Colombia was an amazing country in which to begin our adventure. 3 weeks went so fast and we feel we barely scratched the surface of this enchanting country. From the cool heights of Bogotá to the sticky heat of Cartagena and the bustle of Medellín we were captivated by the varied scenery and the friendliness of the people.
Yes, Colombia has had a troubled recent history with terrorism, the war on the drugs and political turmoil taking a heavy toll on the country in the second half of last century. Since 2000 huge improvements have been made in security, the economy is booming and significant social reforms have been and are being made. It is now one of the more liberal countries in Latin America; one where gay marriage and same sex adoption are legal and fully legalising abortion is being seriously considered. We didn't feel any less safe than other more commonly visited backpacking destinations.
We began our Colombian adventure in Bogota on the 15th August. We stayed 3 nights in the Masaya hostel in the Candelaria area of the city. This is the old colonial part of the city with narrow streets and low buildings. None of the buildings look like much from the street but many go back a long way and have beautiful courtyards in the middle. The first morning we went on a Graffiti tour of the city, which was a great way to get our bearings and the art was amazing. A lot of the graffiti is the usual tags you see in any city, but that’s not what we went to see. Whole sides have buildings have been transformed by huge works of street art, some with political and social messages, others not, but all brightening up the neighbourhoods. The Colombians love their bikes, so a bike tour of the city seemed a fitting way to see more. Every Sunday half of the streets in the city are closed to all motorised traffic and Bogotans spend the day walking and cycling around the city. Our guide showed us parts of the city we wouldn’t have otherwise seen, including a visit to a fruit market, where we tasted several fruits we’d never seen before, and to a coffee roasting factory. We also visited the Museo d’Oro to see examples of pre-hispanic gold ornaments and jewellery and took a trip in a cable car to one of the mountains overlooking the city.
We began our Colombian adventure in Bogota on the 15th August. We stayed 3 nights in the Masaya hostel in the Candelaria area of the city. This is the old colonial part of the city with narrow streets and low buildings. None of the buildings look like much from the street but many go back a long way and have beautiful courtyards in the middle. The first morning we went on a Graffiti tour of the city, which was a great way to get our bearings and the art was amazing. A lot of the graffiti is the usual tags you see in any city, but that’s not what we went to see. Whole sides have buildings have been transformed by huge works of street art, some with political and social messages, others not, but all brightening up the neighbourhoods. The Colombians love their bikes, so a bike tour of the city seemed a fitting way to see more. Every Sunday half of the streets in the city are closed to all motorised traffic and Bogotans spend the day walking and cycling around the city. Our guide showed us parts of the city we wouldn’t have otherwise seen, including a visit to a fruit market, where we tasted several fruits we’d never seen before, and to a coffee roasting factory. We also visited the Museo d’Oro to see examples of pre-hispanic gold ornaments and jewellery and took a trip in a cable car to one of the mountains overlooking the city.
Amazing street art in La Candelaria
Arriving in Villa de Leyva, a beautiful old colonial town with narrow cobbled streets, we finally found some Colombian sunshine. Having arrived in the evening, we set off eagerly the next morning to climb up to a mirador (viewpoint) on a mountain side. Half way up we realised it was actually really quite hot, and much steeper than we realised! After a couple of water stops to 'look at the view' we successfully reached the top, and enjoyed the stunning vista out over the town and surrounding countryside, before heading down and straight back to the hostel to change into our shorts! The town seemed to be a hub of kite flying fanatics. In the main square every early evening people of all ages would come out in force with a variety of kites all different colour and shape. This was a very relaxing spectator sport, particularly as the square got busier and strings began crossing and getting tangled. The locals were obviously experts however as they usually got them untangled quickly with minimal frustration.
Plaza Major in Villa de Leyva
Continuing our journey north we stopped in San Gil where we abseiled down a waterfall (Fiona even enjoyed it!), made a day trip to the colonial village of Barichara and had a very tasty burger. Leaving
San Gil we took our first overnight bus journey to get to Santa Marta on the
Caribbean coast. 10 hours at night on a bus sounds an uncomfortable experience,
but long distance buses in South America are much better than those at home.
With no train system and car ownership quite low, buses are the main method of
transportation. The seats are comfy, tilt back close to horizontal and there is
decent leg room (important when you are over 6ft). The first 2hrs of the
journey to Bucaramanga were over a mountain pass, which was very windy and
included some dubious overtaking manoeuvres. After that we were on the flat and
got a pretty good night’s sleep awaking just in time to arrive in Santa Marta.
The heat and humidity of the Caribbean was a big change from the cool heights of Bogota and Villa de Leyva. We spent a couple of days at the beach and by the pool in the hostel enjoying the sun. A day trip to Tayrona National park was the highlight of our time in the area. Arriving mid-morning we paid our entry fee and began our hike through the jungle to reach the coast. The walk was hard work in the 35oC heat, but worth it for the amazing scenery. Following the path as it wound its way through the forest, we walked through tunnels of tree branches, over huge roots and up boulder covered climbs. We got a sneak peek of the sea from the top of one hill, only to plunge back down into the trees once again. After an hour we arrived at the coast and walked along the beach in the shade of the trees to find somewhere to swim. Emerging from the trees to hit the sand was a great experience. On the return journey we were lucky enough to first hear and then see a howler monkey high up in the canopy above us (the noise it could make was pretty impressive!).
