"There is no such thing as fun for the whole family..." - Jerry Seinfeld

Unless of course, its in Colombia!

So I know my parents are waiting to hear what I have to say about their visit. And it was certainly... epic. if there is a word for it. we laughed. we cried. we yelled. we ate amazing food. we drank cocktails at sunset. we played tourist. and we had more together time than I've had probably in the past year.

In some ways, the week they were here (or less, taking into account 2 days for travel time) didn't seem like long enough. I wanted to show them everything. I wanted them to see all my favorite places in Barranquilla. my school. la playa. my kids. my favorite hang-outs and go to my favorite restaurants. But also, in many ways, Barranquilla is not the most beautiful city. It doesn't have a ton of gorgeous architecture or the breathtaking greenery of the rainforest. So if this was going to be their only experience in Colombia, I wanted them to see some of the amazing, diverse Colombian world outside my dusty metropolis. So we absolutely had to take a weekend trip away. So much to do. so little time. But still, at the end of it all, I don't know how much more Colombian fun we could have handled. ;)

I had them stay at Hotel del Prado, which I don't think they regretted. The staff spoke English very well and the building was amazing. Crown molding, vaulted ceilings, and beautiful archways that screamed of old-world charm, seeming to have jumped right out of a movie set in Cuba in the 50s. The staff wouldn't let you lift a finger and the rooms were huge. Needless to say, even though I only spent one night there with them, I would definitely recommend it to anyone.

We ate our first meal Thursday night at Wepa, one of my personal barranquilla favorites. It's nothing terribly exciting, but they have great tex-mex food, an eclectic menu, great cocktails (just don't order the margarita) and an atmosphere fusing together Colombian and American influences. Me and my enchiladas were very pleased to be meeting again. After this, I let them get back to their hotel, sleep off the wear of traveling, and promised to pick them up for lunch around 1230 the next day.

After work on Friday, I quickly unpacked my backpack full of day planners, flashcards, and teaching supplies and filled it with fun weekend adventure items, like dresses, flip flops, travel cosmetics, and enough shirts and shorts to last me for a few days. Note, not included was a swim suit. I then raced out of the house with enough time to make the bus. After dropping my stuff at the hotel and arranging a puerta puerta to Cartagena (our weekend adventure destination), I took them to another great spot called Las Flores. I'm sure I mentioned it before. It's an off-the-beaten-track neighborhood in barranquilla, along the Rio Magdalena, known for its amazing fish markets and relative poverty. There are also a number of amazing fish restaurants along the River, with great tables by the water and the best fish around. I figured if they wanted to try real Colombian cuisine, this was the place to do it. Needless to say, the fried fish, complete with bones and eyes, was a little bit of an adjustment for them, but it tasted fabulous. Plus, with arroz con coco, it was pure heaven. Even with mom's insistence on trying something new (a weird seafood medley on top of her fish about which even I was a little cautious), the real adventure came when it was time to get back to the hotel. It had been raining all day, which is not abnormal around these parts, but what i hadn't considered was that the resulting arroyos would block us from getting back. Soooo we finally found a cab in the rain, realized that the Circumvaler (main road around the city) was closed off do to the flooding, and finally turned around and got some kids to push the car through the water in the direction of la playa. Needless to say we got back to the hotel and onto a puerta puerta, headed for Cartagena in no time.

Cartagena was amazing. We had a great weekend. We did all the touristy things that I never get to do, had amazing food, and plenty of beach time. Friday night we just grabbed some sandwiches at La Dulceria, walked around Boca Grande, and took it easy. Saturday was reserved for all things Old City. We spent the morning walking around the walled part of the city, popped in a few churches and shops, and had a great lunch at La Cevicheria. Dad is a huge fan of No Reservations, the TV Show with Anthony Bourdain. So since La Cevicheria was his restaurant of choice when he came to Cartagena, I knew it was a must for our visit. The food was great, and despite the publicity, the restaurant was still a rinky-dink little place in a tucked away corner of the old city, free from the annoying souvenir vendors of the main tourist areas. The paella and shrimp pita were absolutely fabulous.

After lunch, we took a chiva tour of the city, including the Castillo San Filipe. We weaved in and out of the city, stopped at a few shops, and toured the entire fortress, including the winding tunnels and narrow passageways. The tour was all in Spanish, so it was a little challenging. While I usually had a pretty good idea of what they were saying, but translating it all into English was exhausting. Still, I think we enjoyed the afternoon. After the tour, we showered, got dressed, and had a lovely dinner at San Pedro's Cafe. It was a lovely night, so we sat outside and enjoyed the warm Caribbean breezes and the bustling city from the plaza, with San Pedro's Cathedral directly in front of us. The meal was amazing. Asian fusion food with quality and quantity that I hadn't seen since coming to Colombia. I had chicken pad thai and to say I was in heaven was probably an understatement. The colonial architecture, the lovely weather, the amazing food, the fun conversation. i could have sat there all night. We even got to watch a bunch of weddings taking place in the Cathedral. It was like something out of a movie. However, we had a busy day on Sunday, so back to the hotel we went.

