Viva Colombia!!

We appear to have got a bit lazy with the blog as of late but with the end of our trip fast approaching it seemed an appropriate time for a quick update.

After spending a month in Huanchaco we had about a month left of our trip and Ecuador and Colombia standing between us and our flight home from Bogota. I’m sorry Ecuador, but you got bumped. You (and your Galapagos Islands) may have to wait for another trip. We had met so many people on our trip who had raved and raved about Colombia that we wanted to spend as much time there as possible. And those people weren’t wrong – Colombia may just be our favourite place on the trip.

Salento

A 6 hour bus trip outside of Bogota lies Salento. A small town in the rolling hills of the coffee region, this was our first stop. It was a beautiful town to wander around and had fantastic food (discovering peanut butter brownies in a little café called Brunch was a highlight!). We also went on a tour of an organic coffee plantation that took us through the whole coffee making process from start to finish. Needless to say, the coffee we got at the end was incredible.

Medellin

Medellin today is a city for partying and shopping but for a long time was probably most well known for being home to Pablo Escobar and his Medellin cartel. We went on one of the many tours which take you around the city and explain the history and the damage that was done to the city by the cocaine trade. It was fascinating and terrifying in equal measure.

The part of town we stayed in, Poblado, was like a cross between Kensington and Covent Garden. Little coffee shops, boutiques and bars sit in this small little enclave where all the hostels are and rich people come to play. However, not all the city is like that. This is bought into stark contrast by a cable car extension of the metro system that climbs up the hills of the city over the slums. This was really interesting to see, but basically just amounted to looking at poor people from a distance. Very strange.

Cartagena

Cartagena kind of looks like a film set. I guess it probably has been at times but inside this old walled city sits colonial buildings and narrow cobbled streets that you can wander round for hours.

Caribbean Coast

From Cartagena we spent a good 10 days exploring the Caribbean coast. It was a hard life; jungle fringed white beaches, clear blue seas, nights sleeping in hammocks or cabanas and a lot of topping up the tan. The hills above the coast were also fantastic. It was a welcome break from the heat of the beach and especially awesome when we found The Biggest Hammock in South America™. Most of the time it was paradise. However, neither of us will ever forget the night we spent in a cabana on Playa Blanca as we spent the whole night awake listening, and occasionally seeing, the rats scurrying around our hut!

The Biggest Hammock in South America™

Rat Cabana

Villa de Leyva

Going to Villa de Leyva was recommended to us by a wonderful American couple we met in Huanchaco. They raved so much about this place we were left with little choice but to come check it out. And we weren’t the only ones. We met another couple on the coast who were going to VDL due to the review given to them by a lovely American couple in Peru. Of course, this was the same couple. Cassie and Jason, you need to work for the Colombian Tourist Board.

Thankfully, this place didn’t disappoint. Home to the largest colonial square in South America it is a little like the Colombian Cotswolds; a beautifully preserved step back in time and a great place to relax before our final weekend of the trip. Especially as out hostel had lots of cats. And Kittens. Needless to say, Millie was pleased.

So all that is left now is our final weekend in Bogota. It seems crazy that we are about to hit our final few days but a weekend it Bogota sounds like the perfect way to go out with a bang.

Mc

A Month in Huanchaco

Arriving in Huanchaco I wondered if we’d really want to stay for a month but after just a few days it became a home away from home and it was so difficult to leave. Here’s why…

1. We stayed at Casa Amelia which was a gorgeous house, overlooking the sea with a dog, cat and two parrots. Our cosy little room had two floors with the bed upstairs and there were plenty of hammocks to laze about in and listen to the waves crash onto the beach. Paul and Renee, who ran the place, were so friendly and Paul’s pizzas and apple pies were incredible.

