Colombia .... so much to offer

To say Columbia has a bad reputation is common knowledge to most people in the world...it´s a little like saying the Sens will lose to the Leafs in the playoffs...people just assume it (yeah Ill probably regret saying that in May). The stories of Pablo Escobar and his drug cartel in the 80's to the ongoing kidnappings of politicians, businessmen, and tourists through the last few decades have perpetuated a fear into most of western society.
The problems of Columbia can mostly be attributed to the cocaine industry, crooked politicians, and the ongoing battle between the gurillas, the government and the paramilitary, that has lasted for decades.
The Gurillas made up of a few differen't rebel groups occupy nearly 40 percent of the country, and are the ones responsible for the kidknappings that are reported back home. In the past the Gurillas were supported by other communist nations but after international pressure to these other nations such as cuba and russia to stop the support they have been on their own to find ways to support them selves. So kidknappings and cocaine have been their main sources of funding.
The para military are a bit confusing to me. I really don't know the dynamics of this group but what I do know is that they aren't the army, they are supported by the government but not affiliated with it, and they are some bad M.Fers. They will kill anyone they feel is helping the Gurillas without hesitation, as well as anyone who tries to mess with their operations. A few weeks ago some friends of mine were staying in Tyrona National park at one of the camp sites. Some common thieves came in with guns and locked everyone up including the owners, and robbed them. Unfortunately for the thieves they robbed people that were connected with the paramilitary. I heard a few days ago that 2 of the robbers were caught by the paras and were immediately killed.
So with all these problems why come here right? Before I ventured off to Latin America I had no plans to come to Columbia but I was a little curious. I had read a lot of stories from other travellers saying it was their favourite country in South America, and as I travelled through Central America, the curiousity grew stronger as I met more travelers saying the same great things about this country. I needed to find out for myself.
My first destination in Columbia was the Coastal city of Cartagena. Founded in the 1500´s Cartagena was a major port for the Conquistadors, but was difficult to defend from pirates and other invaders throughout the 1500´s so over the next 200 years a wall was constructed around the city to protect from invaders, and it still stands today. Inside the old city is street after street of Colonial architecture and charm. I stayed for a total of 5 days in Cartagena and other than hit the beach for a few hours every day, I pretty much just walked around the city, and enjoyed sitting in the many cafe´s watching the world walk by. One day I did meet some locals that took me out a few nights, and we had a great time. Columbians love to party. After a great weekend I was ready move on to a more chilled and relaxed area...or as the locals say tranquilo.
My next port of call was Santa Marta, a 5 hour bus ride that was meant to be 3. When I arrived I was shocked at how big Santa Marta was but there really wasn´t much to do so I booked myself on a 6 day trek into the jungle in search of Ciudad Perdida, a.k.a. the lost city. The trek began with the whole group of 16 travellers and 4 guides/cooks/porters, splitting into 2 vehicles for a 2 hour ride out of the city and into the jungle. After about 20 minutes driving, our vehicle started making funny noises and was chugging for fuel after a few minutes of this we coasted to the side of the road. Apparantly gas gauges aren´t an invention thought useful here. So the driver sent his wife on a bus that was passing by to get us some more fuel. An hour later and my hacky sack skills improved she arrived with a tank of gas. Vamous....we were off again....until...the engine started to make more noise again. We pulled over to the side of the road again and our driver inspected the engine again. I don´t know what was wrong this time but we continued on. We ended up stopping every 5 min. or so and after a while he gave up and found us another ride in the back of a pick up truck. We finally arrived at our starting point 3 hours behind schedule, the porters made us a sandwhich and we began our ascent to our first base camp. The first day of trekking was mostly all straight up hill and was much more challenging than I expected. As we approached the camp the day light had gone and the sweat on our bodies started to chill us. Oh a hot shower would have been magic...however we were hours a way from electricity so standing around the cooking fire would have to suffice. Base camps were all very basic with shelter to hang our hammocks, cold showers, toilets, a cooking area, and a few tables to eat at and socialize. Every night was an early one as we were up at dawn and back on the trails, for more pain and torture. The porters must get a good laugh at us...I mean here we are paying really good money to put ourselves through pain, but I can honestly say that as much as it hurt some days it was truly a worth while and amazing experience. The stunning views never ended, as lush rippling mountains created a constant green backdrop that accentuated water falls flowing down from the fresh mountain spring water that always made incredibly refreshing rivers to swim in, and clean safe water to drink out of.
The lost city itself wasn´t really an awe inspiring site. The city is meant to be a massive area but there is only a tiny fraction that has been excavated, and the foundations that are seen are fairly small in comparison to what some of the Mayan sites have to offer. I would have to say that this trip was all about the journey and not the destination but well worth it.
One of the best outcomes of the lost city trek was the people that I met. Everyone got along so well, and after a good night out together half of the group departed for other places. The rest of us decided to stick around for a while at the sleepy little fishing town of Taganga that is a scenic 15min. bus ride from Santa Marta. Taganga offers that Carribean laid back life style that sucks you in immediately. I meant to stay there for a few days and ended up there for a week. Laying on the beach and sipping on freshly made fruit juice all day, and partying with the locals all night till dawn was too good to leave in a hurry. However everything new ends up getting old at some point and I was feeling some sort of pull towards a new destination. So I packed my bags, and with the littlest hobo tune in my head I drove away from Taganga in a taxi...oh shit the taxi broke down. So I hopped into another taxi and drove away from the Carribean for maybe the last time during this trip. I made it to the bus terminal with little time to spare for the last bus to Medellin. Of course the bus ended up being a hour and a half late.
So far Columbia has been everything I had hoped for. Amazing scenery, rich culture, but what I love so far the most are the people. Columbians truly think with their hearts first and I am impressed each and every day at the level of generosity that they are willing to put forth to a stranger without asking for a penny.
I´ll wrap this one up by saying Happy Holidays and Wish you all were here with me! Ceau!
Troy

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