The Vagabond Hiker

Hiking, trekking, and climbing the world

Feliz Año Nuevo desde Colombia

Holiday Greetings from Cartagena Colombia!

A Comuna 13 mural, Medellin Colombia. I can hardly call these amazing works graffiti.

It’s difficult for me to believe sometimes, but it’s been three years since I started this blog post. Fifty eight posts from 33 countries (18 of which I had not been to previously) and 6 continents. At times, traveling continuously has been a real challenge. Many a morning I’ve awoken and had no idea what country I was in (don’t be too concerned – by the first cuppa’ I always figured it out). Often alone or surrounded by strangers that I didn’t know a week ago and in a week would never see again. And the airports. Only those who haven’t traveled could possibly think of the long lines, bad food, unannounced delays, and crying babies as romantic.

But at other times – and those are easily in the majority – I wouldn’t trade my life for anyone’s. The sound of the surf as the sun rises over the ocean. The stunning vista from a high pass. The campsite by the burbling brook. The adrenaline rush of summitting a high peak that few even attempt. Yet another day spent out in nature rather than stuck in an office! All this with friends and family only a phone call, email or text away though I may be half-way around the world.

For this coming year I have decided to set myself another challenge, not physical this time but more mental. My goal for this coming year is to attain a total of 100 countries visited. With Colombia I have traveled to 80 so far, leaving 20 for 2020. While the number is arguably arbitrary, it nonetheless strikes me as a milestone. It is the quality of the time spent in these different countries and not just an opportunity to check another box that will guide my plans. I will post blogs of hikes, treks, and walks, (though probably not any climbs) from at least 15 of these countries. I also plan to blog from countries I have already visited – some many times – such as Spain, England, Italy, and France. As much of my time will be in Europe, visiting cities and seeing cultural sights will also be a part of my program, though largely outside the scope of this blog.

During my more than a month in Lanzarote in November and December I spent a large part of my time planning this coming year. The Calendar Tab on the upper right gives an outline for the next three months. After Colombia it includes Nicaragua, El Salvador, La Gomera (Spain), Cape Verde, and Jordan. Although I have already planned the large majority of 2020, I will update the Calendar Tab on this blog site quarterly as I decide the final details.

My next blog (or two) will be about some of my many outdoor experiences in this wonderfully diverse country of Colombia. In the mean time, I wish you all a happy 2020 enjoying the outdoors.

The Vagabond Hiker

Lanzarote redux

I had no intention of posting another blog on Lanzarote as I thought last year’s was sufficient to cover this island off the coast of Africa. (I clearly haven’t applied the same reasoning to the Dolomites in Italy, from where I have posted no fewer than four times over the past two years)! However, in looking back at last December’s post, I thought there was quite a bit more I could add from this year’s experiences without committing the sin of redundancy. So, with that in mind hare are a few photos I took with my phone over the last five weeks.

View south along the coast path connecting Puerto del Carmen to Playa Quemada. This view is taken at the Barranco del Quiquera. Puerto Calero is where you see all the white buildings and boats in harbor.
A view looking up the Barranco del Quiquera. This red bush is a close as I saw to a Christmas tree in Lanzarote. Barranco means ravine in Spanish.
Early morning coastal path view of the harbor in Puerto del Carmen. Most of my coastal walks were in the mornings. Here I got a particularly early start.
A wall with Bougainvillea and a cat along the coast path. Local good Samaritans kept them fed and watered. The cats, that is.
Vista near the GR131 with Montaña Guardilama in the background. The GR131 long distance path connects all the Canary Islands, although I didn’t see anyone through hiking it on this day.
View south from the slopes of Guardilama, the fourth highest “mountain” on Lanzarote. The textures on the land on the right here are half moon dry-stone walls to protect agricultural plants from the ubiquitous winds.
Lichen on the Guardilama summit. The lichen always grows on the south and south west sides of the volcanic rock, protected from the trade winds.
Lemon bush at Bodega La Geria. Here you can see the construction of the dry-stone walls. This winery has some excellent local wines, particularly their dry white Malvasias, produced under some very challenging conditions.
A water feature and mural of the artist César Manrique’s home in Tahiche. According to Wikipedia, Manrique “had a major influence on the planning regulations on Lanzarote following his recognition of its potential for tourism and lobbied successfully to encourage the sustainable development of the industry”.
One of Manrique’s sculptures at Tahiche.
Manrique’s small pool at his home, which is now a foundation featuring many of his art works and photography.
A subterranean lava room at Manrique’s home. The tree is growing through a natural hole in the lava ceiling. There were several habitable spaces such as this in his home.
A view towards Montaña Tahiche from the wall bordering Manrique’s home. I just love all the flowers in the middle of December!
I spent a pleasant hour strolling around the Jardín de Cactus in Guatiza. There are over 450 species of cactus in this botanical garden that was a former quarry.
Finally, a sunset view from my apartment’s terrace near the old town of Puerto del Carmen.

