Colombia - beautiful? Now that is a statement I could agree with.
Here is is folks, I have felt safer in Colombia than I do in Peru. There are countless numbers of police around, and they actually do their job unlike the "police" in Peru!
Jade and I have survived the first half of our trip! We had a few misshaps, but nothing that would be considered big enough to ruin our trip. Actually, I think that they all helped to make it a nonstop adventure.
I arrived in Cartagena, to Jade holding a paper with my name, it's always great to be welcomed at the airport! My flights were perfect minus the landing on my second one. When we landed, it was so bumpy that everyone practically ended up sitting in the seat beside them. But other than that they were great. Good food, and even better fruit juice.
We used the mad taxi skills that we picked up in Peru, and got a taxi to the hostle. The Chill House Backpackers Hostle to be exact. What a name right? I couldn't say it and keep a straight face the whole trip. Even with the name, the Chill House was great. We ended up staying there our first three nights, and then returning in between out short trips to Playa Blanca and Parque Tayrona. It had a nice kitchen, where Jade and I became hostle cooking experts, and a tv room where I became slowly addicted to Friends (which is by far one of the best tv shows I have ever seen). The beds were typical to a cheap hostel, but I was so tired every night that they didn't matter. It was hot in Cartagena, and not just hot but humid. I felt like I was back in Nashille during the summer. The stickyness resulted in taking two to three cold showers daily, something I have never before looked forward to. We met some really cool people in the hostle. Having the common areas in the hostle was really nice because it made a friendly atmosphere. I always love hearing everyone's travel stories!
On our first day there, Jade and I decided to keep it chill (maybe the hostle was rubbing off on us) and do a bit of shopping, see some of the Old City (which is where our hostel was located) and hit up the supermarket. I bought a pair of jeans, which were badly needed since I wore holes though the other three pairs I brought to Peru. The city is beautiful. We stayed in the historical area that is walled in, all of the architecture is Most of the buildings have wooden balconies with flowers hanging from the sides. This, put with the colors that the buildings are painted make it picture perfect.
We ended up booking a tour for the mud volcano through our hostel. This was probabaly one of my favorite trips. It was nothing like I expected, but still completly amazing. The actual volcano itself just looks like a small hill. Once you get to the site, you have to hike up the side. At the top there is a fairly small hole that they have built wooden sides around. As for the actual bathing in the mud part, when you reach the top, they stick you in the mud and lay you flat on your back. Then they push you over to the massage men. I was kind of iffy on the massages, I wasn't sure if I wanted some random man's hands all over my body. Jade and I decided that if we can this far, we should just get the full experience. The massage ended up being amazing! Once you were done with your massage, you could just chill in the mud. It was a really odd experience, because the mud is so thick. It was difficult to move yourself around at all, much less sink. I pretty much just ended up half sitting, half sprawling in the mud until they made us get out. Once you got out of the mud, they sent you down to the nearbye lake to get washed off. Here, they have women who bath you. Once again, I was iffy as to wether I should be bathed, but decided to go for it again. The experience was funny on two parts. One, I now know why little kids hate having their hair washed, I though the woman was going to drown me with all the water she was pouring over my head. And two, half way through, the woman tell you to take off your bathing suite. So strip I did, the water is cloudy, so no one could see anything, but knowing that your sitting within a few feet of about eight other naked pople ins't the most comforting thought in the world.
We ended up booking a tour for the mud volcano through our hostel. This was probabaly one of my favorite trips. It was nothing like I expected, but still completly amazing. The actual volcano itself just looks like a small hill. Once you get to the site, you have to hike up the side. At the top there is a fairly small hole that they have built wooden sides around. As for the actual bathing in the mud part, when you reach the top, they stick you in the mud and lay you flat on your back. Then they push you over to the massage men. I was kind of iffy on the massages, I wasn't sure if I wanted some random man's hands all over my body. Jade and I decided that if we can this far, we should just get the full experience. The massage ended up being amazing! Once you were done with your massage, you could just chill in the mud. It was a really odd experience, because the mud is so thick. It was difficult to move yourself around at all, much less sink. I pretty much just ended up half sitting, half sprawling in the mud until they made us get out. Once you got out of the mud, they sent you down to the nearbye lake to get washed off. Here, they have women who bath you. Once again, I was iffy as to wether I should be bathed, but decided to go for it again. The experience was funny on two parts. One, I now know why little kids hate having their hair washed, I though the woman was going to drown me with all the water she was pouring over my head. And two, half way through, the woman tell you to take off your bathing suite. So strip I did, the water is cloudy, so no one could see anything, but knowing that your sitting within a few feet of about eight other naked pople ins't the most comforting thought in the world.
While we were in Cartagena, we also ventured out to Playa Blanca and Parque Tayrona, but more on those later, this post is getting way too long.
Love from Colombia!
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