Colombia - budget

I kept track of all my expenses (freeky I know!) to see in the end how much it costs to go round the world.

. Airfare Accom Transport Food Activities Visa/Fees Internet Gifts Other Total . 44 82.5 53.35 113.85 19.95 50 7.55 53 3.7 427.9 . 5.50 10.31 6.67 14.23 2.49 6.25 0.94 6.63 0.46 53.49

First row is the total expense in USD in the category, second row is the expense per day.
Airfare is what it costs me to get into the country and fly around (I redeemed miles for NYC-Bogotá-Cartagena flight).

Transportation - local taxes, buses, boats, bikes

Activities - entrance fees to museums, etc

Visa/Fees - visa costs ($40 for Colombia) and airport taxes paid locally

Gifts - besides shoes and a wallet I got myself goldplated earrings...


So it costed me about $53 per day in Colombia with the food category being the highest. Colombia is definitely cheaper than the US, but not as cheap as I thought it would be.

Hopefully this proves useful to somebody.

Colombia - souvenirs

My souvenirs from Colombia are shoes and a wallet decorated with Mola, a reverse appliqué technique developed by the Kuna, the indigenous people of Colombia and Panama.

Cartagena, Colombia

I stepped into another country that accepts Colombian pesos, but is located on another planet - the Caribbean. The air is humid and the city and people look like I imagined Cuba, just with food and comfort.

Yesterday I spent the whole day walking the colonial part of town, looking at old churches, plazas, balconies and narrow streets of Cartagena. Cartagena is pretty, no question about it. There are not so many backpackers, it is rather a destination for Colombian tourists. Local vendors are not only not shy, but quite aggressive in approaching tourists with an offer of a restaurant menu, a trip to Playa Blanca or a look at emerald jewelry store.




I would say a day is enough to appreciate the city. To enhance the Cuban feel we went to Habana Cafe across the hostel last Thursday. People were dancing to live Cuban music, we were sipping sweet mojitos and staring at old black and white photographs of local and Cuban celebrities. It was fantastic.

Playa Blanca, Colombia

I am back from paradise, literally. Look (El parasio in Spanish means paradise):


I´ve been lucky to meet two travellers in the airport of Cartagena who I could join on a little adventure to Playa Blanca. They say it is the prettiest beach around Cartagena, located on Barú island, 20 km southwest of the city. In order to save money and experience something local decided to get to Playa Blanca using the public transportation, which would entail 4 parts - two buses, a ferry and a motorboat. Actually, as we learned later it was not a motorboat, but a motorbike. Two bus rides were quite uneventful, it just took us a while to find the second bus at a busy Bazurto market. Instead of a ferry, we took a boat to cross the river. Before our boat even touched the shore, we were "attacked" by 20 local guys [a step back - Cartagena´s population is predominately of African origin]. They were pulling us out of the boat, grabbing arms and shoulders, screaming at us something, trying to get our attention. I felt like a wounded insect attacked by a dozen of ants. Eventually we realized that there is no motorboat, it is motorbike that could take us to Playa Blanca. The only other option was to wait for a bus an unknown amount of time. I am sure my mum would have not approved riding a motorbike on crappy sand roads with no helmet on. But getting to the beach was very tempting, so we did. We road those bikes for 40 minutes and I must have prayed at least 5 times hopping to get to the final destination alive.

But as soon as we made it to the beach we knew our little adventure was absolutely worth it. White sand, blue sky, azure sea - picture perfect view.

We spent two nights at El Parisio, second to last shack on the beach run by Mama Ruth. We were the only guests in this wooden structure (don´t even know the appropriate word for it) in a room with no walls, doors or windows. Rooms were separated by hanging cloth that also served as a door. I don´t think it gets more basic than this. Actually, all accommodation in this part of the island is very rustic - one can choose among camping, a hammock or a bed. There is no electricity or plumbing on the island. I was surprised to see a beautiful place in such proximity to a large urban area so undeveloped. We could not have been happier about it.

