Tomorrow comes five weeks of travelling! Unbelievable, where has the time gone? And, yes we are still in Colombia :) and we will be at least a month more, I think.
Colombia is great! So much to see and do. We have changed towns pretty frequently and still we have skipped half of the places where we would have liked to go. I am amazed how safe it is here (okey we haven't been in the biggest cities yet), even every smallest village has police station. And how easy it is to find and take a local transpotation. Buses are much more expensive in here than in Central-America. And sometimes it doesn't make sense at all, taxi for two and half an hour ride might be 15mil (4e) and half an hour fully packed local bus 6600 (less than 2e). Hostels are usually around 30mil (8e), cheapest one we have got for less than 3e. Some has very nice breakfast included.
Food has been so good. Very delicious rice and beans or lentils with plantains. That's our tipical lunch and dinner. At the coast sometimes fish and lobster, but I am not so keen eating them after seeing them swim so happily when we were diving ;) And Jugos Naturales! Thank good for those heavenly fruit shakes - maracuay, pineapple, banana, mango, papaya, lulo, tomate de arbol, granadillo, zapote, nispero,.. Beer is the drink what everybody drinks in here, I still don't like the taste of it. Small corner 'pubs' everywhere, only selling beer :) Local soda is called Colombiana, taste pretty much like Muumi limu :D once in a while I treat myself with that. We have been drinking tap water, it is okey to drink in big cities, saves so much plastic not have to buy a bottle everytime. Though we have met so many travellers who only buy half litre bottled water, ridiculous!
Today was actually the first time we had to dig our rainjackets and some warm clothes. Otherwise it has been +35 pretty much everyday. We visited Colombians largest lake, Lago de Tota, in 3015m and it was only +13 and drizzly rain and we still got the worst sunburns, how do you explain that?! We haven't spent lot of time on the beach, walking around towns has been our main activity. National Parks demand entrance fee from tourist, around 40mil so we try to get most out of it if we visit them, stay a night or two.
I am so happy travelling with Rob. Saves me from the eyes and yells of the local guys. No, that is not the only reason :) We have had our arguments, believe me, but it is nice that there is someone all the time to be with. No need to look another person to have dinner with, or ask somebody to look after your bag while you need a toilet. I do feel safer with him. Travelling alone you meet much more people, now I think we spend lot of time with other couples, which is fine. Most of the people we have met are from Germany and in their early 20s. Now we are the old ones :)
Rob was sick once and I have felt little sick twice. But otherwise we have been fine and healthy, lets hope it stays like this. After Rob was sick that was the first time we both wanted western food, enough for rice, beans and eggs. Otherwise we have sticked with the local restaurants or cooked our own meals at the hostels. It took two weeks that I was frustrated repacking by backpack. Now I have pretty good system with it, only use one ppair of clothes :) laundry service is so cheap in here so I don't even bother thinking of doing it myself. Mayby at the volunteer place I'll start doing some Nyrkkipyykkiä :) Very happy and content with everything. One thing what I don't find in here is postcards! No postcards anywhere, so I can't send any, sorry. First place where I see them, I buy loads and start sending them <3
Colombia is great! So much to see and do. We have changed towns pretty frequently and still we have skipped half of the places where we would have liked to go. I am amazed how safe it is here (okey we haven't been in the biggest cities yet), even every smallest village has police station. And how easy it is to find and take a local transpotation. Buses are much more expensive in here than in Central-America. And sometimes it doesn't make sense at all, taxi for two and half an hour ride might be 15mil (4e) and half an hour fully packed local bus 6600 (less than 2e). Hostels are usually around 30mil (8e), cheapest one we have got for less than 3e. Some has very nice breakfast included.
Food has been so good. Very delicious rice and beans or lentils with plantains. That's our tipical lunch and dinner. At the coast sometimes fish and lobster, but I am not so keen eating them after seeing them swim so happily when we were diving ;) And Jugos Naturales! Thank good for those heavenly fruit shakes - maracuay, pineapple, banana, mango, papaya, lulo, tomate de arbol, granadillo, zapote, nispero,.. Beer is the drink what everybody drinks in here, I still don't like the taste of it. Small corner 'pubs' everywhere, only selling beer :) Local soda is called Colombiana, taste pretty much like Muumi limu :D once in a while I treat myself with that. We have been drinking tap water, it is okey to drink in big cities, saves so much plastic not have to buy a bottle everytime. Though we have met so many travellers who only buy half litre bottled water, ridiculous!
Today was actually the first time we had to dig our rainjackets and some warm clothes. Otherwise it has been +35 pretty much everyday. We visited Colombians largest lake, Lago de Tota, in 3015m and it was only +13 and drizzly rain and we still got the worst sunburns, how do you explain that?! We haven't spent lot of time on the beach, walking around towns has been our main activity. National Parks demand entrance fee from tourist, around 40mil so we try to get most out of it if we visit them, stay a night or two.
I am so happy travelling with Rob. Saves me from the eyes and yells of the local guys. No, that is not the only reason :) We have had our arguments, believe me, but it is nice that there is someone all the time to be with. No need to look another person to have dinner with, or ask somebody to look after your bag while you need a toilet. I do feel safer with him. Travelling alone you meet much more people, now I think we spend lot of time with other couples, which is fine. Most of the people we have met are from Germany and in their early 20s. Now we are the old ones :)
Rob was sick once and I have felt little sick twice. But otherwise we have been fine and healthy, lets hope it stays like this. After Rob was sick that was the first time we both wanted western food, enough for rice, beans and eggs. Otherwise we have sticked with the local restaurants or cooked our own meals at the hostels. It took two weeks that I was frustrated repacking by backpack. Now I have pretty good system with it, only use one ppair of clothes :) laundry service is so cheap in here so I don't even bother thinking of doing it myself. Mayby at the volunteer place I'll start doing some Nyrkkipyykkiä :) Very happy and content with everything. One thing what I don't find in here is postcards! No postcards anywhere, so I can't send any, sorry. First place where I see them, I buy loads and start sending them <3