I often say there is no other country as colorful as Colombia. I am an amateur photographer with a desire to photograph all that is colorful in my newly adopted place of living. As an expat in a co…
Source: The Color of Colombia
Month: October 2016
The Color of Colombia
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I often say there is no other country as colorful as Colombia. I am an amateur photographer with a desire to photograph all that is colorful in my newly adopted place of living. As an expat in a country that is full of joy and happiness I try to capture real life here in Colombia. I am a casual observer of all that is around me, camera ready always. Colombian people are found to be the happiest people in world online polls. I think you will see why in my series of photographs. Colombia was just named number two by Lonely Planet as one of the places to visit in 2017. Enjoy my photos, there are so many it was hard to choose them for this blog. Let me know what you think of my choices. Enjoy and come visit Colombia. A wonderful country full of culture and vibrancy. A country known for a dark past that it has overcome. A country of great history. A country I now call home.
The above images and the main cover were taken while watching a parade of horses ridden by their owners in Buga, Colombia. These parades can be found almost any weekend in most cities of Colombia. The horses are Paso Fino and very well-trained. The fun includes drinking aquardiente the Colombian drink done as a shot.
The Colombian pueblos are full of life and action. The area of Buenaventura, Colombia in the Valle del Cauca is a coastal seaport city. This is where the ships bring packages and cargo that are sent from other countries. The bustling life of this area is fascinating. Then there are areas that are far from the coastal town deep in the jungle.
The beauty of the Pacific coast of Colombia. Colombia has two coasts the Atlantic and the Pacific. I try to capture the subsistence of regular life in Colombia in my photos.
Reality is present in all of my photos. I am showing all of my blog followers how I live. It is always the present, I capture the essence of Colombia. I show how you can just buy fruit from a stand on the side of the street. I show how it is presented. How multicolored Colombia is. No matter where you visit. You will find such beauty. I always say Colombia is eye candy to those that enjoy life in the purest form.
Cali, Colombia is full of Salsa dancers. I was wandering the area of San Antonio barrio when I caught these photos on film. I always pinch myself when I enjoy a special moment in time. This was one of those times.
If you want to consider Colombia as a vacation, I have a Bed and Breakfast in the Valle del Cauca department. Consider staying with me at Villa Migelita.
The Brilliance of Nature
My cover image is an iguana that looks like it is an extension of a leaf from a plant. I believe it personifies how easily the light can change the way we see things. I only saw this iguana because…
Source: The Brilliance of Nature
The Brilliance of Nature
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/shine/
My cover image is an iguana that looks like it is an extension of a leaf from a plant. I believe it personifies how easily the light can change the way we see things. I only saw this iguana because my dog was barking. I went to look and there was this beautiful iguana.
When I hike the butterflies are everywhere. Sometimes you can miss them because they blend in with the nature around them.
A tree stump with the beautiful Blue Tanager of Colombia. The sun was setting and the flowers of Colombia are so brilliant, I could easily think this gorgeous bird was a bloom of a plant.
Then there are the actual flowers on my farm and bed and breakfast Villa Migelita. The way they grow so beautifully reaching towards the sun.
This photo of my dog Orion stretching is wonderful, you might focus on him and miss the landscape that is in the background, highlighted by the late afternoon sun.
Finally as the sun goes down at Villa Migelita itshines upon the ducklings, you have to look carefully or you could miss them in this picture of activity.
Local in Colombia, South America
All things local in my small pueblo involve nature, animals and sometimes a great party. When the two are combined it makes for a wonderful evening. Recently I went to a party at a farm in P…
Source: Local in Colombia, South America
Local in Colombia, South America
All things local in my small pueblo involve nature, animals and sometimes a great party. When the two are combined it makes for a wonderful evening. Recently I went to a party at a farm in Palmira, Valle del Cauca. It was a regular farm, nothing special. Kind of run down, but the people who attended were fabulous. The cows were there right where we were dancing. There was an improvised bar, and a lot of lovely local people having a private night out without restraint. My friend’s husband was singing, while guests were doing shots of aquardiente (the famous and very popular drink of Colombia) and whisky. I did a bit of drinking myself, because it is what you do at a fiesta in Colombia. I really had a wonderful time.
