Guatape and La Piedra de Peñol

Very few places look exactly as they do in Pinterest photographs, but Guatape (the town) and La Piedra del Peñol (the giant rock) are definitely two of them.  A short hour and a half bus ride from Medellin, this is the perfect day trip.  The 740 step climb is more than worthwhile for the views you'll be rewarded with, and afterwards reward yourself with a bandeja paisa for lunch.  The bandeja paisa is typical for the region and boasts a whopping array of rice, beans, ground meat, fried pork rind, sausage, fried egg, potato salad, avocado, sweet plantain, and an arepa. It may be a lot, but surely you've earned it after those stairs ;)

To Colombia

It's been a while since I've blogged and, thankfully for me, I've finally gotten into the "busy season" of my job. So, after only having a few days at home over nearly a month, I was looking forward to a vacation quite a bit. 

Before coming to Panama, Colombia was never on my list of places to visit.  After all, the only Colombia that I knew of was certainly dangerous and not worth the time, expense, and risk to go there.  

However, due to its close proximity and cheap costs, Colombia is a very popular vacation destination for volunteers in Panama, and it seemed that every person that visited the country returned with nothing but glowing reviews.  After hearing so many good things about the people and places in Colombia, I finally decided to pack my bags and take the 50 minute flight to South America. 

Let me tell you- those glowing reviews were not wrong.  From our very first morning in Cartagena when a local man offered to share his breakfast with me when I couldn't decide what to order to our last day in Medellin when our AirBnB hosts spent the morning teaching me how to cook arepas, my trip to Colombia was filled with so many wonderful experiences with kind people, beautiful places, and great food.  As those happen to be three of my favorite things, how could I not love it?

I'll be posting a few more blogs about the costs (unbelievably cheap), our favorite things to do, and why staying with a host family can be one of your favorite parts of a trip to Colombia.  In the meantime, here are some of the photos from a country I will definitely be going back to. 

Friends, Diving, and Whale Sharks

Whether you come to Panama for a month or 3 years, chances are that you’ll have a Panama to-do list.  Seeing ships pass through the famous Panama Canal, swimming in the tropical waters of Bocas del Toro, and sampling the world renowned coffee in Boquete are all popular activities, but with 2 years to spend, my to-do’s have been getting more and more specific.

As someone with a little more time and flexibility, I’ve been able to plan my trips around not only specific destinations, but also around the best times of the year to visit.  From once a year ferias to months long animal migration patterns, I’m happy to use my flexibility to my advantage and see a whole new side of Panama.  If you think you can see all of our little country in a week or two, you’re definitely doing it wrong!

Since neither Knoxville nor Pittsburgh is close to many diving spots, I’ve been dying to go ever since I got to Panama. After nearly 2 years of scoping out locations, prices, and marine migration timing, I finally got my chance.   For the past few months, 12 of my friends and I have been planning a SCUBA trip to dive with whale sharks and tons of other interesting marine life around Isla Coiba off the Pacific coast of Veraguas. 

Fun fact- “Ver aguas” means “To see waters” and Veraguas is the only Panamanian province that touches both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts.

Accessible via the popular surfing destination of Santa Catalina, Isla Coiba is a national park with some of the most beautiful beaches I’ve seen in my entire life.  To prove it, I haven’t edited any of the pictures in this post- it really is that beautiful!  Though at one point the island was home to a penal colony, the only current development on the island is a small ranger’s station and several cabins available for rent by ANAM, the environmental ministry of Panama. 

While Santa Catalina alone is worthy of a visit, we were there strictly for the SCUBA diving.  After a long day of travel, we enjoyed each other’s company and prepared for an early day of diving. 

Since most of our group was comprised of newly certified or beginner SCUBA divers, we were all a little anxious for the dives we’d be doing the next day- especially considering the dive shop’s slogan, “Sharks guaranteed!” Even though we were excited to dive with the giant but harmless whale sharks, the idea of diving with varieties that had pointier teeth was a little discomforting.

Since diving is always better in pairs or smaller groups, we separated into two boats and headed out to Isla Coiba, about an hour’s boat ride away from Santa Catalina, early the next morning.  Though I haven’t actually been diving in the ocean before (I was certified in the quarries of East Tennessee), even I feel pretty confident in saying that the diving in Coiba was incredible.  We swam through schools of hundreds of beautiful tropical fish, watched sting rays jump into the air, came within a few feet of peaceful sleeping sharks (small enough to be okay with me), and even found a seahorse bouncing around some coral! 

