Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Welcome to the Jungle
After completing scuba diving certification, I left for Tayrona National Park on Thursday. I almost didn’t make it there due to my lack of knowledge regarding transportation in Colombia. I took a public bus from Taganga to the Santa Marta Bus Terminal. There I proceeded to multiple ticket counters asking for a bus to Parque Tayrona. Everyone kept telling me no buses leave for Tayrona and something else I couldn’t understand. After visiting about five ticket counters, I finally made out that they were telling me the big bus lines don’t have service to Tayrona and I needed to catch a bus outside. So I go outside and see an area for the buses to pull into. I waited there and watched several buses go by, but none were going to Tayrona. I finally asked an employee who was outside where I can catch the bus to Tayrona. He tells me that I just have to stand on the side of the road and I’ll find a bus there Now, this wasn’t just a normal road. It was more like a state highway and there wasn’t a proper bus stop anywhere. So I’m just standing on the side of this highway looking like a hitchhiker. Fortunately, I blend in well and don’t look like a gringo until I start speaking. Otherwise, I would have been a sitting duck for FARC. Anyhow, I get tired of waiting and walk down to another spot on the road where I see two guys on motorcycles. I ask them where the bus is and they proceed to tell me how far the park is from here. I’m like, I know it’s far…that’s why I’m trying to figure out where to catch the bus. It turns out they didn’t know, but while I was speaking with them this big bus rolls by and one of the conductors yells something. One of the guys on the motorcycles yells something back. He then looks at me and says that’s the bus…Hurry! Not knowing the words that were just exchanged, I run and get onto the bus. In the back of my mind, I’m like….OK, where exactly am I going and what’s my plan if this bus takes me some place other than the park. As I’m formulating my plan, I doze off. Shortly after I awake, one of the bus conductors yells “Tayrona”. I breathed a sigh of relief as I realized I actually made it!
Once at the park, there’s a hike to get to the campsites and beaches. There’s a guy in a jeep offering a ride to get closer to the campsites. I read online that the hike to the first beach is about an hour. I was in the mood for some exercise, so I skipped the jeep ride and begin to walk…alone…in the jungle. This city boy whose never been camping decides to hike…alone…in the jungle. What was I thinking? The closest I’ve been to being a boy scout is when I buy girl scout cookies! Oh well, I start the journey…alone…and in the jungle! I’m on a paved road so I’m thinking it isn’t that bad. I walk for about 15 minutes and then I start hearing the sounds of nature, and they don’t sound friendly! I begin to wonder if the sounds are code for attack the girl scout cookie buyer. I then start seeing these huge spiders and ants. The ants were like the huge red ants from the new Indiana Jones movie, except they were smaller in the movie! There must have been millions of them at various parts of the trail. Now Da Kid is getting nervous and is thinking every overhanging branch is a snake in disguise. “Where the hell is that Jeep now!?”
Fortunately, a motorbike rolls by and asks if I need a lift. “Hell yeah!” So now I’m on the back of the motorbike and am thinking this is the way to travel…forget that hiking stuff! But as you already know, it’s never that easy for Da Kid. We ride for about two minutes and reach a stopping point where the paved roads end. The driver stops and points to the REAL jungle and says I need to go that way for about 45 minutes. Holy Snap! I thought I was home free! I couldn’t even manage to hike on the paved road and now I have to hike on just a dirt trail…alone…and in the jungle! I suck it up and start to walk. After 400 yards I’m deep in the jungle. All I needed was a machine gun and I would have been Rambo #5: Rambo in Nikes! Now thinking logically (not thinking scared), it’ not safe for me to walk alone just in case I get a cramp or fall and sprain an ankle. Logic (not fear) tells me that I should go back to the drop-off point and wait for more hikers…for safety reasons, of course. So being the logical (not frightful) person that I am, I go back and wait. ☺ A couple of minutes later, Sophie from the UK and Jamie from Australia pull up in the Jeep, and together we make the 45-minute trek through the jungle.