Currently I’m back in rainy England for a couple of days before heading across the pond to Colombia, where I will send out my year-end post with some of my plans for 2020. Until then, enjoy the holiday season,

The Vagabond Hiker

East Sussex and the South Downs Way

Rain during the last two days here on Lanzarote gave me time to pull together some of the photos from the south of England I’ve taken this past year. Throughout 2019 when I haven’t been traveling, Hastings and the surrounding area of East Sussex on the south coast of England have been my home. Interesting topography, a relatively convenient location, and the English Channel all contributed to my choice. In 2020 I plan on even more extensive travel, centering on Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa. Between trips, however, I will once again find myself on England’s South Coast, so I thought I would share some of my photos, including highlights of a two day circular hike on the South Downs Way.

Hastings Pier and a spring storm. This photo was from an AirBnb rental on the Grand Parade in St Leonards, the town immediately adjoining Hastings to the West.
A late afternoon view from the balcony of another AirBnb apartment I rented in St Leonards. These sea front apartments were reasonably priced in the off season, but were too expensive for me during the summer.
Warrior Square in St Leonards, allegedly the largest waterfront garden in England
Rocklands on East Hill seen from Hastings Country Park. I discovered Rocklands from hiking in the area and have made it my home in Hastings ever since. The apartment building is to the right of the brick Rocklands House, partially hidden by a chestnut tree.
Sunrise from the balcony of my apartment in Rocklands. The property is surrounded on three sides by the park. Very peaceful as it allows neither children nor dogs, it is only a 15 minute walk down (and about 20 minutes back up!) to all the amenities of Hastings Old Town.
Another coastal view in Hastings Country Park. The yellow shrubs are gorse. At over 850 acres, the park is a fantastic and diverse area for hiking, picnicking, and simply enjoying nature. And some days there is sun!
Church Square, Rye. I spent a long weekend in the nearby ancient town of Rye, attending a chamber music festival.
Castle Water, Camber. Within a short walk of Rye, it is a great location for watching both resident and migratory birds.
The restored Bodiam Castle, a National Trust property about a half hour drive along country lanes from Hastings. Nearby Hastings and Camber castle are just ruins, but Bodiam gives a good sense of medieval life, at least for the fortunate few.
Eastbourne, from the start of the South Downs Way. It is the next good-sized town, a half hour drive west of Hastings along the coast. The South Downs Way traverses about 100 miles along the chalk downs of Sussex and Hampshire, from here to Winchester. I walked a 21 mile, two day circular portion.
View of chalk cliffs and the English Channel along the Seven Sisters, South Downs Way
Panorama of Cuckmere Haven and Seven Sisters Country Park from the South Downs Way, which headed inland here.
A picturesque cottage along the South Downs Way
Inland forest path along the South Downs Way
The bucolic Alfriston seen from the north loop of the South Downs Way
Unidentified pink flowers along the South Downs Way
Deans Place Hotel, Alfriston, where I spent the night. Decidedly not slumming!

I’m in the process of making some changes to this website. The most obvious is that I replaced the increasingly cumbersome Archives at the bottom of the Homepage with a drop down hierarchical Categories menu listing the continents and countries from which I’ve blogged. At least I’ll be able to find some of my earlier posts now!

I’ve tentatively planned most of my travel for 2020 and will share it with you in a couple of weeks in a year-end blog post. In the meantime, enjoy an active Holiday Season with family and friends!

The Vagabond Hiker

Categories

Subscribe for Updates