Bonito Columbia..

Sorry for not posting in quite a while. Since the last post I came through Columbia: Popayan, Cali, Bogota, and I'm now in Cartagena, on the caribbean coast.

Popayan was a beautiful display of Colonial architecture, and the city is one giant version of Old Town in San Diego. Small markets and Loncherias dot the sidewalks, and the few small parks were inviting. I would've loved to stay longer than a day, but I had too much on my list to spend more time there.

From Popayan, I jumped on a bus to Cali, Columbia. Cali was amazing. I met a cool Australian couple the first night sharing a room, and we went out for a night on the town. The discoteques and salsateques are everywhere, and each one seemed equally exciting. I won't lie: I can't salsa. But I still had a great time. I spent a few days in another nearby hostel with tons of friendly travelers, played some music, tried local foods, and went on a few exploration hikes. I learned a lesson the hard way the night before I planned to head to Bogota. I bought up every fruit that I had never seen before at the supermarket and planned that as my dinner. I was learning names and trying them all with the help of the hostel owner, and most were delicious (Columbia is known for its exotic fruit). The next morning, however, I regretted it. I guess you can't eat JUST fruit, because I was sick as ever.

Yeah, don't eat all of these at once, bad idea.

Club in Cali.. Reminds me of somewhere but just can't put my finger on it.
Cali dusk view from a mountain behind the hostel.

I packed up and headed to the bus station with a buddy I met in the hostel also heading to Bogota. Got sick there and on the bus, too, but after a nap I felt a whole lot better. We got in late in a light rain and headed to the hostel. Bogota is a pretty big city, and I felt like I was back in downtown Santiago or even a Latin version of New York. We walked the city and explored, checked out some cool markets, plazas, and parks. At night we decided to head to a club to experience Bogota night life. We found another friend at the hostel and asked a taxi to take us to "The best club." We arrived, it was free, and it was 80% females, and they were all extremely beautiful. Nobody was really dancing. It took us about half an hour to realize the taxi driver had dropped us off at a strip club/prostitute lounge. Nobody wanted to dance and they were all nice until they figured out we weren't paying and that wasn't what we came for. We stayed for a bit and still had a good time laughing about it, but none of us were expecting that scene, so we headed back to the hostel after a while.

Buddy Aiden in Bogota, La Candelaria (Old Town) Plaza.

Bogota scenery.La Candelaria scenery near the hostel.Government buildings and a large plaza.

The next morning we woke up and headed to catch a bus from Bogota to Cartagena at 5 AM. The almost 23-hour ride wasn't the most pleasant, but wasn't terrible. We arrived in Cartagena this morning around 7 with a new friend we met on the bus, so now we're three. We explored all morning, and Cartagena is awesome. It's a chill little town that really reminds me of Puerto Rico, and its hot as an oven but lies on the caribbean coast with a nice breeze from time to time. Street food's been good so far, and I think a cold shower will do me well later this afternoon.

View of the "New City" of Cartagena across the river.

A large old fort in the center of the peninsula.Travelers relaxing in Cartagena heat.
Colorful plazas and buildings are everywhere in Cartagena.City center: Statues and crowds.Caribbean soccer match.

A lot of travelers have told me that Columbia was their favorite country in all of South America. I can't say I've seen every country, but out of Chile, Bolivia, Peru, a bit of Ecuador, and now Columbia, it's definitely high on the list in beauty, hospitality, and a general welcome feeling. Most of the bad things you hear about Columbia are from people who haven't even been there: "It's dangerous!" "It's all drug wars and cocaine," or, "You'll get kidnapped by guerrillas!" The reality is that Columbia is dangerous and does have those features, but it's really not any more dangerous than any other South American country. I've met people with horror travel stories; everything from getting Dengue Fever to being in a shootout to getting robbed and kidnapped at gunpoint. But that's the .00001% of the thousands traveling that you hear about. Knock on wood, but Columbia is treating me well and is a wonderful country.

From Cartagena, I plan to travel east to Santa Marta and maybe explore the national parks there, then into Venezuela. With less than 4 weeks left, I'm hoping I can see what I want to see and somehow find my way back to the United States and not be stuck here.

Relaxing in the Caribbean couldn't be better until then. Think of me at your desks and from your offices..

Paz,

Brian