So after 45-minutes, I’m drenched in sweat. We reach Arricefes, the first campsite/beach. Jamie and Sophie decide to camp there for the night and I continue on my track. I walk along the beach and it’s truly a site to see. The waves are way too strong, so swimming is not permitted here. I walk to the end of the beach and come upon another trail. Now it’s getting close to sunset and logically, it makes sense to just stay in Arrecifes for the night instead of starting another hike…alone…and in the jungle. But I press on. I hike for about 15 more minutes and come to another beach known as La Piscina. This is a small beach that is sheltered from the strong waves, so swimming is actually permitted. I understand, it’s great for snorkeling as well. There aren’t any accommodations at La Piscina, so I reach the end of the beach and start a new hike…alone…in the jungle. Now it’s really getting close to sunset and the jungle is a little denser here, so it’s starting to get dark as the trees hide the sunlight. I put a little pep in my step. I have a flashlight, but Da Kid would not make it through the night in the jungle! In another 15 minutes I reach El Cabo - Another beach with a campsite. There I rent a hammock for 12 mil pesos ($7). This place is packed with backpackers and I didn’t expect this size crowd in the park. There are about 50 hammocks set up around a small restaurant. There’s a larger area for tents. In all, there were probably about 200 people just at El Cabo. I knew I would be staying in a hammock, but I didn’t know about the crowd. There’s actually a less populated cabana with about 15 hammocks that sits atop a hill in between the two beaches. I checked it out and would have preferred to stay there. It was a lot quieter and there were some nice views from up there. However, they did say it got a little cold at night and you needed a proper blanket and all I had were T-shirts. So I stayed packed like a sardine in the hammock area on the ground. The hammock was actually quite comfortable. I just had to spray myself with several coats of bug spray and I had a pretty comfortable night. I woke up the next morning and took a “shower”. The showers were community showers that were open. There were about 4 spouts and you just got wet with your bathing suit on. Knowing, I would be here for only a day or two, I just packed the bare essentials. I had no soap…only a toothbrush and toothpaste. So, I should say I woke up and sprayed myself with water instead of I took a shower. Afterwards, I did a little more hiking. There was a 10-minute hike to another beach…The Nudist beach. I don’t think it was a “nude” beach, just called the Nudist beach. Although, there were so few people on the beach, that going nude would not have been a problem. I spent the rest of the morning swimming and laying on the beach at El Cabo. The park was really nice and the concept of hiking through the jungle and sleeping in a hammock was cool. The beaches were really nice, but I have to say that I've seen others that were better. I think the real beauty comes from the fact that the beaches seem untouched. Outside of the campsite beaches and depending how far you wanted to hike, you could have been by yourself. There weren't any beach chairs, vendors, jet skis, boats, etc, so you could really feel isolated in your own little paradise. That was the part I really enjoyed.
During lunch, I contemplated staying an additional night, but decided I wanted to get a jump on the next day and decided to leave. I was really looking forward to getting back to Cartagena for my final weekend. I heard about a boat that leaves the park and will get you back to Taganga. So instead of going through the ordeal I had getting to the park, I went with the boat option. I just didn’t know it was a little one-engine vessel that seemed more life a lifeboat. The ride was a bit unpleasant at times. Let me just say that it is not for those who suffer from any type of motion sickness. I felt ready to lean over the edge and we hadn’t even gotten out of the bay yet! Once we actually got out to the open sea, it just got rougher and rougher. It was more like a roller coaster ride than a boat ride. There were several times I got airborne. And being the inexperienced boater I am, it took me a little time to realize I was sitting improperly on the beams. I straddled the beams, so every time I went airborne, I was coming back down on my “Legacy”, much to the amusement of the other passengers. After an hour-and-a-half of that, we made it to the beach in Taganga. I retrieved my things from the diving school (they were nice enough to offer to allow me to store my things with them while I traveled elsewhere. I highly recommend Aquantis diving school), checked back into the Bayview Hostel and got a good night’s rest before my trip to Cartagena the next morning. At this point, it really started to hit home that I only have two more days in Colombia. I fought hard to keep the tears away! ☹
Once at the park, there’s a hike to get to the campsites and beaches. There’s a guy in a jeep offering a ride to get closer to the campsites. I read online that the hike to the first beach is about an hour. I was in the mood for some exercise, so I skipped the jeep ride and begin to walk…alone…in the jungle. This city boy whose never been camping decides to hike…alone…in the jungle. What was I thinking? The closest I’ve been to being a boy scout is when I buy girl scout cookies! Oh well, I start the journey…alone…and in the jungle! I’m on a paved road so I’m thinking it isn’t that bad. I walk for about 15 minutes and then I start hearing the sounds of nature, and they don’t sound friendly! I begin to wonder if the sounds are code for attack the girl scout cookie buyer. I then start seeing these huge spiders and ants. The ants were like the huge red ants from the new Indiana Jones movie, except they were smaller in the movie! There must have been millions of them at various parts of the trail. Now Da Kid is getting nervous and is thinking every overhanging branch is a snake in disguise. “Where the hell is that Jeep now!?”
