Colombia, I Finally Made It

My dream of visiting Colombia finally came true in February 2018. I had planned on exploring on my own, but my PC friend, Chase, decided to come along. We left Ecuador via bus on Feb. 1st and traveled the length of Ecuador to the southern border of Colombia. We eventually traveled a total of 1500plus miles by bus to our final destination Cartegena, on the Caribbean Coast of Colombia. We remained friends through sickness (diarrhea, sunburn, achey hips, sand flea bites, swollen ankles), 8 hour at a time bus rides, miscommunication both in English and Spanish, cramped conditions and misrepresented lodgings. 

Chase was a perfect travel mate as was his brother Easton, who joined us in Cartegena.

Our first stop Las Lajas Sanctuary, outside of Ipiales

Colombia is a country of colorful buildings and clothes, flavors, families, and music. So much going on in the city squares and streets.

Chase having a beer in Cali

We only stayed here for one night, a little above our budget $20 each.

We went on a walking tour of Cali and when I commented on how many motorcycles were zig-zagging through the streets our guide told us about a law that apparently was enacted to combat the drive-by shootings that were so common in the heyday of the drug cartels. It is against the law for two men to ride on a motorcycle together, because the front guy was the operator and the guy in back carried the gun.

We embarked on a great day of tubing in San Cipriano.  To get to the river we rode on a La Brujita, pictured below that noisily jerks down a long stretch of tracks, metal wheels on metal track, through two tunnels and into the village of San Cipriano. This contraption carries about 8 people sitting side by side on slightly cushioned bench.

This is a nest made by a backpacker bird. That’s what our guide called it but I don’t know what the scientific name is.

Coffee country!

The Bamboo forests were my favorite!

                                                              

Screwing around at the Botanical Gardens and Aquarium outside Medillin.

One of my favorite days was our trip to Guatape and La Piedra. 

Yes I did walk up La Pierdra, with lots of water breaks and the promise of a beer at the top. 

Below is the colorful town of Guatape. Wonderful little shops there but I had to pass up buying the many items I wanted  because of my small suitcase.

So arepas are a common food in Colombia, but they vary from inland to coast. I prefer the stuffed coastal version to the flat flavorless version served in the inland cities and in many restaurants in Cartegena. But a delightful treat that we discovered as we got nearer the coast was coconut rice. I wondered that I had never thought to cook rice in coconut milk, but I for sure will make that a practice from now on. Boy was it ever tasty and I have a whole new attitude about rice now.

From Medillin we headed to the coast, lodging at Arboletes, Tolu, Cartegena, Santa Marta, Palomino.

 

Cartegena vagabonds. Man, it is exhausting being on vacation.

Santa Marta

So for our last night in Cartegena, we treated ourselves to a dinner cruise with wine, excellent cuisine, perfect weather, lights of the city. We would each of us be flying back to the USA in the morrow with fond memories of a month of adventure I will hold in my heart forever. I don’t know if I will ever meet such delightful young individuals as Chase and Easton. I am blessed!