Category: mountains

Posted in Colombia, Colombian life, glamping, Glampingcolombia, mother nature, mountains, nature, Uncategorized

Mountains

Posted on by hummingsfromparadise

Beach or mountains? Which do you prefer? Why?

I have always preferred the mountains to the beach. The mountains are alive and listening to their surroundings. They hurt and show torment when they are not treated with respect, just like we do as humans. I remember vacations as a young child, traveling with my family to see the mountains by car. I was even stung by yellow jackets sliding down a cliff when I was fifteen. That was not a pleasant experience, but it did not diminish my love of the mountains. Nature is present and alive on the hills. I spent every summer with my children in the mountains as they grew up. Now, I live in the Andes Mountains of Colombia. I am surrounded and immersed in their presence.

Recently, an investor group bought a farm nearby in my village of El Meson. They destroyed the mountain by building a small road without adequate plans or an engineer to design a road without harm to the trees and terrain. It was quite a shock to the residents here, including myself. One day, we have perfect crystal clear water; the next, mud comes through our faucets. I, of course, panicked. I have reservations into 2024, people who cannot wait to stay in the beauty of the Andes Mountains. I had to find a quick solution to the contaminated water. A water filter was designed and installed at great expense to me, and I have submitted the bill to the owners who have damaged the mountain. But what’s worse is what he did to the mountain and the nature that lived there. We have bears, panthers, possums, armadillos, small monkeys, and so many birds it is impossible to say how many species. He sent them looking for a new habitat. For me, this is devastating. I am still at a loss as to why the CVC of Colombia, which cares for our water and nature, has allowed this. My community has finally sent in a lawsuit. I am still determining what will happen from that, but I want to make it known on my blog.

The water in my Hotel and Glamping business is crystal clear again, but not for my neighbors. I am hoping someone reading this will step in to help them. They do not have money to install water filters, and they should not have to. I am unsure how to progress on this, but I would like to know if one of you reading my blog in Colombia knows a lawyer or agency that can stop this devastation and destruction and restore the right to clean water. It is a law in Colombia, but from what I have seen so far, there appears to be no one who will help them. An elementary school now needs clean water to cook or serve the children juice from this same water. It is a travesty for everyone including older people and those who have no voice.

The mountains are hurting around me in El Meson. I feel the pain in my soul.

Posted in Colombia, Colombian life, country living, Dogo Argentino, Entreprenuer, expat life, farm life, Glampingcolombia, mountains, nature, Uncategorized

A Snake or Two?

Posted on by hummingsfromparadise

Scour the news for an entirely uninteresting story. Consider how it connects to your life. Write about that.

I read this prompt yesterday, and I had nothing, but because I am an avid news junkie, I wanted to write a post. Today, I was skimming the news, and there was a story I immediately felt a kinship with. A snake lands on this woman’s arm! A hawk attacks! Last year in Colombia, where I live in the Andes Mountains, I had a few encounters with snakes. I know, the horror!!! 2022 was a strange year for our climate here in the mountains. We had only three of four weeks of sun where I live. I didn’t have constant rain, but it was intermittent most days. We had those three weeks, and the snakes came alive. Now, I want to emphasize that I had only seen a snake at my property one time before this year of snake sitings. When I first moved here, there was construction going on. I remember my workers pointing out a coral snake. I was fascinated but not worried. After that one time, I would occasionally see a snake on a hike or while riding a mountain bike. Nothing to cause me any concern.

So about last year, I was told by my employees that snakes love the sun and they will come out of hibernation when the sun is out for days. I remember I was resting, reading a book in the afternoon. I have property cameras and saw my cat Geisha jump in the air on my first-floor balcony. The movement caught my eye, then I saw this vast snake moving through my planters. Cash, my Dogo Argentino, appears next, going crazy, as you can imagine. I felt immediate fear for Cash as he is a hunter, and I certainly didn’t want him to be bitten by a snake. Like a mother bear, I ran downstairs to stop him, but he was immediately gone. I saw him near my fence as this snake approached the other side. I will never forget the snake’s length as it slithered through the holes. Cash was smart enough to leave it alone. My gardener reviewed camera footage, and it was a “good snake” who eats rats, frogs, and small animals (thank God, not my cat), and it was in the boa constrictor family.

My subsequent encounter was a week later! I left my dog’s bowls on top of a closet downstairs and went to feed them. I picked up one to fill with food, and there was a small snake curled asleep under it. I screamed and called my gardener at home. “Come quickly”! I put the bowl back over the snake. This snake was called an Eckes and was very dangerous. I was lucky not to have been bitten. Saulo showed up and had to kill it because we couldn’t risk having it hang around my Villa. Animals are constantly bitten by these snakes in Colombia and lose their lives. Again, thinking of Cash, my Dogo Argentino.

