Photos: Colombia

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Blogs: Colombia

Then and Now

If you'd asked anyone 26 months ago where I would be today, Colombia it would not be. If you had asked me 2 years and 2 months ago where I would be today, Asia, would be the best guess. In October 2008, I would not be able to tell you much about where I was going to be, who I had become, what I was going to do next. But, I would be able to tell you to not be surprised, anything really could happen, right?

about, Rome, drinks, Italy, romantic, girls, Bogota, love, holidays, updates, Colombia

Nine down, Ninety-one to go

Earlier today, I came across an article on the Matador travel blog titled 100 Things to Experience Before You Die. Just for kicks, I decided to tally up how many I've done so far. I think I'm off to a decent start, but there's a great deal left I still wish to do:

Buenos Aires, Machu Picchu, Matador, Oktoberfest, Guatemala, World Cup, South Africa, diving, tango, Colombia

This is Bogotá

For the past 6 months I experienced the joys and nots of living in Bogotá. A tribute to what this trip has become, Bogotá was an expected series of changes, coincidences: life.

drinks, tours, culture, Bogota, drugs, tourists, blogsherpa, food, Colombia, cities

context is everything

There are times when as soon as the words are out of your mouth, you realize that out of context, they would sound truly hilarious, ridiculous, perverted, or just plain weird. When traveling, these situations occur most frequently...Here are a few to get started, more later.

Field of Dreams, Friends, Santa Marta, Ecuador, quotes, drugs, Colombia

Sick in Santa

Andrea's parents told me a story before they left about how Dad took ill one trip to Cartagena after indulging in unknowingly tainted foods. I didn't make it that far.

Taganga, Santa Marta, illness, beaches, holidays, Colombia

Te odio. Te odio.

We spent the end of December, beginning of January traveling about northern Colombia. It all started here in Bucamaranga, the capital of the departamento Santander. Lonely Planet says there is "not much to do here" and "the only real reason to stop here is to break up an overland journey". They are correct.

sports, rafting, San Gil, Bucarramanga, locals, paragliding, Colombia

bar hopping in Medellín: a photo blog

Medellín has gone from being known as one of the most dangerous cities in the world, the “drug capital”, and the “murder capital”, to being one of the safest cities in Latin American in a ridiculously short time. Today it’s one of the most popular and heavily hyped cities in Colombia among tourists. Four and half months in Bogota and all we ever heard from other travelers was of the magical land called “Medellín”. So our first night there, we decided to put the town to the test with a night of bar hopping.

drinks, beer, Medellin, Colombia

gringo dancing

So they say,"People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones."Yeah, screw that, I'm going to anyway. My glass house is insured. And by that, I mean I have permission to write this. Today's stone throwing will be directed at dancing, and more specifically Brendon's unique dancing "style".

dancing, birthdays, Bogota, Colombia

the tourist train

Last weekend, we took a day trip on an old steam train from Bogota to a few surrounding towns and also paid a visit to the Catedral de Sal in Zipaquirá. A popular weekend outing for locals and tourists alike, the "Turistren" consists of a trip through several small towns outside of Bogota on either an old restored steam or diesel locomotive, depending on the day you go.

tours, Bogota, trains, Colombia

growing

Growing older is only fun up until a certain age. As kids we quite enjoy it, why not? Regalos, cake, friends, clowns, etc. But even as we enter our teenage years we have learning how to drive, later curfews, and graduating from high school to look forward to. Past that, its 18, becoming a real adult and then...breaking the teenage barrier of 20.

drinks, birthdays, beer, girls, Bogota, The Killers, music, concerts, holidays, food, Colombia

adrenaline is crazy...

A couple weeks ago, our crazy Finland friend Tom came to visit. Of the many stupid, weird things Tom says or questions he asks, the only one I remember is whether or not I had ever been mugged. If you believe in jinxes, blame Tom for the following experience...

drinks, beer, Bogota, violence, locals, bums, Colombia

protests in Bogota

Today I went to go pay the rent for the month, and rather than rush to my destination as I often do, I took the time to look around. Of course, it was a little difficult not to look around today, but more on that in a bit.

protests, Bogota, police, Colombia

a weekday getaway: Villa de Leyva

continued from "a weekday getaway: Tunja"...With buses and Tunja having taken up most of our day, we arrived Wednesday evening in Villa de Leyva, a small colonial town turned national monument, and one of the nicest colonial towns I've seen.

Villa de Leyva, drinks, churches, tours, lodging, food, Colombia, animals

Losing the Tongue

continued from "Holding the Tongue"...It was 20 hours to the border and I had just enough money to pay my exit fee. This meant my dinner, breakfast and lunch were leftover crackers and a bottle of water. Nigel had graciously payed my last lunch of Chinese food the day before. By the time I arrived, much later than expected, I still had another hour to travel.

taxis, shopping, public transportation, buses, Venezuela, food, Colombia

Holding the Tongue

As we rode the bus up and out of the city on Wednesday, the oranges and browns of the bricks and mortars disappeared, replaced by the greens and yellows of the countryside. I recognized the road almost immediately as the one I bussed in on nearly 2 months ago and my mind wandered to that eventful series of days...

taxis, Salto Angel, borders, shopping, public transportation, Venezuela, Colombia