For a long time I had been thinking - should I stay or should I go? - and then I took the decision, of which I really thought it would be the final word on Colombia 2013. I decided that I would not go and take a break from travelling this summer, because I simply didn´t feel up to it. I´m still not 100% convinced I am and that I´m doing the right thing, but some recent events have made me reconsider my decision and now it´s almost time to pack.
So here I am, only a few days from my third trip to Colombia. I know, it´s getting kind of boring. There are so many beautiful countries in the world. so why on earth travel to Colombia three times in a row?!? Well, what can I say? My first blog - no English blog for the second trip, sorry! - (http://colombia2011eng.blogspot.de) might give an answer. There is still so much to do and see in Colombia, probably enough for a lifetime. The official slogan is "Colombia - the only risk is wanting to stay" and that really says it all. Yes, I´m deeply in love with Colombia, got hooked on it so to speak. And my "colombianitis" seems to be pretty contageous - this summer two friends are going to spend their honeymoons discovering the magic of a country that is slowly (re-)appearing on the map of global tourism.
What´s the plan then for my own trip? Yet again I had to learn that 5 weeks are not nearly enough to see all the places I would like to see and do the things I would like to do. Which means either re-visit places I´ve been longing to see again since the day I left or visit new pockets of Colombia I have not yet been to. Which is what I´m going to do. So no majestic wax palms, leaping humpback whales or strolls on Cartagena´s colonial city wall this time and I almost feel sorry for myself. I´ll land in Bogotá, meet my "Chilean sister" Fran and probably one of the two honeymooners. I´ll then travel south to the Tatacoa (Semi) Desert and on to the precolumbian burial chambers of Tierradentro. En route I´m planning on visiting a friend in the nearby town of La Plata. From Tierradentro I´ll catch a bus on to the town of Popayán, which will serve as base camp for excursions to the high Andes and the colourful Indian market in Silvia. A 3hr bus ride will take me to the metropolis Cali next, where I want to visit another friend and get to know the area around the city. It´s a short flight to Medellín, the second-largest city in the country and the hometown of other friends I want to see again. From Medellín I´ll fly back to Bogotá, but only to catch a bus to the lowlands of the "Llanos", to Villavicencio. The next day I´ll get on board a chartered plane to La Macarena. Until very recently La Macarena was a stronghold of the guerrilla and strictly off-limits. This has changed however and now the region is slowly opening up to tourism. Why go there? The reason - apart from being in a remote and beautiful area - is the Caño Cristales river, dubbed "the world´s most beautiful river". I´m not going to tell you more right now, so just watch this space ;-).
Back from La Macarena I´ll head north, to the colonial gems of Barichara and San Gil and on to Bucaramanga, where I´ll hop on a plane and fly to the Caribbean coast. There my first stop will be the enchanting Tayrona National Park, where dense and pristine jungle meets the Caribbean. A two-hour bus journey will then take me to Riohacha, the jumping-off point for a 3-day tour of the nearby La Guajira peninsula, home of the Wayuu tribe and the northernmost point of the South American sub-continent. Before it´s time to cross the Atlantic (already?!?) I´ll spend 1 1/2 relaxing days at the beach. And that´s it... it´s going to be over before I know it...
I´ll try to update this blog as often as I can to keep you posted. I hope you´ll enjoy the posts and the photos that come with them. If you do, you´re very welcome to let me know. If you don´t, well, I hope that´s not really an option ;-).
What´s the plan then for my own trip? Yet again I had to learn that 5 weeks are not nearly enough to see all the places I would like to see and do the things I would like to do. Which means either re-visit places I´ve been longing to see again since the day I left or visit new pockets of Colombia I have not yet been to. Which is what I´m going to do. So no majestic wax palms, leaping humpback whales or strolls on Cartagena´s colonial city wall this time and I almost feel sorry for myself. I´ll land in Bogotá, meet my "Chilean sister" Fran and probably one of the two honeymooners. I´ll then travel south to the Tatacoa (Semi) Desert and on to the precolumbian burial chambers of Tierradentro. En route I´m planning on visiting a friend in the nearby town of La Plata. From Tierradentro I´ll catch a bus on to the town of Popayán, which will serve as base camp for excursions to the high Andes and the colourful Indian market in Silvia. A 3hr bus ride will take me to the metropolis Cali next, where I want to visit another friend and get to know the area around the city. It´s a short flight to Medellín, the second-largest city in the country and the hometown of other friends I want to see again. From Medellín I´ll fly back to Bogotá, but only to catch a bus to the lowlands of the "Llanos", to Villavicencio. The next day I´ll get on board a chartered plane to La Macarena. Until very recently La Macarena was a stronghold of the guerrilla and strictly off-limits. This has changed however and now the region is slowly opening up to tourism. Why go there? The reason - apart from being in a remote and beautiful area - is the Caño Cristales river, dubbed "the world´s most beautiful river". I´m not going to tell you more right now, so just watch this space ;-).
Back from La Macarena I´ll head north, to the colonial gems of Barichara and San Gil and on to Bucaramanga, where I´ll hop on a plane and fly to the Caribbean coast. There my first stop will be the enchanting Tayrona National Park, where dense and pristine jungle meets the Caribbean. A two-hour bus journey will then take me to Riohacha, the jumping-off point for a 3-day tour of the nearby La Guajira peninsula, home of the Wayuu tribe and the northernmost point of the South American sub-continent. Before it´s time to cross the Atlantic (already?!?) I´ll spend 1 1/2 relaxing days at the beach. And that´s it... it´s going to be over before I know it...
I´ll try to update this blog as often as I can to keep you posted. I hope you´ll enjoy the posts and the photos that come with them. If you do, you´re very welcome to let me know. If you don´t, well, I hope that´s not really an option ;-).
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| The planned route |
