Colombia

It has been a while since my last post and I would be surprised if anyone will read this one (so hopefully the fact that I am exhausted and will not be using good grammar will pass unnoticed...)
A few weeks ago I took the most epic trip of my life to Cartagena Colombia... IN A BUS. If you chance a look at a map of South America, you will note that Cartagena is very far away from Quito. However, the trip was worth it.

I am in love with Colombia. I only wish I had more time to spend there. If I had known what an amazing country it was before hand I would have chosen it for my study abroad. I feel like American media tends to focus on the negatives aspects of Colombia. We all know about the cocaine industry and the FARC guerillas but we never talk about the beautiful country side, fabulous cities, and friendly people. Colombia's tourist slogan is "El riesgo es que te quieras quedar" or "this is risk is that you will want to stay" playing on the image that many people have of Colombia as a "risky" country.

Cartagena was beautiful. The old city is rich in colonial style architecture. We also visited El Palacio de La inquisicion.... the place from which the Caribbean branch of the Spanish inquisition was conducted. Our hostel was full of friendly people from around the world. The first night however I had to sleep in a hammock as there were no open beds, and Naomi (my fearless travel companion) had to sleep on a very thin mattress on the floor. None the less, I would not stay anywhere else. I loved the sense of camaraderie and boundless spirit of adventure.

Then we went to Medellin, best known as the hometown of Pablo Escobar and his cartel. Since Pablito's death Medellin has cleaned up its act. They have an amazing metro system, beautiful museums and plazas, and GORGEOUS PEOPLE. Everyone in Medellin is absolutely beautiful. They say that during Escobar's reign, one way to stay alive was to be pretty, so everyone got plastic surgery... I am not entirely sure about the truth of this statement, but the beauty of the people there is astounding. One thing has not changed however: cocaine of high quality is still cheap and abundant there.Although Medellin has the same population as Quito, is is much less polluted, feels much safer, and there is little to no grafitti. Love it.

Going back to Quito was sad... I know Colombia is definitely on my list of places I need to explore more.

Hope you all are well. I will try to keep this updated better.

P.S. I hugged a sloth in Cartagena and it was the best ever.