The time has finally come for Thanksgiving break. I have waited for this moment for weeks now, waiting patiently for the long-awaited break from school. Don’t get me wrong, I have enjoyed this semester. However, I think we can all agree that this is a well-deserved break. That being said, since it is Thanksgiving, I feel that it is only right to share what I will be doing over break since it relates to the theme of my blog. I am going to Colombia!! I am so excited to be traveling again since this is my second international trip since the pandemic began.

I am leaving for Colombia on Sunday with my mom and sister, and I will be staying at my grandparents’ house. I don’t really have any plans, other than to relax and enjoy time with family. We will not be celebrating Thanksgiving traditionally because it is not a celebrated holiday in Colombia. My grandparents used to live in the United States from the late 90s to 2016, and during that time we used to have big Thanksgiving feasts with our entire family. We really adhered to and enjoyed this American tradition, and if I were home with my family in Florida then we’d definitely be celebrating.

Since I don’t have any set plans for my trip, I want to share my favorite things to do when I go to Colombia. One of my favorite places to go is to a theme park called el Parque del Café. This translates to coffee park. As many of you may know, Colombia is known for its coffee production and distribution to the entire world. At this theme park, they have attractions, shows, and even tours around the coffee farms located on theme park grounds. The setting is very environmental, with trees and plants all over the park. It is a very fun, full-day activity, and of course, there are cafes to enjoy fresh Colombian coffee.

The second thing I love to do in Colombia is visiting the hot springs. For those who don’t know, the hot springs are pools of natural warm/hot water that are created into places that people can visit. The ones I visit are up in the mountains, so you have to take a shuttle trip to your destination. When I used to go when I was little, I thought that the workers made the water hot. When I got older, my mom shared the reality of the matter, which is that the water is naturally hot. Not all hot springs in Colombia are available to the public, and many are preserved in nature. We also mainly go at night when the temperature drops a bit from regular tropical temperatures. Between the temperature dropping at night and the mountain elevation (making it colder), it is the perfect temperature for a hot spring bath.

If anyone is interested in going to Colombia, please do! It is a beautiful country, and if planned safely, you can enjoy all that this beautiful country has to offer.

The photos above are from el Parque del Cafe.

The photos below are from the hot springs.