Fortunately, a motorbike rolls by and asks if I need a lift. “Hell yeah!” So now I’m on the back of the motorbike and am thinking this is the way to travel…forget that hiking stuff! But as you already know, it’s never that easy for Da Kid. We ride for about two minutes and reach a stopping point where the paved roads end. The driver stops and points to the REAL jungle and says I need to go that way for about 45 minutes. Holy Snap! I thought I was home free! I couldn’t even manage to hike on the paved road and now I have to hike on just a dirt trail…alone…and in the jungle! I suck it up and start to walk. After 400 yards I’m deep in the jungle. All I needed was a machine gun and I would have been Rambo #5: Rambo in Nikes! Now thinking logically (not thinking scared), it’ not safe for me to walk alone just in case I get a cramp or fall and sprain an ankle. Logic (not fear) tells me that I should go back to the drop-off point and wait for more hikers…for safety reasons, of course. So being the logical (not frightful) person that I am, I go back and wait. ☺ A couple of minutes later, Sophie from the UK and Jamie from Australia pull up in the Jeep, and together we make the 45-minute trek through the jungle.
So after 45-minutes, I’m drenched in sweat. We reach Arricefes, the first campsite/beach. Jamie and Sophie decide to camp there for the night and I continue on my track. I walk along the beach and it’s truly a site to see. The waves are way too strong, so swimming is not permitted here. I walk to the end of the beach and come upon another trail. Now it’s getting close to sunset and logically, it makes sense to just stay in Arrecifes for the night instead of starting another hike…alone…and in the jungle. But I press on. I hike for about 15 more minutes and come to another beach known as La Piscina. This is a small beach that is sheltered from the strong waves, so swimming is actually permitted. I understand, it’s great for snorkeling as well. There aren’t any accommodations at La Piscina, so I reach the end of the beach and start a new hike…alone…in the jungle. Now it’s really getting close to sunset and the jungle is a little denser here, so it’s starting to get dark as the trees hide the sunlight. I put a little pep in my step. I have a flashlight, but Da Kid would not make it through the night in the jungle! In another 15 minutes I reach El Cabo - Another beach with a campsite. There I rent a hammock for 12 mil pesos ($7). This place is packed with backpackers and I didn’t expect this size crowd in the park. There are about 50 hammocks set up around a small restaurant. There’s a larger area for tents. In all, there were probably about 200 people just at El Cabo. I knew I would be staying in a hammock, but I didn’t know about the crowd. There’s actually a less populated cabana with about 15 hammocks that sits atop a hill in between the two beaches. I checked it out and would have preferred to stay there. It was a lot quieter and there were some nice views from up there. However, they did say it got a little cold at night and you needed a proper blanket and all I had were T-shirts. So I stayed packed like a sardine in the hammock area on the ground. The hammock was actually quite comfortable. I just had to spray myself with several coats of bug spray and I had a pretty comfortable night. I woke up the next morning and took a “shower”. The showers were community showers that were open. There were about 4 spouts and you just got wet with your bathing suit on. Knowing, I would be here for only a day or two, I just packed the bare essentials. I had no soap…only a toothbrush and toothpaste. So, I should say I woke up and sprayed myself with water instead of I took a shower. Afterwards, I did a little more hiking. There was a 10-minute hike to another beach…The Nudist beach. I don’t think it was a “nude” beach, just called the Nudist beach. Although, there were so few people on the beach, that going nude would not have been a problem. I spent the rest of the morning swimming and laying on the beach at El Cabo. The park was really nice and the concept of hiking through the jungle and sleeping in a hammock was cool. The beaches were really nice, but I have to say that I've seen others that were better. I think the real beauty comes from the fact that the beaches seem untouched. Outside of the campsite beaches and depending how far you wanted to hike, you could have been by yourself. There weren't any beach chairs, vendors, jet skis, boats, etc, so you could really feel isolated in your own little paradise. That was the part I really enjoyed.
