So long Colombia

So we reached our last few days in Colombia :( . What better way to finish though then by hitting San Gil, the adventure sport capital.

We arrived last Saturday by day bus (don´t do it to yourself - night bus it all the way) and booked into Sam´s VIP hostel right in front of the town´s main square.

We signed up for white water rafting on Colombia´s only grade five rapid river - perhaps not the best idea for amateurs - on day one. Unfortunately it was cancelled due to the river being too high from rain in the hills. It was cancelled the next day, and the next - in fact no-one went out for the six days we were there. So be warned if you are heading to San Gil for that only - it is quite possible it won´t happen.

Trouble in Taganga

So after deciding we couldn't endure anymore sandfly bites we left Costeño and headed for Taganga, a small fishing village near Santa Marta best known on the Gringo trail for its cheap Padi diving courses.

Still feeling under the weather we arrived and booked in for a scuba course to start after a day or two of chilling out in the hostel.

Unfortunately during this time Halifax managed to suspend our credit card account so that we couldn't get any cash out, Barclays blocked our debit cards even though we had told them we were going abroad and the one-and-only cash machine in the village was out of money. This was one thing to deal with when we were at the hostel with mobile phone and wifi reception but not so fun when we found out about it in the middle of Exito (supermarket) in Santa Marta.

Surf´s up dude

After Tayrona we ventured on alone to Costeño beach, a surf camp we first heard about in Medellin. Needless to say once Mike knew about it I had no choice but to go there.

Just along from the entrance to Tayrona (about 10 mins on the bus - ask them to drop you off at Costeño) you will find the entrance. A fifteen minute hike later you will walk into the hostel, a thatched roof paradise to say the least.

Costeño is run by two Canadian guys, Brian and Colm, who have gone out of their way to keep the place small, chilled and very friendly.

We were staying in a beach hut for the first night which was a novel experience before moving into the hammocks for the next two nights as the place was booked up with the weekend being a Colombian national holiday.

Fruit and Veg

What do you get if you mix two swedes, two pommes and a kiwi? Well apart from your five-a-day it is a good recipe for lots of laughter.

...And so our journey continued (sorry for getting a bit behind with the posts!).

After our day in Minca - next stop was Parque Tayrona, a protected park near Santa Marta that encompasses part of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

Our mission ... to do a hike, lie on the infamous beach Cabo San Juan (used on the front of the lonely planet guide) and sleep overnight in a hammock on the beach.

Ho.La

...Just a quick note to fellow travellers not in the know.

A couple of weeks ago we were introduced to Ho.La - hostels latinoamerica. The site is free to join and by becoming a member and using associated hostels you can get 10% of your room bill - which means every tenth night is free!

A merry bunch in Minca

So this last week has been very eventful. As we have had no WiFi you will have to bear with us while we split our adventures up into a series of posts - as there is just too much to put into one alone.

We travelled from Cartagena to Santa Marta with a group of guys we met in Medellin - Morgan from NZ and Niklas and Martin from Sweden. Together we make a group, now highly skilled in the art of lighting a coal BBQ without firelighters [apparently using plastic is the Colombian way and really what is the point of eating a cheeseburger if it is not slightly carcinogenic?] This wouldn't have been possible without the help of Mi-lady, yes really, a local girl who took a shine to Niklas and took over control of the BBQ thus emasculating all the boys. We also mastered, with international diplomacy, the use of multiple hand gestures to communicate with locals.

Mud Mud Glorious Mud

We have spent the last three days in Cartagena, a city in North Colombia and an official Caribbean beach resort! Needless to say it is hot - very hot!

Medellin's makeover

We have spent the last three days in Medellin, the second largest city in Colombia and known best for its shady past when the Medellin cartel ruled the streets and the ensuing war between cartels saw the city claim the title the most dangerous in the world from 1989- 1993.

Needless to say we were a little apprehensive on our arrival but equally determined to discover more about what the place is today as well as learn about the past.

Bogota

On Saturday we arrived in Colombia after a six hour bus journey to Sao Paulo and then a six hour flight to Bogota. After a night out on the town with some fellow travellers at our hostel we spent yesterday walking around the city, mainly taking in the historic quarter of El Candelaria.