The Decision: Nirvana a nature park in Bruitrera

The Decision: Nirvana a nature park in Bruitrera: If you love to hike, love beautiful views and enjoy nature Nirvana is a must see when visiting the Valle de Cauca. Located in the mountains...

Nirvana a nature park in Bruitrera

If you love to hike, love beautiful views and enjoy nature Nirvana is a must see when visiting the Valle de Cauca. Located in the mountains of Palmira, this natural reserve starts with an enchanting entrance and does not disappoint as you continue your journey. As you walk the steep road through the restaurants and home at the beginning of the climb the sounds of nature are calling! There are two choices for participants who hike this reserve, you can choose the long path or a shorter less strenuous path. This reserve is privately owned and is a sanctuary for rescued parrots and also has a nursery where plants can be bought. Look for the natural pool with fish that are caught and eaten in the restaurant. It is truly a beautiful journey worth taking.

I choose the longer path, and it was well worth it. Along the way I stopped to watch the parrots whom are in huge enclosures, the natural pool and the nursery. The plants and trees all around are well maintained. I was in running shoes, but the ground was slippery, so I suggest a pair of shoes that have a good grip! The path is winding and steep with benches along the way to rest. I was very grateful for those benches. The altitude can make you breathless as you climb. I felt like I was climbing sideways at times. Sometimes going through dense foliage and long vines. As I continued up the views were outstanding. I had walked later in the day, with the sun slowly going down. I was able to see magnificent views with the sun as the backdrop!.

The path winds around and goes up at the same time. The trees have dropped leaves which cover the path at points. I found myself being super careful, and once again thought a different pair of shoes would have been nice! Everytime I heard a bird call, or the wind rustle the trees, I felt like this was what the Rainforest of Colombia would be like. I made a mental note to see it soon! It is a long way to the top with lots of spots to take a break and observe the views.

view on the way to the top

Once at the top , the long hike is well worth the effort. An observation area is waiting to relax after your hike to Nirvana. The view has to be why it is named Nirvana! A lovely home is at the top, with flowers and natural landscaping. A small store is available to buy snacks and beverages, beer included!  Just standing and looking out over the valley below is breathtaking and peaceful combined. The breeze is fresh, para gliders can be seen (http://migelitaincolombia.blogspot.com/2012/01/decision-parapente-para-gliding-is-like_23.html take a look at my recent blog), birds fly by, and the sounds of nature abound! A stay of 20 to 30 minutes enjoying a beer and the view, allows enough rest for your travel back down the mountain. Going down is (of course) much easier and the restaurant is added incentive to return to the bottom! My mouth was watering at the thought of fresh fish to eat! The walk is brisk and quick going down, the natural surroundings never boring. Local workers on the reserve have little homes and come out and say "buenas" to the park's visitors. A truly charming way to spend 3 hours of your time! I had a chuckle as I left, as this carving is large and one of the last things you see after you leave the hike and make your way to the restaurant. I encourage all to stay and enjoy the local dining. The food is quite tasty! A wonderful way to end a hiking adventure and leave with a full belly and rememberance of enchanting views! Maybe you will see an eagle on your hike!

The Decision: Parapente ( para gliding) is like flying, having w...

The Decision: Parapente ( para gliding) is like flying, having w...: Parapente business One of the larger more populated Parapente sites Getting the sails ready In Palmira Valle de Cauca there are m...

The Decision: Parapente ( para gliding) is like flying, having w...

The Decision: Parapente ( para gliding) is like flying, having w...: Parapente business One of the larger more populated Parapente sites Getting the sails ready In Palmira Valle de Cauca there are m...

Parapente ( para gliding) is like flying, having wings like a bird!

Parapente business

One of the larger more populated Parapente sites

Getting the sails ready

In Palmira Valle de Cauca there are many parapente businesses, just travel a mountain road and you will see a sign directing you to go to a business to enjoy this sport. Having lived here and observed the sails above me on many occasions, I wanted to learn more about this adventure. All guides who operate the business need to be licensed, so it is important that when you decide to check this off your bucket list, you make sure the guide is licensed! If you are an expert already, I saw people going by themselves, so that is possible also. Papers are to be signed releasing the business and guides from any responsibility. Payment ranges from 80,000 pesos and up (40 dollars USD) and includes transportation back to your spot of takeoff.

A few more steps and they are off!

Once you decide where you are going to enjoy your adventure, watching others leave can increase your anxiety (if you have any) as it looks like the people run right off a cliff. However, once you watch for awhile, you become immersed in the beauty of the colors and the sounds of awe made by the participants as they float into the air!