During lunch, I contemplated staying an additional night, but decided I wanted to get a jump on the next day and decided to leave. I was really looking forward to getting back to Cartagena for my final weekend. I heard about a boat that leaves the park and will get you back to Taganga. So instead of going through the ordeal I had getting to the park, I went with the boat option. I just didn’t know it was a little one-engine vessel that seemed more life a lifeboat. The ride was a bit unpleasant at times. Let me just say that it is not for those who suffer from any type of motion sickness. I felt ready to lean over the edge and we hadn’t even gotten out of the bay yet! Once we actually got out to the open sea, it just got rougher and rougher. It was more like a roller coaster ride than a boat ride. There were several times I got airborne. And being the inexperienced boater I am, it took me a little time to realize I was sitting improperly on the beams. I straddled the beams, so every time I went airborne, I was coming back down on my “Legacy”, much to the amusement of the other passengers. After an hour-and-a-half of that, we made it to the beach in Taganga. I retrieved my things from the diving school (they were nice enough to offer to allow me to store my things with them while I traveled elsewhere. I highly recommend Aquantis diving school), checked back into the Bayview Hostel and got a good night’s rest before my trip to Cartagena the next morning. At this point, it really started to hit home that I only have two more days in Colombia. I fought hard to keep the tears away! ☹
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Certified
I mentioned that there isn’t much to do in Taganga outside of scuba diving. So, thanks to the urging of Charlotte and Adam, I went ahead and signed up to get my Open Water Scuba Diving Certification. Adam is already a certified diver and Charlotte completed her certification the day I arrived. Their stories peaked my interest and I am glad they made the suggestion! I took the plunge, literally!!
Now, Da Kid is used to being on land, so there are certain activities that put a little bit of fear in me. Yes, I know it’s hard to believe that Da Kid I scarred of anything! Now scared may be the wrong word to use here. I guess I’m just programmed to be a land mammal and when I get high up or in the water, I get a little uneasy. However, I try not to let it get to me. I’ve been bungie jumping, snorkeling, love roller coasters, and now scuba diving. Next on the list is sky-diving…whose with me?
So back to scuba diving…I was so nervous about getting into the water. In speaking with the dive school, we implemented an opt-out clause, so that I could end things if I didn’t like them. Well, it turned out I didn’t need it! I loved it! Granted, it wasn’t an easy road, but after the first 5 minutes, I felt like I had the swing of things. Getting used to breathing underwater isn’t easy! In my first confined water dives, I got to the bottom, only 6 ft and even though I had a breathing apparatus, I felt the need to go to the surface and breathe! After doing that twice, I was able to focus on the task at hand and stay under water! There were about twenty task I had to complete under water – most were for safety reasons. Some were freaky like taking off your mask and continuing to breath and losing and retrieving your breathing apparatus. Others were cool like working on your buoyancy. Just by inhaling an exhaling you can reach a state when you are just hovering over the ocean floor. This was called the Buddha test, where we would sit as if we were meditating and just hover. It was cool to watch, but definitely not the easiest thing to do!
I went from being scared on the first day, to being excited on the second day. I couldn’t wait to get back into the water. On the second day, I completed two 12-meter dives. I had some initial hesitancy once I got in the water, but once I was able to touch the bottom, I was able to relax again. Once we started swimming along the bottom, the dive instructor quickly noticed something on the floor of the sea. He told me to watch as he went down and started to play in the sand on the floor. The next thing I noticed was this stick that seemed to be lodged in the ground started swimming towards me. It was a freaking eel!!! To be exact is was a spotted snake sand eel. Da Kid does not like snakes and an eel is just a snake in the water. As soon as I could make out was coming for me, I was headed for the boat! Luckily, the eel was faster than me, and just swam by me before I could turn and run, but I probably used of half of my oxygen supply with that one moment! With that past me, my heartbeat slowed and my breathing returned to normal, I was able to take in the beauty of the sea. It was awesome! I felt as if a new world was being opened up. I’ve seen diving shows n the Discovery Channel, but being down there in person, was HNL!!! (Hole Nutha Level) However, I continued to think every stick coming out of the ground was a freaking eel!
My last day consisted of two 18-meter dives. It was so calming and relaxing to be under water. I would get upset when my oxygen began to run out and would try to alter my breathing pattern to conserve more air. At the end of the day, I was certified! I just had to go to Santa Marta to take a photo for my id. So now I have my second certification since leaving my job. I’m now a certified Bartender and a Certified Scuba Diver. Maybe I can start an underwater bar with my newly developed skills. Hmmm…fish need to drink too!
I want to take some time to give some free advertising to Aquantis Dive School. Johan Ilsen is the owner/master diver. It’s a smaller outfit, but the attention you receive blows the other outfits out of the water. I spoke to other people taking their course at other schools and heard stories of rude instructors and safety issues. Adam and Charlotte recommended Aquantis to me and I highly recommend them to anyone looking to get certified in Taganga. They are located off the main road where the other dive shops are located. You can find them on the road to the beach on the right hand side. If you are looking for a place to stay, they also have accommodations – only for divers – that can be included in dive packages.
