Colombia: The trip that began it all!

This past June I spent 9 whirlwind days in  Colombia. My flight arrived late in the evening of June 19th. Somehow amid the chaotic rush of travelers I found my buddy Pablo and his cousin. After a long day of travel a delicious home cooked dinner of empanadas, a corn dish and flan awaited me. 

Our first stop the next day was Cerro de Monserrate. We (Pablo, two of his cousins and myself) took the funicular railway up the mountain, definitely an energy saver! The view of Bogota was spectacular. The church at the top of the mountain has become a mecca for pilgrims due to a statue of the Fallen Christ to which many miracles have been attributed. There were a few walls covered with plaques giving thanks for such miracles performed. After perusing the shops we took the cable car down the mountain to explore the city.

 

Plaza Bolivar was filled with vendors; food, clothing, trinkets, etc. The mayor's house is adajacent to the plaza and the President's house is only a few blocks away. Street performers lined the area and a group of young girls were performing a traditional dance.

We walked over to Iglesia de San Francisco, the oldest surviving church in Bogota. Viewing pre-Colombian pottery at an archeology museum was entertaining (at least for me).

We walked around a lot, stopping for a very large lunch and later in the day for some coffee. It was of great surprise to Pablo's relatives that I do not drink coffee. Blasphemy!

Pablo and his younger cousins showed me what Bogota has to offer for the night life. We went to two bars, the Bogota Beer Company and The Irish Pub-Bogota Colombia. I walked away with a pint glass from the beer company- a nice little souvenir! 

A day trip to Zipaquira to tour the salt mines was next on the agenda.  

Several different artistic depictions of Christ's suffering were carved in the salt. The big draw is the Salt Cathedral. Services are held at the underground church but weddings are not performed. The cathedral can accommodate 8400 people! A video presentaion showed just how expansive the salt mines are, several floors/layers of mining. 

I flew from Bogota to Cartagena to meet up with my friend Karmi. Shortly after arriving we boarded a bus to Taganga. Arriving later at night the only thing to do was to head over to Mojito Net, a small internet cafe with nightly live performances. Karmi, some of her friends and other talented travelers performed. The next day we spent a few hours sunning and swimming at Playa Grande. I did a little snorkeling but sadly there wasn't much to see. 

Karmi, a friend and myself took a taxi and motorcycles over to Minca. We spent the night playing cardsand drinking apple wine. Early the next day we went for a walk through the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta. Our walk led us to the Blue Pool, not sure where the name comes from, the watering hole was neither clear nor blue but it's chilled water was a welcome refreshment from the heat! After a cool down and a walk back into town we left Minca for Santa Marta to catch a bus to Tayrona National Park.

We arrived at the park after closing hours. However the ranger was kind, let us in and said as long as we hurried we could get to Arrecifes before nightfall. We prepared sandwhiches for dinner and later a group of travelers, Israelis and Americans, introduced us to Yanniv, an Israeli card game. 

The next morning we set out early to see the ruins of the the pre -Hispanic town of Pueblito. On our way we passed by other beaches, campsites and many travelers. The hiking trail consisted of large rocks/boulders. Some of the areas required a great amount of

balance,whether it was walking on some logs, jumping over some deep crevices or just avoiding any misstep and falling down! This was definitely not a hike for the weak or uncoordinated. (we also were wearing cheap sandals throughout the whole hike)

Pueblito was inhabitaed from about 200 AD-1600 AD. The numerous terraces served as foundations for the homes, ceremonial centers and other structures. Some descendants of the Tayrona people have reconstructed homes to replicate the originals. We ate lunch at the site and then began the arduous hike back down. We stopped for a swim at one of  the beaches before returning to our sleeping area. One of the beach bums talked to us for about 2 hours or so about the most random things. He provided a great deal of entertainment, trying to follow his train of thought was a workout! 

As Karmi and I were about to settle into our hammocks for the night, I noticed the beam was split. We slowly sat on our hammocks and heard more cracking. Luckily we were both standing when the piece of wood broke in half. I was surprised by how restful of a nights sleep you can actually get in a hammock. Although two nights of it seemed to be just enough for me. 

We left the park the next morning and returned to Tagana. Another stop at Mojito Net was in order and once again Karmi and some of her friends gave a performance. We also went to El Garaje, a bar and dance club. We met up with one of the travelers we met at Tayrona and other travelers that were at Mojito Net. It was a great last night in Colombia and we didn't return to our hostel until about 6-7 am. 

Later that morning we left for Cartagena so I could fly back to Bogota. All the travelers I met along the way really got me thinking that I better start traveling soon. So, by the time I arrived back in the states I had partially convinced myself that an extended period of time off would do me some good. I think it was only within a week that I was 100% sure this was what I wanted/needed to do. So shortly after the new year my first trip will be to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands! I'll do my best to post updates.