Long time, no see! I had a VERY busy summer with lots of travel (more on that later) and fall is always busy for me. Here’s the last of my trip report during spring break to Easter Island and Columbia. Leaving Easter Island, I used 20,000 United miles to fly to Medellin, which was better than paying almost $1,400! I just want to mention that I never felt afraid or unsafe in Columbia – it’s quickly becoming a tourist destination.
Medellin was rainy and we didn’t have much time, but we did take the metrocable up and also visited Botero Plaza, check out Botero’s artwork in the rain (excuse the quality).
The next day we had arranged a private guide for visiting El Penol and Guatape; El Penol is 650 feet tall, with views all around. The 600+ steps are not really that difficult, especially for views like this!
Guatape, the most colorful town/village in Columbia, exceeded my expectations! Zocalos, colorful representations in bas relief on the lower panels, tell the story of the family or business. This place was my favorite and you can see why in these pictures!
We left Medellin for Pereira and the coffee triangle. We stayed at the Hotel Spa La Colina, a small family-owned hotel with great views!
Our guide worked at the hotel and one day we visited some small towns in the area, stopping for coffee along the way, as we made our way to Cocoro Valley, a magical and mysterious place, especially in the rain and fog. It’s a national park filled with wax palm trees and was simply spectacular! 
We stayed our last night at the Wyndham in Bogota, before flying home via Delta business class. This flight was valued at $2,789, but I booked it using my Amex points.
This trip was a dream come true; I LOVED Easter Island and Columbia was a complete surprise!
Next up, fall in New England, then my summer trip!
This is a two part trip report of my spring break trip to Easter Island and Columbia. I used 57,500 American Airlines miles and $11 to fly business class Lan Airlines to Santiago. the value of that ticket was $3,688! We then bought a round trip business class ticket to Easter Island, only $329, with a partial refund from my Citi Prestige card. Upon landing, you buy your park ticket, which includes admission to all sites.
Here are some stats on the moai averages: height is over 13 feet and weight is 13.8 tons! This trip was a dream come true and I’m so glad miles and points enabled me to see this part of the world!
I’ve thought about writing so many times, but life interferes! This is my last trip report of my epic summer trip! We spent the last few days exploring the Greek Isles of Skopelos and Skiathos.
Another day we went to Agio Ioannis, where “Mamma Mia” was filmed, and it was just incredibly beautiful!
(This is part of a trip report, using United miles to fly business class for five flights, costing $86 and 160,000 miles, and the value of this trip was $11,758. I flew from the USA to Istanbul to Africa to Seychelles to Greece!)
We stayed at Anemoessa Villa, near Oia. It was a simple room with a pool and a sunset view! 
Our first day, we did the Oia to Fira hike and those beautiful views of the caldera were worth it! The walk is approximately six miles and will take two hours plus. (Be sure to wear sunscreen and bring water). We stopped for lemonade in Imerovigli and then took transport to Fira, where we ate and walked around the town.
One afternoon we enjoyed a sunset cruise; there are no words, just look at these pictures…
Walking around Oia was such fun, and the bay there is so very Greek. We just loved all the Greek food – the salads are unbelievably delicious!