Aquantis
www.aquantisdivecenter.com
hostalaquantis@hotmail.com
Taganga
I started my vacation this week with a flight to Santa Marta, in the northwest portion of Colombia. I was undecided about whether to stay in Santa Marta or Taganga, a small fishing village not too far from Santa Marta. I actually decided once I got in a cab at the airport to Taganga I went. The choice turned out to be an excellent decision. My buddies Adam and Charlotte had come a week earlier and we were able to meet up Sunday night before they went to Tayrona National Park. They were able to give me the lay of the land, which didn’t take to long. Taganga is a small fishing village of about 6,000 people, but it actually feels like a town of only 1,000. It’s so small that there isn’t even an ATM/bank n the city. There’s a small beach where many fishing boats are docked and all of the commerce is centered on or around the beach on a block that’s about 200 yards long. Most of the commerce consists of restaurants and scuba diving shops. Taganga is know for its accessibility to great coral reefs.
If you make it to this part of the country I would recommend paying the extra cab fare to get to Taganga. The laid back nature of the place gives you a feeling of being productive even though you haven’t done anything. There aren’t many proper hotels. Most of the places are hostels and low cost hotels. I stayed at Bayview Hostel (www.bayviewhostel.com) in a single room with a private bath for 28 mil pesos (about $17)! That included breakfast. The place was great. They had wi-fi and a supply of beer for only 1.5 mil pesos ($.90). And the lady of the house was freaking amazing, not that I was paying any attention or anything.
Taganga is a great place to just relax. It’s not for everyone though. Tourism isn’t huge – most of the tourists settle for Santa Marta, the larger city with more restaurants, clubs, etc. There’s no shopping here either. You have to go to Santa Marta for that as well. Also, outside of the main road, there's only 2 other paved roads. There really is nothing to do in Taganga outside of taking scuba lessons and visiting Tayrona National Park. If you are looking for action and things to see, you might not even want to visit this part of the country. But if you really want nothing to do, then Taganga is a great place to do just that!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
Bogota - The Big City
So, I left Bogota on Sunday. I didn’t really get a good feel for the city as I was there for only a week and spent a lot of time traveling to and from Spanish classes. To me, Bogota is just a really big city – about 10 million inhabitants. It was very different from Cartagena and I am glad that I decided to go to get a different perspective on Colombian culture. I guess it’s like a foreigner coming to Atlanta and thinking the rest of the county is like that. If I would have left Colombia only visiting Cartagena, I would have thought the rest of Colombia was similar. However, Bogota is totally, totally different. The weather for one! Colombia is in the mountains, so it’s cold! It has the same weather all year round where it can be warm in the morning and very cool to cold at night. I arrived without a jacket and had to purchase one upon arriving. Although it’s in the mountains (2640 meters or 8661 feet) it doesn’t snow. Winter is marked by rainy season, but the temperatures still remain the same all year round.
Another reason, I didn’t get a good feel for the city is I just stayed in the rich neighborhood. I’ve been really lucky and have been getting some great home locations. Because of the size of Bogota, I pretty much spent my time between Park 3 (2 blocks from me) and Zona Rosa (10 blocks from me). These two areas were pretty cool with tons of park space, recreation areas, restaurants, high end shops, and bars.
Saturday was really my only day to see the city. So after waking up, I decided to go on a walkabout and proceeded to walk…and walk…and walk. I lived on Carrera (Ave) 11 and Calle (St.) 95. When I finished walking I was at Carrera 3 and Calle 14…a total of 81 blocks, but is was probably more like 100 blocks with all the twists and turns I made trying to see everything. Without a map in hand, I was able to find all the major landmarks like the Bullfighting arena, the National Museum, Planetarium, several parks, La Candelaria, El Centro (Downtown), and ended at Monserrate.
Monserrate is a church that sits atop the mountians that create Bogota’s eastern border. You can reacheh the church via cable cars, a funicular (small train), or a 1.5 – 2 hour hike. I chose the cable car option since I just finished walking for two hours. However, with my fear of heights, it wasn’t the greatest ride! Monteserrate is 3200 meters above sea level. When I got to the top, I was pretty much in the clouds. I have pictures where the cable lines just disappear into the clouds. But when you get above the clouds and see the sun shine on Monserrate and it’s surrounding gardens, it’s definitely worth the trip!
