Colombia
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El Oceanario
Spoiler: my next post is going to be about diving in the Great Barrier Reef. However, I think it’s important to give a bit of back story regarding my diving experience prior to the GBR trip. Hopefully you enjoy the chaos, stress, and emotion to follow in this blog. April 2014 Normally, I write my blogs in past tense, retelling events how they once happened. However, when I first arrived on the island I was very stressed and wrote to escape some of the anxiety. I feel that these “in the moment” entries provide a more accurate representation of everything. Night 1 I feel like crying. When I arrived, no…
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Bogotá
It took less than three minutes to make friends in Bogotá. I walked into my dorm room and there they were: Paulina and Felicia from Texas. Although I was a bit tired from my flight, I decided to join them for a walk around the Candelaria: the district we were staying in. After a few missed turns and stopping to buy some strange fruit that was like a grape mixed with a lychee, we made it to Bolivar Square. It should be called Pigeon Square. There were literally thousands of birds…thousands. Locals sold corn to tourists, so they could take artsy Instagram photos. I didn’t even have corn and still…
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Narcos and New Beginnings
Medellín, the former stomping grounds of the drug lord and killer Pablo Escobar. For those of you who are not familiar with this man, here is what you need to know. Colombians have drastically different opinions about him. Young, hot heads looking for easy money and a “better” life, tend to envision him as an idol. Popular shows, like Narcos, only amplify these sentiments. One of his former mansions was turned into a paintball arena. I highly doubt visitors truly realize the number of lives that were violently lost in their “playing field.” The people who lived during his prime, however, have scars that run deep. I spent one of…
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Guatapé
With only four days remaining in Colombia, I flew to Medellín: a city with a violent and chaotic past. I’ll delve into this in my next post: Narcos and New Beginnings. My lazy days were over, and I wasn’t going to waste any time. I checked into my hostel and immediately booked a day trip to the pueblo Guatapé. All I can say is that if you ever go to Colombia, don’t follow my example. This town deserved more than a few hours. It’s not that it is incredibly large or anything; it just had a wonderful and welcoming ambiance. The streets were rainbows of color. Each house had its…
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Ciudad Perdida
It was hot. Hotter than hot should be. Hotter than the number on my weather app. Hotter than I was prepared to deal with. The only solace was the gentle breeze on the upper parapets. The old fortress was built as a precautionary defense for Cartagena. To this day it sits idle on a hill overlooking Old Town and slums alike. The tunnels below have grown dank and musty: a maze leading deeper into the earth but really nowhere at all. We had walked from our hostel in Old Town. Seeking protection from the shaded side of the street. It wasn’t until we arrived at the fortress and paid for…
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The Wedding
Returning to Cartagena was like returning to safety. A weight had been lifted off of my shoulders, one I hadn’t realized was there. Just being someplace familiar, someplace I knew, someplace I could easily navigate, was a relief. The rawness I had been feeling since my bag was stolen had finally begun to heal over. The belongings, even the most precious ones, were no longer invading my peaceful moments. In a few days’ time I would be with people I knew. I would get the hugs that up till then had only been virtual. I was coming home, in a sense. Taking a break from the unfamiliar and enveloping myself…
