Kristen la Exploradora: Colombia

You may recall that Colombia wasn't on the original itinerary... But I'm glad I snuck it on there! We spent one more week with Jimmy and Amy before they headed back to the states, visiting Cartagena, Medellin, and Bogota.

First off, Colombia has significantly cleaned up its act, and is not the same dangerous crime-plagued country it was in the 90's. We felt safe the entire time we were there and found that Colombians to be some of the most polite and warm people we've met!

First stop: Cartagena!

We spent three days in this beachy, colonial city in the North of Colimbia on the Carribean coast. We spent most of our time in the historical town - where you'll find bright colored colonial buildings, cobblestone streets, lush plazas, and abundant street vendors, all surrounded by thick fortress walls. It's a small area, but we managed to get ourselves lost in the winding streets more than once!

No trip to Cartagena would be complete without some good quality beach time! On day two, we hired a boat driver to take us to Punta Rena, a nearby island with some of the best beaches and straw cabanas.

On day three, we took a much longer boat ride to Playa Blanca (literally "white beach") for snorkeling, lunch, and a fair amount of beach bumming.

Enjoying our piña colada IN the freshly macheted coconut prepared by our mobile bartender with a wheelbarrow full of boos, ice, and most importantly, coconuts!

Next up: Medillin!

We had two days to explore Medillin... Which was a quick stop but I think we got a good feel for the city. Medellin is a HUGE, modern, metropolitan city! Spreads across the entire valley, which seems to stretch on forever!

Our first day was spent walking around an getting a feel for the city. We went to a free, spanish play downtown en El Teatro Pequeño, then had dinner and drinks in the trendy Zona Rosa, near where we were staying in Barrio Poblado.

The highlight of Day Two was our Pablo Escobar Tour. Our tour guide drove us around the city while telling us about the life of Pablo Escobar (Colombia's most notorious drug lord) and pointing out significant Pablo landmarks. Most of the city is built of local red brick... his compounds and office buildings were all symbolically white. As you can imagine, he is a very controversial man in Colombia, and few like to talk about him. Colombia's Dark Era started in the 80's and lasted until after Pablo's death in the mid 90's... there are stories of him advertising that he would pay anyone U$500 for every police officer they shot... and that's not even the worst of them!

Our guide...

Pablo's aunts old house - scene of his controversial death. Either the police killed him or he poisoned himself... Or maybe he's still alive, hanging out with Elvis!

Final resting ground...

Final stop: Bogota!

Amy's friend from a college study abroad program now lives in Bogota with her Colombian boyfriend. They were sweet enough to play tour guide and let us spend two nights on their living room couch! Bogota has a lot to offer - historic neighborhoods dotted with monuments, museums, and cathedrals, to posh plazas surrounded by designer shops, brew pubs, and cafes.

Taken right before our homemade Colombian dinner. Now I know how to make arepas and plantain chips :)