Naturally, I did my homework on the safety aspect and will be vigilant about avoiding any regions still experiencing socio-political instability (fortunately it sounds like most of the trouble spots are regionally isolated). I promise not go go wandering off into the jungle by myself, and (yes, mom) I promise to be careful.
I arrived in Bogotá late on Monday evening for one night before heading up to the Caribbean coast. Before I left San Francisco, I'd been experiencing side effects from my Yellow Fever vaccination. That combined with the extreme change in altitude (Bogotá sits at 2600 meters) made for probably one of the most miserable nights I've had in a while (I will spare you the details, but it was not pretty). This wasn't the ideal way to start out in Colombia, but you just have to roll with the punches.
After my one night in Bogotá, I headed back to the airport, jumped on a flight to Santa Marta and then continued on to the fishing village of Taganga (on the Caribbean coast, close to Venezuela). The whole deal was fairly seamless and I landed in a great hostel (La Casa de Felipe) in Taganga.
Colombia is nothing like the picture painted by the foreign media during the late 1990s. Contrary to popular belief, Pablo Escobar-types are not lurking around every turn and masked guerrilla fighters do not roam the streets snatching up blond, American tourists. What has struck me, however, is the kindness of almost every Colombian I've met. People have been so warm, welcoming and eager to help visitors (similar to the vibe I experienced this in the Philippines).
For example...on the plane to Santa Marta, I asked the passenger to my left about the approximate price of a taxi from Santa Marta to Taganga (I like to do this when I land in a new place so I have a target in mind before I enter the cab-driver gauntlet). Most of the time, this question results in a short exchange, and then I go about my own business getting a taxi. In this case, however, my neighbor waited for me to retrieve my luggage, then personally helped me talk with the drivers waiting at the airport so I was sure to get an honest taxi and a fair price. I've already had several experiences like this during my few short days in Colombia, which makes me think I will like it here...
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| From Colombia 2009 |
Bogotá airport: you can hardly see this in the photo, but the sign says "the only risk is wanting to stay"
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| From Colombia 2009 |
Taxi to Taganga
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| From Colombia 2009 |
Making dinner with some fellow travelers at Casa de Felipe
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| From Colombia 2009 |
My room at Casa de Felipe
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| From Colombia 2009 |
The chill-out hammock patio (I think there are 2 hammocks for every 1 person staying here)
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| From Colombia 2009 |
Taganga town
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| From Colombia 2009 |
Hiking to the beaches with Jo and Alec
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| From Colombia 2009 |
"Playa Grande" - worth the hike!
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| From Colombia 2009 |
Taganga
8 comments:
We're glad you are having a good time. I'm sure the all the beer was being drunk by others. Snow is forecast later this week so we're vicariously enjoying your warm weather. Dad
it looks gorgeous! i'm so jealous -- keep sending updates :-) we need to make dinner plans when you get back.
hey julie - good to see/read you are making use of your time! i loved columbia - the people are soo nice and their spanish is so easy to understand - i had one of best spanish theatre visits ever because i actually understood what they were saying! heard there is really good really cheap scubadiving around where you are - take care and see you soon!
Motherly instincts must be kicking in early (17 days left & no sign of Quinn yet) because I was a little worried until I got a chance to read your blog today. I'm glad to hear you are promising to be careful and having a great time. Please keep the updates & pictures coming so I can live vicariously...low 50's and rain in SF all week...ugh.
I'm pretty sure you could have spared yourself the trouble of the yellow fever vaccine. It's not required for Colombia!
Your travels sound spectacular. There's much more of the country to see, though!
Have fun and be safe! The beaches look gorgeous. Dean and I are up in Tahoe and we drove up last night pretty much in a blizzard. Lots of snow here! A world away from where you are right now. :) See ya soon! Sandy
amazing photos! this is a great use of your time off - enjoy!
Dude, traveling is way better than work. Looks like it's going well so far! Stop by Texas on your way back, let's party.
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