The Humpback Turtle Hostel When I first met Kwame in San Gil, he stood out as the only black man for miles around, and everywhere we went, people stared (though they could have just as easily been noticing his height as well.) When it became clear that I wished to extend my stay and spend more time together, I came up with the idea of going to the Choco, the west coast of Colombia and the heart of it's Afro-Colombian culture. After all, wouldn't it be fun to have the tables

Finca San Pedro Of course, Kwame and I couldn't leave Villa DeLeyva without one more indulgence at thePasteleriaFrancesa. We even dragged our luggage in with us, recognizing we were going to have to carry it all the way to the bus station after. We didn't care. It was so worth it. Mmmmm....cappuccinos! Last breakfast at Pasteleria Francesa Both in starch and sugar comas, it was an easy and straightforward one plus a second three hour bus ride to Sogamoso- a town north of Bog

Villa De Leyva's beautiful town square I love Villa de Leyva. It is a gorgeous small town north east of Bogota, nestled in the desert-like mountains, with an old-world charm still reflected in the enormous main plaza and the streets still covered in huge cobblestones. It makes getting around by any other method other than strolling rather bumpy, so strolling is the preferred method. It is a chic destination, and many of Colombia's elite come here to eat, drink and spend mo

Day Trip with Colombian Bike Junkies I spent three more days in San Gil after my day hike to Guane with Kwame. Unfortunately, whatever had plagued me on day 3 of my hike to the Lost City also returned and my symptoms were very strange. Mostly I was exhausted, but I'd developed a fever one evening and almost fainted at a bus stop from dizziness and nausea.It wasn't until just over a week later, on my way to the Choco (Pacific Coast of Colombia) with Kwame that we both realiz

Me and Kwame, arriving in Barichara So it's been a few weeks since I last wrote. For which I apologize...I've been a bit distracted. You see, I met someone. And I've just spent the last 3 weeks traveling with him and spending the time with someone is not conducive to staying on top of one's travel blog! However, I find myself now sitting in my hostel in Bogota, only a few hours' away from leaving for the airport and my flight back home to the States (which I changed for t

Hiking in to Tayrona I last left you jumping off the bus on my return journey to Santa Marta after completing the Lost City jungle trek. I was tired, sweaty, hot, and without adequate cash or ID to get into Tayrona National Park. I was winging it, big time. Fortunately, I at least had my PADI Open Water ID card on me. I have no idea why. I managed to bs my way through the identification checkpoint with the police and the park entrance security and secured my seat on a sma

Hot and Sweaty in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Cartegena had prepared me somewhat for the temperatures and humidity of Santa Marta. But I was about to embark on a 4 day trek in the jungle where I would find a new brand of suffering from the heat, one that had bugs, mosquito repellant, sunscreen and sweat all mixed into one disgusting mass that would cascade off one's body in uncontrollable puddles. In addition, 4 days of gross would not end up being enough for me and I

The city wall I made a good decision by flying to Cartagena. It’s only a 45 minute flight that cost me $70 as opposed to a 13 hour bus ride that ends at a station nearly an hour’s cab ride outside the historic center. I didn’t make a good decision, however, when it came to where I chose to spend the night. I had followed the advice of my hostel owner in Medellin and booked an air-conditioned dorm at Mamallena’s for Wednesday and Thursday nights. I hadn’t known that 1 – It’s

Medellin - Modern and as colorful as it's unfortunate past I was pissed when I arrived in Medellin. The bus journey here from Manizales was supposed to take five hours and it took six and a half because we were stuck behind a town's Saturday night "procession", the bus driver insisted on keeping his front two windows rolled down completely nullifying any cooling effect the air conditioning might have brought those suffering in the back, a really cute guy sitting in the front

Hammock time at Hacienda Venezia I opted to fly across the border, this time from Quito to Cali. I had stayed the night in a motel close to the airport after flying back from The Galapagos and managed to get laundry done, bags re-packed, and, for the first time since June 4, I watched TV in English including my beloved BBC World News. Incidentally, at the airport, I ran into the group of four whom I'd met at The Secret Garden in Cotopaxi and was planning to climb Cotopaxi