This year we have had nothing but the sun. Now, I know that snakes are around living here in the jungle. The good ones and the bad ones. We have a product that my gardener sprays around the perimeter of my land to keep them away. It works, and when my customers ask me whether I have snakes, I have to tell the truth. They live in the forest, and I have seen them. They are rare, but this is their forest, and I am the intruder. I respect all nature, but I don’t like snakes! My nature retreat is filled with hummingbirds and beautiful tropical birds, but somewhere in the jungle. Snakes do live and sometimes interact with humans; it is scarce, like a lightning strike, but it can happen.

Posted in Achievements, Birders, mountains, nature, Perfection and Peace, strength, Stress free environment, Uncategorized, Villa Migelita Ecolodge

The Woman Behind my Strength

Posted on by hummingsfromparadise

The Covid Pandemic has changed everything for those of us in the tourism industry. There have been many times in my life filled with crises; I don’t know how I withstood them, except with a strength of spirit I developed over a lifetime. After the tragedy of my daughter’s death, I found myself living in Colombia. I know my mother would have supported me with this life-changing event if she were alive because she is the woman behind my strength. As the world opens up again, I wish her guidance as I contemplate what will happen next on my journey in another country. When I first arrived in Colombia in 2011, it was still considered a dangerous country for only the most ardent adventure travel enthusiasts. Now, this tiny country has overcome its unsavory past and developed into an adventure travel destination for people worldwide. But as Colombia has opened up, the tourists haven’t followed as they did before the coronavirus. Will nature travel be the next big thing? 

As I live my life, my mother is always hovering nearby in my memories. My love of animals and nature is an intrinsic part of my being because she loved both. My brother and I were surrounded by animals as we grew up. Mom also loved the beauty of our world. I went on a class trip to Paris, France, when I was in elementary school. My family was not wealthy, but my mother found the money for me to take a class trip on an airplane to another country. She was instrumental in my applying for and landing my career-defining job as a flight attendant. Her ashes are here with me in Colombia. They rest beside my daughter under the most beautiful lilies that often bloom as butterflies flutter nearby. When I visit their beautiful garden, I like to imagine being embraced by them. 

When the Coronavirus quarantine began last year, I was content. So many times in my life, my mother shared with me the greatness of solitude. I can still picture my mother sitting quietly in a chair, immersed in prayer meditation. Isn’t it ironic how we repeat what we learn from our parents? My times for deep thought are often, usually while practicing Yoga. Now my thoughts are looking for an answer to a gnawing question. What is in the future for all of us struggling to regain our businesses in the tourism industry? It is hard living in this new reality. Changes happen daily and without warning. I felt we were getting ahead of this awful virus, but now I am not so sure. As I look outside at my bird feeding gardens or all the hummingbird feeders, I know there is peace in my world. Perhaps, nature will be the answer as people find traveling to remote places with wide-open spaces are the safest places to visit.

 My Ecolodge is healing for everyone, no matter your problems, because nature can restore anyone to a place of peace. Staying in my mountain retreat during the initial Coronavirus quarantine was never hard to do. After working so many years with the public, time alone is easy. Now that the world is slowly returning to a new normal, I realize that I had a different perspective than others on this life-changing virus. I have never felt the need to seek more than what I have right here in my beautiful mountain retreat. Life was a bit isolated, but again, I didn’t care. I felt grateful that I lived in a place of ever-changing moments. These Andes Mountains I am surrounded by and the nature that lives within them kept me centered during the last year. 

Now I am welcoming guests to visit Villa Migelita Ecolodge once again. They seek the allure of outdoor activities in the purely natural air of the mountains. Nothing is more soothing to the soul than time spent immersed in nature. The latest trend in this year 2021 is Nature, Wellness, and giving back, as referenced in this Forbes Article. Tourists can feel safe from the pandemic in vacation destinations that are outdoor-oriented. My Ecolodge is entirely open air. Wide-open spaces with space to breathe are a luxury that is affordable and calming.

I am meeting many young Millennial’s seeking distance from the hectic city life encountered worldwide. They love to sit outside to look at the views or hand-feed the hummingbirds. They wander in my gardens to observe the Neo-tropical birds, sometimes with a book in hand. Our souls need time in nature. Our bodies release stress when we hear sounds that only the mountains and animals within can deliver. Listening to the harmony surrounding them, they find a balance between their work life and their home life. Peace, don’t we all want to feel it again? I am still unsure when we will have what we had before the virus struck the world with such ferocity. Anyone can tune out the rest of the world for a little while as long as they breathe in the fresh air, free of noise pollution and environmental pollution. 

 Songs of birds harmonizing outside my bedroom window in the morning will always be on the playlist of my mind. These songs hold everything essential to my well-being. I believe they can give others what I have obtained in my peaceful place of harmony with nature.