sorry, only google translate…

We really wanted to see the second largest city in Colombia, because it not only has a turbulent history with drug cartels and Pablo Escobar, but is also said to be one of the most up-and-coming and exciting cities in South America. And what can I say, you can tell by the overnight prices, but we definitely won’t be disappointed. We stay in the “El Poblado” area, where not only most of the hostels are located, but also most of the bars, many (vegan) restaurants and cafes. Unfortunately, our hostel has already seen its best days, that wouldn’t be too tragic, but it is in the immediate vicinity of several (rooftop) bars. Loud music is played there until 4 a.m. and neither doors nor windows in our room are (sound)proof. Well, what the heck, we only have one night bus and one night flight ahead of us, so it will certainly help to sleep if we are slightly overtired

We catch a weekend again, and as we were already able to experience in Bogota, then city life is at least double so interesting. Everywhere markets, stalls, bands and music in public parks. Simply the pure joie de vivre that one can only dream of in Latin America.

But the highlight is definitely our tour of the now famous “Comuna 13”. 20 years ago, the drug cartels were still in charge here: raids, street battles, gang killings and large-scale military operations were the order of the day. Today it is a thriving community with many offers for art and culture, as well as improved school and leisure opportunities for children and young people. Our guide is in his early twenties and was born in the “Comuna 13”. He tells us impressively about the moving story and how he experienced the changes as a child and teenager. Besides, we marvel at the multitude of street artists who gather here on Saturdays to paint walls, sing, dance and sell handicrafts to the multitude of tourists. 

Another highlight is getting around in the Comuna 13. Since Medellin is located between several hills and mountains, the different neighborhoods extend into the mountains (which of course also favored the social problems). There is now a metro that connects the districts in the valley of the city, and in turn is connected to various gondolas in the mountains of the district. In this way, even the most remote corners of the city can take part in local transport. In Comuna 13, however, there is no gondola, but instead six covered escalators that you can use to climb the mountain. Just a super exciting idea and since most tourists and artists gather around the escalators, it has become the lifeline of the district. All in all just a great atmosphere and after the tour we continue to stroll through the district to shop for some souvenirs and enjoy the sunset with a local beer.

On the second day we explore the historical one Downtown and Arvi Park, which can be reached via a 45-minute gondola ride. We visit the botanical gardens and stroll through the various cafes and bars before catching the night bus back to Bogota to catch our flight back to Europe.

Although the night buses are not quite as luxurious as in Peru, we can still rest a little and enjoy breakfast and the afternoon in Bogota.

Unfortunately, a sad mishap happens to us… When we want to store our luggage at the airport, we notice that the telephoto lens of our camera is no longer in the luggage. It probably fell out of our backpack on the bus, but although we drive back to the bus station and even find our bus, the lens can no longer be found. No idea where that is remained, probably someone pocketed it. A sad farewell from Colombia, unfortunately, because the lens has already served us so well.

In the evening, over a last coca tea, we meet a nice Colombian, with whom we almost 1, 5 hours entertained, at least a conciliatory end to this day…

Konzert im Park / Concert in a parc

Street Art in Medellin

 

 

Eine Tanzgruppe, extra für uns / a dance performance, just for us

Blick von Comuna 13 über Medellin / view from Comuna 13 over Medellin

 

Rolltreppe auf den Berg / escalator up the hill

Schmetterlingshaus im Botanischen Garten / butterfly house in the botanic garden

sorry, only google translate…

After six days of hiking we feel like a few days at the beach, and the Caribbean offers some good spots… We decide on the most famous Colombian island of San Andres, which geographically should actually be assigned to Nicaragua. That’s why we have to get back to Cartagena from Santa Marta to catch a plane. Since we were able to experience the unpunctuality of the buses firsthand, we set off for the bus station with a time buffer of almost three hours. There we also meet Lena (from Germany) and Amanda (from Tenerife) from the Lost City Trek, who also have to go to the airport in Cartagena…

Bus ride to the airport

Our patience becomes direct put to the test, the bus that was supposed to leave at 11 a.m. is stuck in traffic and arrives around 30 minutes late. The four of us almost got on another bus, but when it arrives, we’re sure to move on quickly… Dandelion… We stand around for another 30 minutes before we leave, but we still have enough buffers. It then goes really quickly to the next larger city of Baranquilla, and we remain in good spirits until we make a stop here that was not actually in the itinerary. We took a direct bus specifically to avoid this delay in Baranquilla. Anyway, we already have a plan B in our pockets. We just don’t go all the way to Cartagena, but ask the bus driver if he will let us out a little earlier so that we can transfer directly to a taxi from a small town near the airport. This will probably save us an hour because we can avoid the city traffic of Cartagena.

