Cartagena and the Caribbean Coast, Colombia

I'd been looking forward to Cartagena. In all honesty mostly due to my love of the eighties film Romancing The Stone with Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas which is based in the colourful Colombian town but also because it marked an achievement, that we'd managed to travel South America, from Rio completely overland. We arrived on a hot and sunny morning after a sleepless overnight coach journey. Our public bus to the old town seemed to take a lifetime in the excessive heat but eventually we arrived at the town wall and jumped off to walk the ten minutes to our hostel. The streets of old town Cartagena were bursting with colour, bougainvillea in bright shades of pink and purple tumbled down walls of yellow and blue. Countless pots filled with every type of tropical plant were dotted along every street. Cute tables and chairs lined the sliver of shade outside cafés while tourists and locals alike chatted exuberantly. In fact the area we were staying in was an Instagrammers dream and I felt a pang of sadness that our camera was gone and all I had to record the colourful walls was an iPhone. After walking through a pretty park to the harbour, around the historic centre and along the city walls we found a shaded table in a square and enjoyed a refreshing drink, I was reminded of childhood holidays in the sun. 

All the Plants in Cartagena, Colombia

I Have This Thing With Pink, Cartagena in Colombia

The following day we decided to walk to the fort that we had passed on the bus. I had imagined that it would have been where they filmed some of Romancing the Stone as the end portion of the film takes place in a fort on the water. This fort wasn't on the water, you could see the sea but several roads and buildings were in the way so I was slightly confused. We paid the 25,000 peso entrance fee and climbed up the slope to the top of the fort where a welcome breeze provided respite from the intense heat. A huge Colombian flag flapped around and in the distance we could see the walled old town and high rises in the wealthy part of the city. Underneath the fort were torch-lit tunnels which were fun to explore, some led to areas we hadn't visited before and some were plain dead ends. After returning to the colourful old town we stopped for lunch outside, as people-watching is a favourite past time of mine I relished sitting at a table looking out as the world passed by. The table next door appeared to have some sort of problem as an argument with the waiters ensued leaving one of the party to dramatically storm off, in fairness the service at this particular café was terrible but we had all the time in the world. 

Bird on Yellow in Cartagena, Colombia

Street Art in Cartagena, Colombia

After a relaxing afternoon in the pretty hammock-filled foyer of our hostel we left for pizza. Fairy lights were strung around the garden that we sat in and the air was warm. Our pizzas were delicious and the piña coladas were an excellent price so I was able to enjoy a cocktail without being guilted by our modest budget. We watched Romancing the Stone in the evening and I couldn't recognise anything that we had seen, after a quick look on Google I found that the film although supposedly based in Cartagena was actually filmed in Mexico as Colombia in the 1980's was too dangerous a country. Mystery solved! 

Cartagena's Fort High on a Hill, Colombia

The Fort in Cartagena, Colombia

We organised a last minute minibus to take us to Palomino along the Caribbean coast, our first intention had been to travel to the bus station again and look for a local bus but the idea of being picked up from our hostel and immediately put into air conditioned transport was too appealing an option to pass up. After a six hour journey we arrived in dusty Palomino and walked to our characterful accommodation. Up some creaky old handmade stairs was a mezzanine with chairs and a hammock, off the mezzanine was a little room with two bunk beds and a door leading to our room. Inside was a four poster bed covered in a mosquito net, the roof was made from thatched palm and the walls didn't reach the ceiling so though it was a private room it wasn't completely sealed off from the next room or the dorm space. The nearest spot for food was a newly built shack selling 'pizza pies' an interesting take on the Italian favourite. With dough made up like an open calzone inside was a delicious mix of tomato sauce, creamy mozzarella and fresh basil which was oozing out onto the wooden platter it was served on. The quality of the ingredients was second to none and it felt really authentic, I remember thinking that the dish was like something that would be served in a fashionable eatery in Shoreditch except there it would cost £10 a portion and here on this street lamp lit dusty track surrounded by friendly stray dogs it cost next to nothing. 

In the morning we took a wander down to the beach which was further away than we first thought. Across the main road and down a sandy track we arrived at the sea and walked along the golden sand. We found a couple of chairs underneath an umbrella made from bamboo opposite the sea and took a seat. We asked the resort behind if it was ok and they replied yes for an hour or so but as no-one came to move us on we ended up sitting there all day. The waves crashed breaking up the silence and the sun made the sand glow gold. We didn't have to leave our seat for lunch as local vendors passed by with snacks and drinks, we were perfectly catered for. In the evening we couldn't resist another taste of mozzarella and so headed back to the pizza shack.

