Colombia 2025

  Nothing exciting to add here. It’s just gone 8am and I am preparing to leave for the airport. It’s going to be a long boring journey back to the UK, but I have plenty to reflect on during the journey. This has been an amazing experience. One that I will never forget. I have seen some wonderful places, met some incredible people and done some great things. It has been a bit of a whirlwind at times, and totally relaxing at others. I think I got the balance between the two just right. Now, of course, I am already thinking about my next travels. Who knows where that might be? I have a few ideas to follow up when I am back home. But for now, farewell Colombia and thank you for everything. Te quiero mucho!

  My last full day in Colombia. I woke and laid in bed looking out at the view across the city. The sun was shining on the rooftops of the houses and buildings. A nice way to wake up. I noticed that the mountains behind me had a layer of clouds covering their summits; possibly putting an end to my trip up Monserratte. But, after a coffee, I could see the clouds lifting. I went up to the roof terrace to take in the 360 degree view of the city and the mountains. It was already getting warm when the sun was shining. However, the temperature dropped quite quickly when clouds moved across the sun. It didn’t look like there would be any rain, but I took no chances and packed my rain jacket in my day bag, just in case. Liz, the taxi driver messaged me to say that she would not be able to pick me up due to a double booking, but that she could get a friend to take me instead if I wanted. I declined and decided to go for a Uber instead; they are so cheap here. Arriving at Monserrate...

  I was a little sad to leave Santa Marta. It is not the prettiest city that I have visited but it has a certain vibe that really sat well with me. Cartagena was too busy and clearly has been overwhelmed by tourism, whereas Santa Marta enjoys a more laid back feel. The Caribbean culture is not as strong but it retains an identity that is intrinsically tied to it’s proximity to Tayrona, and it’s history as the oldest city in Colombia. I had tried unsuccessfully to pre-book an Uber for my journey to the airport, but I had seen that there were plenty of cars in the area. As such, I felt comfortable in waiting until the last minute to book a car. Sure enough, Ricardo arrived 1 minute after I had booked the car. Ricardo, like many other taxi drivers I have met, spoke no English. However, we managed a conversation about football. This began like so many conversations I have had with other drivers… “de donde eres?”, “soy de inglaterra”, “Ah Chelsea!”. The assumption that all English...

  Today is the day that I got a small taste of Tayrona, the jewel in Colombia’s crown. Covering 150 square kilometres, it is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. Set in the heart of the Sierra Nevada mountains, it consists of rain forest, marshland, arid mountain peak, and white sandy beaches. Apparently, it is one of the few places on earth where rainforest meets the sea. Today, I got to go to one of these beaches: Bahia Conche, or shell bay. My original booking was to get there by catamaran, but apparently the boat has been experiencing some engine problems. So, an alternative sail boat was laid on. The day consisted of a one and a half hour sail around the coast, from where we could get an amazing view of the Sierra Nevada mountains, falling away to the sea. There were about 12 of us in total. I chose to sit on the front of the boat in both directions, giving me a fantastic view, but also subjecting me to a lot of splashing from the waves as they crashed agains...

  Today is not what I had planned it to be due to the cancellation of my trip last night. So, as a last-minute thing, I booked something else for the evening. Still, very much in holiday mode, I had a slightly later start to the day. I didn’t fancy the same breakfast as yesterday as that seemed to play havoc with my digestive system. It has occurred to me that eggs have been a regular part of my diet since I have been here, whether it be scrambled eggs in the morning, or fried eggs on my evening meals, and even turning up in the occasional Arepa. I asked the waiter to just give me some fruit. He asked if I would like some pancakes with that and I said yes, then realising that these include eggs too. The pool man has done a fantastic job; the pool is crystal clear this morning and the signs telling us not to use the pool have been removed. Allowing myself an hour of sitting in the sun to let my breakfast go down, I went for a dip. And then another a short while after. Being in...

  After 12 days of travelling around, organising transportation and accommodation, sightseeing, hiking and generally taking everything in, it’s time to relax. I don’t regret going to the places that I have been, but there has been a lot going on. So, today is a holiday day. Once I found my way to the edge of my huge bed I got up, showered and went for breakfast. This consisted of scrambled egg, cheese, fried plantain and some small chunks of pineapple. I’m getting used to the somewhat random assembly of food that appears on any plate that I eat here. No arepa on this occasion, which did surprise me a little. This plate was followed by a huge bowl of fruit: melon, mango, and more pineapple. I certainly got my vitamins in me. I needed to buy a couple of bits for tomorrow’s trip, so I headed off into town. The shops here seem to be organised into streets, according to what you want to buy. There is one road that seemed to only sell electrical goods, another that had health and b...