It's Monday today. I arrived on a Monday. Two weeks ago. I saw Stephanie waving through the glass while I waited for my luggage. I smiled and she smiled back. I walked towards her. She pressed her hand against the glass. I did the same. A melodramatic play followed. We laughed. Pure happiness is the simplest feeling!
Moments later I walked through the airport doors. There she was. She jumped into my arms. I crossed my arms around her like I'd never let her go again.. Okay, that didn't happen. I found her staring at an ATM machine screen. I put my arms around her. She turned around and we kissed.
We took a cab to our hostel. Bogotá was quiet on this early morning. I noticed it's also a clean city. Comparable to Madrid. We walked around for most of the day. The next day I didn't feel too well. Probably the 2640 meter height in combination with a 28 hour flight got the best of me. The next day we flew to Cartagena, the former colonial port at the Carribean Sea. Cartagena is a pretty city, which unfortunately resulted in a very touristic character. It's hard to just go for a relaxed and quiet stroll. Stephanie gave me some tips:
- Pick a point and walk towards that point, don't wonder around.
- If someone drops something, don't pick it up.
- If someone asks you to hold something, don't.
- Don't reach for your wallet, because pickpocketers will know where it is.
So basically I needed to be aware at any time without showing it. It felt like I was at a CIA training ground. This didn't withhold me to enjoy the city. The second day in Cartagena we walked by the beach. Fishermen were pulling their boat in the water, while pelicans stayed closeby, hoping to take their share. It was sunny and hot. We sat down and drank a beer, staring to the horizon. The true Carribean feeling.
We left Cartagena after two nights. Santa Marta was our next stop. A four hour bus ride took us there. Santa Marta lays in a beautiful bay. It has a small beach backed by a nice boulevard. Santa Marta is a modern city. This means good food for European prices. The main square is a social meeting place in the evening. Kids play around, teenagers hang around, elders sit around. It reminded me of a typical Italian village, where people mostly live outside. The atmosphere on Santa Marta's main square is a large contrast though, with only a few blocks away, where our hostel was located. On our way back, we always passed people that... well, make you frown, to say the least. Drugs, alcohol and poverty remain big issues in this country, and now I experienced why.
The third day in Santa Marta our guide Enrique picked us up. A three hour drive brought us to the start of the Ciudad Perdida Track. The hike to the Lost City (literal translation) was one to remember. We walked for 5 days from one beautiful spot to the next, crossing Rio Buritaca 9 times. Finally a 1200 steps stairs leads to the remains of Ciudad Perdida. The sight from the top of the city is the most astounishing of the entire walk. Say Lion King Rock-ish. On our way back we were taken by a tropical rain, which is a story in its own right. All I'll reveal now is that we made it back to civilization. We stayed one more night in Santa Marta before we flew to Medellín.
So I'm in Medellín now. This has been Stephanie's home for the last two months, and it will be mine for the next few weeks. Our landlady Mary is very friendly. She made us a typical Colombian lunch yesterday, and I had to help. This made me speak Spanish. Or at least try. The last few months I listened to Michel Thomas' Learning Spanish CD's, and I believe in his method. Still, I have trouble to make the simplest sentences. I'll keep trying. No choice really, because basically no-one speaks English in this country. The next few weeks I'll help Stephanie with her project. She's focusing on giving theater classes at orphanages. This is entirely up my alley, because it's basically what I did last year in Improbattle, our most diverse improv group of the Netherlands.
Cartagena pictures:
https://plus.google.com/photos/111979473427921330600/albums/5886529343332014369
Ciudad Perdida pictures:
https://plus.google.com/photos/111979473427921330600/albums/5890137811919310081
We took a cab to our hostel. Bogotá was quiet on this early morning. I noticed it's also a clean city. Comparable to Madrid. We walked around for most of the day. The next day I didn't feel too well. Probably the 2640 meter height in combination with a 28 hour flight got the best of me. The next day we flew to Cartagena, the former colonial port at the Carribean Sea. Cartagena is a pretty city, which unfortunately resulted in a very touristic character. It's hard to just go for a relaxed and quiet stroll. Stephanie gave me some tips:
- Pick a point and walk towards that point, don't wonder around.
- If someone drops something, don't pick it up.
- If someone asks you to hold something, don't.
- Don't reach for your wallet, because pickpocketers will know where it is.
So basically I needed to be aware at any time without showing it. It felt like I was at a CIA training ground. This didn't withhold me to enjoy the city. The second day in Cartagena we walked by the beach. Fishermen were pulling their boat in the water, while pelicans stayed closeby, hoping to take their share. It was sunny and hot. We sat down and drank a beer, staring to the horizon. The true Carribean feeling.
We left Cartagena after two nights. Santa Marta was our next stop. A four hour bus ride took us there. Santa Marta lays in a beautiful bay. It has a small beach backed by a nice boulevard. Santa Marta is a modern city. This means good food for European prices. The main square is a social meeting place in the evening. Kids play around, teenagers hang around, elders sit around. It reminded me of a typical Italian village, where people mostly live outside. The atmosphere on Santa Marta's main square is a large contrast though, with only a few blocks away, where our hostel was located. On our way back, we always passed people that... well, make you frown, to say the least. Drugs, alcohol and poverty remain big issues in this country, and now I experienced why.
The third day in Santa Marta our guide Enrique picked us up. A three hour drive brought us to the start of the Ciudad Perdida Track. The hike to the Lost City (literal translation) was one to remember. We walked for 5 days from one beautiful spot to the next, crossing Rio Buritaca 9 times. Finally a 1200 steps stairs leads to the remains of Ciudad Perdida. The sight from the top of the city is the most astounishing of the entire walk. Say Lion King Rock-ish. On our way back we were taken by a tropical rain, which is a story in its own right. All I'll reveal now is that we made it back to civilization. We stayed one more night in Santa Marta before we flew to Medellín.
So I'm in Medellín now. This has been Stephanie's home for the last two months, and it will be mine for the next few weeks. Our landlady Mary is very friendly. She made us a typical Colombian lunch yesterday, and I had to help. This made me speak Spanish. Or at least try. The last few months I listened to Michel Thomas' Learning Spanish CD's, and I believe in his method. Still, I have trouble to make the simplest sentences. I'll keep trying. No choice really, because basically no-one speaks English in this country. The next few weeks I'll help Stephanie with her project. She's focusing on giving theater classes at orphanages. This is entirely up my alley, because it's basically what I did last year in Improbattle, our most diverse improv group of the Netherlands.
Cartagena pictures:
https://plus.google.com/photos/111979473427921330600/albums/5886529343332014369
Ciudad Perdida pictures:
https://plus.google.com/photos/111979473427921330600/albums/5890137811919310081
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