Beach at Palomino in Colombia

A Day At The Beach in Palomino, Colombia

We'd only booked two nights in our accommodation and there was no further availability so we walked on to the main strip towards the beach in search of new accommodation which we found in a clean but characterless property. With no ATM's in Palomino we were slightly worried about money as we were getting a bit low, after a bit of research we found that the next town along had an ATM so we jumped in a taxi and did a cash run. 

The next day we took a bus to Tayrona National Park. I'd wanted to visit the park but wasn't sure how to go about it as everything that I had read mentioned camping overnight and we knew that we didn't have time. After a chat with the guy at our hostel we learned that it can easily be visited on a day trip and so that's what we did. We arrived, bought our tickets and took a minibus from the entrance on the main road to the trail. The path was easy to follow and not too strenuous despite the humidity. Up and down wooden stairs and along boardwalks we went until we reached the white sandy beaches that I'd hoped to see. We found a tiny little cave right by the water and sheltered from the sun while we watched the waves splash over the boulders in front of us. Craig rolled his shorts up and edged closer to the water and got splashed big time which made me chuckle. We walked further along the coast, through a field of palm trees to another beach perhaps even nicer than the one before. Time was running out so we walked back via the wide trail that horses are taken down which was a slight shortcut to the coastal path that we had taken in the morning. 

Walking Through Palms in Colombia

One of Many Beaches at Tayrona National Park in Colombia

An infuriatingly long travel day back to Cartagena followed our lovely coastal adventures and the day after that was our last full day not just in Colombia but in South America too. Our flight to Panama had been booked a while back and marked an exciting new chapter in our travels, a forty day adventure through Central America to Cancun in Mexico where our flight to New York awaited. 

We spent our last day organising our rucksacks, I had decided to leave a few things behind to lighten my pack including my alpaca jumper from Argentina which turned out not to be alpaca wool at all.  We enjoyed a delicious lunch in a café in Cartagena and then met our buddy Carl for one last time. As fate would have it he was leaving the same day as us but his journey was to be many days on board a cargo ship destined for New Zealand. As we sat on the sidewalk on a warm evening we joked that we'd wave at him as he passed through the Panama Canal, the next morning after a restless night we left Colombia. The end of an era and the beginning of a new one. 

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Medellín, Colombia

We left Salento for Pereira and then jumped on a bus to Medellín. Craig and I checked into our basement room at a hostel which I couldn't help but think looked like a prison cell, there was no natural light and the room featured a solo metal bunkbed. We met Carl at Burdo for pizza, the place was full to the brim with locals beginning their night out, dressed in glitzy clothes, they put our worn and slightly dirty backpacker outfits to shame. The decor was clearly designer and the food delicious, we were out of place definitely but enjoyed a special treat dinner.

The next day we met Jorge; a proud Medellín dwelling Colombian who we first met in Foz du Iguazu in Brazil. Jorge had offered to give us a guided tour of his home city when we eventually got to it and I can't believe that after all these many months we are finally here. The first order of the day was to pay a local technology shopping mall a visit in search of a new camera, but after a little browsing we found the prices to be out of our league. Jorge's help with translation was invaluable though and the trip helped us to narrow down exactly what camera we'd like to get as an exact replacement of our Canon 750d would be far too expensive, even on Amazon the price has increased since we bought it less than a year ago.

The Lake in the Botanical Garden of Medellín, Colombia

The Orchideorama in the Medellín Botanical Garden, Colombia

After, Jorge took us to his favourite spot in Medellín, the botanical gardens. As we glided to our stop on the overground metro the clouds gathered and the rain poured. We stopped for a minute but eventually braved it, running through puddles to the garden entrance. We decided to get lunch together at the garden café, the three of us opted for a local bean soup with rice and arepa which is a Colombian corn bread. Oh my goodness, the soup was delicious. Every time I think back to it my mouth waters, on the particularly cloudy and wet day that it was the soup warmed my soul, and that may sound like an exaggeration but it's not! We chatted about Colombia's troubled history and Medellín's unfortunate past life as the centre of Pablo Escobar's drug cartel but Jorge was keen to inform us of how the city and country has changed for the better. And in all honesty it's something that we could already see from our short time there, the city felt safe and welcoming. We wandered slowly around the gardens, the rain had eased making it a pleasurable walk.

Vibrant Flowers Doused in Rainwater at the Medellín Botanical Gardens in Colombia

We then took the metro to the cable car which is used as an everyday transport link for locals rather than just a tourist activity. The views over Medellín were fantastic and we got off to see the city from a viewpoint but this area in particular did feel a little unsafe so we hopped back on the cable car for a return ride. The bonus with local transport is that it's so incredibly cheap so a quick ride cost practically nothing. Once back on city level we walked to the Museum of Modern Art and saw lots of work; I found the delicate drawings of Jorge Marin to be particularly interesting and some of the paintings of Medellín born Débora Arango were of particularly hard hitting subject matter.

