STORY OF A JOURNEYB Y P E R U . E C U A D O R A N D C O L O M B I A ( O F L I M A T O T U M B E S

A M E R I C A N , I P I A L E S , C A L I , M E D E L L I N , A N T A M A R T A , B O G O T A A N D Q U I T O )

S U N D A Y , J U L Y 1 8 . 2 0 1 0

After an interminable travel, Thursday, August 6 , we again Ipiales.

The ide was to go immediately to Quito, Ecuador , but was too tired , the trip had been very heavy and , although Alejandra wanted to , I convinced her to rest all that remained of that day.

Not to say that day , except rest and plenty cold.

What I do want to mention , remembering our departure from Colombia is by far , the most beautiful country in which we have been .

I realize that the end of the trip in Colombia was not so good (especially Bogotá), in many cases it was bad. However, the memory I have is the places, the people, the weather , the atmosphere , the joy , all that Colombia has to offer.

However, beyond all these problems is the memory , unforgettable , culture , coffee , curves, paisa tray , the beaches , the accent, the people, the weather , everything. Everything that makes you want to go back to Colombia , and succumb to the latent risk of wanting to stay. Forever.

Back!Heat went to the Caribbean Sea to cold ( the cold ) Bogotá .

I know you each have different experiences and different tastes, but as far as I'm concerned, and Alejandra also not liked Bogotá . It was the only city that did not like the whole trip (beyond Ipiales , which is a small town, which was actually just a city by the way) .

On Monday, August 3 , close to noon , we arrived at Bogotá. Our expectations were very ambiguous , because throughout the trip we had spoken ill of this city. Unfortunately , I must say that almost all matched .

From the beginning the Colombian capital were not treated well . In the terminal , supposedly rates that taxi drivers will charge according to established routes , but when we gave the ticket to the driver figure set , this said we would charge another price , about three times . We claim , and a kind of fight was made , if only verbal . People came from administration, but did not hear them . We finally decided to leave the terminal and look for a transport ourselves. The new driver was good people.

We went looking for a hotel that had seen online, that remained the neighborhood of La Candelaria , but when we arrived it seemed that the hotel no longer existed. To make matters worse , the person who served as guardian was not very friendly , and barely spoke to us . That's a lot of people in general.

Fortunately I found an acceptable hotel at a good price . Then we spent the afternoon getting to know the night alrederores and ate pizza.

Fatigue increased, and the cold made us want to sleep, so we did.

Since many days of travel, they really were a little tired because we walked from one place to another, we were taking a toll. We were quite tired.

On Tuesday, August 4 , rode part of the city , and in the evening we met Andrea , a friend I had met through my other blog.

Andrea and I became friends because of the things I wrote and IM conversations we had . Thanks to that, we could meet in Bogotá, and walk with a friend of her and Alejandra .

We spent the evening chatting and having a good time with someone friendly (Alejandra and coinciimos that far , Andrea was the best of Bogotá) .

In general , we met very little of Bogotá , but suddenly it was almost all there was to see . I think this city has many tourist attractions , unlike cities like Lima or Quito.

But not all end there. When taking the bus , on the morning of Wednesday, August 5 , when we left Bogota and back to Ipiales , ten minutes, the bus broke down . Damn . We were stranded for about an hour until we finally went .

After that experience in Bogotá, a phrase ( do not know if me or someone else) came to my mind :Long live the province !

P. D. Before leaving Bogota , I just want to add that the Transmilenio so famous is not as good as it looks , at least when I found it quite slow. In transport, I prefer Medellin, Quito and Guayaquil.

PD2 If for some strange reason, Bogota someone reads this, excuse me , but that was the impression I got from the city. Perhaps , later , for some strange reason more , return to that city , and change my mind , but for now it is not my first choices to return .

S U N D A Y , J U L Y . 1 8 2 0 1 0

After an interminable travel, Thursday, August 6 , we again Ipiales.

The ide was to go immediately to Quito, Ecuador , but was too tired , the trip had been very heavy and , although Alejandra wanted to , I convinced her to rest all that remained of that day.

Not to say that day , except rest and plenty cold.

What I do want to mention , remembering our departure from Colombia is by far , the most beautiful country in which we have been .

I realize that the end of the trip in Colombia was not so good (especially Bogotá), in many cases it was bad. However, the memory I have is the places, the people, the weather , the atmosphere , the joy , all that Colombia has to offer.

However, beyond all these problems is the memory , unforgettable , culture , coffee , curves, paisa tray , the beaches , the accent, the people, the weather , everything. Everything that makes you want to go back to Colombia , and succumb to the latent risk of wanting to stay. Forever.

Back!Heat went to the Caribbean Sea to cold ( the cold ) Bogotá .

I know you each have different experiences and different tastes, but as far as I'm concerned, and Alejandra also not liked Bogotá . It was the only city that did not like the whole trip (beyond Ipiales , which is a small town, which was actually just a city by the way) .

On Monday, August 3 , close to noon , we arrived at Bogotá. Our expectations were very ambiguous , because throughout the trip we had spoken ill of this city. Unfortunately , I must say that almost all matched .

