Aaron and I were working in Portland, and when the gig ended, we managed to squeeze all our stuff, zillions of tools, as well as our friends Cooper and Marcella into the van as we rolled 1000 miles down the OR/CA coast. As I was absorbing the majesty of the sea, I came to 2 conclusions. 1) cool, rocky beaches > flat, tropical beaches (a controversial stance, I know) and 2) If Mermaids were real, they would live in those dark, swirling waters.

Did anyone else see that crazy documentary on Discovery about Mermaids? Totally sensationalistic and trashy, but apparently I’m still thinking about it.  You know how some people are really into thinking about aliens or Sasquatch? That’s like me with mermaids. I can’t be the only one. There’s an entire parade dedicated to them. I even remember Splash with amazing clarity. Don’t judge.

CLICK HERE for more photos from this entry!

Since the new year, I’ve spent fewer than 10 days in my Brooklyn apartment. I stayed in NYC for the holidays, so in January I went back to the Bay Area to see the fam, then got caught up in a whirlwind of activity that included a long stint in LA and shorter stints in Taiwan and Miami. I won’t linger on the details, but in a nutshell, I worked on a few shows with some awesome people, went to the beach a bunch of times (Jen + sun? Weird, I know), and spent too much time and money at Yogurtland. Yum, passion fruit probiotics!!!

I’m back in NYC now. The city is gloriously bright and brisk and as usual, I am crippled by the blooms wreaking havoc on my sinuses. Time for serious spring cleaning which includes tediously editing and archiving photos taken in the last few months. As you can see, I’ve wholeheartedly hopped onto the instagr.am bandwagon. Here are some of my favorites.

Hi everyone! Forgive my long absence. I was working on a film for 6 weeks that was consuming all of my time. After the film wrapped, I grabbed some friends and flew down to Colombia to see my buddies Kata and JB. For those who have been following my blog for a few years, you may remember that I visited them when they lived in Buenos Aires in 2008. I kind of consider Kata my fake big sister. I copy what she does and follow her around the world.

We stayed at Kata and JB’s place in Bogotá, a sprawling metropolis cradled by a ring of gorgeous green mountains. We arrived during Semana Santa, a holy week of holidays where people commemorate the life of Jesus, then go on vacation.  The city was pleasantly empty and our amazing hosts took us on a grand tour in and out of barrios, and up and down mountain ranges. Highlights include: abundant tropical fruit smoothies, sparkling sacred lakes, and a monkey riding a house cat…

I was kind of horrified when I checked the forecast the day before we left. Weather.com predicted thunderstorms EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. When we got there, it rained for a bit most days, but the ominous clouds provided the most spectacular backdrop so I didn’t mind.

One thing I loved about Bogotá was that no seemed to care that 3 multi-ethnic gringas were roaming around their city. Maybe it’s because Colombians themselves are rather varied looking, or because they actually like Americans, but everyone was so kind, welcoming, and polite. No one stared at us in that rude or creepy way. Every time I caught someone someone staring at us, they would just smile and wave :)

Kata, Gayleem, Andrea

CLICK HERE for more photos from this entry!

There is a church atop Monserate, the mountain that towers over Bogotá. We decided to make a pilgrimage up on Easter Sunday (along with every single resident in the city) .  Even though it was crowded, it was worth the trip because the views and gardens were amazing. At least all the rain they’ve been getting this year is good for something. If you’re at all interested in horticulture or if you just like the color green, go to Colombia right now. Seriously.

CLICK HERE for more photos from this entry!

I thought Monserrate was the fairest mountain of them all until JB drove us to Lake Guatavita. The 1.5 hour drive up was stunning (I’m running out of adjectives of praise). It was so gorgeous that I actually fought my fake narcolepsy and stayed awake for the ride, which is a first for me. The story of this lake is like an episode of Xena: Warrior Princess, complete with animal gods, infidelity, and hidden treasure.

Love these guys!

CLICK HERE for more photos from this entry!