Once floating the ride is not long. It can take anywhere between 10 to 20 minutes to float to the landing, depending on the guides expertise. As you float prepare to feel suspended in air, enjoying the views you will have seen from roads, in a new way. Imagine flying like a bird, seeing the mountains as they do, avoiding the landing for as long as you can! Be prepared to see storm clouds , even lightening, as thunderstorms are common in the mountains, but what seems near is really far away! You will see breathtaking views of the large city of Cali, looking very near as you fly. The largest buildings looking close as the sun reflects off them. You might fly through a cloud and feel the droplets on your skin. Birds will fly by you, a hawk, eagle, or parrot, and the sounds they make will ring in your ears!

As you get near to landing the instructor will tell you to lift your legs, as landing is fast and you will pitch forward if you try to run as you land. The cows are grazing on the field, as you descend, and take no notice of

the large object approaching. The heart beats fast again as you realize the time went by so quickly, and you are done and safe on the ground. I am sure the experience will be one you tell your friends and family about for the rest of your life! You might even decide to do it again!

The Decision: Colombian food is healthy, organic and delicious!

The Decision: Colombian food is healthy, organic and delicious!: cows hanging out on a farm I have gained 10 much needed pounds since my move to Colombia. However, do not think you will gain this muc...

Colombian food is healthy, organic and delicious!

cows hanging out on a farm

I have gained 10 much needed pounds since my move to Colombia. However, do not think you will gain this much weight if you visit this magnificent country. I have never been a great cook, nor a healthy eater. All changed once I was settled in my home. I hired a maid, and she cooks me two meals a day. The food is fresh and the meat and poultry are grass fed free range. The fish are from natural lakes, the vegetables from gardens of nearby farms, the fruit also from farms in the area. I gained weight because I was actually having meals that were healthy on a regular basis. I also visit restaurants on the weekends, you can always see the kitchen and the cooking that is going on! There is no worry here of unsafe sanitary practices anywhere you eat. The kitchen and cook is there for all to watch!

Mama Mia, my favorite Italian restaurant!

The kitchen and outside is off to the side of this Brazilian 

restaurant

Most restaurants are open air and covered with roofed patio's and charming tables with colorful tablecloths. A small candle is always lit for the guests at even the smallest restaurants. Most of these charming eating spots have a home off to the side where the family who owns them live. The families all take part in running the restaurant, and make time to greet you and chit chat when you visit them. The dishes can be traditional, or specific to what restaurant you visit. Colombia has a lot of Chinese restaurants, and Asian people who live here. I have eaten in social clubs on the weekends that have playgrounds and pools that entertain the kids, and there is never a rush to get you out of the table you occupy! It is relaxing and beautiful wherever you choose to eat, along with being easy on your pocketbook!

I have had many new dishes here in Colombia. The first time I ordered fish I was really surprised by how it was served. I had always had fillets and was a bit overwhelmed when the dish showed up with the whole fish staring at me! What I found was this fish is local (usually Tilapia) and caught fresh and never frozen. I had to watch for the little bones, but have since become quite adept at eating and enjoying the wonderful taste of the local fish. My favorite Colombian Italian restaurant Mama Mia has the best Italian cooking ever! The owners are Italian, relocated here from Italy, and the food is authentic Italian direct from Italy! The first time I had a pizza, I was transported back to Pisa and the great pizza I had had on one of my many excursions to Italy. Their pasta is equally as food and you leave with a full belly and enough food to take home to have a late night snack.

Pizza at Mama Mia

Sancocho is a common Colombian dish that you can make with fish, beef, chicken or pork. Sancocho de gallina is originally from the Colombian Region El Valle. I am not a huge fan of this meal  because I do not love soup. However, talk with any Colombian person and they will say they could eat it everyday. It is their heritage, their culture, their memories combined in one plate of chicken, corn, rice and a soup that has the foot of a hen inside. I have not really gotten used to that yet! I do eat it , as I eat everything here, but it is not my favorite dish! I love the pork, one dish is cooked as little ribs that are really :"finger licking good"! All dishes, that are traditional Colombian are served with rice. I have learned to put the rice in my soup, and mix it with my vegetables (which are all fresh from local gardens) and meat. 

plantains served with salsa as an appetizer

Fresh juice and eggs from local chickens are used every morning for my breakfast. I used to wait until mid morning to eat and then would have an egg on a muffin or yogurt. Now, I am hungry early, and exercise after my morning meal. The juices are made from local fruit, some examples are mango, tangerine, tomato (yes, there is a difference between the plant and the tree which produces fruit) pineapple, and many Colombian fruits that are unknown to the USA. I live in a small farm community, and I know that pesticides are not used and the chickens run around freely eating the grass. All of this adds up to a healthy way to live, and I feel better and look better since I have moved to Colombia. Is it the food? I would say yes, my diet has improved 100% and plays a major part in improving my health and overall well being! Eggs are not refrigerated and are delivered to my home, on a as needed basis. Milk is straight from the cow, and is boiled on the stove. I have it every day mixed with the fruit as a juice or on cereal as a late night snack. No pasteurization, and I have no problems with this. I have never been a milk drinker and now can not go a day without it! Goat milk is even more delicious and also is boiled before drinking. 

