Rum, Scuba Diving and Jungle Beaches

Colombia is without exaggeration an incredible country. The landscapes and people change beyond recognition within a few hours and arriving in Cartagena was like stepping into another world. From the bus terminal we pelted along in the clapped out taxi towards the old town. It was 7am the morning heat reminded me of Africa and the streets were packed with people and animals. We stayed in Cartagena for a couple of nights, the area called Getsemani a dirty, rowdy and slightly dubious barrio just a 5 min walk from the Old Town was perfect. As was the little Colonial hotel San Roque we had been pointed in the direction of, for just 30,000 pesos a night (9 pounds) for a lovely room with bathroom and enough fans to make it sound and feel like sleeping on a helipad. Most of our time was spent exploring the historic town centre within the town walls, full of beautiful colonial buildings with bougainvillea strewn balconies, large plazas, fruit sellers, and a few groups of Americans following their umbrella touting guides from the cruise ships. In the cool and breezy evenings we were tempted to the Cafe del Mar bar on the old town walls, loungy sofas and tables with chill out music created the perfect place to watch the sun go down with an ice cold red wine and a Cuba Libre.

Four hours east along the coast you arrive in Taganga, a small fishing town just outside the city of Santa Marta. Santa Marta twenty years ago was infamous as an outlet of the cocaine trade to the USA and Europe. Today, it is a huge dusty city and not very appealing when Taganga is just fifteen minutes away. As we dropped down into the bay of Taganga the beach complete with fishing boats and pink tourists came into view. Taganga is by no means a hide-away haven and it has become famous on the backpacker trail. However, the scuba diving was our main draw and at fifteen pounds a dive it was incredibly cheap!

We spent three nights in Taganga, diving and sunbathing on Playa Grande, a beach twenty minutes walk around the cliff. The beach with only a handful of cafes could be tranquil if it weren't for the beach sellers from hell... if I wanted to buy an ice cream, a beer, have a massage, hire a deck chair or take to the water on a sea kayak I would ask, I don´t need to have the question every two minutes!!! Nevertheless, serenity and peace was found underwater and we went to a couple of great dive sites, with 15-18 metres visibility, we saw Lobsters, Moray Eels, Hermit Crabs, Trumpet fish, Cow fish, Queen Angel fish, Puffer fish and a lot more. Once back on dry land and as is the norm these days we bumped into the Belgian Bikers, Paul and Singrid, who we originally met in Salento. We spent that evening sinking a couple of Cuba Libres and Han´s favourite tiple - cold Colombian apple wine - with them.

The following morning we were planning to head towards Parque National Tayrona and we did, well, after I snuck in another couple of morning dives that Paul had tempted me with that previous evening, as the rum was flowing. The diving this time was a bit more challenging and the current was very strong around the first site, a small isle of rock and coral. However, as the waters can get very rough there, it was exhilarating to see this unique site that not many go to. The second site was a little more sheltered and with an initial descent to 6 metres we swam a few metres until we reached the 'wall' - a vertical drop down to 20 metres. It was unbelievable swimming into darkness as the small worlds of coral and their fish gradually appeared.

Once Han finally dragged me away from the sea we were back on the bus heading 2 hours further east, towards Tayrona. The national park is stunning, once inside an hours walk through jungle with monkeys swinging above you, you come out onto white sand beaches and leaning palm trees...and nobody trying to sell you some tat! We camped in an area called Don Pedro surrounded by jungle and two minutes from the beaches. It is collection of thatched shacks, tents and hammocks and we got breakfast from a lady near the camp who bakes sweet bread rolls filled with chocolate each morning. We explored the Robinson Crusoe esq beaches during the day of which the park has several. Some have wild seas and bolders the size of a houses, driftwood that looks like its been traveling for years and other bays as calm as a pool. It was a spectacular place and another unique side to Colombia.

Colombia...the only risk is wanting to stay....so they say

All those months ago whilst in Bristol and deciding a vague route around South America we thought after Brazil we could then travel north up into Colombia, simple?! It didn't occur to us that Brazil´s territory, spanning 4,395 kilometers from north to south and being so huge it has four different time zones, might make the journey a little tricky. And there was one big problem stopping us from migrating northwards with ease...the Amazon Basin!

For anyone thinking of exploring this area of the world it is eventually possible for one to travel over land and river into Colombia or Venezuela. However, it involves 52 hours in a bus from Salvador to Belem, which is at the mouth of the Amazon, and then sailing up river via Manaus and Leticia using three different cargo boats, sleeping in a hammock surrounded by a hundred other bodies and eating beans and rice for two and half weeks. Alas, that Amazon adventure is for another day and after 5 hours of flying we landed in Colombia´s capital, Bogota...okay we admit it we are lame backpackers!

Bogota is a huge city and at an altitude of 2640 metres. After the 'taxing' 5 hour flight we decided to stop rushing around and chill for a few days. A few days turned into a week, possibly because it was the first time in 4 months we had a TV in our bedroom...ER and crap cable films were too much to deny! The historical centre of Bogota is La Candelaria and made up of colonial buildings, plazas and museums. Bogota is a lot safer these days, as is Colombia as a whole, and it was great to just walk around exploring the city.

After six days we needed some heat and had to tear ourselves away from ER. Colombia has a unique geography as the Andes end and split into three mountain chains towards the north of the country. This creates two valleys with their own micro climates, and it also makes the bus ride from Bogota to Salento very similar to being on a roller coaster.

Salento, in the Zona Cafetera, is in the heart of coffee growing country. The small provincial town surrounded by rambling hills and plantations was a world away from the Andean feel of Bogota. We arrived on the Saturday evening and the town was in full swing. The main plaza was filled with people dancing and drinking, small stalls set up for the weekend were selling fresh trout on large flattened plantains. We ordered up a couple 'a la Criolla' in a tomato, cream and onion sauce which, with a couple of cervezas, were magic.

