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The first impression I got from Colombia was military men patroling a main street on a saturday night, I thought this place looks dodgy as hell.. couldn't have been further from the truth..
Leticia was lush, travelled up there from Iquitos with a Swiss guy had bumped into on previous occasions, we were even at the Burmhese embassy in Bangkok at the same time, small world! I loved Leticia, real tranquil and a great launchpad for excursions into the Amazon. Met some lovely people there, both locals & tourists. Saw an amazing sunset at the top of a local church, thousands of birds were flocking to the tree tops for the night, the noise they made was absolutely mesmerizing. Saw Nacional fans parading down the streets in cars, motorbikes celebrating their teams victory in la liga which was great fun.
Took a flight to Bogota as its the only way to get there, it was great flying over the Amazon and got a good idea of how bloody big it is! Felt like an everlasting sea of green!! Can see why they call Bogota's airport El dorado.. when approaching at night was golden with all the streetlights. Bogota was good, enjoying being and wandering around La Candelaria with its bright bold buildings. The museo de oro was real interesting and people watching in the main square was so much fun.. Had a real messy night there, got back to the hostel at 5 am and straight out at 6am to catch a flight up north!
As soon as touched down and got out of the plane at Cartagena had wished could stay a lot longer than was intending too, the heat felt so good after so long in cold climes and mountainous areas! Cartagena was the most beautiful city seen thus far, the historic centre rich with Spanish style colonial buildings. First night there saw a wedding which we followed from the post church procession with a band, fantastic atmosphere. We went to Playa Blanca on la Islas Rosarios which was just like being in the Caribbean, slept in a hammock at night by the beach, brilliant. Went to Cafe del Mar which was ok but nowhere near as good as the Ibiza one.. Went over to a sleepy little village called Taganga which was just what the doctor ordered, spent a couple of days there just chilling and eating lots of great seafood.
After a week in the caribbean coast it was time to leave and head south, at the hostel bumped into a guy on the same flight to Medellin and we swapped mp3 players, was ace listening to Deetron's new balance mix, was well pumped up by time landed in Medellin! Medellin was constantly buzzing, even more so due to la Fiesta de las Flores (flower festival). The hostel was near to the Olympic village so got inspired and went running once again, whilst there spotted that Nacional were playing so bought tickets in the 'crazy' section. It was a great experience being with the Ultras although they weren't happy when we were taking videos & pics.. the fans are relentless, singing clapping dancing throughout the match. Medellin was a lovely city, had a real good night out in Poblado where all the young and trendy folks are out and about. We went on Pablo Escobar's tour, didn't get to meet his brother as was being operated on but met his nephew who was a real cool geeza. The main day of the flower festival was ace seeing thousands of flower displays parading down the main street, it was an explosion of colours and sounds! Going up the metrocables was great seeing the city from an elevated position including seeing the shanty towns.
Was sad to leave Medellin but had to keep on moving south gradually, the overnight bus to Cali was great, had your own tv screen and could choose movies and music. In Cali went to the Rio Pance which is in the hills above the city, was a nice day relaxing in the sun and eventually in the river!! We went out late at night and got absolutely leathered at a salsa club where I attempted to dance but was hard with two left feet ;) Got food poisoning due to a dodgy chorizo streetsnack so spent most of the next day in bed..
Real sad to be leaving Colombia later today, had an absolute blast here and the perception that people have of it being dodgy and full of crime could not be further from the truth. I've found the Colombians to be the warmest, friendliest people had the privilige to meet on my travels. There's a real joy de vivre here and freedom for example people drinking in the streets. People are always smiling and having fun and up fer a reet good fiesta!! Their way of life is highly infectious and something some miserable westerners could do from learning from.. They are not the richest people in the world but for sure have a rich way of life and living, love it and love Colombia!
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