But of course the Colombian road has even more to offer for us…

About halfway between Baranquilla and Cartagena – and about 30 minutes before our transfer point – we suddenly get stuck in a traffic jam. Not that bad at first, but when nothing works after 15 minutes, Amanda asks the bus driver what’s going on. Lo and behold, the inhabitants of a small village about 500m away decided to block the road in protest against a bypass. Apparently it happens more often and it can go on forever. That’s why it’s time to reschedule again… Amanda talks to the bus driver for a while and then the plan is made. We get our luggage from the bus and let a motorbike drive us to the said place behind the roadblock and try to organize a transport to the airport from there. Since there aren’t that many bikes available, Amanda rides (her Spanish is just better than our ) and Lena and we will be picked up. When we arrive shortly after the two, everything is ready. The two have organized a TukTuk driver to take us to the airport. Yes, you read that right, four of us drive the last 50-60km to the airport in a TukTuk. Our backpacks on the roof, Kerstin, Lena and Amanda on the back seat and Tobi in the front next to the driver, and off we go…

… and we actually arrive. Sometimes painfully slowly and always with an anxious look at the clock – actually we are already prepared that we will probably miss the plane, but we try our luck. When we arrive we still have 50 minutes before departure, but we have to check in our backpacks, so unfortunately much too late.

We still run to the check-in, but of course it’s already closed and although the lady looks at us pityingly, all our begging doesn’t help. She then just says we can go to boarding, but our luggage will probably be a problem. Well, at least a straw and we have nothing to lose… So we run through security with all our luggage at record speed – the employees at the airport really don’t take the liquids seriously at all. At boarding, we talk to the stewardess a little more and are actually allowed to take our large backpacks with us in our hand luggage.

What a bus ride…. and we also learn later from Amanda and Lena that they made it to Mexico on time for their flight!!!!

San Andres

When we get off at the airport in San Andres, we still can’t quite believe that we’re actually there. It’s already late, so we go out for a bite to eat and go straight to bed.

The next day it’s all about the beach. We stroll a bit through the (unfortunately really ugly) “capital” of the island, stroll along the (very pretty) beach promenade and take a bus to Playa San Luis just outside in the afternoon. There we spend the afternoon in the sea with some drinks and snacks.

Tobi wants to go diving again, so the next morning he is picked up for two dives at the reef in front of the island, and the number of sea creatures here is simply enormous. Not at all comparable to the dive off Santa Marta. There are three of us with our guide and we see two rays, huge schools of fish of all colors and two crabs hiding under a wreck. In addition, the water is crystal clear and we alternately dive over reefs, white sand, more reefs, etc. Unfortunately, Tobi’s underwater camera can’t really withstand the pressure, so a little water gets in front of the lens and the pictures are all blurry

For the afternoon we rent a scooter and drive across the island, which is around 10 km long and 2 km wide, before we cool off again in the Caribbean Sea in the evening. Before that we climb an old church tower in the middle of the island with a wonderful 360° view over the island, examine a small (and unfortunately completely unspectacular) geyser and even find a few small, almost deserted beaches. The island is not only popular with Colombians, but also with Americans, who can stock up on duty-free imported goods here, and therefore all in all quite well visited – even if the big rush probably doesn’t come until Christmas.< /p>

On our last day on the island we take the boat to the small island of Johnny Cay (pronounced “key”), a few kilometers off the main island. Even the boat trip is an experience, we arrive soaking wet and are then allowed to jump out of the boat into the surf in front of the island. No chance that something like that would be allowed in Germany… Around noon we are picked up again and meet up for a Coco Loco cocktail with Ruth, who has just landed on the island and even accompanies us to the airport. And slightly drunk (the cocktail consists almost entirely of schnapps), we get on the plane to our last stop in Colombia, the former drug capital of Medellin…

Playa San Luis

Uns packt das Inselfeeling / we get into island mood

 

Nachts auf der Insel / at night on the island

 

Tauchspot / Diving Spot

Blick über die Ostküste / view over the east coast

 

vom Kirchturm aus / from a church tower

sorry, only google translate

Together with Ruth, whom we met in the jungle of Colombia, we are picked up on Friday morning and taken two hours to the village of El Mamey, the starting point of the “Lost City Trek”. For this we sit in the back of a four-wheel drive jeep, and this is also sorely needed for the second half of the road at the latest. It goes through the deepest mud ditches and through streams, steadily upwards.

