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So, after a collective total of around 2 months in the country, I walked away from Colombia with an overall favorable impression, and I'd happily second any recommendation to go there. However, unlike pretty much everybody else that has been there... I thought the country was nice- but not really anything more.
It was beautiful, fairly easy to travel around, had great nightlife, plus friendly (and good-looking) people. It was all there, but somehow lacked any real sense of adventure. I spent two months there and never felt like I had to think on my feet or WORK for anything. While most people would be delighted-- I was bored. That being said, it was a wonderful second-to-last country to travel to. All the pieces were there... I just had to sit back and let the (I'm trying not to use this word in the creepy way, but) pleasure come to me. Not thrilling/life-changing/etc... but a great low-stress way to wind-down from my trip and get used to a pretty much Westernized culture again.
of good memories.
These lovely little guys are the wax palms found in the Zona Cafetera region of Colombia, near Salento. They get so incredibly big—I’m really pissed at myself for not taking a picture so you could SEE how big they get. They’re found at the tail end of a hike that is littered with amazing views and horse poop. The day we went, there was almost nobody else out in the park, and we sat amongst these freakish trees in a happy silence. Zona Cafetera, Colombia.
Here is a picture of Alejandro and ___?___, a pair of happy Colombians that
picked me up on the Villa de Leyva – San Gil highway. A note about hitchhiking in Colombia: This will be the most difficult place you will ever try to hitch. Decades of civil war/narcotics trafficking/FARC kidnappings have scared people away from picking up strangers. Worse yet, the bus rates in this country are outrageous! We’re talking like, 30-40,000 COP (25 USD) for a 5 hour ride. FUCK THAT. This is a shitty bus in the developing world, not a spaceship to Jupiter! Anyway, hitching is difficult, but necessary if you intend to stay anywhere under 35 USD a day. Alejandro and his mate here were a sweet duo of electrical workers that stopped and saved me from hours of walking along a sun-baked road in the middle of nowhere. Cheers, guys! Villa de Leyva – San Gil highway, Colombia
I’m happy I DID make it to San Gil, however. I passed my time here caving, paragliding, Tejo-ing, and 
doing a little bit of this. Sunday mornings in Colombia, the locals get on their most neon-licious gear and break it down at a choreographed dance party in the town square. It’s a lot harder than it looks, but it's a lot more fun than it looks too (and yeah, I know it already looks like a lot of fun. Cube that.). San Gil, Colombia.
Here’s another photo of Richie and Rob, just in case I hadn’t posted enough already. These two were an amusing mix of charming and lewd, passing
a lot of their time creating sexually explicit plays on ordinary Spanish verbs. Montamos! I spent a LOT of time with this pair... maybe more than was comfortable for any of us. (Waking up with a random Sam in your room? Not always a good thing). Anyway, here they are getting freaky at Sensations, the (only) club in Taganga. Get some! Taganga, Colombia.
I’m going to post my two photos of Punta Gallinas here because the avi I posted is showing up on the bottom and I don't know how to move it. Not that I couldn't move it if I wanted to, I just don't want to! So how d'ya like THAT? Anyway, Punta Gallinas. It was a real fucking struggle to get here. I thought I wouldn’t meet any other people, and that I’d have to find my way through completely unforgiving, feral desertscape all by myself for … what? For bragging rights that I actually made it out there? I wasn’t sure. I had heard that it was beautiful, but I #1- didn’t plan very well, and #2- pissed entirely too much time away in Taganga to do it properly. I AM, however, glad that I DID make it.. even if only for a couple of days. I met a smattering of other backpackers who helped it all come together for a decent price, and I tied up my loose Colombian
ends with the following feast for the eyes. The best part? With the exception of my 4 mates, there was NOBODY else out here. Not any travelers, hardly more than a Wayuu or two, and with the exception of the occasional flock of flamingos, practically no wildlife. Not any stray dogs, bugs, not even the sound of wings flapping. Creepy, and yet so… beautiful. Punta Gallinas, La Guajira, Colombia.
I keep filming vertically, and I don’t know how to rotate it! Damn. Here’s a very anti-climactic video of me looking cool while I get ready to dive. I forgot what he told me to do with my right arm. I love diving. I love the silence underwater, I love the weightlessness, and I especially love how cool I look in the wetsuit and BCD. I think this was my 2nd day out in the ocean, and my 4th actual dive. Ok? OK! Taganga, Colombia.
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