From the beginning the Colombian capital were not treated well . In the terminal , supposedly rates that taxi drivers will charge according to established routes , but when we gave the ticket to the driver figure set , this said we would charge another price , about three times . We claim , and a kind of fight was made , if only verbal . People came from administration, but did not hear them . We finally decided to

leave the terminal and look for a transport ourselves. The new driver was good people.

We went looking for a hotel that had seen online, that remained the neighborhood of La Candelaria , but when we arrived it seemed that the hotel no longer existed. To make matters worse , the person who served as guardian was not very friendly , and barely spoke to us . That's a lot of people in general.

Fortunately I found an acceptable hotel at a good price . Then we spent the afternoon getting to know the night alrederores and ate pizza.

Fatigue increased, and the cold made us want to sleep, so we did.

Since many days of travel, they really were a little tired because we walked from

one place to another, we were taking a toll. We were quite tired.

On Tuesday, August 4 , rode part of the city , and in the evening we met Andrea , a friend I had met through my other blog.

Andrea and I became friends because of the things I wrote and IM conversations we had . Thanks to that, we could meet in Bogotá, and walk with a friend of her and Alejandra .

We spent the evening chatting and having a good time with someone friendly (Alejandra and coinciimos that far , Andrea was the best of Bogotá) .

In general , we met very little of Bogotá , but suddenly it was almost all there was to see . I think this city has many tourist attractions , unlike cities like Lima or Quito.

But not all end there. When taking the bus , on the morning of Wednesday, August 5 , when we left Bogota and back to Ipiales , ten minutes, the bus broke down . Damn . We were stranded for about an hour until we finally went .

After that experience in Bogotá, a phrase ( do not know if me or someone else) came to my mind :Long live the province !

P. D. Before leaving Bogota , I just want to add that the Transmilenio so famous is not as good as it looks , at least when I found it quite slow. In transport, I prefer Medellin, Quito and Guayaquil.

PD2 If for some strange reason, Bogota someone reads this, excuse me , but that was the impression I got from the city. Perhaps , later , for some strange reason more , return to that city , and change my mind , but for now it is not my first choices to return .Santa Marta. In preparation for travel, initially, I was not even crossed by mind get there . Went along with the definition of the route that we were going Alejandra and seeing that we could get a little further away from Cali, Bogotá perhaps . But then, seeing the map , we said why not go to Santa Marta ? It sounded crazy, but yes most of the trip it was. So without much thought as I took Lima farthest destination, the city that is on the Atlantic Ocean , in the Colombian Caribbean . (He has already said before, I like the idea of a city from the Pacific Ocean side and get one that was in the Atlantic ) .

Very excited , Alejandra Medellin and I left the night of 26 July, heading to Santa Marta , expectantly so we would know , feeling the heat and we certainly expect. However, during the trip happened something strange and contradictory : the way the Caribbean was cold , icy, almost below zero. And not for the weather , but because the bus put the air conditioner at a very low temperature, too low. As much as we claim , the temperature did not rise . I think something had been lost , but all came with sweaters and shivering. I think before I forget , I need to mention our "saving blanket ." The day we left Lima, doubted whether that blanket pack or not, but finally did , not knowing that would shelter and save us all the cold places where we stayed. I remember all the way to this Caribbean had a good agrigado , fearing agripado and ill get to the beach.

Returning to the trip , after countless hours , shivering , Santa Marta arrived . It was Monday, July 27 . Back in the bus , we could see a few things landscape , but it was nothing compared to what we would have.

Getting off the bus , frozen , the sun greeted us , hot, live , revitalizing.

As the trip had been so long, and had not taken any pills , Alejandra and I decided to get some sleep when we got to the hotel, so I read on the web , was very close to the sea. The decision was sleeping something especially for me, because since we left Cali had hardly slept . And they were more than 36 hours.

(I should clarify that by this time , one that slept another hour, but not much. Nor is that I spent more than 36 hours awake, but it is also true that not slept almost nothing) . However, when we arrived at the hotel ( a little nervous because I did not know if the area was good or not , or if the hotel was acceptable or not) , we saw

that we were a block from the beach. Practically , facing the sea. Obviously , all the tiredness is gone. We entered the room reserved and liked . The strange thing was that it was a triple, but we use only . On a bed put backpacks in the other laundry and third , next to the window, under a fan who looked straight to lie down , we would sleep us.

The heat had risen and we were already sweating a bit , so we took a much needed shower, and we went out for a walk, happy. Upon leaving the strip that divided the local restaurants and the sand and the sea , saw in a digital display that was noon and the temperature it was 40 degrees. We entered the water for a while , walked around town , and when they desfallecíamos heat , we found a Juan Valdez. And then tried the glory Granizados .

Then we went to Playa Grande. Taxi and went down the road and we could see beautiful scenery.

There we spent the afternoon, burning, enjoying the sea. I, who had never been to sea, I tried to, but only to the knees. Incredible, but true. Located in the Caribbean Sea, would not go to the beach.

