Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Operation: Leave the Country 2011

Since 2006, I've tried very hard to stick to a schedule. More important than a workout schedule, I have worked to maintain a routine of leaving the country at least once a year. With the exception of one year, when I took too many trips around the US to rationalize the international expense, I have been fortunate enough to have been successful thus far.
This year, M and I kicked around a million ideas. Everything from mountaineering trips in Mexico to backpacking in Scotland to going back to Italy came up at one time or another. We had booked so many of our fall weekends, that we were left with a pretty short window of time in October to achieve our goal. Then, a few weeks back, M was asked to go to South America on a recruiting/hiring trip for the organization we work for. His trip was to be 2 weeks long and include Ecuador, Peru and Colombia. Finally, stars aligned and tickets were purchased.
  I went on a mountaineering trip to Ecuador in 2008 and hiked the Inca Trail in Peru in 2009. Since I have already exhausted most of my vacation/holiday time, I had to choose my destination wisely...I can't go for the full two weeks. Colombia it is!  



 I made some friends from Colombia on my Leave No Trace course earlier this summer and they left me with a standing invitation to come down to visit. Since M will be working much of the time (boo), I will be hanging out with my new buds Juan Carlos and Jose. They work for a company that runs outdoor adventure education courses for elementary, middle and high school students and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they'll take me out into the field once or twice.
  Other than that, my days are currently free and I have NO IDEA what to do while I'm there. I'll be there for a full week (Sat-Sat) and am excited to explore this new country a bit. Any suggestions? I'm secretly hoping that we get thrown into an adventure...Romancing the Stone anyone?

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