Colombia

Hello again. Sorry I’ve been absent. since this blog is so personal, I find it necessary to take space at times. I appreciate you reading, however you found it. What else would you like to know about me? Send a message on here!

today’s bikini is from Morena swimwear in costa Rica. I want to offer a recap of my 10 days in Colombia. I’ll be honest that it wasn’t the easiest trip for me. It started with a 3 hour delay at JFK airport. I wasn’t sure the flight would actually take off, since the previous two had been cancelled (not for me, but other travelers). It felt like a weird omen, but flights get delayed all the time, so I wasn’t too worried. The flights had been an impulsive purchase for me. I’d seen a sale on JetBlue in mid December, but I’d booked my ayahuasca retreat in Costa Rica for early January. I knew doing both trips would be a lot for me, but I was determined to get out of the NYC cold and keep exploring Latin America.

the rest of the flight was uneventful and I was happy to land in Cartagena, a charming coastal town. I’d done some research and people seemed mixed in Cartagena. It’s overly touristy, with people trying to sell you things left and right. As soon as I arrived, I got scammed with my ride into the city. I had no local SIM card and didn’t realize the price of the ride. The thing is, Colombia is pretty cheap. Getting scammed typically means losing a few dollars. But the feeling is still crummy. I pride myself on being a seasoned traveler, and it felt unfortunate to get ripped off on a taxi. It also wasn’t a legal taxi, but I didn’t know that until it was too late. I arrived at my hostel and quickly left for my massage, which i had booked th Airbnb, and was a 20 minute walk away. It was a fantastic massage that was very healing. It had Ayurvedic techniques and some stretching. I left feeling elated. I went back to my hostel and thought about what to eat for dinner. A block away was a top rated restaurant called Celele. I managed to get a reservation for myself and had a fantastic meal, full of interesting flavor combinations. I’ll be thinking about the pork dish for some time. I went back to the hostel and was able to sleep for most of the night. I woke up early to catch a ferry to the San Bernardo islands, which sounded very exotic. Unfortunately, this proved to be the worst decision of my trip. The location was pretty, but it was a two hour ferry to get there and once I arrived, it was a very bare bones place, where they further try to rip you off. My room didn’t even have walls. It was an open air room, and it gets very windy at night. The only other guests were 2 couples and 2 guys who I thought were a couple since they were sharing a bed. But they all had walls, so they were smarter than me. they mostly kept to themselves, and I began to feel depressed. I had wanted to meet other travelers and I felt alone. I started to dwell on the problems my sister and I are having, and I reached out for support in the form of a desperate Facebook post. People began reaching out, asking if I was OK. I didn’t feel ok. I cried and eventually tried to sleep. I woke up and went to the next island, which I could see across the way. It was called casa en el agua and is perfect for Instagram. It’s a floating house on the water. It’s actually on stilts, but it’s very pretty. It was nice to get there, because it was way more social. But again, it wasn't at all what I was looking for. It was a party hostel vibe, but there was no where to escape it. My bed was a hammock, also in the open air. It was loud. at some point I just wanted to rest. i did get a chance to kayak a bit. The place had no Wi-Fi and I still hadn’t secured a SIM card, so I was cut off from the outside world. I was still very depressed about my sister. I also felt very old compared to the other travelers, and yet less successful than most of them. A lot of people were working remotely. I haven’t been working at all. I went back to Cartagena, and walked to my next accommodation, a private room I had found on Airbnb. It was nice to have a room to myself, but then I also didn’t know who to meet up with. I had no friends there. I walked around and tried to get my bearings. the old town is pretty small, and very scenic. I did a free walking tour. I did a paid walking tour. I looked for food. I overpaid for some more things. I bought an expensive bikini and tried to return it. I still don’t know if I was successful. anyone reading this knows I don’t need ANY more things. I had been advised that I didn’t need 10 days in Cartagena, so I booked return flights to Medellin, a city in the mountains. It was a one hour flight. I booked with local low cost carrier Viva Air. As soon as I arrived at the airport I realized I would be charged for not checking in in advance and also for my carry on luggage that I hadn’t added in advance. Bye bye more of my money! I had booked a hostel in the El Poblado area, which I would later learn was very touristy and catered to “gringas” like myself. This would be an interesting second half of my trip. And with that, I’ll continue this story mañana!