I’m sneaking this post in a little early, and extremely close to the other one. I have to make use of any time I have with technology right now. The last sentence sounds rather funny but there are a couple reasons why this is the case. Firstly, this week my laptop was knocked off a table and is longer working, and secondly, I’m about to sail to Panama! Like most of the decisions, heading to Panama was a spontaneous choice, hence, this was our last week in Colombia!

**Update, Jackson found a MacBook repair guru man in the backstreets of Colombia. The Mac centre in Colombia said they weren’t able to fix it, this guy solved the problem in 2 hours. A+ service I say.

Medellin to Guatape

Our time in Medellin came to a close, as I said in the previous blog post – I really enjoyed my time there. Medellin is a hub for digital nomads, a city that provides super fast internet. Additionally, it has a very modern and hipster feel to it. Every morning we would go to an awesome little coffee shop called Pergamino, they had the best coffee in Colombia. Personally, I still think Australia makes the best coffee, which makes me think that Colombia’s coffee reputation is for their quality beans and not baristas. I always find myself making comparisons to other places and countries I’ve been or lived in, I’m doing my best to reduce doing this. Instead, I need to accept that the place I am in, is exactly what it is. It’s human nature to compare but usually, these comparisons are unnecessary. We just like to make sense of things when we are put in unknown situations, so to accept them as they are is a big skill I am improving on.

This feels as if it could be Europe, see what I mean about the vast array of landscapes!?

El Penon, Guatape

From the very first time Jackson and I talked about going to Colombia, this was really the only I really knew of. We both googled En Penon and saw this it was a very unique landscape. From Google, we could see it had a huge rock with zig-zagging stairs up against the side and a lot of water that filled the area. It intrigued us both, so once making it to Medellin we made sure that we would go there.

The bus ride was 2 hours from Medellin and truly stunning the whole way. We drove through small little towns nestled amongst the hills, I admired all the grapevines that blanketed the hills and for a moment, it reminded me of my home state South Australia.

My favourite photo from Jackson Groves, of the El Penon a.k.a ‘The Big Rock’.

Rolling into Guatape you could instantly see, Piedra Del Penol, the huge rock. The world continually amazes me.. How did a thing this big end up here, surrounded by beautiful waterways and lush green countryside. I didn’t feel as if I was in Colombia, maybe Europe or somewhere like that. Again, Colombia has astounded me with how quickly the landscapes change.

The blue skies were out, the sun was beaming so we decided to make the most of it and climb this oversize rock. We caught a tuk-tuk to the base and worked our way up the 660+ stairs. Arriving at the top, I was in awe of the view. In every direction, it was magic, greens, and blues particularly. There were little houses with fires, speed boats racing through the canals, mansions, hidden retreats – you could really see it all.

After taking some snaps, I was very content to eat the locally served mango cup. Colombians don’t eat mangoes the same way they do in Australia; the mangoes are sliced up in long strips like wedges, then squirted with lime and sprinkled with salt and sometimes pepper. They are far from sweet, as they’re cut up before they’re ripe. It’s truly a different way to eat mango but it’s something I’ve embraced.

55km bike ride.

Day 2 in Guatape, we decided to go hunt down some waterfalls. But instead of venturing around on a scooter, motorbike or bus we thought it would be a good idea to ride. And it was.. Steve, Jackson and I picked up our bikes from Lake View Hostel in Guatape and road for 27km out of town to San Rafael. Everyone told us, that it was a one-way ride. You ride there and make sure you’re on the bus by 5 pm. NOBODY said it was possible to ride back, they even offered to buy the other boys beers. I don’t think people understand that Jackson and I aren’t you’re regular backpackers. We like physical challenges and pushing ourselves as far as we can, and when someone says you can’t do something, well we’re going to do it.

The ride there was hilly at first, for the first 3km and then I kid you not, for the next 24km it was all downhill. It was the best downhill mountain biking I’ve ever done. The road pushed right to the side of the mountains, and we ventured further and further down. We were going 50-60km down these hills, and that was with whilst I gripped the brakes because I knew they would probably fail me if I went any faster. Jackson and I started to laugh not even halfway because we knew we had to ride back up. We weren’t going to lose this bet. When we arrived at our destination, the water holes were magic. They weren’t touristy at all and the locals had built a solid diving board and tree swing. We chilled here for many hours and soaked it all in.

The ride home… Steve was smart, he decided to catch the bus back. Jackson and I proceeded to spend the next 2 and half hours grinding our way up this hill in the lowest gear possible. It was relentless. We quickly understood why no one rides back from San Rafael to Guatape. Nonetheless, we did it. I always try to stay as active as possible whilst travelling, I suppose this was one way of doing it.

Guatape to Cartagena

Thanks to our mate Sam we met on the road, he hooked us up accommodation in Cartagena. Cartagena is well up North on the coast of Colombia and I’m very stoked to be back where the sun sets on the water. Jackson is doing work here, and I would be too typically but as I’m waiting for my laptop to be fixed I’ve been spending plenty of time writing and setting goals for the next half of the year. As much as I’d like to not have the stresses of a broken laptop, in the bigger scheme of things I know it will be fixed soon, so I’m enjoying my time away from technology. Tomorrow morning we leave to Panama to sail the San Blas islands.

My next month will be totally in Panama, and I have no idea what to expect. I had no expectations of Colombia but it certainly has blown me away.

Keep pushing your comfort zones,

Big Love,

JL

One by one. One step at a time, one day at time or one moment at a time. That’s all we need to focus on, when we start thinking about anything more we detract ourselves from the experience we are in. Attention is priceless, whether you’re giving it to others or yourself. – Josh Lynott

Thank you, Colombia!