Trying something new here, let me know if you like it….
Total Days in Colombia-59
Total Days it Didn’t Rain: 8
Amount Spent: $2254
Average Cost per Day: $38 (when you factor in the free accommodation we got for house sitting for 3 weeks, I think $50 a day is probably a more realistic number).
Places Visited: Bogota (39 nights), Villa de Leyva (2), Santa Marta (3), Tayrona National Park (2), Cartagena (3), Medellin (4), Salento (2), Popayan (2), Ipiales (1)
Biggest Misconception: There are a lot of things people assume about Colombia that simply aren’t true. It isn’t super dangerous , cocaine isn’t everywhere (didn’t see it once) and it’s not hot and steamy all the time- I was actually pretty chilly quite often!
Colombia was also more expensive than expected. Although cheaper than the US, I would not call it a budget travel destination: food, entertainment and transportation in particular were pricey.
Favorite Food: Look, nobody comes to Colombia for the food. It’s just… not the highlight of the place. Nonetheless, in addition to the wide world of fruits, I fell a little in love with Colombian hot chocolate and cheese. Yes the cheese goes IN the hot chocolate.
Least Favorite Food: No question: Arepas. Dry crumbly flat-cakes made of cornmeal. Pretty much tasteless and dryer than the sahara. They are a staple served at nearly every meal but I just don’t get them at ALL.
Most Memorable Moment(s): Watching the stars in Tayrona, getting a “mud massage” at the mud volcano outside Cartagena, listening to live music at an impromptu concert outside the old town of Popayan.
Favorite Night Out: Halloween in Bogota was a crazy experience that rivals even the states. Thousands of people flooded the streets in elaborate costumes to drink and club the night away.
Soggiest Moment: It rained on me a LOT- as usual. Since we unfortunately chose to travel during the rainy season (and during an El Nino year), it rained at least a bit every day, usually in the afternoon or evening. The worst was when we were caught in a downpour in Medellin on our way to meet friends. I don’t know why we didn’t bring umbrellas, we were absolutely soaked through in only 5 minutes.
Most Annoying Thing: The bus rides. This is probably a pan-South America thing (I’m actually told they get much worse) but almost every single bus ride was a nauseating, hair raising experience that took at least 2 hours longer than we expected. The worst was trying to get from Villa de Leyva to Santa Marta. It involved 3 bus changes (including one at 3 am) and constant stops. The entire journey took over 24 hours!
Favorite Place: I really enjoyed Medellin, but my absolute favorite was the little city of Popayan. We were only there for two nights but I really loved this beautiful place, known as the White City. The food wasn’t bad either which was a big plus after weeks of chicken and rice.
Least Favorite: Villa de Leyva- there’s nothing wrong with it, I just didn’t find it worth going out of our way for. It was pretty but dull. Wished we’d went up to San Gil instead.
Biggest Regret: Not leaving enough time at the end to properly see southern Colombia. We spent 5 weeks in Bogota, and by the end it was a race to get out of the country before my visa expired. Would have loved to spend more time in the coffee country (the rain prevented us from even seeing a coffee plantation), to visit San Augustine and to really take my time and enjoy places like Popayan.
Best Advice: Don’t believe the hype about Colombia being a dangerous place. During my time their I never felt unsafe or threatened (which is more than I can say about Quito where I am currently writing this). Colombian’s are some of the nicest, most welcoming people and all of the bad stuff happens far away from anywhere you’d want to visit. It’s too cool a country to dismiss because of bad information!
And don’t go during rainy season. Seriously don’t.
Would I Come Back? I was pretty eager to leave after two months and to experience something else, but yes, I’d love to go back and spend more time in Medellin and the south. Also to visit all my new friends in Bogota!
Buses in Chile are actually really nice and usually pretty direct, so don’t despair. I’m sorry it rained on you so much though – hope your luck changes soon!
Love the new layout! I like knowing how much it cost and how many days you stayed. It’s really helpful when making a travel budget.
Excellent, I’m trying to keep better track of that stuff.
Glad you enjoyed the trip!
Makes me so sad though to read that you hated arepas! Alone they are pretty bland (especially the little tiny ones that come with meals) and they;re best really fresh. BUT if you order an a la cart arepa they come in many different ways. You should ALWAYS put butter on them and they can be served with fresh cheese to crumble or lay slices on top. Some even come with cheese already melted inside the arepa and other come with chopped up chicharon (fried pork) pieces on top. And man, my heart broke with Tran’s comment about the bandeja paisa. It’s too bad she had a bad one because they are incredible offering just a little bit of everything.
I tried a whole bunch but I just couldn’t get into them. I did really like Bandeja Paisa, mainly b/c I love EVERYTHING with avocados.
Worse than arepas (arepas aren’t even that bad, especially when filled with cheese), is the bandeja paisa. Did you try it? Blah! We spent a good amount of time in Colombia too. Fun reliving those memories through your post….
Hmm I liked the bandeja paisa, although I can’t quite understand chicharron….
You cannot escape the rain can you Steph? This looks like it pretty much went down pretty well for you! I am not saying I wouldn’t visit one day, but this lack of great food thing is really starting to concern me, ALOT, lol.
Luckily food in Ecuador has been a big improvement!
Hello, I nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award! Check out the specs here: http://bit.ly/tvEEN7
Happy Blogging!
-Hayley
Definitely not a fan of the arepas or the rain! Thanks for the write-up and glad you enjoyed Colombia. It’s a beautiful country and the more people we have come and write about it (in an easy-to-read, informative format!) the better.
Paul
thanks for making us feel welcome!
I love wrap up posts too. Sorry you had so much rain – it seems to be following you around! I agree that Colombian food isn’t great (and try being vegetarian) but the amazing diverse fruit and juices do make up for it.
yeah i think being veggie there would be a challenge!
I remember the mud volcano – that was my highlight from Colombia too!
Love this post style. And love that you’re reminding the world Colombia is not what everyone says it is. Our best friends here in Western Australia are Colombian and it makes me so mad when I hear what people say to them (nearly always drug-related) when they hear they’re from Colombia.
Yeah it’s such a shame, I hope the perception changes soon.