Then I took a bit of a rest with Monica, her husband is one of the best singers I have ever had the pleasure to listen to. I didn’t have a camera with me, these photos are all from her phone. They might not be the best quality, but they show the spirit of a local evening in Colombia. I always say I will remember times like these when I am 80 years old, while looking back at my life.
With that I tip my hat to a wonderful evening with friends.
The Authentic Life I Have In Colombia
I moved to Colombia to find myself, and I did. I felt stuck in circumstances that were harmful to me at the time of my decision to move. We always have choices. I had an ex-husband stalking my ever…
The Authentic Life I Have In Colombia
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I moved to Colombia to find myself, and I did. I felt stuck in circumstances that were harmful to me at the time of my decision to move. We always have choices. I had an ex-husband stalking my every move, and fallout from a bitter divorce. Then I realized I didn’t need to live the way I was living. I could find a better way. So I did. You can too. No need to allow anyone or anything to control your life choices. End of story. I am proof that another way to live is possible and just around the corner if you keep your options open.
What I thought about when I wasn’t searching for an answer to my life situation was unpleasant. I was wracked with anxiety about the future. My healthcare, my home which was being foreclosed on because of vengeful ex, my animals, my life in general. I needed to find a way to survive the madness of a time in my life that was my worst nightmare. With my decision to move to a new country came a freedom I doubt many people have. I live authentically. I don’t care what anyone thinks of me, I don’t watch posts on Facebook as they are never the real story. I just look outside my window as the hummingbirds fly around me for validation.
So how did I come to this place in my life? I will admit when my daughter was murdered by a drunk driver in the middle of that horrific divorce, I hit rock bottom. But still I got up and got going again, because that is who I am. I am not a person who is sedentary. I am an action person to the maximum I can be. I remember walking into my Pilates class a week after my daughter was killed while my friends and classmates looked shocked to see me. I had to go on. It is a choice one must make no matter your circumstance. You can choose to be sad and depressed or live your life. I decided to live. I am not happy all the time, no one can be. We have a life to live and with that life comes reality.
A life that may appear wonderful to others, can fall apart in a second! Too many people live their lives to impress others. I have learned I don’t need to do that. I live my life for myself only. I am a free spirit. I am an eagle in flight flowing through my current life with knowledge I didn’t have previously. I am a person who is alone, but yet very connected to others. I am happy to the best of my ability. No matter how many times I have erred in my life I am way ahead of those who do nothing to change their circumstances.
Even when you make mistakes during a turbulent time you can stand strong. How you react to happenings in your life is a definition of whom you are. I have discovered that being alone is often better than being around people who mean nothing to me but a night out. I love my alone time. I study Spanish, I write, I watch nature around me, I hike, I enjoy my animals, I appreciate my home and the views I see that would never have happened if I was still in the United States. If you really want change you will find a way. You will live your authentic life. I have done it. I will never say it is perfect. It is not. There is NO such thing as perfect. It is a myth. But there is such a thing as living authentically. I have found it.
Water is Plentiful In Colombia
I am very blessed to have a life that includes water without restrictions and is very plentiful in Colombia. Whether in a town square like the cover photo, or the rivers that surround me, there is …
Source: Water is Plentiful In Colombia
Water is Plentiful In Colombia
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I am very blessed to have a life that includes water without restrictions and is very plentiful in Colombia. Whether in a town square like the cover photo, or the rivers that surround me, there is plenty of water where I live. We don’t pay for this water, just the maintenance of it. The cost is around 2.00$ per month. It is crystal clear, and very safe. I tell my tourist guests at Villa Migelita they have no need to worry if they drink water from the tap or brush their teeth…we don’t have any problems with contamination where I live.
Little boy in Zapeletas, Colombia
Swim under the Falls
swim under waterfalls
tubing is fun
56!
Waterfalls
Hummings from Paradise 