taganga
oh ya, other than that, it’s a lovely little fishing town just 15 minutes from santa marta. the diving course here is supposedly one of the cheapest. that includes popular places like thailand and of course australia!
taganga
geez never before have i been so wary of the police. i’d heard stories of police corruption and had been especially warned of the police here. the stories were about drunk people walking alone that were singled out as police planted drugs on them and then make the tourists bribe them to not go to jail.
the first time it happened, a cop stopped us (a group of 5) at the top of the hill as we came in from the beach. then, out of nowhere 2 more showed up. they asked us to empty out our pockets/bags and started asking if we had any drugs. because of the warnings, we were prepared. we emptied our bags in view of everyone and turned our pockets out in the same fashion. after a bit of thorough searching, they let us go. sure, one time is ok, but this happened 3 TIMES in the same day! the police surely recognized our group!
drinking on the beach, we were warning a guy about this and the danger of walking alone when this guy decided to go to the toilet in some trees. it was out of our view and on the way to a club just up the beach. he didn’t come back for ages and we figured he went dancing, so we were surprised when he came back with a different hairstyle and a different shirt. turns out he was peeing when he saw the policeman approach, got nervous, and swallowed a bag of coke which was tucked in his underwear. so the police had nothing to bust him of but stood there yelling at him about hiding drugs. unfortunately for him, he was staying at a hostel next to the police station so they were familiar with his face. hence the attempted change in appearance (although i think it made him more suspcious). at the end he offered all the money he had on him and they let him go. 80.000 pesos! heaps considering we were paying 18.000 a night.
volcan del totumo
AMAZING! in the mud volcano, you’re somewhat floating upright without the work of treading anything…and when you lie down you’re stuck in that position…wading/swimming is just manageable….and getting pulled/pushed is such a cool feeling. this is definitely a MUST-DO if in the cartagena area! the videos are on my youtube page. check it out!
getting here is a bit tricky. 35.000 with an organized van (casa viena is a good one) plus the 5.000 entry fee. on your own, get a taxi to the bus terminal. it is about 10.000 pesos (find people to go with!) and from there take a colectivo IN FRONT of the bus terminal (not in it) towards the volcano. it will drop you off at a turnoff before going over to barranquilla. here you will find people with motorcycles to take you to the entry of the volcano. should be about 2.000/3.000. tuk-tuks are also available if you aren’t comfortable on the back of some stranger….but ours got a flat tire and we ended up hitching a ride with a construction worker THEN had to hire a moto…so i would suggest tht moto from the beginning. good luck!
playa blanca
all you beach bums, get over here! walk along the beach and pick your accomodation…there is a hostel at the very end but most are locally owned huts with hammocks to rent. starting at 5000 pesos (1.5 euros) it’s an amazing opportunity to be the ultimate beach bum. for as long as your money lasts, anyway. there are no cash points so bring your own food/drink or enough money for the stay…10.000 for a meal x 3 and drinks. beach for the day, bonfires at night :)
massage girls are everywhere and they will start off massaging you even if you say no. they go on for about 5 min trying to persuade you and if you look like you are gonna give in, they basically start. so if you don’t want one, give them a firm no after the first few min. like with taxi drivers, make sure you have THE EXACT CHANGE!. for example, don’t agree on 15.000 if you have 20.000 and need change. they prob won’t give it to you. massages should start at 10.000 for a 1/2 hour.–
boats leave everyday. people will come around asking if you’re leaving. unless you purchased a round-trip ticket (which we we advised not to do in case you missed yours/yours didn’t come and needed to get back on a differenet boat) everyone we met got back for 10.000. good luck and enjoy!
cartagena to playa blanca
cartagena old town is beautiful! it lies next to the sea (which is dirty looking) and is enclosed in big walls that separate it from the newer part of town. buildings in old town are no more than a few stories and have distinct colors that separate one from another. many are lush with plants and flowers growing over their balconies.
there is undoubtedly a caribbean influence here as street shows consist of dancers showing off their moves to the african drums.