After the rest of our group arrives, we get lunch and get to know our translator Camillo and our guide Daniel. During the meal something happens that we expected but somehow hoped to avoid. It’s raining. Easy at first, then it gets stronger. After it doesn’t let up after half an hour, we are rounded up and Daniel explains the way to us. Camillo concludes with the words “You will get wet, you will get muddy and dirty. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you’ll have fun.” No sooner said than done, and equipped with rain ponchos, we set off into the rain and headed up our first mountain. Once wet, we get used to the mud bath under our shoes and actually only try to avoid the deepest mud pits. So used to the rain, we start to enjoy the situation and the landscape and on the way we even discover a 2-3 week old Armadillo cub looking for worms <3

Eventually the rain stops then a little later and we reach our first camp, reward ourselves with a (cold) shower, a beer and get dinner. We pass the evening with another beer and a card game with our hiking group, consisting of 2 Germans, an Austrian, a Spanish, three Colombians, Ruth and us. Then it’s off to bed early, because the next day (and also the following days) it will continue at 5 o’clock.

The morning greets us with bright sunshine, and so our clothes and shoes dry at least a little. We trek through indigenous villages and get a small lesson on the indigenous way of life of the Kogi tribe. They still live here largely according to their original traditions, without schools – but with televisions showing the World Cup – as farmers in their communities. And of course we wade through mud holes again and enjoy the wonderful landscape and the incredible feeling of hiking through the jungle without stress.

We reach our “base camp” again in the rain – but not nearly as much of a torrent as on the first day and after another routine of beer, food, card games & beer, sleeping and getting up at 5 a.m. is okay after crossing the river with a zipline, 1200 ancient steps steeply up to the “lost city”. And we are absolutely positively surprised. If we actually started the hike out of the attraction of the multi-day tour, the archaeological site turns out to be an incredibly beautiful, large and impressive city. It’s hard to compare it to Machu Picchu, but the fact that there are not 12,000 but around 80 people in the city gives us a completely different feeling for the Tayrona culture, which lived here for several centuries until the Spaniards appeared Has. Daniel and Camillo explain the peculiarities while we visit the four accessible parts of the city. In fact, it stretches over several km² over mountain slopes and is in no way inferior to the Inca cities in Peru.

After about three hours in the city, we make our way back to our third and last campsite. Here we first jump into the river to recover from the day’s march and to discuss what we have experienced over beer and dinner. Since we have to walk back the same way, we go to bed early again and start early – it is another 17 km to the starting point of the hike to El Mamey. With the highlight of the hike behind us, they are dragging on for quite a long time, and the constantly wet feet are slowly starting to get blisters. But we take it easy as a group, enjoy the sunny day and treat ourselves to an extended cake stop at the first camp. We’re the last ones back in El Mamey, but we think the food that’s waiting for us there tastes even better.

After saying goodbye to Daniel, Camillo and our cook Samuel, we return to the hostel in a jeep, where we spend the evening with Ruth. The next morning we take the bus back to Cartagena, the Caribbean islands are waiting for us…

Los gehts in den Regen / off we go into the rain

Die Regencapes helfen ein bisschen / the raincoats help a bit

aber matschig ist es trotzdem... / but it's muddy...

Der Ausblick lohnt sich aber / the view is worth it

und der Regenwald ist traumhaft / and the rainforest is wonderful

wir endtecken einen jungen Armadillo / we spot a young Armadillo

 

Unser erstes Camp / our first camp

Weiter geht's durch jegliches Gelände / it continues through different areas

sorry, only google translate…

It’s not too far from Cartagena to Santa Marta and that’s why we can (finally) try the Colombian long-distance bus system – which we have grown so fond of in Peru. Unfortunately, Kerstin has an upset stomach and so the somewhat bumpy taxi ride to the bus terminal is a bit exhausting for her. Luckily, the buses are very comfortable, so the medication for the stomach and a decent amount of sleep on the bus help Kerstin to get back on her feet.

Since our hostel is very pretty and Kerstin needs a little rest, we stay one night longer than planned. So we can plan our next steps, Kerstin can relax and Tobi can brush up on his diving skills with a surprisingly cheap dive.