Even though my group didn’t actually get to see the whale sharks, we all had a great time and I would still highly recommend the area to both snorkelers and SCUBA divers, regardless of whether you can plan your trip around whale shark season J

Transportation to Santa Catalina 

Ideally, you’ll want to get a bus to Sona, Veraguas.  If you’re coming from Bocas though, you’ll need to take a bus to Santiago and then catch a Sona bus from there.  They leave about once an hour.  After arriving in Sona, walk to the Santa Catalina bus terminal (about 5 minutes down the road) and take the 4x daily two-hour bus to Santa Catalina.  The last bus leaves before 5, so make sure not to miss it!  Over all, the trip costs less than $5 each way. 

Diving around Isla Coiba

The good diving is all situated around Isla Coiba, about an hour’s boat ride away, so if you’re interested in going, you’ll definitely need to go through a diving company.  We went with Coiba Dive Center and were very happy with our trip.  Count on paying ~$150 for a 3 tank dive, all rentals and transportation from Santa Catalina included. 

Knoxville: It Just Keeps Getting Better

To be fair, I haven’t lived in Knoxville for more than a month here and there since I moved to college in 2009, but each time I come back, I can’t help but be surprised at how awesome my hometown city is.  Every time I come home I’m taken aback by a delicious new restaurant, a cool yet budget friendly boutique, or a fun festival- Biscuit Festival, that was most definitely directed at you.  

 The only thing that makes coming home to Knoxville even better is getting to see it through new eyes with out-of-town friends.   In similar fashion to the Great Smoky Mountains, I made sure to hit downtown Knoxville with both Sadie and Natalie, because the repetition sure didn’t bother me.

Great Smoky Mountains + A Bit of Gatlinburg

Panama is a beautiful, ecologically diverse country that I constantly feel blessed to live in, but man, there is just something about being home.  The Great Smoky Mountains, less than an hour from where I live, are both one of my favorite things about East Tennessee and one of the things I find myself loving even more with each passing year.  The Smokies are full of beautiful sights and activities, and while I was home I was lucky enough to visit not twice, but three times.  Each one was magical, seriously. 

Sadie and I were on our way to the Cades Cove Loop, Sonic milkshakes in hand, less than 24 hours after I arrived in the States.  We took in the crisp Spring weather and took many an instagram-worthy shot before calling my dad to place our orders for BBQ.

Next was touristy but necessary stop in the neighboring Gatlinburg, TN.  Though the town generally avoids the ridiculous getaway antics of Pigeon Forge, it still has some pretty interesting attractions.  If you visit Gatlinburg, you’ll need to visit one of several (legal) moonshine distilleries that line the main road.  Each one offers free tastings of some of their many flavors- Apple Pie may just be my favorite, but I might have to taste again to be sure. 

Since I obviously have a thing for free samples, I also make sure to visit the Old Smoky Mountain Candy Kitchen for some delicious taffy, fresh off the roller.  And because I just can’t let go of some of my childhood favorites, I’ve made a tradition out of their delicious candy apples.

True to form, Natalie and I headed straight for beautiful backdrops, still in our wedding attire from a few hours earlier.  Though it took us a little bit to get back into the photographer swing of things, before I knew it we were back to old ways.

And what would the Smokies be without a bike ride ‘round the 11 mile Cades Cove Loop?  Maybe a little more leisurely, but that didn’t stop Andrea and I from tackling it.  If you haven’t yet sensed the theme here, we also gallivanted around the beautiful fields for some fun pictures, but sadly I don't have any to post.  

Coke Factory

It’s no secret that I’m addicted to Diet Coke.  The taste, the carbonation, the slight burn at the end of a satisfying gulp: I love it all. And no, Pepsi just doesn’t cut it. 

So I guess it’s also no surprise that I’ve managed to make a trip down to Atlanta specifically to visit Coca-Cola’s World of Coke almost every year since my first visit in 2009. 

Having had so many good times (and tastes) in years past, I made the day trip this year with my sister, Tiffany, and college roommate, Sadie.  I’m pretty sure Tiffany’s favorite part was the 4D Movie, while Sadie loved getting familiar with the history of advertising and branding.  In my opinion though, the tasting room can’t be beat.  For my third time, I tried ALL 65 flavors available for testing, plus a handful of make your own coke flavors.  Sadie and Tiffany might have suffered a slight Coca-Cola bellyache afterwards, but not me.  

And now that I’m several weeks and way too many miles removed from that delicious experience,  where can I get a Coke?