The heat and humidity of the Caribbean was a big change from the cool heights of Bogota and Villa de Leyva. We spent a couple of days at the beach and by the pool in the hostel enjoying the sun. A day trip to Tayrona National park was the highlight of our time in the area. Arriving mid-morning we paid our entry fee and began our hike through the jungle to reach the coast. The walk was hard work in the 35oC heat, but worth it for the amazing scenery. Following the path as it wound its way through the forest, we walked through tunnels of tree branches, over huge roots and up boulder covered climbs. We got a sneak peek of the sea from the top of one hill, only to plunge back down into the trees once again. After an hour we arrived at the coast and walked along the beach in the shade of the trees to find somewhere to swim. Emerging from the trees to hit the sand was a great experience. On the return journey we were lucky enough to first hear and then see a howler monkey high up in the canopy above us (the noise it could make was pretty impressive!).
Ben in Tayrona National Park
Our time spent in Cartagena felt much more like a holiday than travelling. The old town is still completely encircled by city walls and on the first night we wandered along them where we found a perfectly situated (but slightly pricey) bar to watch the sunset. As the port town was the first place the Spanish invaded and settled, it had much more of a Mediterranean feel to it. The port obviously still brought wealth to the area, as on the horizon beyond the old town was a very modern city dominated by skyscrapers.
Cartagena at night
Fiona at Castillo San Felipe de Barajas
The heat and humidity of the city drove us to book a trip out to the Islas de Rosario (a collection of islands just off the coast) and Playa Blanca - supposedly one of the most beautiful beaches in Colombia. With its long stretch of white sand and crystal clear blue sea I can certainly see why it got this reputation. However in many ways its success has also been its downfall and it is now covered with loungers, parasols, restaurants and ladies offering you massages (incredibly persistently!). Still, it did us well for the day, and we enjoyed swimming in the sea. The calmness and lack of waves is totally deceiving however, almost allowing me to almost forget the trauma of nearly capsizing on the way back to Cartagena... A highlight of our time in the city was a Chiva bus tour. A Chiva bus is a brightly painted old bus with wooden benches for seats and an onboard live salsa band. We drove around the city at night drinking rum and coke, partaking in dance offs, discussing the finer details of Brexit with Mexicans, and dancing the night away to Shakira and Enrique on repeat. So much fun!
Fiona on Playa Blanca
Our second overnight bus took us to the bustling city of Medellín, the home of the most infamous drug lord in history, Pablo Escobar. Fortunately for us he was killed in 1993 and the cartel's grip on the city has long since loosened. We stayed in a great hostel run by a Kiwi in the El Poblado district of the city. Another great walking tour helped us familiarise ourselves with the city whilst teaching us more about the city's (and country's) history and culture. Unlike the capital Bogotá, which is a sprawling mass and quite difficult to get around, Medellín has a metro system meaning you can get from the outskirts to the centre in 30mins. This was opened in 1995 and is seen as the symbol of the city. It bridges very poor and very rich areas of the city, and has helped increase tourism and business investment in the city. More importantly it includes 2 cable cars! Medellín is a pretty hilly city and the standard train based system just wouldn't work to reach some of the outlying poorer suburbs. Whilst getting off at some of the stops on the cable cars is only advised with caution, a journey on them is a great way to see the city from above. One of them even leaves the city and the final stop is in a huge national park. It is somewhat odd to get on in the centre of a metropolis and get off in a forest.
Whilst in Medellín we took a day trip to the area around the town of Guatapé. The whole area was flooded in the late 1960's after the construction of a hydroelectric dam, leaving a huge manmade lake with hundreds of narrow inlets. It is best viewed from the top of El Peñón, a bizarre 200m high rock that sticks up out of a hilltop. The town of Guatapé itself doesn't have much to detain a visitor for more than an hour or so, but the colourful murals along the bottom of every wall are worth a look.
Lakes around Guatapé
Atop El Peñón
The streets of Guatapé
Our
final stop in Colombia was the city of Cali. It is a dance crazy city and one
of the best places in the country to go to a Salsa club. Unfortunately we
didn’t have time to make the most of the city as we had to press on to Ecuador.
We
could have easily have spent twice as long in Colombia and there are many
things we didn’t do that we wished we could have. We loved our time here and highly recommend it to anyone looking for an alternative holiday destination.
This
has been a long post, so thank you if you have persevered this far, there has
been a lot to write about from our first 3 weeks. We will attempt to write more
often from now on.
Adios until Ecuador.
Ben & Fiona
p.s extra points if you can tell who has written which paragraph.
