Hello! A quick hola to say that we’re no longer in Colombia
and are now in Antigua, Guatemala for the next few weeks – and then back to the
UK!
It’s been a really interesting time in Colombia and since my
last email, we’ve had a trip up to the Caribbean coast which took in Santa
Marta, Tayrona National Park and Minca. Quiet possibly the muggiest and humid
place I’ve ever experienced – just taking a few steps involved dripping with an
insane amount of sweat(!) It was a lot poorer in these cities too, which was
quite a shock – we felt for the first time we were actually in a developing (or
poor) country, and it really contrasted with the relative wealth of Medellin,
where we’d been previously been living. The smell of urine in the streets
wasn’t uncommon along with a far poorer infrastructure. Interestingly, each of
the cities were notoriously on the ‘Gringo Trail’ so hearing English was immensely
common – something we just weren’t used to anymore. To add to the mix, there
were plenty of snakes, tarantulas and other treacherous bugs to keep the
adventure going, though after camping in an extreme thunderstorm, being invaded
by an ant army and avoiding termite invasions, I was quite ready to return to
Medellin :D! The sea was of course beautiful and the area itself very distinct –
especially Minca: this gorgeous mountain town in the heart of nature, where we
took the most incredible and unforgettable scenic walks – barely bumping into anyone.
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Me hangin’ out,
quite simply 😊 In Minca
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The beautiful
town of Jardin: colourful, quaint, perfect
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What a fabulous
array of colourful plants, forming the ‘indoor garden’ part of a café, no less!
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How gorgeous is
this town?! I could have stayed forever 😊
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A fantastically
detailed chair that had been hand-painted – another joy of Jardin
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A cool and quirky
old caf̩/bar in Jardin Рthis small town was full of surprises!
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Tayrona
National Park in all its splendour
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Me by one of the
beaches within Tayrona National Park, which runs along the Caribbean coastline
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We’re not especially sad to have left Colombia. It was
certainly beautiful and wonderful to visit all the different pueblos –
breath-taking at times, but at the end I think the noise levels and pollution
became a bit much. We’re especially noticing this now that we’re in Guatemala –
even Guatemala City itself with its notoriously wild and dangerous reputation
was peaceful in comparison! We thought it was something we should ‘just get used to’ in Colombia, but
actually there was something quite at odds in people’s attitude to making noise.
There was this sense of ‘this is my
house, I can make as MUCH noise as I like’ – there was never any
consideration or sense of respect as to how it could be disturbing a neighbour
(even those a whole block away!). Upon speaking with Colombians, they all seemed
unhappy with noise from the street and from fellow neighbours. Restaurants and
bars were equally loud – blasting out music and competing with venues four
blocks away – to the point where you’re sat somewhere and can hear music from
several different places - but can’t make a single one out! Least to say that
we went out of our way to avoid such places – or simply cooked at home! Because
of the FARC, I don’t feel people can tell one another to keep the noise down
(they could have a gun after all) and I don’t think anything will be changing
anytime soon – it felt too far too inbred in their behaviour.
Some final observations: it’s common for Colombians to have
an indoor garden/patio in their house, maybe even with a mango tree(!); often
Colombians in Medellin don’t feel safe living in the city (we had one friend
who was involved in an armed burglary on a bus); Medellin is the only city in
Colombia to measure its pollution levels, but then takes on very short-term
measures to reduce its levels when they become too high – namely to move
certain model or year made cars off the road; noise pollution on the other hand
has no bounds with people making as much noise as possible.
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The outstanding
views from the top of the ‘Rock’ (aka El Peñol) in Guatape, overlooking the
tremendous lakes
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Some last-minute
sight seeing at a palace in Medellin!
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Guatape
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We’ve been in Antigua for a week now and it could not be
more different! We managed to avoid the volcanic eruption from Fuego and after
various delays and 3 planes, make it here ok. It’s ancient and colonial,
touristy, walkable, expensive and convenient. A great base for our last month
to simply relax a bit and enjoy – and get ready for the UK.
Here are some photos from the beautiful Guatemala:
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Checking out
the ruins, of which there are plenty in Guatemala!
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Me in the
central square area
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A neighbouring
town we visited close to Antigua, ready for its festivities
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A Guatemalan
bus, aka an old American school bus!
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The joy of
being in a city that’s surrounded by volcanoes – such spectacular views
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The streets of
Antigua, Guatemala
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A view from a
rooftop bar in Guatemala
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I hope to see you when I’m back. Thanks for reading! xox
