"I don't think you should go to Colombia,"
my sister texted me, just weeks before I set off on my trip through Central and South America,
"my friend is Colombian and she hasn't even been back there in 15 years."
my sister texted me, just weeks before I set off on my trip through Central and South America,
"my friend is Colombian and she hasn't even been back there in 15 years."
"You will love Colombia"
The truth is, Colombia is a different place now than it was 15 years ago. The intense fear surrounding travel in this country is not without reason, but now with travelers to nearly all regions of the country, are we ready to re-think it?I am in Medellin as I write this post, which at one point was the most murderous city in the world. You wouldn't know it now, though, as locals chat with us, offering advice for places to visit or giving directions.
Starting with a booking for 3 nights in Cartagena and staying for a week was just the beginning. The old city left me breathless and dying to see more of the colourful buildings. It also gave me the sweetest taste of anticipation for what the rest of South America has to offer. After overstaying in Cartagena, I only imagined a few nights in Taganga. I ended up spending another week diving in the national park, among blowfish the size of my torso and some of the prettiest coral walls I've ever seen. The rumours are true:
"You will fall in love with Colombia"
I've already fallen in love with Colombia, evidenced by my extremely slow journey here. I went through the whole of Costa Rica in just over a week, and I've already spent two weeks just in the northern regions of Colombia. But that's me, and that's how I travel: when I like a place, I stay for a while. Lucky for me, my travel partner travels by the same rule.
"You will meet the nicest people there"
Now 2 weeks into Colombia, I can only wonder if our upcoming destinations: Salento, Cali, Popayan, San Agustin, and Bogota will implore us to overstay as well. At this rate, hearing what the travelers coming north have to say, it'll be another month before we actually leave this country, at least. We plan for 2 more weeks before we get to Ecuador, but can we really see and do all that we want in just 2 weeks? Like everyone tells us:
"You will want more time everywhere in Colombia"
The only way I will be able to leave this country is to know that I'll be coming back. Already contemplating future teaching jobs and learning Spanish here, I know this first month in Colombia won't be my last.