Page 6 of BMertens Travel Blog Posts


South America » Ecuador » Centre » Quilotoa June 17th 2018

On Thursday, June 14th, I got up at 5:30 to take a bus to the Quitumbe bus terminal. The bus system in Quito is great, not too difficult and buses are pretty cheap (0,25$). From Mariscal, it was a bit more than an hour to this bus terminal but so early it wasn't too crowded yet. :-) From there, I took a bus to Latacunga. It only cost 2,5$ and took about 90 minutes. The bus was very comfortable and the landscape pretty nice. In Latacunga, I took a taxi to the Hostel Tiana. They have very cheap luggage storage : only 1$ per day if you stay at least 1 night in this hostel and the day of your stay the storage is free. So I only paid 3$ and was rid of all my ... read more
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South America » Ecuador » North » Quito June 14th 2018

Montag, den 11. Juni, habe ich Kolumbien verlassen und bin nach Ecuador gegangen. Verschiedene Leute hatten mir Horrorgeschichten von diesem Grenzübergang erzählt und gesagt dass dort so viele Venezuelaner die Grenze überqueren möchten, dass es Stunden oder sogar einen ganzen Tag dauern kann dort rüber zu kommen. Also hatte ich entschieden sehr früh dorthin zu gehen und hatte mir ein Taxi für 6h morgens bestellt. Allerdings kam und kam der Typ nicht und so bin ich um 6h20 losgegangen und habe mir ein anderes Taxi auf der Straße gesucht. Die Grenze ist nur um die 7km von Ipiales entfernt und so war ich dann gegen 6h30 dort, aber ich konnte kaum meinen Augen glauben bei dem Anblick der sich mir dort bot! Es waren bereits mehr als 100 Leute dort in der Warteschlange um Kolumbien zu ... read more
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South America » Ecuador » North June 14th 2018

On Monday, June 11th, I left Colombia and entered Ecuador. People had made me afraid of this border, telling me that there are so many Venezuelians trying to cross the border that it can take hours to cross here. So I had decided to go there very early in the morning and I had ordered a taxi via the apartment I had booked for 6AM, but they guy never showed and so, at 6:20, I went to find another taxi in the streets of Ipiales. The border is only 7km or so from Ipiales and so I got there around 6:30AM, but I couldn’t believe my eyes when I got there! There was already a line of more than 100 people waiting to exit Colombia! Fortunately, there was a nice guy trying to make me exchange ... read more
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South America » Colombia » Cali June 11th 2018

Freitag, den 10. Juni kam ich gegen 14h in Cali an. Vom Busterminal zum Hostel nahm ich mir ein Taxi, was nicht ganz einfach für mich war, denn ich bin immer noch ziemlich paranoid in Bussen und Taxis, vor allem in Städten. Die Busfahrt hat nur 3 Stunden gedauert, aber es war ein sehr warmer Minibus gewesen und so war ich doch froh, als ich endlich im Hostel ankam. Eddy hat mir gesagt, dass Freunde von ihm im El Viajero waren und das Hostel cool fanden und so bin auch ich dorthin gegangen. Das Personal dort hätte nicht freundlicher sein können und das Hostel war auch schön. Die Zimmer waren groß, alles war sauber, es gab jede Menge Hammocks, der Poolbereich war ganz cool und es gab eine Bar. Nach einem späten Mittagessen bin ich zurück ... read more
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South America » Colombia » Cali June 11th 2018

I arrived to Cali around 2PM on Friday, June 10th. From the bus terminal I took a taxi to my hostel and that was quite difficult for me, I’m still very paranoid in buses and taxis more so in cities. The bus ride had only taken 3 hours but it had been a very hot minibus and so I was very happy when I finally arrived at my hostel. Eddy had said some friends of his had stayed at the El Viajero hostel and had quite liked it, so I went there. The staff could not have been more welcoming and friendly and the hostel was very nice. Dorms were spacious, everything was clean, there were lots of hammocks and a nice pool area with a bar. After lunch, I went back and chilled in the ... read more
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South America » Colombia » Manizales June 8th 2018

