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South America

January - April 2020
This is the website where I will be posting updates on my trip to South America!! Read more
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  • TravelerSouth America
    1
    Day 2

    Medellin

    January 16, 2020 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    We visited Medellin today, specifically Comuna 13, which is an area of Medellin where people live. There are small winding roads and there are lots of people. In the past, Medellin was one of the most dangerous cities in the world, with a man called Pablo Escobar who was a cocaine drug lord and monopolised the cocaine trade with America in the 80s and 90s. He was the wealthiest criminal in history—dying with a net worth of 30 Billion USD which is 59 Billion USD in today’s money. Back them, Pablo used to hire kids as young as 6 years old to work for him, most ended up dying. The average life expectancy was about 18 years old due to all the shootings between the gangs that lived in Comuna 13. Most people would have friends that they will never see again because they were shot or mysteriously “disappeared”.

    We visited a museum which was about the crime of the city and Pablo Escobar. There was a room with lots if pictures of families together and then the pictures went black and white, and the person still in colour was victimised by gangs or Escobar. This made me realise that anyone can be affected , no matter how “normal” or “innocent” you may seem.

    There is a small playground in Comuna 13 and whoever built it wanted people to not forget their inner child, because children’s fights last a very short time, and they wanted the fighting to stop between the gangs.

    Over the years, this city of Medellin has had a huge transformation from the most violent city in the world to being a city of hiphop! The 4 stages of hiphop are : Music, Graffiti, Break Dancing and Rap!! Despite all terrible things this town has witnessed, they still manage to be happy and move on and not dwell in the past, no matter how hard that can be. Art and music have definitely hada big impact on how the city has transformed.
    One of our guides was a hip-hop artist and we got the chance to watch a break dance by his group. We also got the chance to do graffiti!!    Read more

  • TravelerSouth America
    11
    Day 3

    Medellin

    January 17, 2020 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Today we visited the Medellin downtown. We saw sculptures by Fernando Botero. He is the most famous artist in Colombia and is 86 years old!! He even drew a picture of Pablo Escobar dead on a rooftop! He makes his drawings have bigger proportions than normal for example he makes them have huge heads. These are referred to as Gordos ( fat man ) and Gordas ( fat lady ).

    Next we visited the downtown marketplace. It was extremely busy, and crazy and it felt like you could buy just about anything, although I thought “ha I bet they don’t have saddles” and we turned the corner and we saw a saddle shop!! Aha!! I held my backpack in front of me because it was known as being one of the most dangerous parts of Medellin. There was also black markets hidden everywhere around us where you could buy drugs and prostitutes.

    There was also some very interesting architecture in Medellin and one building looks like a pencil stack!! I’ll put some photos of lots of different architecture.

    A guy claiming to be an artist came to draw my picture and it was so bad I thought he was a con- artist ahahaha!!    Read more

  • TravelerSouth America
    Day 4

    Travel to One Love, Santa Marta

    January 18, 2020 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Today we woke up at 5am!! Thats 11am UK time! It was so tiring but we packed up and went to the airport and took a 1 hr flight to Santa Marta.

    As we left Medellin I reflected on what an interesting introduction to Colombia it was! On one hand, it was so transformed, friendly, welcoming, and tourist friendly, and on the other hand, it felt like the problems where not that far away, maybe hidden under the surface. The people seem so optimistic and I hope that they continue to transform the city!

    We landed right by the sea!! We then drove about 2 hrs to our Hotel/reserve location. There are so many equine animals, horses, donkeys, mules, some of them were being ridden but some were being used for carrying things up the hill. When we arrived at the reserve we were greeted by the owners 11 dogs!

    Despite being in the middle of the jungle, this reserve is so modern and luxurious. The jungle is so inaccessible that we had to change cars part way through because only a special 4 wheel drive could get through!! This jungle is the 2nd most biodiverse place on the planet!!    Read more

  • TravelerSouth America
    Day 5

    One Love, Santa Marta

    January 19, 2020 in Colombia ⋅ 🌙 25 °C

    Today was a very relaxing day! My parents went for yoga in the morning and they said it was the best yoga session they have ever had! Then my dad and I went to a river beach and you had to wade through water to get there, only knee high. When we got to the river beach my dad went swimming in the river whilst I threw rocks at him because he is my dad and thats what you are supposed to do to dads.

    In the evening we had dinner and there were 2 dogs there and one kept staring at us wanting food and the other one kept wanting strokes and cuddles and it was so cute!! We then went to go sit by a fire and look at the stars, there are so many but we couldn’t take photos because our cameras aren’t good enough😢.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth America
    1
    2
    Day 7

    One Love, Santa Marta

    January 21, 2020 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Today (yesterday) the main thing we did was tubing down the river. To get to the top we hiked up a mountain for 2 hrs, it was meant to be 1 1/2 hours but my mum was very slow 😆.

    The guides, Ronaldo and Christian told us about all the different traditions of the Kogi Tribe ( Ronaldo is half Kogi ) Ronaldo showed us his Poporo, which my dad called a “memory stick” and they use it like a diary and they put their thoughts and memories. Nobody is allowed to touch it except them and the Shaman (like a guru/ spiritual leader). Only men are allowed poporos, which is given to them when they are about 15 years old. When they get the Poporo, they have to stay in a dark cave for 3 days and nights without food or water. The men chew Coca leaves (which is what cocaine is made from) because they believe it connects them to nature. Our guide told us that if a man commits a crime, the Shaman can touch his poporo and see a replay of the man’s thoughts and actions, almost like a video. The hike up to the river was so hot I almost fainted😂!!

    When we reached the river, we got in our tubes and went down and the guides pointed out all the different animals and tribes. It felt relaxing and it was so fun, especially the rapids!! The water was so colddd!!    Read more

  • TravelerSouth America
    Day 7

    travel to Casa Galavanta

    January 21, 2020 in Colombia ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    Today we left the One Love reserve (Santa Marta) and traveled to Casa Galavanta (Santa Marta). The road up the mountain was very windy and very very bumpy but when we got to the top it was so beautiful!! Casa Galavanta is a 4 bedroom house at the very top of the mountain and is often above the cloudline! Its positioned to be able to see the entire Santa Marta town. When we arrived the clouds make it feel like we were wrapped in cotton wool, but near sunset the clouds melted away and we could see the sunset and the valley behind. Now it is evening the big town of Santa Marta is twinkling like fairy lights, just like Medellin did when I arrived.

    There is a very cute puppy called America because they found her in a car park called America and she is so friendly and loves cuddles!! Our host is a nice man called Daniel and my dad, Daniel, America and I went on a long walk through the mountains! In their grounds they grow and make Coffee! They grow the bean, dry it, unwrap the outer layer and grind it into coffee! So cool!! ☕️ When we got back, my mum, my dad, daniel and I played Banana grams and some card games.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth America
    11
    Day 8

    Casa Galavanta

    January 22, 2020 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    This morning we took an early walk in the jungle!! I felt like an explorer in the dense jungle, and I wish I had a machete in my hand to clear the path. It was very steep in the mountain but it was all worthwhile when we saw the view! Our guide Daniel told us about the history of the area, how the Spanish invaded, and how some indigenous tribes survived by going higher up the mountain. I felt very sad when I heard about how much violence there was towards the indigenous people...because the Spanish wanted to steal their land and gold. We saw some beautiful butterflies and birds. My mum asked Daniel why we didn’t run across more animals. And Daniel said we did run across many poisonous animals but he didn’t want to scare us!!

    In the evening my mum had a cooking lesson with the chef, and she made some Colombian and Peruvian food for dinner. I really enjoyed the mango ceviche.    Read more

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