A short jeep ride from Salento is the Valle de Cocora, which is home to the world´s tallest wax palms. Once our jeep was full, with around twenty people hanging on to the sides and sitting on the roof we were off and bumping down dirt tracks into the valley. The valley is like something out of Jurassic Park and the trees line the surrounding hills with cloud clustering around them and the fern forests. We stayed in Salento for a few more days visiting the local coffee plantation and generally enjoying the small town feel. However, we had to leave and move on to Medellin where we planned to spend about 10 days studying Spanish.

Medellin is known as the city of eternal spring and in classic style it tipped it down as soon as we arrived. However, we soon found our feet and took private lessons through The Black Sheep Hostel. The lessons were great and we ended up staying in the penthouse apartment belonging to the hostel owner and our teacher, Kelvin and Yadi. They were great and made us feel right at home. It´s a strange thing to say but for the first time since we had been away it was such a nice feeling to do normal things such as use the washing machine, have a routine and our own space. The city is very cosmopolitan, packed with malls, sushi restaurants and huge apartment buildings. We tended to have a couple of hours of Spanish lessons in the morning and go out exploring the city with the legend Pablo, a Colombian from Medellin who we met in Bolivia.

Time flies and we had to as well. Leaving Medellin we traveled overnight by coach with the usual air conditioning on full blast through the ride. The following morning we woke up with the signs of hypothermia to the tropical heat of the Caribbean coast and Cartagena.

Carnaval and Resaca

We'd heard that Carnaval Rio and Carnaval Salvador style, are two very different things. In Rio it happens in a huge stadium, the Sambadrome, where you sit on the grandstands and watch floats full of feathered ladies go past. In Salvador, the parties all take place on the streets, with a choice of spending your time in a Bloco (a roped off parade, full of people who have bought an Abada - tshirt, in the centre of which are the Trios, the huge vans with a band and sound system that deafens everyone within 10 metres). You can also choose to pay to enter a Camarote (A Bar/Club that overlooks the parade and often includes free drinks), or you can choose to be Pipoca (popcorn), and spend the night on the outside of the ropes jumping with everyone else on the street. We had two nights to experience Carnaval, all we could afford (and probably handle) before we had to head to Boipeba. We'd heard all the horror stories about how dangerous it was, how likely to get mugged we were etc etc so we kept our fingers crossed to get out unscathed!

There are three Carnaval Circuits in Salvador, and we were staying right next to the biggest one in Barra, the seaside area. Carnaval officially kicks off on the Thursday, and we only had a few nights to experience it. A large group of us from our hostel bought Abadas for a cheap Bloco and after a Caiprinha fuelled party we headed out to see what it was about. The streets were absolutely rammed, everyone was dressed up, covered in glitter, wearing masks, or in fancy dress and each of the trios seemed to be competing with each other over who could be the loudest. After a lot of waiting around drinking beer, the blocos in front of ours began to move, and at around 1am ours slowly edged forward, and the band began to play. We can't actually remember the name of the singer we were following, but it was a real mix of Samba and cheesy pop with a bit of rock thrown in. The whole Bloco started moving slowly up the street, with everyone jumping and singing. Occassionally there'd be a surge of people from behind as the ropes caught up with them, and you'd be squashed, it was all generally good natured but still a bit scary. When fights did break out it was a matter of getting yourself as far away as you could from the scramble, and it was slightly concerning to see that it was often the police causing the trouble with the rope carriers.

We danced forward at snails pace, buying beer from the vendors in the bloco and ducking under the ropes when we needed a breather, until about 5am when we ducked out of the bloco and watched it carry on up the sea front. Our feet were throbbing, we were covered in beer spray, and we headed back down the road we'd just walked to find food and then collapse in bed. It was a fantastic introduction to Carnaval. The next day we headed into the Pelhourinho, the old centre of Salvador to get a bit more authentic taste, and it was beautiful. Music in the streets, people dressed up and dancing and bands playing. Another night of Caiprinhas in the hostel, and we headed out to be Pipoca on the streets.

The next morning we left a sleeping Salvador and headed to Boipeba, a small island, off the Bahian coast, that is hard to get to, but an ideal paradise for us to spend our Resaca (the hangover days after carnaval). After a bus, a taxi, a fast speed boat and a tractor we arrived in Morere, a quiet, sandy collection of houses on the most beautiful side of the island. We'd arrived in paradise. We stayed in a small place called Pousada a Mangueira, owned by a lovely English couple, Tony and Sue. Our own pousada, complete with four poster bed, hamocks, luxury bathroom and the most amazingly huge and delicious breakfast everyday, just a few metres from the empty tropical beaches. It was the only place we'd booked ahead for our trip and it was so much more than we'd hoped for. Typical then that James and I both came down with a fever and flu, so poor Sue had to nurse us with hot lemon and honey! We spent our days trying to get better, and managed to wander the beaches, eat amazing fish stews called Mocecas, take photos and watch the hummingbirds that covered the flowers infront of our pousada.

It was a dream, only to be shattered at 3am one night when James and I were both awoken by the sound of someone jumping out of our bedroom window. Both in shock and half asleep we realised that James' bag, and Camera, had been taken. We weren't the only ones to have been targetted, another Pousada had had a lot of scuba gear taken, and they even swiped a pair of shorts from the washing line of our neighbours! The suppport from Tony and Sue was incredible, the police came in the morning and the whole village seemed to be out looking for clues. Alas we had to move onwards, and left Boipeba a little lighter, but both in one piece and glad that something like that happened when we had such helpful people nearby.