We did absolutely nothing for the full two days. I caught up on my Economist reading, learnt how to play poker and an Argentinean card game fifteen. I swam in the morning when the sea was calm. The sea was so salty I lied on my back for minutes without a single movement. For a second I thought I was swimming in the Dead Sea. I walked the beach at sunset and sunrise. I danced to my tunes on iPod while watching the sun set. I snorkeled among colorful fishes right by the beach trying to unsuccessfully catch them in the shallow water. I discovered I can spend hours in a hammock just looking at the sea and feeling the breeze touch my toes. I loved the sea and how it changes at different times of the day - from white to blue and dark black.

Some pictures.

Sunrise





Harsh sun during the day:




Sunset:







It was an absolutely amazing gateway. Now with more appropriate suntan for South America I can continue up into the sky. Quito is next on the itinerary.

leaving Bogotá

I am leaving Bogotá in couple of hours and could not be happier about. Not that I did not like it here, but I am definitely looking for something more special and different. Bogotá feels like just another big urban hive, people are busy commuting to and from work.

I hit all the streets in La Candelaria (historical center) - from the top where streets are flooded with students to the bottom where all the touristy sights are located. I visited the temporary exhibit of the Gold Museum and Botero Museum. Gold pieces of indigenous people are marvelous and I can´t wait to go to Peru and Bolivia where this culture is more apparent in everyday life. Bogotá is definitely not overwhelmed with tourists. When I went to the top of the mountain (one of the key sights) with a funicular I was the only tourist up there. Last night at football match we were also the only gringos. I am not complaining, I am surprised.

Colombians are very attractive people. I don´t know how they stay fit as the most common food around here seems to be deep fried chicken and empanadas. I miss Mexico where almost everything I tasted was delicious, not the case of Bogotá. Three days into the trip and I must have lost 3-4 pounds. My diet is horrible - coffee, beer and diet coke.

Bogotá is bordered to the east by a mountain range - dark green forests often in clouds make the city so much prettier. The altitude of 2600 m keeps the city quite cool. The nights are cold. I had to pull out my sleeping bag to stay warm at hostel. Altitude adjustment took a day, although walking up the stairs at Cerro de Monserrate (the panoramic view trip) left me breathless. I am worried about my Machu Picchu hike. But for now I am going down. Cartagena is the next stop.

Bogotá, Colombia

I have arrived, no adventures from the doors in Brooklyn to the hostel in the central part of Bogotá. My brand new backpack and untouched guidebook reveals my true identity - a virgin traveller. But as with age, dirt will come.

On Monday afternoon the city looked grumpy with a heavy overcast. The only colorful thing in town was the Colombian flag. Or was it me who was grumpy with an hour of sleep on Sunday night? First I managed to get lost in a city with a grid, then I made my way to Plaza de Bolívar where two handsome policemen walked me to the tourist office for a good map. By the time I was all set to explore beautiful La Candelaria, it got dark.





At night I got a glimpse of how Colombian upper-middle class lives in the northern part of the city. Thanks goes to my former colleague and his family! It must have been the coca tea at dinner, but at 11 pm at hostel I still had the energy to join a beer drinking party. The party turned into a masquerade and photo session simultaneously - a Brazilian guy was pulling out of his backpack glasses, red noses, Viking hat, nurse hat, etc. Needless to say my first night was fun.


Today already in a company of two I headed north to a small town Zipaquirá that is famous for its salt cathedral. It is an absolute must in Colombia. Completely underground in the former salt mine inside the mountain there is a functioning cathedral (services on Sundays only) with another 1 km of paths inside the mountain depicting life of Jesus. I was stunned in disbelief that this construction is of salt. Yes, I licked the wall and it was salty! To my surprise there were no tourists, we were almost the only ones inside. Amazing! Some blurry pictures below.







Cute town of Zipaquirá: