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nadie sabe lo que va a pasar
  • Anni Messer

nadie sabe lo que va a pasar

Backpacking through South America, starting from Bogotá, Colombia. Destinations mostly unplanned:) Read more
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  • Trip start
    November 15, 2023
    Anni Messernadie sabe lo que va a pasarTraveler
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    Bogotá

    Nov 16–18, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    What can happen in 40 hours?
    -> Flying from Frankfurt to Bogotá, arriving in the cutest hostel in La Candelaria, joining a graffiti tour around the city, having lunch with strangers, napping for one hour, loosing orientation in the city, meeting a friend from home, drinking beer, watching Colombia win vs Brasil, dancing salsa, eating pizza, enjoying this great start of the trip:)) now: sleepingRead more

  • Anni Messernadie sabe lo que va a pasarTraveler

    Leaving Bogotá for Neiva

    Nov 18–19, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Here among other some pics of our hike up the Monserrate which is at 3.200m and ended with an extensive view over the city of Bogotá. The route was much more exhausting than we thought but seeing old people carrying a lot of weight or people in suits along the path motivated us to continue…:) We left Bogotá today and arrived in Neiva after a 7,5h bus trip! We’re staying one night here with a very nice Colombian family and already had the best arepas 🫓 so far☺️Read more

  • Anni Messernadie sabe lo que va a pasarTraveler
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    Desierto de la Tatacoa

    Nov 19–20, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    The last two days we spent in the Desierto de La Tatacoa which is about one hour by colectivo (Jeep transportation) or bus from Neiva. The “dessert” which actually isn’t really a dessert but rather a dry tropical forest consists of two parts, the red and the grey dessert. We walked and cycled through them, it was hot and there were lots of mosquitos:)) In the night we went to an observatory since you have a great view to some planets and to the stars in general. An older man gave us a little introduction into astronomy while we lay on the ground in the darkness. We spent the night at an accommodation called noches de saturno and even got to know some students from Tübingen there:)Read more

  • Anni Messernadie sabe lo que va a pasarTraveler

    San Augustín

    Nov 20–23, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Our next stop has been San Augustín which is about 6h by bus from Neiva. We probably stayed at my favourite hostel so far with lovely rooms and very nice people:) The landscape in San Augustín is beautiful and you can find avocados, coffee, lulo, passionfruit, … all over the place🥰San Augustín is famous for its archeological statues left by indigenous people. Besides some hikes around the parks, I also did a tour with horses with an older Colombian guy named Carlos. Carlos does not only know every plant in San Augustín but also every person living there since he is a very talkative and open guy. After the tour I had coffee with his family and purchased some handicrafts done by his cousin, imitating the archeological stones.Read more

  • Anni Messernadie sabe lo que va a pasarTraveler

    Popayán

    Nov 23–25, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    To me, the city of Popayán is totally underrated by travellers and I’m happy we spent two nights in this lively student town! Popayán is one of the white colonial cities of Colombia and a lot of European influence can still be observed around the city. We visited the most important places with two students during a free walking tour and afterwards spent some time at the coffee street in which cars are not allowed after 3pm. In the evening we watched the end of a procession which was similar to those in Sevilla, Spain in the cathedral and joined a game night at a bar. Although our hostel was not that nice as the previous once, we met a couple from the UK/France there and spent most of the time all together. Oh and in contrast to San Augustín for example, Popayán offers a lot of traditional dishes that are vegetarian like empanadas de pipián or tamales de pipián and frozen drinks made of different fruits known as granizados!Read more

  • Anni Messernadie sabe lo que va a pasarTraveler
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    Cali

    Nov 25–27, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Stayed in Cali, the capital of salsa two nights! We arrived on Saturday at our hostel which is kind of a party hostel so we had high expectations for the night! After a salsa class at the hostel, some conversations and a few beers we then went to one of the three best rated clubs in South America, called La Pérgola Clandestina! The club felt like it was an own world and it’s crazy to think about the amount of people that has been inside… In the club we got to know a guy from Cali who then the next day showed us (two girls from the hostel and me) some places in the city like the food market Mercado Alameda and a park on a hill from which we could watch the moonrise! It was great to be with a local person who could tell so much about the city and - and that’s important especially in Cali - knows where you can safely walk and when to take a taxi. Cali is one of the most dangerous places in Colombia and you really have to be careful but if you are, you can visit many cool places and meet open and heartwarming people:)Read more

  • Anni Messernadie sabe lo que va a pasarTraveler
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    Salento + Valle del Cocora + Filandia

    Nov 27–30, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Lately adding this post about Salento where we stayed three nights in a nice hostel and had a relaxing time with a few hikes! The main attraction around Salento is probably Valle del Cocora with the highest palm trees on earth. Thus we did a highly interesting tour at the coffee farm of an old guy from the UK who moved to Colombia 20 years ago, grows coffee on his farm and passes his knowledge on to tourists. Another thing I did was a day trip to Filandia which is a colourful small town near Salento where you can spend an afternoon and enjoy the good coffee of this region!Read more

