Tag: national parks

Colca Lodge – Yanque, Peru

When you live in a valley in the mountains of the Andes, there are going to be times when you come across some volcanic activity. When you come across volcanic activity, there are going to be springs that are naturally warmed by the volcanic activity. When you have these hot springs, hotels are going to pop up that will take advantage of this fact to make hot water pools that allow you to soak in them while enjoying the natural surroundings of the environment. This was the place that I ended up at during my recent travels through Peru, and it was not only an immaculate setting, but a great experience as well.

The Colca Lodge sits a twenty-minute drive outside the small town of Yanque in the Colca Canyon region, and its main attraction are the natural hot springs that are found there. But there is so much more to this lodge than just the nice warm pools that are in the area where you can relax after a long day of exploring the high Andes mountains. There is a spa, a nice big pit for late-night campfires, and of course, what every high Andes complex needs, an alpaca farm.

Don’t worry, they have llamas too. Basically, you are given free reign to walk around the grounds and check out these animals as they run, play, and graze. It is also connected to a small museum that talks about the history of these animals in the region as well as the other major draw out to Colca Canyon, the condor. It is a nice way to spend an hour or two, and the animals are completely friendly, even though I never got close enough to one to pet it.

There is really only one place to eat at the Colca Lodge, but they do have enough variety that you will never get bored with the food. The kitchen staff is also well-versed in bringing together many dishes, mainly from Peru, but you can also find some great dishes from Italy, Mexico, and bar fare. They also have a full bar with a great selection of wine, and beer from the region.

Each room has an outdoor entrance that has a small patio that is perfect for sitting out on most of the time. There was a moment when things got a little too hot in the morning, but then the shade took over and it was nice to sit out there and enjoy the scenery. It was the perfect place to sit back to read a book or play a card game, and made the lodge a very comfortable place to stay at.

There are many exciting things to do and see in the area as well. There are some hikes close by that can take you to waterfalls, up ancient terraces where people still farm today, and even the Oyu Oyu ruins. If that is not your cup of tea, a longer drive will take you out to Colca Canyon, the second deepest canyon in the world and the sight where many condors can be spotted hunting for carrion. It makes this spot the perfect location for a break from the day to day monotony. I enjoyed a three night stay there and am already thinking about when I could go back and enjoy it again.

Until next time, try to find those special places in your part of the world that allow for relaxation and little bit of culture at the same time.

The Opening of the National Parks – Siam Summer

The statue of a gigantic mermaid that greets you when you first arrive to Koh Samet

It is another sign that Thailand is returning back to a normal kind of life. Today was the one day we had been waiting for all summer long, the day when they reopened the national parks. Yes, there are a lot of cool towns and fun places to go in the big cities, but the magic of Thailand really comes to life when visiting the national parks. We have had a couple on our list to visit this summer, and the first one was the island of of Koh Samet. It is an island resort with pristine beaches and beautiful hikes through rain forests that is only a three hour drive from Bangkok, and a quick twenty minute speedboat ride from the dock in Rayong.

Squeezing into a song tol

But we did not find ourselves in Bangkok this morning. We had been staying in Rayong for the past few days, waiting for this island to open up. The beach resort we were staying at was nice, but it was tucked in a corner of town that not many people visit, and there were only a couple of restaurants to enjoy in the area. The sun rarely popped out from amongst the clouds, and the time there was spent waiting for the next part of our trip. We were told that we would be able to catch a shuttle from the resort to the pier and from there we could take a ferry over to the island.  We were so excited about the opening of this island that we had our bags out in front of the resort awaiting our shuttle.

Well, it turned out not to be like a shuttle like you would find in most parts of the world. It is what is called a song tol, which literally translates to two bench. They are very common in all of Thailand. Basically, somebody took a pickup truck, bolted two benches in the back of it, put a cover over those benches, and then started taxiing people around in it. Some are safer than others, but all of them are a treat to ride in. The one we took to the pier could not close its tail gate, so we packed in tight to make it to our next leg of the journey, hoping that we would not lose any luggage on the way.

The speed boat that took us from Rayong to Koh Samet

This involved taking some type of boat over the short distance of ocean to the island. There are two different types of boats you can book to get over there. The first is the ferry. It runs about once an hour, takes an hour to make the short distance, packs people in tightly, but is significantly cheaper than the other option. This is a speed boat. It is a lot quicker, but will jostle you around a little bit more as it takes you over the choppy seas. It did cost four hundred baht per person for a round trip, but that breaks down to about $12 American money. It was worth the price, and all we have to do is call ahead two hours in advance to let them know when we are ready to return.

The view from the back of our speed boat

The views weren’t great on the speed boat, and I was with a couple of people that get seasick easily, but we were able to make it over with everybody’s stomach intact. It was pretty comfortable, and the excitement of making it to this national treasure that had been untouched for the last four months had the anticipation building up within us. It would only be a short time until we found ourselves doing some beach living.

The view of the beach from the hotel we are staying at

When we arrived, there was one more quick song tol ride to our hotel, and then it was time to relax with soft sand, clear water and gorgeous skies. It was a little bit of an adventure to get to the resort, but it was well worth it. It is even nicer knowing that we are going to get to enjoy this island before the tourists start pouring into all of the hotel rooms here. It is Wednesday, and most people won’t be able to get out of their busy jobs from Bangkok until Friday. It is also a long holiday weekend coming up, and it will just add to the crowds. And even though there are a few people on the island right now, it is not enough to make it feel crowded. It will be a great stop for our longer road trip through this part of Thailand.