beans from a local farm

One dish I have learned to love is cow's tongue. I know, you are gagging as you read this. I was a bit taken aback the first time I saw the tongue and did not want to eat it. I tried the meal, which is served with boiled potatoes, rice and vegetables. The sauce is made with garlic and onions. I was pleasantly surprised by the tenderness of the meat and the taste of the meal. I now have tongue at least once a week and savor every morsel! The cows are from farms and are for milking and yes they are killed to be eaten. I have yet to eat anything frozen here. Meat is bought at the grocery store or small tiendas in town , cut by a butcher. 


Food is delicious, savory and healthy here in Colombia! I have learned to enjoy the variety of meals, cooked in the Colombian way. I miss American food only on traditional holidays, and not that much. I think my body craved healthy food, and now realize that when I bought "green" in the USA, I was buying a label, not the actual thing! Green or organic is a normal way to eat here, and if I mentioned the word organic to a local I would get a blank stare! It is just the way it is here! So now, I am ready to eat my breakfast of two eggs and the bunuelos (locally made fresh daily) a round ball with soft bread inside, and go for my walk along the country road with a full belly to start my day! Chiao!

The Decision: Glorious, heartwarming, wonderful Nature..living w...

The Decision: Glorious, heartwarming, wonderful Nature..living w...: I think my decision to move to Colombia was based on the beauty I saw in my first moments in Colombia. I was transfixed with the colorfu...

Glorious, heartwarming, wonderful Nature..living with it's beauty

I think my decision to move to Colombia was based on the beauty I saw in my first moments in Colombia. I was transfixed with the colorful, moving, array of sights immediately. Once I was immersed in daily life, the walks on a little country road, I was amazed by what I saw in nature on a daily basis. A ride on a motorcycle through the mountains brought unexpected surprises and delight. Who knew parrots would fly by making their sounds that settled in my ears with delight? A mother hawk teaching her baby to hunt was right before my eyes while I exercised on my small country road. Eagles sitting on fences, or flying right over my head! Eye candy that is a normal part of life, living in the country of Colombia! Nor the fact that horses and cattle are allowed to graze freely along the small country roads.

I found myself suddenly surrounded by cattle when I got off my  moto to inspect a beautiful tree!

I would be fooling myself if I said it was "no big deal" these glimpses of nature and animals I saw during my first months. Being born and raised in South Florida,  a lot of these moments I was seeing on a regular basis, were only known to me at the zoo or in books and movies. I was filled with poignant moments on a daily basis. The first time I woke up to horses grazing in front of my home, I rushed for my camera. Little did I know these moments would continue and get better with each passing day. The unexpected was always there, and when I least expected it!

I have a really special place in my heart for hummingbirds. My daughter and I would wait every summer , when we would visit our vacation home in Tennessee, for the first hummingbird to show at our feeder. Naturally I had to have a feeder for my house here in Colombia. I did not wait long for them to show up, Colombia is full of hummingbirds, and many species of birds. This country has the highest species of birds in the world. I sit and watch them on a daily basis, fascinated with their ability to move backward in flight, and to play with each other, just as other animals do in nature. One day I arrived home from errands to find one in my house, calmly perched on the screen of my window. I will always look to this moment as a sign from my deceased daughter saying "Hi Mom, I am still around you in spirit!". I cried with joy, letting the little creature stay on my screen for awhile..then gently guiding it out the door.

Wild bunnies

Small parrots, a variety of colors fly by and land on trees as I walk. I stop and watch still, they are so full of life and fun! Colombian Amazon parrots are in people's homes and in nature. I see them in the sky , from my  hammock while reading a book. Their sounds filling the air with what I think would be them laughing! I smile anytime I hear them. Geese, ducks, chickens and roosters are on all farms walking around freely and bringing a bounty of eggs to their owners. They have wonderful sounds also, once you get used to it. I no longer notice the roosters next door calling early in the morning. I have learned to embrace the sounds. The cow that lives across the street regularly greets me when I take my dogs out in the morning. I would never have thought last year at this time, this kind of beauty would become second nature to me now.

On my various travels I run across different species of wildlife regularly, taking a moment to be still just long enough for me to catch a photo. One blog can not capture my thoughts on living in nature, my daily experiences. You will hear more from me on nature in Colombia and how it interacts with man. I leave with this thought, all of nature enjoys their life, and I look to it for my inspiration and focus.

The Decision: Bring it On 2012, I am riding into the New Year!

The Decision: Bring it On 2012, I am riding into the New Year!: This gal is happy to start the New Year! I leave 2011 with great memories, a hope to continue on a path towards peace and fulfillment, a f...