Beach Life

From Cartagena we made our way east on the Caribbean coast to the small village of Taganga. The town is a major scuba dive spot but after my last stint at scuba diving I opted for the beach. It was super chilled out and we had a great group of friends there.

Bay of Taganga.

More smoothies!

Headed down to the beach.

Massage attack by the locals. I'm really
fighting it aren't I?

Jules was also a target!

Paradise.

Valentines day was celebrated with some
homeade pizzas and vino tinto.

Sandra, the baguette lady and her lovely
daughter.


A local guy selling bracelets. Sophy
and I were easy customers.


Sophy and I on our last day in Taganga. She
was headed back to Cartagena to sail up to
Panama. I would have loved to have gone
with her!


A night out in Taganga. Hiro is the man!

After Taganga we headed to Parque Tayrona which is a National Park that has some of the most beautiful beaches in Colombia. There are only campsites in the park so you can either hire a tent or a hammock. We opted for hammocks as we were getting pretty used to sleeping in them. Unfortunately, the mosquitoes were vicious and it wasn't the most comfortable night's sleep. (As romantic as it may sound!)


The hike starts in the jungle and ends along
the many remote beaches.

We camped at this beach.


I've been told I have a "strut"....


Parque Tayrona photo shoot.

On the way out of the park you can usually hitch a ride on a scooter or in someone's car to the entrance of the park for a small sum. We didn't see anyone so we decided to walk it. As we neared the end of the road some friendly Colombian police men gave us a ride. Machine guns and all!


I think we caused quite a scene!

You´re Going Where??

This was the general reaction I got when I told people I was going to Colombia. ¨Kidnapping is the national sport¨, ¨I don´t have enough money for bail if you get kidnapped Christina.¨, ¨Are you sure you want to go there?!¨ were a few of these comments. My dad specifically sent me an email with a State Department warning saying - DO NOT GO TO COLOMBIA CHRISTINA. But I heard nothing but excellent reviews from my fellow backpackers and besides, since when do I listen to what my Dad tells me anyway? :) I was greeted with nothing but kindness from the Colombians which sadly, I know isn´t always the case in the US. I was completely blown away by Colombia and while it was the country I spent the least amount of time in, it was by far my favorite. You feel like a visitor instead of a tourist. You can´t buy a postcard in most of the cities and people are constantly asking you why you are there, as if they are surprised themselves. There is real character in the cities and the landscape is gorgeous. The tourist boom is just starting there because of increased security and while the FARC is still active in Colombia, you just have to be smart and realize where it is you can and cannot go. Hool, Jules and I boarded our flight from Quito and arrived in Cartagena. The balmy air was a welcome change from the chilly weather of Quito. The next day we hit the beach where we were whistled and hooted at on every corner. I will miss this flattery back home in the States. Of course it is a joke, because the Colombian women are gorgeous!

Cartagena is the most touristy city in Colombia but it still has an old, authentic feel to it. Walking down the streets you see beautiful old buildings of every color, men pushing carts of plantains, tailors working at old metal sewing machines, and lots of fresh fruit & smoothies stands. We took advantage of these whenever we could!


The ladies enjoying some smoothies. We met

up with my friend Sophie while in Cartagena.

A night out in the Old Towne.

The gate to the Old Towne in

Cartagena.

Met back up with my buddies Emma & Andy

who are always a good time!

More fruit! The Julies enjoying fresh fruit salad

on the beach from a friendly Colombian woman.

The girls at the Castillo de San Felipe a fort

built by the Spanish in the 1600s.

We love Colombia!

Exploring the tunnels underneath the fort.

The streets of Cartagena.

A Colombian church.

Old Towne Cartagena.

Last day in town.

Cartagena is a beautiful city full of life and character and we spent 2 great days there. Next stop was the small fishing village of Taganga to relax on the beach.

*This was my experience while in Colombia. I realize that the current conflict between Equador & Venezuela makes the situation more dangerous and I am lucky that I got to visit when I did.