Montag, den 4. Juni, kam ich irgendwann nachmittags in Manizales an. Ich erwartete eigentlich eine ganz kleine Stadt und war dann überrascht, dass Manizales eine sehr große Stadt ist. Wer hätte das gedacht!? ^_^ Vom Busterminal habe ich eine Seilbahn hoch ins Zentrum genommen von wo aus es dann ungefähr 10 Minuten zu Fuß bis zu meinem Hostel waren. Unterwegs sah ich den Hauptplatz wo an diesem Montag sehr viele Menschen die Sonne genossen (es war irgendein katholischer Feiertag und die Leute hatten frei). Das Zentrum von Manizales mit seinen vielen Kirchen war ganz nett. Mein Hostel, das Golden Frog Mountain Hostel, war super. Die Zimmer waren groß, die Betten riesig, überall waren Leseecken, Sofas und Hammocks und es war super gemütlich. Es war sehr sauber dort, in der Küche gab es alles was man sich ... read more
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South America » Colombia » Manizales June 8th 2018

On Monday, June 4th, I arrived sometime in the afternoon to Manizales. I was expecting a small town, but it turned out to be quite a big city. Who knew? ^_^ From the terminal I took a cable car up to the center and from there I walked around 10 minutes to my hostel. On my way I saw the main square where many people were enjoying the sunny day (it was some catholic holiday so people didn’t have to work). The center of Manizales was quite nice, with lots of churches. My hostel, the Golden Frog Mountain Hostel, was very nice. Rooms were very spacious, beds large, common areas very cozy and there were lots of nice quiet corners for reading and hanging out. Everything was very clean, kitchen well stuffed and breakfast was good. ... read more
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South America » Colombia » Medellin June 4th 2018

Donnerstag, den 31. Mai, kam ich um 17h in Medellín an. Vom Flughafen waren es 1 1/2 Stunden Busfahrt zum Stadtzentrum und dann nochmal 20 Minuten mit einem Uber zu meinem Hostel. Ich hatte mir überlegt ein Uber vom Flughafen zum Hostel zu nehmen, aber der Bus war viel billiger und nicht wirklich langsamer. Das Garden of Blues Hostel war ganz ok, aber nicht mein Lieblingshostel. Das Hostel war in 2 verschiedene Gebäude aufgeteilt und es gab daher keinen wirklich sozialen Platz, nur einen im Hauptgebäude, aber die Sofas waren auch in einem abgetrennten Teil des Hostels und nicht der Ort wo man auf Anhieb hingeht. Das bedeutet, dass der einzige Ort im Hostel wo man Leute kennenlernt in seinem Zimmer ist und, in meinem Fall, änderten diese Leute jeden Tag. Die Zimmer waren ganz ok ... read more
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South America » Colombia June 4th 2018

On Thursday, May 31st, I arrived at 5PM to Medellín. From the airport, it was 1 1/2 hours by bus to the city center and then another 20 minutes with Uber to my hostel. I had tought about taking an Uber from the airport, but the bus was way cheaper and not much slower. The Garden of Blues Hostel was all right, but not my favorite place. There were 2 buildings and no real social area, only in the main building but even there it was a bit apart and not the place where you go first. This means, the only people in the hostel you really meet are the ones in your room and, in my case, they changed every day. The rooms were quite nice and there were, for once, enough bathrooms, but the ... read more
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South America » Colombia » Bogota June 1st 2018

On Monday, May 28, I arrived at 12:30AM to Bogotá. I took an Uber to my hostel and, after checking in, I went to get some food. It was already too late to go to any free walking tour and I wasn't feeling well, so I stayed at the hostel. I was really tired and cold and so I just watched a movie. I barely managed to go to a shop to get some food for dinner and everything was kind of difficult. In the morning and during the flight I had been full of energy and at first I didn't know what had changed, but then I realized I was getting the flue... So I went to bed very early and only met Joanna from Denmark, a girl staying in my dorm. She was nice ... read more
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