from here playa blanca is a boat ride away. depending on the boat (different boats leave on different days) you can get there from 23 thousand pesos one way or 35 roundtrip. i’ve been encouraged to buy one way because enough people had been ripped off when the return boats don’t honor the return tickets. also, some boats tell you it is direct. IT’S A LIE!!! they can promise you everything but ours (like most people’s) stopped at islas del rosario for some snorkeling (5-10 thousand pesos). you don’t have to go, but are strongly encouraged to go even though you will have all day to do so in playa blanca. resist the temptation!
medellin (parapente!)
sightseeing was alright. museum antioquia sits in front of a plaza with botero statutes and there are absolutely no flowers in the botanical garden. zona rosa has a hooters (we went there 3 days in a row) and a really good peruvian restaurant that serves delicious sushi and drinks. don’t remind me of the escobar tour.
but what was amazing was the chance to go paragliding for 80.000 pesos! that’s like 30 euros/40 dollars!
the weather was kinda over cast and sprinkling but they let us go anyway….as long as we had enough wind. we signed our forms, handed them over, and were called over in order. they called my name and when i stepped out i was grabbed by the instructor (who was already strapped and ready) and two 10 yr olds (no kidding) to strap me in. not but 5 seconds later they said i was ready and started saying “go!” well you have no choice when the guy strapped behind you starts going. i started to wonder how we were going to clear the hill when a few steps later the air caught and we were whisked off! we were up there for about 15 min and coulda been up there for much longer…there was even some guy lying down in a contraption that looked like a sleeping bag up there for ages. cool experience!
medellin
home of pablo escobar. besides things i learned at the police museum in bogota, don’t know much about him. so on to the ‘pablo tour’. arranged by our hostel, we got driven around the city that went around to historic places. too bad our guide sucked. really knew no history and was unable to answer our questions…one guy who read a book by roberto escobar knew more! for 30.000 pesos it’s not worth it.
but here are the places you see:
1. one of his houses with the biggest satellite dish ever. this one was the first to be bombed with his daughter and wife in it. they were unharmed.
2. the house where he was shot dead. too bad the roof is no longer visible because there is another level on top of it.
3. his gravesite.
cali
so i’m staying with a colombian couple and things are wonderful! i am finally speaking spanish everyday. the apartment is enclosed (like many other houses/buildings) in electric fences and guards so i feel bad for the kids here. sneaking out is definitely out of the question!
everyone has told me cali is one of the most dangerous places so i am taking extra caution as i walk around. locals like members of the family have been robbed at gun point. their flat is a bit outside from the city center but no worries because like bogota, cali has a mass transportation system: el mio. i haven’t seen any tourists yet even though i’ve been around for a good few days…where is everyone? this is the salsa capitol of the world!
the touristic sites are the usual-cathedrals, parks, and local markets. la ermita is my favorite here. it’s a light blue with white trim gothic style church that basically looks out of a like a fairy tale in the middle of the city. san antonio is just a few minutes from the busy streets in the center but this neighborhood is exceptionally tranquilo with cafe’s (a japanese one as well!) and colorful streets. for a great view of the city, go to capilla de san antonio.
cali
staying with a family. eating traditional food. dancing salsa???
bogota
having such a great time here! EVERYONE is super nice and courteous. it’s sad i am noticing people saying: please, thank-you, excuse me, sir, maam, etc. 99.9% of barca residents please take a lesson from these colombians.
la candelaria is super cool and full of really cheap eats. been to a good few museums as well since they are free! the police museum was my favorite; with a bit of history on pablo escobar and ofcourse the history of the forces here. and they actually let you touch everything! one room had the biggest collection of guns i’ve ever seen and it was cool to be able to pick some of them up.
went up on to the city viewpoint (montserrate) by cable car and this is when i finally saw how big the city is. even from this height, it actually stretches so far into the horizon you can’t see the edge. whew. the skies are clear earlier in the day (before the smog appears) so make sure to get there before noon!