  • Anni Messernadie sabe lo que va a pasarTraveler

    Medellín

    Nov 30–Dec 5, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    5 days in Medellín and I could have definitely stayed longer:) Medellín was a lot of partying in Provenza and El Poblado, celebrating the Karol G concert outside the stadium in a park since the two concerts were already sold out:/, hiking in the Parque Arví which you reach by Metrocable (gondola lift system that is part of the Metro in Medellín), enjoying the Christmas lights since Colombians are crazy about Christmas aaaand some insights into the history back to when the city and especially the part of the Comuna 13 was one of the most dangerous places in the world! Medellín was also about making new friends, laughing a lot and improving in Spanish and German: Nos vemos en Bogotá parcel@s🥰Read more

  • Anni Messernadie sabe lo que va a pasarTraveler
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    Guatapé

    Dec 5–6, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Also been to Guatapé which is around 3h by bus from Medellín. The area has changed quite a lot over time since the original town of Guatapé was destroyed due to the construction of a dam in the 70s with the aim of creating a hydroelectric complex. Other than that the main attraction is probably La Piedra, a huge stone which you can climb up taking around 700 steps… We did the hike in the morning today in order to be the first ones on top and to avoid clashing into the tourist buses arriving from Medellín. After that we had a typical Colombian breakfast in the city centre: Scrambled eggs with tomato and onion served with an arepa, cheese and coffee!Read more

  • Anni Messernadie sabe lo que va a pasarTraveler
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    Jardín

    Dec 6–10, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Spent the last four days in Jardín, a small town around 3h by bus from Medellín. Although Jardín becomes more and more touristic you can still observe the traditional Colombian life in the streets. It was especially interesting to see how Jardín celebrates “El día de las velitas” on the 7th of December where religious families enlighten the streets with a lot of candles!
    I stayed at the accommodation of a sweet family a bit outside of the city centre which was perfect to relax for a few days. The main transportation vehicle I used was “La Garrucha”, the small gondola lift in the pictures. Feels a bit unsafe but I guess it was fine…:) Besides relaxing I did some hikes to watch the famous waterfalls and caves around Jardín. Since Jardín has not established itself yet on the so called gringo route (tourist route mainly European and American visitors follow) I got to know many Colombian tourists and spread my phone number since everyone wants to visit me in Germany, let’s see how many of them will make it:))    Read more

  • Anni Messernadie sabe lo que va a pasarTraveler

    Cartagena

    Dec 11–13, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    After a 24h journey starting from Jardín I arrived in Cartagena and I’m now finally travelling at the Caribbean coast of Colombia🥰The city or more to say the parts of the city I visited really surprised me and I did not imagine the city to be so beautiful. We could watch sloths and monkeys in the main park (?!) and learned about Afro-Colombian communities and colonization at the Caribbean coast. Interestingly enough the city reminded me a lot of the Southern parts of Spain and especially the similarities in the accent were surprising me!
    Also often seen this poem about arepas, here next to one of my favourite characters from the Disney movie Encanto: “Life is like an arepa, it tastes depending on what you put inside”, or so….    Read more

  • Anni Messernadie sabe lo que va a pasarTraveler
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    Isla Grande

    Dec 13–16, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    There is several islands off Cartagena and I visited the one with the largest poblation, Isla Grande. Already the boat trip to the island was an experience itself since suddenly dolphins were showing up around the boat! Then, one of the guys on the boat convinced me to go snorkeling with them so I did that and we saw diverse corals and plenty of colourful fish! Afterwards they dropped me off at my hostel with was right next to the sea. The location was wonderful and I spent most of the time hanging out at the hostel alone or with a Swiss couple and another Swiss guy who travelled solo. One night we went together to the plancton bioluminescence activity organized by the hostel, where we went out with canoes to a lagoon. At the lagoon we entered the water with snorkeling masks and when moving the water you could swim and dive between the blue-glowing plancton!
    Sometimes I stepped into the small village called Orika where you could buy a few items of food or eat at restaurants. On the path to the town you pass by mangroves and seeing them for the first time was really overwhelming, not least due their high importance for the biodiversity and safety of the islands! The town itself is not too nice though, people live rather poor which is in contrast to the several luxury resorts for tourists at the edge of the island.    Read more

