Have you guys heard of Anapoima before? You can say no, I won’t judge you. Truth is, I had never even heard of it until this year either. You know, embarrassingly enough, I don’t know much about Colombia. I know far more about Mexico than I do about Colombia. I’d like to work on that at some point– travel there more, explore more, eat more, enjoy the weather more (at least in the warmer and temperate parts of the country), just a general feeling of needing to do more there.

By the way, these travel posts are totally and completely out-of-order. If I was following any sort of timeline, then I should still be in London-– then Playa Del Carmen (but I did those posts) then Chia and Bogotá, THEN here. But you know, sometimes being in order is boring. And sometimes you’re just living with a warm tropical dreamy destination in mind. It was surely a journey to get to Anapoima– but man oh man, it was stunning when we got there. (It took us about 4-5 hours of windy mountain road to get there from Bogota).

But we made it. And for the first time in about a week, I was able to rip off my boots and jeans and take in the sunshine. And not only was it warm and tropical– it was lacking the humidity one might usually experience in such lush and warm locations. OH. And the fruit was abundant EVERYWHERE. Trust me when I say this part of my trip to Colombia was DREAMY.

I needed this time away here. Not that I needed a vacation, because just two weeks earlier Marlowe and I were spending the most amazing time together in Mexico. But the elevation in Chia and Bogotá was hitting me really hard– much harder than our previous trips is that area. So this time in Anapoima was a much-needed and welcomed break from not only the cold but also the elevation. It’s not on sea level like the beach– but at 2,500 feet, this was a breeze. And Marlowe? Well, she’s not as affected by elevation like I am— but I still look back at these pictures of her and think, man, what a dream shes living.


While we had rooms here, we basically slept outdoors. Everything was open air. The bugs and birds could fly in just as much as they could fly out. But unlike most tropical places the mosquitos were minimal. We did, however, learn (on the very last day) that they have monstrous size scorpions here. But 1. “they aren’t the kind that kills you. They just hurt a lot” and 2. I’m grateful I learned the last day. Every night when I got up in the dark to pee, I wondered if I should put on shoes or slides of some sort. Every night I didn’t. But my feet made it out alive 😉
I asked this on instagram but– scorpions in your room: would you rather know in advance or find out after the fact? I’m glad I found out after the fact. I wouldn’t have slept if I had known. This isn’t the first time we slept with scorpions (or crazy giant bugs like huntsman spiders) in our mostly outdoor room. I slept better here though.

Looking back, I’m not even sure what I did in my time in Anapoima. I think I truly just took the minute to unwind. WiFi was limited. If there was a tv, I didn’t watch it. Marlowe played games with my cousins. I probably bothered my aunt a bit (I had multiple aunts here– but there is one, in particular, that is most like me– she’s a weirdo, the good kind) and discussed food with my mother. But my time was mostly quiet.

There’s not a real town nearby. We brought in anything we needed. People don’t really go to Anapoima for a cultural experience. They go for a quiet break. Or in our case– a quiet break in nature AND a really grand birthday celebration. You guys may remember how last summer we flew to Cartegena for my moms birthday. This year was my aunts’ turn. There were a lot of surprises this week. Everyone thought Marlowe and I were in Mexico. Which we were… but we showed up at Chia to surprise my grandmother and aunt and then showed up in Bogotá to surprise my other aunt for her birthday. And not only us. I’m sure she was surprised to see a load of people appear to celebrate her.

Marlowe was the only kid on this trip. Surrounded by a big group of adults and the cutest baby. But she was happy. Everyone was so sweet to her. She swam, played games, read, and ate her weight in fruit, rice, beans, and arepas every day.

I think it was day two when the big party took place. Everyone got dressed up. I didn’t want to pack an extra outfit for Marlowe, but our flight from Mexico worked in our favor since the party was actually Mexican themed. We stuck her in a little Mexican dress and she was comfortable and happy— until I kissed her face. Muahaha.

Helping to set up.


Then everyone came and the real fiesta started. A group of mostly women, all fabulously dressed showed up for the surprise party. The mariachi came too. And some famous singer– I have no idea who he is, but I was told it was a big deal, haha.

My mom, again checking on the food… probably asking for an arepa for Marlowe. You know, I don’t have a picture, but one of the best parts of the party was a GIANT fruit table set up. Every tropical fruit you could want was nicely cut and arranged for the taking.  My mom was concerned I wouldn’t have much to eat (again, Colombians aren’t known for being vegan) but I was beyond happy with the fruit arrangement– I felt like the party was for me with that kind of set up, haha.

Eating organic would be a whole other level of “I don’t know how” in Colombia. But eating fresh food that is accessible to everyone is easy there for sure. There are fruit markets everywhere. I ate at least two papayas a day. But the real plan should be to go back during mangosteen season and mono-meal for a week. Because that would be heaven.

A blurry photo of the cutest babysitter.

Us and the magic view.

My grandma and I are both the same. A bit ridiculous and massive fruit eaters. She sat here every day with fruit in hand staring at the view. Living my dream.


We had a really good trip. I’m grateful to be able to do trips like this with my family. I’m not sure if we’ll ever end up in Anapoima again, but I would be happy to be there. Hell, I’d be happy to be there now. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still happy to be taking a break from flying, but I do hope to get down south and see family again soon. We’ll see how this year unfolds. I still can’t believe that this trip even took place this year. It feels like a lifetime ago. Like this year got split in half– massive amount of travel to the complete opposite. Jumping from plane to plane with a passport in hand, to really just homebody-ing hard back home. Both are good, but I look forward to getting back in the world one day soon.

And one last photo– not my photo. A photo by the photographer at the party, Telerin.  But for now, I’ll end this point with a photo of the women in my immediate family. Marlowe should be included… and I don’t know why she’s not, but next time for sure. <3

Actuallyyyyy I just downloaded a few more photos from the party!


The surprise

THAT FRUIT TABLE. I am so into this scene guys. SO INTO IT.

I hope you guys all had a great week and have a better weekend ahead of you! Thanks for being here and sharing this space with me. I always appreciate it <3

5 Comments

  1. Beautiful event! And I love your moms outfit. Where did she find that?!

    • She’ll appreciate your comment 🙂 I’ll have to ask her! I know it was a small boutique in Delray, but not sure the name!

  2. That view is gorgeous! And so jealous of that fruit table, definitely want one in my house 24/7. Is this an Airbnb or hotel or something?

    • It’s an airbnb! But it’s a HUGE house— I think there were about 12 of us staying there? It was gorgeous and the staff was wonderful, but my cousin said the host was a real pain to deal with. I really want to move to Mexico one day– but when I think of all the fruit Colombia calls me that way haha.

      • Gotta love Airbnb! Shame the host wasn’t easy to deal with. Ya I live in Utah so the fruit situation is definitely calling me to move somewhere with warmth and tropical fruits!