagged birds, colombia, culture, el hoyo de los pajaros, explore, la cascada del diablo, laguna, lake, mogotes, nature, santander, south america, stephanie sadler, the hole, travel, waterfall | 1 Comment

Parrots and a Great View in San Gil

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Little Observationist

SAN GIL The “adventure capital” of Colombia Altitude: 1,114m (3,655ft) Population: 33,592 Temperature Year-Round: 24 to 32ºC (75-90°F) San Gil is hot. Well, for me and my pasty white gringa skin anyway. It’s the nearest big town to Mogotes, about … Continue reading →

Posted in Daily Life and Other Musings | Tagged adventure, ants, beach, birds, caving, ceiba trees, clay, colombia, creek, culture, flowers, hydrospeeding, kayaking, la calle real, meat, paragliding, park, Parque Gallineral, photography, plantains, rappelling, Restaurante Carne Brava, rio fonce, san gil, shopping, stephanie sadler, street art, travel, view, walking, white water rafting | 55 Comments

A Day of Soccer and Rain

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Little Observationist

This time of year, it is rainy season in Mogotes. Every afternoon around 3pm after a bright and sunny morning, the clouds roll in from behind the mountains. Thunder rumbles. Lightning crashes. At any moment, a downpour will begin. When the … Continue reading →