The Museum of Modern Art Medellín, Colombia

Jorge Marin at the Museum of Modern Art Medellín, Colombia

Our second to last stop of the day was to another viewpoint overlooking the city, this one we reached by bus. It was a row of local eateries serving Colombian comfort food, most of which wasn't vegetarian friendly. I had chocolate caliente con queso or hot chocolate with cheese which I was first introduced to in Salento but not brave enough to try. This time I went all in and it wasn't as strange a taste sensation as I was expecting. The heat from the drink caused the cheese to go gooey and somehow they complemented each other though I'm not sure I'll be putting cheddar in my Galaxy hot chocolate at home. The sun was setting and the distant street lamps flickered on, our hot drinks and arepa con queso (corn bread with cheese) were great company. Our final stop was at a bar inside a shopping mall where we all talked travel and hopefully convinced Jorge to plan a trip to Asia in the future. Our day had been jam packed with sights to see, local delicacies to taste and view points and art thrown in too. Without Jorge's guidance we wouldn't nearly have seen all that we did and had such a wonderful day, thank you Jorge!

Medellín's Cable Cars, Colombia

Overlooking Medellín at Night, Colombia

After our especially busy day with Jorge we spent the next day doing a whole lot of nothing. Our uneventful day allowed for some time to write for me but we also squeezed in a lovely lunch at a café a few doors down.

The following day we met Carl and took him to the botanical gardens, in all honesty I mostly wanted another taste of the delicious soup. Thankfully the weather had improved from our last visit so we were able to visit the small butterfly house and stop to watch the turtles and birds at the lake. Craig and I had tacos for dinner after spending ages looking for an Indian restaurant that turned out to be closed. Luckily all was forgotten when we visited The Chocolate House where we ate desserts to die for.

On our final day we decided to do a Pablo Escobar tour. Craig and Carl were both intent on doing one, especially as they are both fans of the series Narcos. I was a little apprehensive as I wanted our trip to Medellín to be about the city as it is now which is far removed from its cartel past. I tagged along anyway as I didn't want a day alone in the prison-like hotel room. We visited Escobar's simple grave and a building left derelict that was once under siege with Escobar's family inside. Our driver for the day was one of Escobar's drivers, a large man who spoke only Spanish. Our guide translated his words, he told us that if he were to go back in time he would live an honest life. That a life of crime wasn't worth the money that it brought to him and that he is filled with regret. The tour ended at one of Pablo Escobar's houses where we met his 71 year old brother Roberto. The house is used purely as a museum now and contains a motorbike given to Pablo by Frank Sinatra and a jet ski used in a James Bond film. A huge bulletproof car with cracked windows was in the garage next to a little blue car Pablo originally used to smuggle drugs in to Colombia. Bullet holes were present in the walls of the house, rumour has it that money is still buried there and so numerous people have turned up looking for it and failed to find anything. The tour ended with a cup of Colombian coffee and a few words from Roberto which our guide translated and we each had a photograph taken with him. As he wrapped his arm around my waist for the picture I felt torn. Here was an elderly man, polite and well mannered who smiled when I said hola, but I remembered the stories I had heard from our guide, of all the innocent people murdered on Pablo's order in his fight against the government.

I was glad that I went along on the tour. Learning about the past can help to appreciate the present, the history of Pablo Escobar is a complicated and fascinating one. Our guide informed us that the money made from the tour goes towards a charity run by Roberto to fund AIDS research which I hope is true. I left Medellín thinking about all the positives of the city and how it is now, a thriving and beautiful place full of passionate locals, an exceptional art gallery and the best bean soup I've ever tasted.

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Salento and the Cocora Valley, Colombia

The three of us left Bogotá and made our way to the countryside town of Salento. By the time we arrived after a taxi, a coach and a minibus the light was fading. We found a hostel with a pretty central garden and Craig managed to negotiate a good price for all of us. Once rested we walked up the steep hill to the towns square and found a small local restaurant. Craig and I each had a vegetarian platter and it was truly delicious. A large plate of rice and beans, egg and avocado, fried peppers and onions with tomato relish and a crispy bread made us very happy especially after another day of travel.

Tall Wax Palms in the Cocora Valley, Colombia

Riding in the Cocora Valley, Colombia

The next morning we had a really tasty breakfast at the hostel, we could understand why the hostel price had been high as there was so much choice including cereal; a luxury we haven't seen too much of in South America. We walked to the main square and found a spot in a jeep to take us to the Cocora Valley a short drive away. The plan was to walk the trail through the valley but after a few minutes Carl said that it looked like a great place to go horse riding as there was a separate bridleway. We asked the man at the park entrance gate who made a call and ten minutes later three horses arrived with a wrangler. The horses were in great condition, something that I insist on before riding anywhere. The horses responded to the wranglers whistles which was incredible to witness, they'd turn or stop based on different whistle combinations.

