Ruth and the sunset at the island of Dhiffushi, Maldives.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Kuwait City, Kuwait on March 31st.

Sunday, November 29, 2015

A bumpy ride to Colombia's spectacular Tatacoa Desert (Part 1)

The only reason we came to Villavieja was to see the Tatacoa Desert. But during the day from 10:00am to 4:00pm, it's too hot to do anything else but laze around. So other than going for breakfast, that's exactly what we did until about 3:00pm.

At that time, we walked down to the central plaza and made arrangements with a "moto-taxi" to take us into the desert.

It's about a 6 km (3.7 mile) drive from the town to the start of the desert. There are also some very basic accommodations out in the desert itself. Hammocks and camping sort of thing. You could walk out there, but there's no shade and as I said...it's baking hot.

So if you want to visit from town, you either go at 7:00am before things get too hot, or 4:00pm when things are starting to cool down.

We made a deal with one guy...70,000 pesos ($31.85 CAD) to take us to see the major sites. He said we would be gone for three hours depending on how much time we spend at each stop. Turns out this is the standard price for this type of tour here.

Here's our transportation!

And our view for the drive. The paved road soon ran out though!

Starting to look like desert.

That's Kevin up there! 

Interesting landscape.

And of course there are cactus.

Neat looking desert scenery.

Another stop. Worth going for a walk down there!

Ruth, in the Tatacoa Desert.

And me!

Unfortunately I'm having some kind of an internet or hosting problem and can't get any more pics to load. And we have to get going...we're headed for Bogota today. But we do have more desert pics to show you, so hopefully I'll do a part 2 for you all later this afternoon or early evening!

Yes...we have made a decision to high tail it to Bogota. Two reasons... one, it is simply too hot down here in the valley. Much cooler up in Bogota. Reason number two... we think we had better seek out some more medical advice for Kevin's rash problem that hasn't gotten any better. None of the different medications that we have tried seem to have made any difference at all. While some areas have begun healing, other areas are worse. His left forearm and right calf are the worst areas, and they are even a little swollen. The heat didn't help matters. 

So on that note...see you in Bogota!

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And at Amazon.ca in Canada...the Fitbit flex is marked down again...




28 comments:

  1. Really interesting and beautiful desert but too bad that the heat is so bad. Sure hope you can get some good help for Kevin.

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    1. Yes, it is very beautiful out here in the desert and if you go early in the morning or late in the afternoon then it is almost perfect temperature wise.

      We hope he can get some relief too!

      Delete
  2. Interesting desert and love your Taxi.
    Good luck with Kevin's rash.

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    1. The colors and formations in the desert were very interesting,we had a good afternoon/evening out there.

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  3. Lovely pics of the desert and looking forward to part 2. Best wishes heading you way, Kevin, re that rash. Hopefully the mystery will be resolved soon and the correct medication found.

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    1. Thank you Dianne, we are really hoping it can be resolved quickly and properly too. He really hasn't been having a fun time lately.

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  4. Beautiful desert but too hot! I can see why you are heading for cooler country. I hope Kevin's rash gets better, nothing nastier than itching and blisters.

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    1. Yes, just a little too hot. I think under normal conditions Kevin would have dealt with the heat much better but not with the rash that he has at the moment. I think that heat has been making it harder on him.

      Yes, the cooler weather is already feeling refreshing! :-)

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  5. Oh my goodness, this really is spectacular scenery. Sure hope Kevin finds a dr who can Help him get rid of that rash. I know it is difficult to really enjoy yourself when you are not feeling well..

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    1. WIsh we could have spent more time out there hiking but at least we got to see the wonderful scenery.

      Hoping to get Kevin's rash sorted out too, as you said it sort of takes away from such a great trip.

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  6. That desert sure looks a lot like the Alberta and South Dakota badlands (sans cactus of course). http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=alberta+badlands&qpvt=alberta+badlands&qpvt=alberta+badlands&FORM=IGRE
    Amazing how world geology can be similar so many thousands of miles apart.

    Any signs of critters in that desert? I noticed some holes in the hills. Assuming it was too hot for them to be out. Likely nocturnal.

    That 'tour bus/motorcycle' must have been a blast. Can't imagine it passing any sort of road worthiness tests in North America.....but all part of the charm of Columbia!
    Stay safe!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We had actually commented on that when we were looking at the scenery there. In the Part 2 post there was also formations that reminded us of Toadstool Geological Park in Nebraska.

      We didn't see any little critter life but I am sure that there is. We know that there are definitely scorpions out there! We saw bird life too, a couple of nice hawks but unfortunately they wouldn't t pose for us.

      No I am sure they wouldn't pass the test in Canada or the US and that's one of the reasons we love places like this.

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  7. Feel better Kevin! Then you can enjoy the rest of the trip in comfort!

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    1. Thank you Michelle! It sure does take away from the trip when you don't feel up to par.

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  8. Nice pics. Grey Cup Sunday. Ottawa vs Edmonton

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    1. Thank you Mike! Hope the game was a good one.

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  9. That is some cool looking desert! Hope you are able to get some relief from that rash. It just can't be fun to have.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, we really enjoyed the desert scenery. The colors and formations were pretty cool to see. We are crossing our fingers that he can get some relief today.

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  10. Hoping Kevin can get relief soon! Love the desert photos - really different!

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    1. We will be headed off to a clinic this morning and really hoping that something can be done to give him some relief.

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  11. Oh my gosh, what a gorgeous desert. I love the colors and the landscape. Not sure about that ride though...lol

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    1. The ride was half the fun! ;-) We really enjoyed our outing and the scenery.

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  12. Wow, that's really reasonable for a three-hour tour! Looks like you got your money's worth, too. The desert pics are wonderful.

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    1. Actually that is fairly expensive in Colombian terms but it was our only option to see all the different sites in the desert. We enjoyed our tour so that definitely made it worth it to us.

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  13. Amazing scenery. Sorry to hear about Kevin's rash. Bogata will be fun also and much cooler.

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    1. Yes, It certainly was beautiful scenery.

      Hoping that he can get some relief today.

      We are keeping an open mind about Bogota but what we saw last night didn't impress us. We are enjoying the cooler weather though!

      Delete

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