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Published: February 6th 2007
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A local sweet vendor in Popayán with some tangy rotting fruit to sell Hopping over the Ecuadorian border into Colombia was so easygoing (the best border crossing yet) and the landscape around there is so lush and green you just want to take it with you. Endless valleys and thick jungle, this is Colombia!
We landed in Popayán, a colonial city in the south and had the good fortune of witnessing some festivities on our only day there. mini hot-air balloons were being sent up over the city, some shooting off fire works, some crumpling back to earth on fire and others sailing through the skies of Popayán, nestling down on a patch of grass somewhere. A nerdy afternoon was spent ogling stuffed animals and rocks in the Museum of Natural Historical Stuff, and boy did they have a lot of poor little creepy dead birds, as well as some grand eagles and an enormous duck. Not sure if I approve, guys!
From there we took an overnight bus into Bogotá, the capital of this fine country, and found ourselves in the aptly named "platypus" hostel. Yes, there were quite a few Aussies. We ended up out on the street for New Years with a great bunch of people, just drinking the
Nice dead bird....
A crested eagle attacks its lunch, an evil-looking little monkey...this one reminds me of Harry Potter for some reason night away while the rest of Bogota spent time with their families. Hermann, the way chilled hostel owner, shouted us a tasty NYE snack of hot tamales, Colombia's finest of course. So we had to try and find some kind of party, and we crammed 7 or 8 of us into a tiny taxi to the Zona Rosa, hip club section of the city. Saying that, we still had to wait an hour in a dodgy hole-in-the-wall pub until the club opened! Awesome night, and it ended taking another taxi with the craziest driver in Colombia and his 'disco taxi'. This guy was pumping up the dance tracks at 7 in the morning, grooving with his hands off the wheel on the highway and flicking the tiny cab light on and off for a strobe light! Crammed into the back we were laughing so hard.
Aside from the partying in Bogotá we savoured the city, it's wide green spaces and beautiful architecture. The museums were a highlight, I (Carly) spent over 2 hours by myself contemplating the Bogotá Bienale in the Modern Art Museum. 4 levels of fascinating installments about political and social issues that seemed to sum up
the current and recent history of Colombia, from the viewpoint of children, teens and adults. Anyone nearby, get to this exhibition! The Botero Gallery in La Candeleria was a popular one also, because it was so good and so free! Room after room of paintings made F-A-T, this guy liked things rounded. Comical and intriguing. There were even a few Picassos and a Dali sculpture in there to round off the modern art section. (ahh in heaven!)
Soon after NY celebrations we whizzed up to Cartagena on an overnighter, and arrived in the humid heat both sick with a cold from the ridiculous air-con on the bus. Brrrr. Greg was so out of it that he couldn't get out to the dance festival, which was half the reason I wanted to get up to the Carribean coast to fast...international DJs on the beach in Colombia! On the 4th at the SummerDance festival was DJ Tiesto from Holland, and I didn't want to miss it so I asked anyone around if they were going, frantically coming across Dylan from Perth and 3 crazy Japanese travellers who all were ready to go for the 3 night in a row! We dished
out the cash for tickets and hopped in a taxi for half an hour to the remote beach location, down a dirt road in the dark it reminded me of some Oz festivals or just a house party in the bush. But out beside the waves we found 3 massive stages, a bunch of rich-kids with their 4x4s parked nearby, and a horde of scalpers pressuring you to buy their fakes. Music was AMAZINNG, especially when an early DJ brought out '...This, is not, New York....This, is not, Prague...This, is not, LA...This, is, COLOMBIA!!' Pumping.(maybe it's a Colombian thing)
The next few stinkin hot days were full of partying, trying to find good food at 3pm not too far from the hostel coz it was so damn HOT, and walking around at dusk checking out the Old Town Cartegena, one of those fortresses with huge stone walls built by the water to withstand pirate attacks and enemies. There I go with my great historically correct descriptions again. I didn't even see the Old Town until the morning of my flight out, 6 days after arriving in Cartagena. Just too much partying and having cold afternoon showers and going to
the beach (which by the way was ridiculously crowded with Colombian families, tourists and people trying to rip you off with massages and 'beach taxes'. So much for a beach being free for everyone!).
Ending with another massive night at SummerDance, with Paul van Dyke and a bunch of Aussies we met earlier on the road (small world), our time in Cartagena drew to a close. But not out time on the Carribean! Next stop Taganga Beach near Santa Marta. We love our little fishing villages, touristy but not overwhelming, with a stretch of fresh fish places and icecream parlors along the water. Short and sweet.
So it's back to Cuenca for Carly and off to Central America for Greg. Follow our adventures as they stray to more crazy destinations and improbable situations!
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