Carl and Craig in the Cocora Valley, Colombia

Grey and Bay; the Three of Us Riding in the Cocora Valley, Colombia

The trail started fairly flat but gradually as we ascended through the valley the terrain became rocky and more challenging. In the distance were extremely tall wax palm trees rising above the canopy silhouetted against the white cloud. We crossed the river several times, sometimes having to duck under rickety looking rope bridges that the walkers would have to use. The horses hooves clattered on the rocks and splashed water all around. Every now and again the horses would jostle for front position, making me jump as they momentarily sped up along the rough ground. At a few points on the hack I felt out of my depth, the ride was more challenging than I'd experienced before but I tried to remain as confident as possible breathing deeply at the particularly difficult sections. We made it to the end destination in the dense forest and tied the horses to a tree while we walked on foot up a pathway to a wooden shack and hummingbird garden. Included in our park entry price was a drink so we opted for a hot chocolate not realising it included a chunk of cheese too. We were told to put the cheese in the hot chocolate as its a Colombian tradition but it seemed odd so I enjoyed mine separately. We watched the hummingbirds, there were several varieties, each one looked totally different to the other. Without our DSLR we weren't able to capture any especially good photos but the scenery from the shack was beautiful. I always mentally note the variety of plants, trees and leaf shapes I see as inspiration for future drawings. We returned to the horses and rode back; down the valley, over rocks, through rivers and onto the open trail. With just minutes to go rain started to spit spot and so the wrangler whistled and the three horses began to canter up the hill in an effort to return to the stables before the downpour. The horses were home and dry but we weren't, we waited for the downpour to desist to no avail so we made a break for it to the jeep stand. Suddenly we noticed dozens of walkers all arriving to catch a jeep and we all knew we'd have to battle it out for a place. A jeep arrived and a huge group swarmed around it claiming it as theirs as they had a bus to catch later that evening. A second jeep arrived and we decided to stand up at the back and cling on for dear life. The rain was pouring but despite getting drenched the ride was fun and felt adventurous. In the evening we ate dinner at Brunch a quirky place with writing all over the walls.

In the Butterfly House, Colombia  

The following day; was my 29th birthday. The lady working at the hostel must have spotted the date in my passport at check in and surprised me with a stack of birthday pancakes. After packing up our bags we set about getting to the botanical gardens which turned out to be a difficult task. Once finally there we learned that the entry fee was actually pretty expensive although when Craig mentioned that it was my birthday I was given a complimentary ticket. The gardens were also by guide only which seemed unusual and so the leisurely stroll I had imagined for my birthday would not be happening.

In the Botanical Garden, Colombia

In the Botanical Garden, Colombia

We were led around the garden which was more of a well maintained jungle and saw a huge owl perched on a branch in the trees. We climbed to the top of a rickety metal tower to see views of the treetops and butterfly shaped butterfly house which we also visited. One of the butterflies kept flying at Carl's face which Craig and I found hilarious and we managed to entice one onto our finger. We left the gardens by bus and made it back to Salento where I called my mum for a chat which was lovely. On our last backpacking trip five years ago we were in Fiji with no wifi or phone service and I remember feeling so sad that I couldn't speak to my mum. We picked up our bags and walked down the road to a peaceful location where we'd booked a private room for a couple of nights overlooking fields, forest and horses. We went out for dinner and then drinks at a tiny bar with memorabilia all over the walls and ceiling and were recognised by a couple who remembered seeing us on a walk in Chile.

Little Coffee Seedlings in the Cocora Valley, Colombia

Coffee Plants Sheltered by Banana Trees in the Cocora Valley, Colombia

We spent the next day learning about coffee as the region is famous for it. We donned little wicker baskets tied to our hip and went out picking coffee beans, we then crushed them and watched as they were sorted by quality. The workers came at sat down for their lunch, wearing overalls covered in mud. They work so hard for such little cash but you wouldn't catch them complaining. At the end of the tour we were given a cup of pure, fresh, aromatic coffee to taste, it certainly wasn't your average Nescafé.

Freshly Picked Coffee in Baskets in the Cocora Valley, Colombia

Crushed, Dried and Sorted Coffee in the Cocora Valley, Colombia

The landscape around the coffee farm was lush and green, as is everywhere in the Cocora valley. We jumped in a jeep back to Salento, this time I managed to nab the front seat and spent the afternoon swaying gently in the hammocks with a peaceful view of the garden and birds.

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