Hallo mein lieblings, my apologies for my radio silence. I’ve been
very busy enjoying all that Colombia has to offer! (And learning German! Hence the greeting!)
Since I last updated you all, I’ve taken a few cool
trips. The first was to Minca, a little town in the foothills of the Sierra
Nevada outside of Santa Marta. Minca is at 600 meters so the cool mountain air
was a nice respite from Cartagena’s relentless heat. I stayed in a tiny hostel alongside
the river and enjoyed several days of listening to the river flowing while
reading and writing. I hiked to the Pozo Azul one day and joined locals and
tourists in the cold water that travels down the mountain from some of the
tallest peaks in Colombia. I left lots of hikes to do for the next time I
visit, because there will surely be a next time!
Click for VIDEO!
Me and my hiking companion |
Some much-needed mist to recover from Cartagena heat |
A writer's paradise! |
Then, Norbert and I took a short trip to a little town
called Rincon del Mar. First, we took a bus to a town called San Onofre. Well,
we were so distracted by the beauty of the ride that we missed our stop, but the
bus driver was kind enough to pull over and flag down another bus heading back
from whence we came. In San Onofre, we hopped on the back of two motorcycles
and took a bouncy ride towards the coast. Midway to Rincon del Mar, we were
stopped by a group of military men carrying big scary guns, but they were very
kind and jovial as they searched our bags for drugs. Apparently, these kinds of
searches are very common in these parts of Colombia because of the remote
location and the nearness to the sea. One of them practiced their German with
Norbert and another sent us away with God’s blessing.
At Rincon del Mar, we didn’t have much on our agenda
besides relaxing. The next day, we took a boat trip with some fisherman to the
nearby Islas de San Bernardo. We snorkeled the reef, visited the world’s most
densely populated island, Santa Cruz del Islote, and had a delicious fish lunch on the beach.
Once back at the hostel, Norbert made friends with all the village kids by letting them practice flying his kite. This provided immense entertainment for all involved, and I’m not sure who had more fun—Norbert or the kids.
Once back at the hostel, Norbert made friends with all the village kids by letting them practice flying his kite. This provided immense entertainment for all involved, and I’m not sure who had more fun—Norbert or the kids.
CLICK VIDEO
Who's having more fun??! |
That night, we strolled into town for an ice cream and
caught a glimpse of a cockfight happening in the town’s center. Apparently it’s
a popular activity around this part of Colombia, including on the island we
visited.
My latest trip was this past weekend to the town of San Basilio de Palenque. This weekend was a “Puente” in Colombia, meaning it was a long
weekend. This means full-on fiesta for three long days. (I don’t know how they
have the energy!) It was the fiesta patronales de la Virgen del Rosario, and
there were lots of festivals happening in the area. One was a gaita festival in
Ovejas and the other was the Festival de los Tambores in Palenque.

With a big group of friends from work and from Bella
Vista, the hotel where I live, we all headed out to Palenque late on Saturday
afternoon. What we found was a tiny village pulsing with drumming and dancing
that didn’t stop throughout the whole weekend. The stage was full of dancers
and musicians presenting folkloric dances from all over Colombia and beyond!
Then there were music groups giving concerts late into the night.
Around four
in the morning, the sound system turned off and the folkloric groups gathered
in the streets for the most important event of the weekend – la arborada. This
is when the drummers and dancers parade through the dark streets towards the
only hill in town. The celebration continues at the top of the hill as the sun
comes up. The idea is to bring the festival to those who live at the top of the
hill who might not be able to make it down to take part in the festivities. They
bring the festival to them.
VIDEO!
CLICK for VIDEO
What a crazy experience. I was only in Palenque for less
than 24 hours but I fell in love with the energy and the history of the
village. It is considered the first free black village in the Americas and it
is said that the women slaves used their hair braids to draw maps and pass on
secret messages to the others about the road to Palenque. Hair braiding is
still a strong part of their culture. There were signs on houses that read “Hay
Pelo,” literally translated as “We Have Hair.” On porches all over the village,
you could see women sitting still as their head was woven into intricate
braided designs. Although many women offered to braid my hair, it’s something I’ll
have to do next time I visit Palenque. I’ll definitely be back!
Then, I went straight from Palenque to las Islas del
Rosario to begin working on my social project. I’m volunteering with an
up-and-coming group of eco-guides in the region of Baru and Islas del Rosario,
mostly fishermen and young men from the islands. My job is to help them improve
their English so that they can use it to speak to tourists, land more jobs, and
give their clients the best experience possible. I am also helping them on the
marketing side with photographs, videos, and messages to post on their social
media accounts and attract clients. It’s been fun getting to know them and I’m
excited to continue working with them over the course of this year. I’m already
learning so much about the history of this area as well as the flora and fauna,
and I’m lucky that get to be their guinea pig and go on all of their
excursions!
In case you’re interested in my writing outside of the
blog, I’ve had several pieces published in the last few months, so feel free to
browse my publications page! I also have several pieces that will appear in
print soon. I’ll be sure to pass on the info about how to purchase your copies as
soon as I get it!In the meantime, here are some pics of life in Cartagena to entice you guys to come visit us!!!!!!!
Celebrating Oktoberfest in Cartagena! |
For more exciting VIDEOS of life in Colombia, please go to my YouTube channel and check out my Colombia playlist!