{"id":15112,"date":"2021-03-14T12:34:34","date_gmt":"2021-03-14T11:34:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldmoments.org\/?p=15112"},"modified":"2021-03-14T13:20:49","modified_gmt":"2021-03-14T12:20:49","slug":"travel-stories-susan-and-john","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldmoments.org\/en\/blog\/travel-stories-susan-and-john\/","title":{"rendered":"Travel stories: Susan and John, from California to South America with their boat"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today we will make you dream with one of our travel stories – this is the story of two adventurer: Susan and John. They\u00a0are two world travelers that in 2001 left their home for a three year journey down the coast till Panama.
\n <\/p>\n

How do you end up settling in Colombia? And why Colombia?<\/h3>\n

We got the bug to retire outside the U.S. while we were still traveling on our sailboat, from California down the Pacific Coast of Mexico and Central America. We went through the Panam\u00e1 Canal on our own boat in 2004 (a huge thrill!) and sailed across to Florida, and later ended up back on the West Coast, first in Oregon and then Southern California. The whole time we were back in \u201cdirtworld\u201d (as we called it), we worked and planned toward relocating to Panam\u00e1 as soon as John retired. That happened in 2015, when we moved to the mountain town of Boquete in western Panam\u00e1.
\n 
\nIn 2016, we visited Medell\u00edn<\/a> and fell in love with the city. We were ready for big city living after the quiet rural lifestyle of Boquete. A year later, we took a Christmas\/New Year\u2019s trip to Colombia to solidify our decision to move there.
\n 
\nAfter visiting Bogot\u00e1<\/a> and Cartagena<\/a>, we went to Medell\u00edn and stayed in three separate neighborhoods to get a feel for where we\u2019d like to live. And finally, in November 2018, we moved to the Laureles district.
\n 
\nAbout a month ago, we moved out of Medell\u00edn to the scenic little town of El Retiro, about a 45-minute drive from the city. We are loving the fresh air, blue skies, and scenic vistas!
\n 
\n

\"travel

Travel Stories: Susan and John left California to travel by boat till Panama<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n

What is the part of Colombia you didn’t expect?<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

We did not expect Colombia to be so scenically beautiful. Hiking trails not far from Medell\u00edn will take you to incredible Andean vistas and waterfalls. Find out about one of Susan and Johns hikes here.<\/a>
\n 
\nThe biodiversity of this country is really special, and we\u2019re glad to see so many people here working to preserve Colombia’s more pristine areas. We hope it continues.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tell us about your travel stories: what is a part of Latin America and Colombia that we should not miss at all?<\/h3>\n

Medell\u00edn is a fascinating and progressive city, and the story of how the people have overcome the violent past is incredibly inspiring. Newcomers should spend at least a week there. Also, we have recently discovered Colombia\u2019s wealth of small and colorful country towns, many with colonial roots and very rich histories. We live in one of them now, El Retiro, and we love it.
\n 
\nEl Retiro\u2019s claim to fame is the wealthy mining family who, more than two centuries ago, freed all of the African slaves they had brought here to work. For that reason, the town is known as one of South America\u2019s \u201ccradles of freedom.\u201d El Retiro is also known for its high-quality, hand-crafted wood furniture.
\n 
\nLooking beyond Colombia, our favorite Latin American experiences so far have been visiting Cuba, cruising the Galapagos Islands, hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu<\/a>, and seeing Iguazu Falls in Argentina (NOT to be missed!!).
\n 
\nAlthough we\u2019re anxious to explore many other parts of the world, we’ve realized how much there is to see right here on this continent!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Was it difficult to travel in Spanish speaking countries being English mother language?<\/h3>\n

Even in our earlier sailing days, we somehow got by with minimal Spanish. In just about every Latin American country we have visited, we\u2019ve found the people to be incredibly gracious and welcoming. And a little Spanish goes a long way \u2013 if they see you\u2019re trying, they are usually very helpful.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Find out about our online Spanish classes.<\/a><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

How did you learn Spanish and what is your best advice for whom is learning this language?<\/h3>\n

We have studied formally a bit, but we have learned most of our Spanish just from day-to-day living in the community. Finding people who are willing to practice with us. Translating highway signs when we\u2019re going somewhere. Watching Spanish-language TV (programs with Spanish closed captions are especially good, because you can read the words while they\u2019re being spoken on the screen). The best thing we ever did for our Spanish was to move to Colombia from Boquete, Panam\u00e1. Because Boquete has such a large expat community, it\u2019s possible to get by without learning much Spanish \u2013 but we were looking for a different experience. Since there are so few English speakers here, especially in El Retiro, it\u2019s been a true immersion.
\n 
\nTherefore, our biggest piece of advice is to jump into the deep end of the pool. Live where there are few people who speak your native language. Don\u2019t be afraid to try a few words and phrases, even if you think you\u2019ll get it wrong. People really do appreciate it when you make an effort. And somehow, communication usually happens!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you can travel into the past, what would you say to Susan and John?<\/h3>\n

Study Spanish in school \u2013 ha! It\u2019s tougher to learn a new language when you\u2019re older. And don\u2019t be in a rush to go to college and start a career. Get out and travel and see the world while you\u2019re young. If we could change anything, we would have become expats sooner!
\n <\/p>\n

Tell us about your blog, how and where we can find you and your future travel stories and life plans!<\/h3>\n

Our blog is called Latitude Adjustment – www.latitudeadjustmentblog.com<\/a>. We started it back in 2015, just before we moved to Panam\u00e1. At the time, we were just looking to document our experiences as new expats in an unfamiliar country. Over the years, as travel has become more of a passion for us, the blog has started taking on more of a global travel focus. At least it had, before the pandemic!
\n 
\nCOVID has made us rethink our priorities, just as it has for travelers all over the world. In the near term, we\u2019ve put our international travel plans on hold and we\u2019re concentrating on Colombia. There is so much to see, right here in our own backyard!
\n 
\nAfter buying a car a few months ago, we\u2019ve been branching out and taking driving trips to nearby small towns and villages. We have a goal to visit all 17 Pueblos Patrimonio (Colombian Heritage Towns). So far we have visited three: Jard\u00edn, Jeric\u00f3 and Santa Fe de Antioquia. And once we’re vaccinated and the health situation improves, we’ll resume our travels in South America. Next up, we hope: a car camping trip to Patagonia in southern Chile and Argentina, which we had been planning for this year and had to put on hold when the pandemic set in.
\n 
\nLooking further out a few years, we\u2019re planning on relocating to Spain to give us a home base for exploring Europe. We will always be expats!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today we will make you dream with one of our travel stories – this is the story of two adventurer: Susan and John. They\u00a0are two world travelers that in 2001 left their home for a three year journey down the coast till Panama.   How…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":14916,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[249,303],"tags":[302,301],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTravel stories: Susan and John, from California to South America with their boat » Worldmoments<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Read one of our travel stories: this is the adventure of Susan and John. 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