Thus strengthened, we leave most of our luggage at the hostel the following day and drive with our day luggage for one night to the Tayrona National Park, which is known for its jungle as well as for its many beaches. We enter the park through a side entrance and first hike for about 3 hours over a small mountain and through the jungle to Playa Brava, where we have reserved accommodation for one night on the beach. Accompanied by monkeys and critically examined by a snake, we find ourselves with maybe a dozen other vacationers in a small bay. From our bungalow on stilts with hammock and rocking chair on the “terrace”, we enjoy a quiet afternoon overlooking the beach. Of course, after the hike, which is not exhausting but very sweaty due to the high humidity, we jump into the sea! 😉 We end the evening with dinner in the common room and a card game with three other backpackers. As it starts to rain in the evening, the meadow in front of the beach turns into a small bog and we wade barefoot back to our bungalow – past a lot of toads and accompanied by their croaking 😉

The next morning After breakfast you put on your hiking boots and hike another 3 hours through the jungle to Playa San Juan, the “highlight” of the park. We got up a bit too late to avoid the crowds of tourists from the main entrance, but the walk is an experience in itself. First we land on a practically deserted beach and make ourselves comfortable there before we have to wade through a 70m long and partly knee-deep mud hole. With a view of the nearest beach, barefoot fun is fun, but there’s still a weird feeling when you think of the countless spiders, snakes, and worms that might be lounging at the bottom of the hole. But apart from a small splinter in Kerstin’s foot, we are spared any unwelcome surprises and enjoy cooling off at Playa San Juan.

The further way through the park is not as strenuous, but just as muddy , and so we trek from beach to beach, through one mud puddle after another towards the park’s main entrance, from where we take the bus back to the hostel. There we meet again with Ruth from England, with whom we will go in search of a lost city for the next 4 days, but that’s a new story…

Erstmal geht's ab durch den Dschungel / First through the jungle

Dann erreichen wir unser Ziel / until we reach our first stop

Der Strand lädt zum entspannen ein / the beach invites for some relaxing time

 

 

 

Die Sonne geht unter / the sun sets

Abends bekommen wir Besuch / we get visitors for the night

Am zweiten Tag gehts zu den anderen Stränden / the second day, we visit the other beaches

sorry, only google translate…

With the impressions of the Amazon in mind, the flight to Cartagena passes in no time. We doze off during the stopover in Bogota and Tobi doesn’t notice anything from the second flight. We arrive in Cartagena after midnight, drive straight to the hostel and go straight to bed.

The next day we explore the colonial old town on the Caribbean Sea at our leisure and are immediately a little enchanted. It is criss-crossed by colorful houses in small alleys, partially overhung with colorful flags and lights – fortunately only partially disturbed by the slowly approaching, cruel Christmas decorations. In addition, Cartagena is the gateway to the many Caribbean islands off the coast of Colombia and Panama.

We start the day with an interesting breakfast, in the midst of a unique rain shower. The streets are not only simply flooded, they turn into ankle-deep streams in the narrow old town – where our hostel is also located. We haven’t seen anything like it in Asia, it’s just incredibly impressive.

After the rain stops around noon, we explore the city, drink delicious coffee, finally decide to stop using milk alternatives in Colombia – they really haven’t mastered that here ☹ -, let ourselves be carried away a little by the World Cup mood and go on a free walking tour. Unfortunately, the latter is pretty much the worst we’ve ever taken part in, so we leave it after about halfway to say goodbye to the sun from the city wall with a beer.

If we had a lot of relaxation the last few days in the jungle experienced, we would certainly have stayed a bit longer to switch off. But the tropical beaches of Tayrona National Park and a lost city near Santa Marta are calling us, maybe we’ll still have time for an island stop on the way back to Bogota.

Acai fruit zum Frühstück / for breakfast

Hafen / Harbor

Heftiger Regen / Heavy Rainfall

Gassen der Innenstadt / little streets in the center

weirdes Weihnachten...

After our rainforest experience in Peru, we just couldn’t pass up the chance to see the real Amazon with our own eyes. Seeing is actually an understatement, you simply experience the Amazon with all your senses, but first things first…

We land in Leticia around noon, the starting point for the Amazon region from the Colombian side. But borders don’t really matter here, Peru is on the other side of the river and a few hundred meters down the road you end up in Tabatinga in Brazil. In the afternoon in Leticia we book a 4-day tour into the jungle, walk briefly to Brazil and are surprised twice by torrential rain – luckily we are prepared and always have umbrellas with us.

Our jungle adventure is supposed to start the next morning. Before that, at breakfast, we get to know our two fellow travelers Ruth from England and Alexandra from Spain – which will be very useful. First we take a small boat to Brazil and then we continue with a speedboat along the Amazon until we reach the tributary “Rio Javari” in Peru. We follow this for a few more kilometers to another small tributary, where our accommodation “Zacambu Rainforest” in Peru is located.

You can tell that there is water everywhere and it takes a while for us to really internalize the dimensions. There are simply unimaginable amounts of water that meander through the jungle here. We are here at the beginning of the rainy season, so the water levels are still low but are constantly rising until the Amazon will reach its highest level in April/May and will be several meters (!!!) above today’s level. And we experience for ourselves how the water level rises by several 10 centimeters within these four days.