  • Anni Messernadie sabe lo que va a pasarTraveler

    Santa Marta

    Dec 16–18, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    My first stay in Santa Marta was rather short. I arrived on Saturday night but unfortunately couldn’t go out anymore since it was a bit too late. On Sunday most of the museums were closed and there were no free tours around the city so I just walked around the historical centre. The historical centre is quite safe but you should not really move out of it since it can get a bit dangerous on the streets then. Fortunately I passed by a very nice market at the parque de los novios and got to know people from an indigenous community from the Colombian Amazonas at their stand. Since I got along with them so well they made me this non-permanent tattoo on my arm for which they use the colour of a fruit growing in the Amazonas. On Monday I did a free tour then, we had a very delicious fruit juice made from lulo and oranges for only 6.000 pesos (around 1,30€) and learned about local sayings and history of course:)
    That was it for now in Santa Marta but I’ll be back for Christmas at the end of the week and will probably get to know the party culture then…    Read more

  • Anni Messernadie sabe lo que va a pasarTraveler

    Palomino

    Dec 18–20, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Palomino is a small hippie town close to Santa Marta. In the last 10 years it became a very touristy place and although there is not too much to do at first sight, people always like it a lot. I can not say what it is about Palomino but the mixture of traditional Colombian life and the European influence turns it into an attractive place for European tourists I guess. On my way with the bus from Santa Marta I met again a French girl who I’ve met already several times randomly on this trip and this time we decided to make plans together for the next few steps and also spend most of the time in Palomino together🥰We went tubing on the river, got to know many locals at a party in town and spend some time at the beach as well. I would definitely love to come back!:)Read more

  • Anni Messernadie sabe lo que va a pasarTraveler

    Tayrona national park

    Dec 20–21, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    After a long day at the beach we’ve moved to a hostel called the Journey Hostel which is close to the Tayrona National Park. At the hostel we met another friend of the French girl and spent the evening having dinner and beautifully decorating Christmas cookies. The next day we then entered the park in the morning and hiked through the park until the main beach, passing by amazing landscapes and a great bakery which sells very delicious chocolate buns! Since I had the over-motivated plan to go to Minca, a small town in the mountains near Santa Marta, the same day, I went back a bit earlier than my new friends and almost ran through the park😬More about this stressful journey in the post about Minca then;)
    You could also stay one night or several nights in the park and get to know the park a bit better which is a very nice option I think but unfortunately my days in Colombia slowly come to an end I still want to see some other place and then there is Christmas happening so it was not doable this time.    Read more

  • Anni Messernadie sabe lo que va a pasarTraveler

    Minca

    Dec 21–23, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Minca is a small town in the mountains near Santa Marta. I stayed at an Ecohostel a bit outside of town called ManoVerde, which you can only reach by Mototaxi via a very bumpy and slightly adventurous road:) The hostel was the highlight of the whole stay though… They serve such a great food and every evening all the guests including the owner have dinner together! Then, the views, especially during sunset are amazing. I did one hike to a waterfall which was kind of challenging buy other than that spent my time relaxing, talking and eating at the hostel:)Read more

  • Anni Messernadie sabe lo que va a pasarTraveler

    Santa Marta again

    Dec 23–25, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Went to Santa Marta again for Christmas! Since I’ve met a French girl on the trip several times so far we decided to make plans together and spend Christmas in Santa Marta. We stayed at one of the bigger hostels that is connected with a famous party location and had two party nights with a lot of Reggaeton and Salsa!Read more

  • Anni Messernadie sabe lo que va a pasarTraveler

    Cartagena again

    Dec 25–28, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Then I needed to go to Cartagena again to catch my flight to Lima! I spent another three nights and did all the things I didn’t have time for during the last stay. Went to the Museo del Oro, went partying and had lunch at a famous local restaurant. Gladly on my last night a friend from Bogotá who I met in Medellín was in Cartagena too and we could meet on my last night before I went to Perú!Read more

  • Anni Messernadie sabe lo que va a pasarTraveler

    Lima

    Dec 28–Jan 2, 2024 in Peru ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    First time changing countries!! And I almost didn‘t make it since I was late at the airport in Cartagena and on top couldn’t show an onward flight or bus ticket which would have proven that I would have left Perú within 90 days;)) Gladly there is some backpacker tricks how to bypass this problem and they eventually took me on the flight! The first day in Lima was great! I went to a huge supermarket and was so happy about all the fresh vegetables and fruits I found (not knowing that they will cause some trouble in the end) and did a free walking tour through the Barranco district afterwards.
    In Lima there is mainly two districts where tourists can safely stay and move around, Barranco and Miraflores, I stayed in the latter, and these are nice to see and walk around as well. Sadly I couldn’t see much more since I got some sort of food poising and just laid in bed in the hostel for a few days, including new year’s eve:/ Still, people at the hostel were nice and a friend of mine I made in Colombia came by to chat and have some food (which wasn’t appreciated by my stomach though:)). Better times are ahead in Perú!    Read more

  • Anni Messernadie sabe lo que va a pasarTraveler
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    First week at Chacra Corazón