Sunday we spent the day at Playa Blanca. This was the first time I had been there on a weekend and I would definitely advise others against doing the same. It was crazy crowded with tons of vendors. Nothing like the calm waves and relaxing atmosphere during the week. I had planned on picking up a boat from the port and making our way there ourselves, but for the interest of ease and simplicity, we decided to go with a tour from our hotel. Big mistake. It was complicated, took forever, and left little room for flexibility. After driving around the whole city picking people up, maneuvering through the port, finding the right boat (and the rest of our group), paying a $12 mil peso tax a person, a bumpy boat ride , and probably 2-3 hours later, we finally arrived at the beach. Yes, it was crowded and yes, there were lots of vendors. But we did have a nice time. We got a cabana to sit in, the warm caribbean waters, a few pina coladas (from coconuts cracked right in front of us), and a lovely fish lunch. It was nice to stop moving and just sit for a little while. Mom got a massage on the beach, and dad made a few new friends. ;) But like usual, the fun always comes later.

We had great weather, until the very end when it started to rain. We packed up our stuff and took shelter under a patio roof until our boat came. Now, if you think a bumpy speedboat is rough in the sunshine, try it with bullets of rain coming at your face and a motor that appears to break down halfway to the city. While to me, it was just Colombia. nothing out of the ordinary. I think my parents feared for their lives. When we were back on dry land, we were all ready to wash the beach off and relax a little. Resisting the urge to nap, we showered and got dressed for a night out on the town. We had reservations at one of the best restaurants in the city, 8-18. But before dinner, I wanted to grab drinks at Cafe del Mar, a great bar right on the city walls. We hustled and got there just in time for sunset. It was amazing. We grabbed great seats and watched the sun set over the ocean, with the colonial city in the background and a drink in hand. We told stories, laughed, and had a lovely time (and of course took a few pictures). Then, after the sun was long gone and we were slightly more relaxed than we arrived (read:tipsier), we headed towards the restaurant. 8-18 wasn't far, but if you hadn't known it was there, you might have missed it. It was in a small alleyway, with a simple sign next to the door. In fact, the host at the door was really the only tip-off. The restaurant was small, and we were seated downstairs, with a great view of the kichen and only 6 other tables. The decor was simple but the ambiance was classy. We ordered a bottle of wine, naturally, and preceded to order the most exquisite and expensive things on the menu. I felt like I was in a whole other country. I got braised oxtail, falling off the bone. Mom got rich and creamy blue cheese risotto with calimari, and Dad got a steak that was to die for. I felt like I literally had died and gone to heaven. And of course we got dessert, a brownie, ice cream, nut concoction that was fabulous. Easily my best meal in Colombia the entire time I've been here. Needless to say, I went to bed very content.

Monday was a long day for us. We had lunch reservations at La Vitrola, which is supposed to be the best and most famous restaurant in town. We were eager to see if it would live up to our heavenly experience at 8-18. But that wasn't until 1pm. Before that, I still wanted to go up to the convent, the highest point in Cartagena, and stop by the dungeons, which had been converted into souvenir shops. No rest for the weary. The Convento de la Popa was amazing. We got a cab to drive us up there, wait for us, and drive us back. He was quite a character and I got to practice my Spanish, which was fun. Once at the top, the view was great. It was a clear morning so you could see all the way to the old city. The building itself was also quaint and had great quotes by saints posted all over a delightful courtyard, complete with plants and a sleeping cat.

After the convent, we headed towards Las Bovedas, for a little souvenir shopping. The dungeons themselves were really cool, and because it was a Monday, it wasn't too busy. I even got a really cool painting on a piece of driftwood. It was challenging to let my parents shop without interjecting with my own knowledge about appropriate prices. But we got some great gifts. And finished with plenty of time to get to La Vitrola. The restaurant itself was adorable. It was said to feel like an old-world Cuban restaurant, which odten boasts live bands in the evenings. This particular afternoon it was quiet. I was disappointed that they didn't have the lobster ravioli, since I've only been craving it for months since I've been here. However, we found appropriate substitutes. The food was good, but I think we would all agree it was nothing like the night before. It was good, but not out of this world. I was glad that we went and it was good, but I wouldn't do it again.

After lunch, we wandered around the town, went to a museum, but it was wicked hot and we were all tired so we ended up hanging out in the hotel lobby for like 2 hours until the bus came to take us home. A long 3 hours puerta puerta ride later, we were back in the lovely Barranquilla. We were all exhausted so we grabbed a light dinner at Crepes and Waffles, a Colombia must-see. It was perfect. I got cream of mushroom soup and a ceasar salad. Just what i needed. Then, I crashed at the hotel, because my parents were coming to school the next day and I needed to help them get there. Sleeping in a real bed, with a soft mattress, goose-down pillows, and a hot shower was definitely something that had been lacking in my life.

School was.... school. The kids loved meeting my parents. My parents loved seeing where I worked, where I lived, and the kids. The kids hugged them the second they saw them and dragged them around school, hand-in-hand. I was exhausted, so I wasn't really on the top of my game. But it was good to share that with them. After school, we did some shopping at buenavista mall, went to the souvenir market near the stadium, and ended up at the hotel, eating a late-afternoon snack and playing in an Olympic size swimming pool with almost no one in it. It was perfect. We got to have some down time, while spending time together. We finished off the week with maracuya mojitos at the Lounge, a drink I had promised dad all weekend. it was the perfect end to a lovely, yet exhausting week.

And that was our week... not in a nutshell. Family + South America + good food + drinks = quite the adventure.