Welcome To The Jungle

Ok, so this is probably the most cliche title in the world for this blog entry but I am using it because even though I don't even like the classic Guns & Roses tune, it kept running through my head while deep in the jungle of Equador. The Secret Garden, where I was working, has a jungle trek that was highly recommended by lots of the guests so once I was done work, Jules, Julie, Duncan (Scottish), Tom (English), Tristan (Dutch), Demetrius (Greek) and I headed to Tena to spend 4 days in the jungle. There were also 2 girls from a local paper writing a review of the trip, Hannah and Kathleen who came along. So all of us will have our 5 minutes of fame when the article publishes.

We arrived in Tena and were greeted by our guide Rene, who treated us to a lunch of chicken feet soup and steak with rice both of which I ate! For all those who know about my pickiness, especially concerning meat, I know you are proud! After getting fitted for our rubber wellies we all jumped in a pick-up truck and headed to the entrance to the jungle. After a 30 min hike, we arrived at the campsite and instantly were bombarded with adorable Equadorian children. They all wanted us to take their photos and then instantly wanted to see this pics. They could have done this for hours.


We hail from the white tribe. This was our
cabana where we slept.


They couldn't get enough of the photos.


Me and the cute Equadorian kids.

Demetrius was more interested in his ciggys!

That night, the Shaman who is basically the local medicine man in the jungle, held a ceremony with the local children to welcome us. It was pretty cute. All the kids got dressed up and bounced around and then of course we joined in. They were all so welcoming and kind to us.


Getting jiggy in the jungle.


The children welcoming us.

The Shaman then went on to explain the way a Shaman becomes one which involves years of sobreity, celebacy and concentration. He learned the trade from his father and was very proud to tell us that he helped his wife give birth with some natural medicine that he prescribed.


This ritual was done to cleanse me
of any bad spirits which are believed

be the cause of many sicknesses

Tom and Duncan chillin in our cabana.


My bed in the cabana.

The next day, the Shaman took us on a tour of his front yard which to the blind eye would look like nothing more than a lot of green plants, but it was amazing all the useful things that lay in his front yard.


Harvesting yuca, a staple vegetable
in Equadorian cuisine.


Cocoa plant, which we later roasted to make
chocolate. The outside of the bean is tasty!


The Shaman shaved this long reed
down to the fibrous center and the
end product is used to make rope,

belts, etc.

There were also some very large grasshoppers.

After our little tour of the yard, we pulled on our boots, grabbed our gear and headed into the thick of the jungle. Being in the jungle with the Shaman and his sons was an eye opening experience. He showed us many types of plants which were used for everyday things that we just go to the drugstore and buy without a second thought. There was a tree which excreted a glue-like substance, fruits which were used to make whistles to communicate, palms which produce palm hearts, cinnamon, lemongrass, yuca and many other things. He also showed us how the natives set up traps to kill animals for meat. The range of knowledge that the Shaman possessed (along with his machete skills!) were quite impressive.

Getting friendly with some jungle flora!

Javier got kissy faced too.

After we got a bit further into the jungle, it was time to really play the part. The guides transformed us into true Amazonian tribesman (and women). :) We wove headbands out of palm leaves and were given headdresses and painted with tribal symbols so we would really fit in. It was really fun and got everyone in a playful mood.

We used these palms to weave our

headbands.

Hard at work!

Hannah and I. Hannah was writing the story on

the trip for a local Quito newspaper.

Jules and I pre war paint.

The crew.

Undergoing my transformation.

Our jungle face paint.

Eating lemon flavored ants. It´s a jungle thing,

you wouldn´t understand.


An interesting tree...

Duncan & I mucking about.


Giving the old boots a rest.

Our hike ended in a cave where we spent the
night sleeping in hammocks.

Some of us had a hard time in the jungle...


The girls loved my alarm clock
with all the different rings.

Craft time!


Jules and I hiking out of the jungle.


By the last day, it was pouring down rain on
our way to the animal refuge. I think we were
a little sick of the jungle by this time.


Monkeys hanging out at the animal refuge.

The jungle trip in Tena was one of the highlights of my trip. It was so much fun and really made you realize how many people rely on it for survival. I am currently in Colombia but this post has worn me out! So I will post more pics later. I am currently in San Gil and headed to Bogota tomorrow to meet up with our friend David that we met in Buenos Aires. Should be fun!