I still think that Bogota has more for me to see, so I will be making another trip in the near future. I really liked the area that I stayed in and once again, I never felt threatened at all, even when I was out by myself late at night or walking around during the day with no idea of where I was going. I wish American media would do a better job of shaping people’s opinion of foreign countries. I know most people have probably been reading about the hostage rescue in Colombia and think that I run the risk of being kidnapped down here. That is a possibility. But I run the same risk of getting shot or killed in the US. I also think that no matter how bad the people are made out to be, they always turn out to be friendlier than like people in the US. I just think of all the instances where I was in a foreign land and couldn’t speak the local language, but people would go out of their way to help me out. I see people in the US who can’t speak English and they are looked down upon when all they are doing is trying to get around like me.
Another reason, I didn’t get a good feel for the city is I just stayed in the rich neighborhood. I’ve been really lucky and have been getting some great home locations. Because of the size of Bogota, I pretty much spent my time between Park 3 (2 blocks from me) and Zona Rosa (10 blocks from me). These two areas were pretty cool with tons of park space, recreation areas, restaurants, high end shops, and bars.
Saturday was really my only day to see the city. So after waking up, I decided to go on a walkabout and proceeded to walk…and walk…and walk. I lived on Carrera (Ave) 11 and Calle (St.) 95. When I finished walking I was at Carrera 3 and Calle 14…a total of 81 blocks, but is was probably more like 100 blocks with all the twists and turns I made trying to see everything. Without a map in hand, I was able to find all the major landmarks like the Bullfighting arena, the National Museum, Planetarium, several parks, La Candelaria, El Centro (Downtown), and ended at Monserrate.
Monserrate is a church that sits atop the mountians that create Bogota’s eastern border. You can reacheh the church via cable cars, a funicular (small train), or a 1.5 – 2 hour hike. I chose the cable car option since I just finished walking for two hours. However, with my fear of heights, it wasn’t the greatest ride! Monteserrate is 3200 meters above sea level. When I got to the top, I was pretty much in the clouds. I have pictures where the cable lines just disappear into the clouds. But when you get above the clouds and see the sun shine on Monserrate and it’s surrounding gardens, it’s definitely worth the trip!
I still think that Bogota has more for me to see, so I will be making another trip in the near future. I really liked the area that I stayed in and once again, I never felt threatened at all, even when I was out by myself late at night or walking around during the day with no idea of where I was going. I wish American media would do a better job of shaping people’s opinion of foreign countries. I know most people have probably been reading about the hostage rescue in Colombia and think that I run the risk of being kidnapped down here. That is a possibility. But I run the same risk of getting shot or killed in the US. I also think that no matter how bad the people are made out to be, they always turn out to be friendlier than like people in the US. I just think of all the instances where I was in a foreign land and couldn’t speak the local language, but people would go out of their way to help me out. I see people in the US who can’t speak English and they are looked down upon when all they are doing is trying to get around like me.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Heading to Bogota
So, Saturday night was my last night in Cartagena. I am now in Bogota. After speaking with other students and hearing their itineraries, I decided to change mine. The school I’m enrolled with has three schools in Colombia - Cartagena, Medellin, and Bogota. I strategically chose Cartagena since it’s a coastal city on the Caribbean Sea. Other students did a better job of planning and utilized the different schools as an opportunity to see more of the country. There are two teachers from Atlanta, Billie and Janice that did one week in Cartagena and one in Bogota. Leigh did 2 weeks in Cartagena and one in Bogota, while Felix is going all out and doing one month in Cartagena, one in Medellin, and one in Cartagena. My original plan was to take 4 weeks of classes in Cartagena and then have 10 days to visit another nearby country. Well, that has all changed now. Colombia has a lot to offer, so I’m going to stay in the country. Although, it would be great for me to add to my countries visited list, I’m only going to get a chance to see one country on this trip. I’ve spent 3 weeks in Cartagena. Will spend one week in Bogota taking more classes and then will travel to Santa Marta for a week. The last week will be my vacation! :-) Every person that I’ve run into traveling through Colombia stated that Santa Marta was the highlight of their trip. It’s actually the first city founded by the Spaniards in Colombia. Today it is a small town of about 300,000 that is a 3 hour bus ride from Cartagena. It’s big draw is Tayrona National Park, a mix of jungle and beach that has been described by one friend as the closest thing to paradise there is! I will spend my last weekend back in Cartagena before returning to the states on the 14th of July. That will be a very sad day for Da Kid!
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