    Jan 2–9, 2024 in Peru ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Last week I started a voluntary project at a Peruvian family’s farm a bit outside of Lima. It’s my first voluntary project ever so I did not really know what I could expect but I think in the end I could not have chosen a better place for my first experience! The family is super nice with me, we spend a lot of time together and I’m learning so much about the Peruvian culture, places to visit and especially about food☺️Although Peruvian dishes conventionally contain a lot of meat, the family broke out of the tradition and for many years already follows a vegetarian diet and hence makes use of the rich diversity in fruits and vegetables the country and the farm offers! We always work from Monday to Saturday and on Sunday we rest. Then we enjoy the time to get to know the surroundings like the river or the nearest town called Chosica. Every day here is different thanks to the animals at the farm, the bright family and the revitalized nature that surrounds us. Here some impressions from my first week!Read more

  • Anni Messernadie sabe lo que va a pasarTraveler
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    Second week at Chacra Corazón

    Jan 9–17, 2024 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    My second week at the project started with the arrival of another volunteer, Cynthia from Ayacucho in Peru! We all spent a great time together during our several breakfasts and lunches and María showed us how to prepare several traditional dishes. Finally we even finished our main work during the project which consisted in planting grass on the soil in front of the guest house. For my last few days at the project, my friend Petra who I got to know in Tübingen joined me and we’ll now continue travelling Peru together!🌞Read more

  • Anni Messernadie sabe lo que va a pasarTraveler
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    Paracas

    Jan 17–18, 2024 in Peru ⋅ 🌬 25 °C

    Continuing the trip through Peru after two weeks of recharging energies to the Southern part! Our first step was Paracas where we did a tour to the Islas Ballestas and saw penguins, sea lions and dolphins on the way! Afterwards we went to the national reserve and were stunned by the apocalyptic landscape and the beautiful birds you could watch. The tours were nice but very touristy which is why we left the place after one night already. Still we had a good time and I even met Freddi again who I travelled with at the start of the trip and who is now travelling with his girlfriend!:)Read more

  • Anni Messernadie sabe lo que va a pasarTraveler
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    Huacachina

    Jan 18–19, 2024 in Peru ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    Huacachina is a small touristy town near Ica. It is located in an oasis so in the centre of the town there is a small laguna. The most popular thing to do is sand boarding on the dunes but we just decided to walk up the dunes, watch the town at night, have some drinks at the bar and the next day chill near the laguna. After one night we continued to Ica where we had my fav vegetarian lunch so far🥹and then took the night bus to Ayacucho!Read more

  • Anni Messernadie sabe lo que va a pasarTraveler

    Ayacucho

    Jan 20–22, 2024 in Peru ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    After 12h in the night bus we arrived in Ayacucho in the morning! Ayacucho is a medium sized town in the mountains of Peru that is still not very touristy although it is so beautiful and has a lot to offer! In town you can watch the traditional Peruvian Andean life and buy food at low prices at the central market. The centre is very lively and since carnival starts in February and Ayacucho is highly famous in Peru for its carnival, we could already watch some groups practicing on the streets!
    One day we went to a nearby town called Quinua where you can watch (and buy) traditional handicrafts made out of clay or ceramics, discover the monument memorizing one of the most important battles in the history of independence of Peru and visit the archaeological site of Wari where you learn about pre-Inka life in the area. During that day trip, people were so open and happy to talk to us everywhere we went and in the end a family from Ayacucho even gave us a ride back to town!
    Probably one of the reasons why Ayacucho is not too touristy is that the years of terrorism that took place in the 80s in Peru, started in Ayacucho with the creation of the terror group “Sendero Luminoso” or in English “Shining Path”. Back then many civilians, especially people from indigenous communities, were killed not only by the terror group but also by the Peruvian military. In the museum “ Casa de la Memoria” you can inform about the brutal times and since the museum is not supported by the government but instead created by a group of activists called “Anfasep”, the information you receive is quite differentiated. Until now, we needed to realize that receiving nuanced information about these times is not always very easy in Peru since the government still covers up or blurs parts of the history.
    Although learning about the past of Ayacucho was pretty hard, I think it was one of my favourite places on the trip so far since people were so nice, the city is still untouched by many tourists but the surroundings are beautiful and the culture and knowledge is so rich!    Read more

  • Anni Messernadie sabe lo que va a pasarTraveler
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    Cusco

    Jan 23–26, 2024 in Peru ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Cusco, the first three days:
    - Acclimatized due to the higher altitude (3,400m) and therefore prepared for the upcoming trek to Machu Picchu
    - Treated ourselves with a luxurious dinner consisting of vegan versions of traditional Peruvian dishes
    - Joined a free walking tour around the city which is very touristy and cosmopolitan but still has a lot of beautiful streets and markets
    - Walked up the Jesus statue to get a view of the city and ate “choclo con queso” (corn with cheese) on the way down:)    Read more

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