From our accommodation we do many activities over the next four days, some of which we already know from Puerto Maldonado. Here the focus is more on extensive hikes through the rainforest and boat trips along the rivers. We swim in the river (there are piranhas here, by the way), look for caimans and pink dolphins, spot a variety of birds and even spot an anteater fleeing up a tree when it hears us, and a sloth. Since our guide speaks almost only Spanish, Alexandra first translates for us or we communicate with hands, feet and the few fragments of Spanish that Ruth and Kerstin get together.

On the second day, a group of Americans and two people from Zurich join them and we go piranha fishing. At first, Ruth is so hysterical that she caught something that she almost throws the fish at Tobi’s head. Then a piranha escapes from someone’s hands and jumps through the boat and finally one of the Americans is so fascinated by his catch that he takes his eyes off his piranha for a moment and promptly gets his finger bitten – he’s missing a piece of his fingertip afterwards … We’re quite happy that we content ourselves with watching, and Tobi and one of the American women discover fun feeding the piranhas with chicken skin from the boat.

On the third day, Ruth and us have a 6-hour hike through the jungle on the program, here we again see some fascinating animals, two toucans, tarantulas and beautiful birds… and we get into a rain shower about an hour halfway through the hike. After that, the rainforest shows itself with a completely different face, everything shines mystically and you can see how the animals slowly dare to come out of their hiding places.

On the last day we paddle a canoe through the lake next to the lodge (which is connected to the river during the high rainy season) before we are brought back to Leticia and board the plane towards Cartagena and there to digest the eventful days..

Anflug über dem Regenwald / Fly over the rainforest

Zwischen drei Ländern / between three countries

Tobi auf der Grenze nach Brasilien / Tobi at the border to Brasil

Auf geht in den Dschungel / Off we go to the djungle

Unsere Unterkunft für die nächsten Tage / our lodging for the next days

Unsere Guides / our guides Jordan and Nico

Einheimisch auf dem Fluss / Native people on the river

 

Unsere Crew / our Crew

sorry, only google translate…

Since Kerstin only arrives in Bogota two days after Tobi, there is enough time to explore the city and get to know a few locals. Tobi meets up with a group of couchsurfers, explores the multitude of vegetarian and vegan restaurants and great cafes. After a good night’s sleep, Kerstin can plunge straight into Bogotan life!

Unlike Lima and other cities in South America, Bogota gives us a completely different attitude to life. The city feels alive, the street next to our hostel turns into an endless street market every morning and people just seem content. While stories of robbed travelers keep coming, we try to stay away from the more “dangerous” areas and don’t have any weird encounters – except for a few attempts to sell marijuana…

Next to the unfortunately very boring main square “Plaza de Bolivar” , we drive up the mountain “Monserrate”, walk through the city park and take part in a graffiti tour through the beautiful old town of Bogota. The guide tells us many stories about the backgrounds of the artists and their motivation behind the pictures. Although graffiti is illegal in Bogota, it is tolerated or even encouraged in this part of the city, as many residents pay money to have their houses painted. And at the end of the great tour there is even coca tea in a nice little café.

After three nights we change our minds and don’t drive to the coast first, but directly into the jungle to Leticia, the Amazon is calling us..

sorry, only google translate…

Before our actual journey can begin, Tobi is still busy for the university in Dallas.

Texas has a certain appeal for us, but we haven’t made it past Dallas Airport yet. Long story, short: We didn’t miss anything. Dallas has a lot to offer from the “American way of life”, but you get much more on offer in other places in America. Although the conference program is filled with great activities, we go to a jazz house, to top golf and to an NBA game, the city of Dallas simply has no real highlights to offer apart from the shooting site of J.F. Kennedy. Maybe you have to get out of the city to experience the “real Texas”, but there isn’t enough time for that.

Besides, Nathan put me in touch with his cousin Chris, who is currently living in Dallas with his fiancée. We meet twice for dinner and make an appointment for Christmas in Munich, but unfortunately there is no time for more “insider activities” in Dallas either.

Tobi then goes straight from Dallas to Bogota, and two days later Kerstin arrives too 🙂

Straßenbahn in Dallas / tramway in dallas

Kennedy Memorial

Hier wurde Kennedy erschossen / here, Kennedy was shot

Treffen mit Nathan's Cousin Chris / meeting Nathan's cousin Chris

House of Blues

Hooters^^

Top Golf

 

NBA with Dallas Maveriks