Colombia wrap-up
And, 74 days after departing from Portugal, we’re getting ready to fly again. This time to leave Colombia.
We spent 31 days in Colombia, a bit longer than initially expected, but still not enough to see even half of the incredible things this country has to offer.
Starting off in Cartagena, we saw that beautiful town, Islas Rosario, Santa Marta, Tayrona National Park, Minca, Medellín, Guatapé, Salento and Bogotá. We’ve slept in hammocks just above the waves with the wind on our faces all night, we hiked to get some of the most beautiful views ever, we climbed more stairs than we could count in La Piedra, we ticked off things from our bucket list, we learned about coffee, we learned about the history of Colombia and above all we got to live this country, a country that has been through so much already but is getting it together and pushing forward into their own development.
There are two things that I think are very characteristic of Colombia: nature and street art. We saw amazing art in every city and there was always such wonderful natural views wherever we looked.
As far as I know, you can spend 15 days here or 6 whole months and you won’t have a boring day.
In my opinion, you should aim to visit Cartagena and Medellín at least. Then, depending on the time you have, just keep on adding places: Tayrona, Minca, Palomino, Punta Gallinas, the lost city, Salento, Bogotá, Cali, Popayan, the Amazon, seeing the whales…everything will be worth it, trust me!
Still, even though Colombia is way better than the things you probably heard about it, it is really far from perfect. There are a lot of things I didn’t love, but I understand that I’m looking at those things from my perspective: the one of an European girl who lived in peace all her life, with access to a nice education and supporting parents. I am very privileged, a lot of these people didn’t have the same luck. They have struggles I can’t even begin to imagine, they had to fight things I never had in my worst days…so I try to be comprehensive.
I remember looking around and having mixed feelings because I felt like these people were victims of their circumstances, but at the same time some of them just weren’t doing anything to get out of that. Some people will act like you are responsible for taking them out and that doesn’t resonate with me. Whenever someone asks me for money, I refuse. I have given food to people who ask, but I don’t give them money. Of course this led to some situations where people would walk away mad and cursing at me for not giving them money and this is where they lose me. I think this is a very complex topic that I could talk about for hours, so I’ll just leave this idea here.
So you will see it all in Colombia: beautiful cities and breathtaking landscapes, but you’ll also see a lot of polution, homeless people and poverty in some areas. So be ready for this duality.
As for the food, I didn’t become the biggest fan because it is very much meat-based and most of it are fried and really fat dishes. However, I couldn’t resist a lot of the fruits I tried, the arepas, buñuelos, shrimp cocktail, coconut rice and the amazing Guarapo. I think I will dream about Guarapo and coconut rice when I’m back in Portugal.
To sum this up: is Colombia worth it? 100%! Everyday you spend there, will be a day well spent. You will learn, you will live, have fun and you will be left speechless a few times looking at your surroundings. I leave this country super happy I got to spend so many days here.
The thing I’ll surely won’t miss are the crazy drivers, but those come with the package so just embrace the experience 😂
XOXO,
Barbara