2. Despite a challenging start to volunteering (involving Chris working at a school where the teacher essentially used the children for child labour and my project basically not existing) we finally met Coco. Coco is one of the most inspiring people I have met. Without the long story she has ended up in Huanchaco and in January she opened a new school in a deprived area near the town. We both volunteered there and had such a fantastic time. We helped out in lessons and later taught which was terrifying but really fun. The kids learn English, art and sports. Chris did sports coaching and ‘rustic’ cementing of a wall and I had loads of fun making animals out of shapes and creating finger print farms. Finally showing my artistic side Dad! Following the children having photography lessons we organised two exhibitions, one for the families of the children at the School and the other in Huanchaco for tourists. Both were great and we raised lots of money selling the photos and t-shirts. It was impossible to leave and when one of the children gave us a toy as a present (bear in mind they have next to nothing) I finally lost my bet to Chris and cried, a lot!

3. We (sort of) learnt to surf. We have met many surfers on this trip and it was time for us to give it a go. We did a lot less than we hoped but absolutely loved it. Our teacher Chicho was hilarious! An amazing teaching but never on time for our lessons and once didn’t even show (we’d seen him the night before in the pub!) Unfortunately we have no evidence of us standing but I’d say we looked almost professional.

4. Living at the beach rocks. It was so wonderful having a sea view, falling asleep to the sound of the waves and drinking wine on the beach at sunset. Super tranquilo as they say here.

5. The Polleria: probably Chris’ favourite place in the world. We often found ourselves at the Polleria eating chicken, chips and salad with the free Inka Cola (tastes like bubblegum and is luminous yellow!) The whole month Chris aspired to order a whole chicken and share it. Our chance came on our final night. With the help of Gonzalo we conquered a whole chicken, the biggest pile of chips in the world and a huge plate of salad. I think the other girls at the table were horrified at how much I managed to eat!

Smith

A few things we’ve been doing

Trekking the Colca Canyon with a fever

Attempting to trek the Colca Canyon in two days rather than three (post Inca Trail) was already a stretch. Add to that two fevers and Chris and I were in pieces! The last three and a half hours were probably amongst the worst in my life, and yet, despite this, I will remember the trek very fondly! Our first stop was to watch condors sore through the canyon and they were so impressive. HUGE wing span, incredibly graceful and ugly faces! The hike then takes you down into the canyon (one of the world’s deepest), through the tiny villages at the bottom and to an oasis to spend the night. The oasis was wonderful to reach. Each place has its own pool and lots of tropical plants. The next morning we were up at 4.30am to start the climb and it was SO hard and relentless! Reaching the top three and a half hours later we were done. The 30 minute walk to breakfast (despite being flat) was not appreciated!

Visiting a Monastery in Arequipa

Quoted as a ‘mustn’t miss’ we thought we’d pop along to the Santa Catalina Monastery and I’m so pleased we did. The place is stunning. A maze-like network of small rooms and alleyways leading to hidden gardens, terraces and courtyards. And all of the walls were beautifully painted, full of colour and surrounded by plants. It was one of the most relaxing experiences I have had in a big city. You can’t hear anything and it’s such a calming atmosphere. It’s also fun when you spot one of the surrounding snow covered mountains over one of the walls.

Sandbuggying and Sandboarding in Huacachina

I thought that oasis’s in the middle of the desert were a bit of a myth. More common as metaphor than reality. However, Huacachina is a real life honest to goodness oasis. A lake fringed by palm trees and surrounded by enormous sand dunes it was a picture postcard oasis. We spent a few very chilled days here mainly lounging in hammocks, and playing with the children (Jasmine and Rose) of the Cornwallian owner of our hostel. The dunes are also great for a spot of sandbuggying and boarding. Top tip; sandboarding is not as fun as snowboarding and much harder. However, lying on your stomach on a sandboard is much more fun!

Killing time in Lima

We hadn’t heard a single good thing said about Lima. In fact a travelling friend said ‘never have I visited such an uninspiring place, apart from Hull.’ We only stopped for one day in between two night buses but actually we quite liked it. Helped by the fact that we stayed in Miraflores which is the nicest neighbourhood and next to Barranco which is quite bohemian and good to look at, we really enjoyed our time there. Beautiful parks line the cliff tops and paragliders do their thing above your heads. And Lima is home to great food of which we enjoyed a lot thanks to remaining birthday money!

And now we’re in Huanchaco where we’re volunteering for a month. We have a beautiful home, a view of the sea and some amazing sunsets. More on it all soon.

McSmiths