Recent Blog Posts

March 2009

Monday morning, I made the impromptu decision to leave Carnaval in Barranquilla for Cartagena. Since my plan was to return to Medellin in a few days, I didn´t know if I would make it back to the coast. I said goodbye to the Irish guys/gals who were heading for the same city later in the [...]

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The general plan for Sunday was to sleep late, and return to the same spot where we watched the parade the first day. Unfortunately, with our now giant group, it took forever to get moving. I was tired, but I figured once I was outside again, in the mix, my energy level would rise. Trying [...]

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Carnaval In Colombia

by Dave on March 10, 2009 · 11 comments

A group of us headed north in taxis to see the parade on Saturday afternoon. I bought a traditional woven hat, paying too much because I didn´t shop around and didn´t want to hold off due to the intense midday sun. Our groups splintered, but we mostly found each other after an hour or two, [...]

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Stepping out of the cool bus Friday morning, I was immediately greeted with the heat and humidity of the Caribbean coast. The sun was shining and there was not a cloud in the sky. Lonely Planet and the few travel blog entries I´d read about Barranquilla, describe it as something of a big urban port [...]

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On a sunny Wednesday afternoon, I took the metro to the northern bus station in Medellin and with a little hand gesturing and patience, managed to buy an overnight bus ticket to Barranquilla, a large city on the Caribbean coast which plays host to Colombia´s biggest annual Carnaval celebration.  The one way ticket cost was [...]

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Hostel Robbery

by Dave on March 5, 2009 · 8 comments

A few weeks ago, a Colombian girl entered the hostel in an altered/distraught state and took a bed in a room on the lower floor.  While I was using the internet in reception, I heard her ask Paul, the owner, if she could switch rooms.  She told him she had been drugged the night before [...]

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I tried to leave Medellin. I booked a flight to Santa Marta on the coast, but knowing it was fully refundable, canceled it the day before departure. After more than 14 months of travel through 20 countries, I finally felt as though I´d seen enough of the world. Another beach, another village, another mountain, another [...]

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Capoeira In Colombia

by Dave on March 3, 2009 · 9 comments

I met Martin (dressed in black) from Germany my first Friday night in Medellin. He is working abroad at Universidad EAFIT for 6 months, and has been practicing capoeira, the Brazilian mix of martial arts and dance, for several years. He discovered two capoeira groups in Medellin. I thought I would go to watch a [...]

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