¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

This Christmas was our first major holiday in a foreign country and we’re so glad to have experienced Christmas in Colombia.

As did many Colombians, we headed out of the city for Christmas. We traveled to San Rafael, a small-town east of Medellin. We took a 3-hour bus ride along the winding highways up and over the mountains. San Rafael is a town with a population of just under 60,000 people. It is not a tourist town, but it offers some beautiful scenery.

From San Rafael, we took a 20-minute tuk-tuk ride to our final destination in the jungle, an eco-lodge called ‘Ritmo del Rio’ (Rhythm of the River). The road to this lodge was not much more than a dried river bed with patches of concrete. It was a very rough ride, especially in the little 3-wheel tuk-tuk but it was well worth it.

Ritmo Del Rio

After we arrived at the entrance, we followed a trail for a quarter mile and crossed a suspended bridge over the river to the lodge. The entire eco-lodge consists of small structures which include dormitories and private rooms, a private cabin and the largest structure which is a lodge with a small bar, restaurant and seating area.

We rented the cabin with a deck overlooking the river.

The lodge gets its name from one of the owner’s love for music. Jeff, a musician, purchased the jungle plot with the goal of ecological preservation, education, and music. Each structure was designed and constructed by the owners with help from local experts and artists. Most of the construction material was transported from the town of San Rafael in tuk-tuks and then carried by hand across the river. They have also constructed hiking paths along the river, a bridge, a firepit and art objects scattered around the property.

A crew of 5-8 people run the daily operation of the lodge including a chef, a clerk who lives on the premises and a crew for housekeeping, construction, waiting tables and upkeep of the grounds.

Christmas Celebration

For Christmas Eve dinner we were served drinks (mojitos), turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and a wonderful homemade cake with ice cream. And, of course, there was a musician providing entertainment for the night. Cooking started around noon on the open fire pit. Later, the food was moved into the small kitchen for final preparation.

The lodge was completely booked for the evening with only 3 English speaking guests out of the 35-40 guests. All others were Colombians who traveled from larger cities.

Dinner started at nine and ended at midnight. A music set was performed between each course. The musician also played some Rolling Stones, Dylan, Marley songs in English so we would not be left out. The entire night provided a chance for us to meet other guests and to converse in Spanish. Some Colombian guests practiced their English with us. It was a wonderful celebration.

The Rivers of San Rafael

There are three rivers that flow through the town and surrounding area. Each river provides beautiful scenery and landscape.

With a local guide, we headed out on a 6-mile hike in the jungle and farmlands to discover the rivers and waterfalls. We made several river crossings and saw groups of locals swimming, swinging from vines and jumping from the high river bank into the swimming hole below. We hiked to two waterfalls and the scenery reminded us of the rivers along Minnesota’s north shore with the rushing river flowing between huge rocks, high banks and finally into a waterfall. The difference, however, is that in Colombia swimming is year-round.

A waterfall and serene swimming hole called a “charco” tucked in the lush jungle of San Rafael, Colombia

We went to San Rafael to take our minds off Christmas and all the family activities in Medellin. We wanted to be able to experience a new adventure instead of focusing on not seeing our sons, families and friends this Christmas. The lodge had internet service, so we were able to Skype with our sons on Christmas and, in addition, we met many new friends over the holiday and enjoyed our jungle Christmas.

As we welcome 2019, we realize that we are very lucky and privileged to be able to travel. People dream of seeing the world and we are realizing our dream of traveling and experiencing new places together.

People who have health issues, have parents or children to care for, work two jobs to make rent, or just lost out on the “golden passport lottery” might never be able to even explore their own country, let alone travel to another continent.

Travel is a privilege and we are thankful for the luck and opportunity we have compared to so many others. This has been the lesson of 2018 for us.

May you have a Happy and Prosperous New Year in 2019!