I HEART COLOMBIA: PART 1

Here I am on the plane with my friend Darius on our way to Cali, Colombia.

Change is essential but scary...change is inevitable. You cannot avoid it. The best thing to do is accept change, learn from it, and use it to your BEST advantage! This trip has been just that, the ability for me to accept change and embrace what has come from it.

The thought of traveling to Colombia came after a long conversation with a very wise man and my dear friend, Darius. He explained to me the magic of the country and that if my goal was to learn about culture and to learn the Spanish language, the best place for me to be is in Colombia. I believed him and soon enough, I found myself accepting the idea and following my heart all the way to Cali. Darius had a friend he had met threw his Colombian travels who he contacted and set up my stay. Her name is Zarahy, a wonderful Colombian women born and raised right there in Cali. She was the perfect person for me to stay with while learning both the language and culture. I am so thankful for both Darius and Zarahy for the changes made in my life during those 3 weeks in Cali. It was the first time in my life where I actually lived a different life, a life of a new and different culture than what I am accustomed to back at home.

There is something very special in Colombia...words cannot describe the feeling I get in my heart when I think about my time there. The people are so warm and loving, they greet you with eye contact and they touch you with love. I felt right at home instantly.

This is a picture of my new friend and mentor, Zarahy Roman. She is one of the most amazing individuals I have ever met. She not only taught me Spanish, we practiced yoga together, I learned how to salsa dance, we ate typical Colombian foods, I learned all about the fabulous native fruits, spirituality, what the true meaning of family is, and so on. Zarahy opened her heart and home to me, and I will be eternally grateful to her!

Zarahy & I climbing tres cruces.
Zarahy's apartment and yoga studio where I lived for 3 weeks.

This is Cali...

The famous El Gato del Rio.

Cali is filled with all sorts of fantastic, colorful murals.
I had a few salsa lessons in this bar, a local favorite.



You can pretty much buy anything on the streets here, including phone calls from people standing with cell phones with minutes for sale.




Aaah, my favorite typical Cali drink: Salpicon. It is made from all sorts of tiny pieces of banana, pineapple, papaya, mango, apple & watermelon sitting in the natural juices of the fruit. It is quite similar to fruit cocktail we have at home, however much more tasty.
Yummy...my daily dose of Salpicon.
This is a special little family run hotel Claudia took us to for lunch on our way to her finca in the hills nearby.
My new friends: Zarahy, Fabricio & Claudia. This was my last day in Cali and the four of us spent the afternoon in the mountains above Cali at Claudia's finca after our delicious lunch. What a beautiful day!!
Awesome yoga shot of Zarahy at Claudia's finca.

Claudia and her many dogs.
What a beautiful view....


Here is where I had one of the most amazing and spiritual experiences of my life. I was fortunate enough to be invited to partake in an ayahuasca ceremony with Taita Florentino Agreda. It was unreal to say the least. If you do not know what ayahuasca is, look it up. This was the real deal, a real ceremony filled with intense energy and love. I will never be the same after this experience. The words escape me on how I could possibly describe it to someone who has never experienced this. Trust me when I tell you, it was an experience of a lifetime.

Here I am with Taita Floro the morning after the ceremony.
Self portrait after ayahuasca. I felt so pretty, free, a little scared of what I had actually experienced and curious as to when I would have the opportunity to experience this again.