(By the way, I remember that I bought aqua socks and I never took them off, then a part of my feet remained white, while the rest of my body, and Alejandra was blackening more and more).

That night we returned to the city itself, and remember we had to eat. (!) We had spent the day, and we had not eaten anything at all. But it was worth it.

The night was quiet and restful, with the rich environment that we loved. The next day, Tuesday, July 28, we went to Rodadero. A somewhat more elitist than the city, but equally good place. As we walked around the place a short time, then go to Playa Blanca.

To get there, we had to take a boat from Rodadero. I, honestly, can not swim, and I was scared to death to enter the sea. When I learned that teníanos to navigate, even for a short time, I trembled a little. But we were there and we had to do.

On the deep blue sea in that perfect, hot day in that boat, I felt living as they say in the trade of whiskey, "the chivas life".

It was another memorable afternoon in which he also met a couple of Colombians, and drank a lot of beer, beachfront Playa Blanca. By this time it was almost completely black.

When I return to Rodadero, remember that the tide was somewhat moved, and the boat samaqueó while I shivered and clutched me as hard as you could from wherever. I was terrified to be the middle of the sea, far from land.

Fortunately there were no major inconvenience and I at sunset, we returned by bus to Santa Marta city, ate something, and walked along the boardwalk.

Then we bought provisions for what would be the following day , one of the greatest adventures of the trip, our tour booking Tayrona .Something I should mention is that that night there were very strong winds, while Alejandra was very scared . I tried to calm her down , telling her that it was normal , it was something bad people would be worried. I was also a little scary because I had never seen anything like the palms move forcefully , feeling something pushed through the air.

On the morning of Wednesday, July 29 , with a backpack over ten kilos of weight on my shoulders ( and weighed thanks to most of the things we at the hotel , because the combined weight of our luggage was about 40 kilos ) , we left the city and started our road to Tayrona .

We took a bus and then the bus passing by a road full of vegetation , we reached our destination . We paid the tickets and started walking , after review the map. Our destination was the Cape or Cabo San Juan.

It was a long and strenuous hike, but worth it.

We walked and walked, first through vegetation, and got to Reefs, a very dangerous beach, both who died a few as a warning says.

We kept walking, and he was about to faint (especially the weight on my back), we pool, a paradise, a beach without waves, gorgeous, but no place to camp. So I had to follow.

Finally we come to another wonderful place: Cabo San Juan. There we were. We paid the right to camp, we set up the tent and went to the beach.

We spent the afternoon enjoying the sea, walking

around the area.

That night, the heat continued, though not overwhelming, but enjoyable. To pass the time, Alejandra and I started inventing games and drink tequila, I remember at one point, I past midnight, we left the tent and slept outside for a while, watching the stars.

The next day we explored more beaches and we had more fun, however the food was limited to what had been, it was tuna, cookies and stuff that can withstand one day, but not two and minus three.

The stay in Tayrona was good, except that (along with the food theme) I was somewhat uncomfortable to sleep on a floor that had lots of stones and some bees, which for some strange reason, I always followed.

By the way, now if it was completely black, you tan as ever. Although the pass so well, we did not stay the three nights we had initially planned, but two. We prefer to return to Santa Marta and stay a day Rodadero to learn more about the place, and so we did.

The output of Tayrona, Friday July 31, was more stressful because my shoulders were peeling and was saddled with the heavy backpack and tired because I peeked.

On the way back, go through the pool and see how precious that sea, let the cosasa one hand, and we went into the sea. Sometime back, Alejandra and I, those calm, clear waters and unforgettable.

Finally we left the reservation and returned to the city to go to Rodadero.

As I said, Rodadero is more elitist than the rest of Santa Marta place, so we spent the day there, super-exhausted, ate and drank well (I remember a huge pizza and drink smirnof), and rest a lot too

(mostly because we were spending far less than we had planned) the two days we were there.

By Saturday August 1st two weeks into the trip, and fatigue beat us, so that instead of going out, we spent that night sleeping on a bed at last, satisfied.

I remember we had sensations such Alejandra and I, knowing that our daily task was to walk around and have fun, and the next day, what we expected was more fun and more places to visit. If there is happiness, I think it is very similar to that feeling.

Sunday August 2, enjoyed a little more Rodadero and return to the center of the city, to collect our things from the other hotel.

Again the feeling of wanting to stay there again. We had spent almost a week in Santa Marta, one day later than planned, walking, enjoying the most of these unique, fun, memorable day.

I remember one of the reasons why we had to continue with the trip was that Alejandra classes approached. It was also why we could not go to Barranquilla and Cartagena, places that we came to know and being in Santa Marta. Even thought we could get to Panama. For me, we could continue traveling, forever. But I could not.

Somehow, the return path began. We no longer would go further, though

would know new cities. I was beginning to feel some sadness because slowly that little adventure was coming to an end.

On the afternoon of Sunday, August 2nd we headed to Bogota.

As with Cali, we promise to return to this wonderful place that is Santa Marta. Someday, I hope not too distant, I want to walk again on the sand, feel the heat, see the sea. Someday, back to that place where we met something similar (if it was not exactly) to happiness.