• Jessica Wodarz
  • Kasia Janik

Viva Colombia

Traveling for almost four weeks to an amazing country, as I’ve heard! Traveling with my Bestie, not knowing what to expect. Could it get any better? Let’s go, our adventure starts in 3...2...1...! Les mer
  • Reisens start
    23. juli 2019

    Let the madness begin...

    23. juli 2019, Tyskland ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Waiting in a super air conditioned airplane to finally take off. Super excited!!! Never been to Colombia before so the excitement is even bigger. What will expect us? How are the people? Do we get to eat GOOOD FOOD?! Questions over questions! We will see, but first: we are ready for take off! ✈️ First Stop: Toronto!Les mer

  • Journey Part #1

    23. juli 2019, Canada ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    We finally made it to Toronto. Not much do to here so we decided to check out some duty free offers - nah, nothing special here as well - and to get a cold drink and relax, while playing Phase 10. Don‘t worry, we are still friends, waiting for our next stop —> BogotáLes mer

  • Welcome to Bogotá!

    23. juli 2019, Colombia ⋅ 🌧 11 °C

    We made it, Bogotá here we are! Alfonso, our nice Colombian driver took us safely from the airport to our hostel, the „Arche Noah Boutique Hostel“ in the Historic District. After a cold welcome beer and a nice chat with our gentle host, we are totally ready for our first sleepover. But wait, there is a dilemma coming up! I (Kasia) packed up a raincoat for my bag instead of my super nice silky sleeping bag. Ok, don’t panic! We need a solution, because there is no chance I use the hostel sheets. Damn habits! Ok ok, we got it. Our towels need to fill in this hole until we find a way out of this mess - tomorrow! Perfect, this works. Good Night!✨💫Les mer

  • Nice to meet you!

    24. juli 2019, Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Started the day with a quick power breakfast at our hostel, to get enough energy for our first „real“ day in Colombia! 🇨🇴 And since there is no better way to explore the city as by foot, we started walking...Les mer

  • Bogotas diversity.

    24. juli 2019, Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    To get to know the city faster and more originally, we decided to get on some bikes and book a bike & fruit-tasting tour. Together with two dutch girls and our guide Frey, we got to know a colorful city full of opposites.

    ✔️ We saw the poorest as well as the richest neighborhoods. It is really unbelievable how close to each other these areas are located. It’s like two totally different worlds combined in one city.
    ✔️ We got to know amazing new fruits. Have you ever heard about: El Borojó? Or Guanabana? Yeah, we neither! BUT - they taste awesome and are really worth trying.
    ✔️ Our last stop was at this very nice ice cream parlor „Heladeria Artesanal“, which serves all kinds of creative ice cream. Our favorites: Corozo (sour cherry) & Arequipe (Dulche de Leche)

    🍽 Now we are enjoying a delicious dinner at the „Origin Restaurant“ in the middle of La Candelaria, with a 1,5l jug of sangria waiting to get killed.🍷

    Resume of the day: Bogotá has much more to offer than we thought and against the many blogposts we have read, it is totally a city worth exploring! The only thing that is really killing us - the freakin‘ cold! 🥶 With this in mind we are super happy to leave Bogotá for some serious heatness 🔜 Desierto Tatacoa 🏜
    Les mer

  • Roadtrip to the desert

    25. juli 2019, Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Today was all about bus rides! After we checked out we started towards the regional bus line „Transmileno“, which is really well connected all across Bogotá. Quickly bought a rechargeable bus ticket for 5.000 COP (1,40 €) and got on the bus towards la Plaza Claró, where we hoped to buy a sleeping bag for Kasia. And what should we say - we bought it! YEAH!!! What a relief! Ok, next stop —> Terminal de Transporte El Salirte! We hurry to catch the next bus towards the Colombian desert „Desierto de la Tatacoa“. Bought a ticket for 32.000 COP (8,90 €) each and prepared for an 8 hour bus ride. It got pretty bumpy and curvy and to be honest, we are happy we made it in one peace! 😛 Arrived in Neiva we got into a taxi with a super nice local driver who drove us - more or less - safely to our beautiful hostel. The ride was great. We got to know a lot about his family and life in Colombia and on top of that we improved our spanish skills. Perfect! ✔️Les mer

  • The most colorful place in the desert

    26. juli 2019, Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Dunas Tatacoa - a wonderful place full of color and love for detail expected us when we woke up. We got a delicious breakfast with some warm bread stuffed with cheese and marmelade - tastes really good -, eggs, local frutas and a super nice „Jugo“ (Juice) made of Lulo, a typical colombian fruit that looks like an orange tomato. Yammy! Our host was very gentle and took good care of us. If you ever get the chance to visit El Desierto de la Tatacoa, we can totally recommend this hostel. It is a super clean and comfy place and you feel like part of the family, which enjoys their time here as well.😎☀️

    Oh, and before we forget: We made a special and furry friend: Mickey - the cutest and cuddliest dog! 🐶
    Les mer

  • Exploring Villavieja & stargazing

    26. juli 2019, Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    After we relaxed at the pool to escape the midday sun, we decided to go to Villavieja, a nice small village full of life. We met nice people and had a tasty lunch with a view on the Plaza Major. In the evening we got picked up by Pedro, our nice Tuk Tuk driver, who took us to the desert for the sunset and some stargazing at the observatory. Unfortunately it was super cloudy and the guide had a hard time finding interesting astronomical facts. But nevertheless he made a good job and we have learned a lot of interesting things about our big galaxy! ✨💫

    Back at the hostel we got a warm welcome by two very special animals!🦎🦗
    Les mer

  • Desert experience

    27. juli 2019, Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Saturday 8 am. Our Tuk Tuk driver Abel is here to pick us up for a tour through the Tatacoa Desert. We jump in and enjoy the windy ride to our first stop - the red desert. Very soon we notice that our guide is pretty communicative and knows „God and the world“, as you would say in Germany. He stops every five minutes to have a little chat and maintain his network. :)

    During our tour we get to know a lot about
    • the formation of the desert
    • the animals that live here
    • how to eat the fruits of a cactus
    • which tree is a wish tree
    • [...]

    The best part is to wander around in the two different deserts (red & grey), being fascinated by what mother nature created and be rewarded with a nice and refreshing swim in a natural swimming pool in the middle of this beautiful place!💧☀️
    Les mer

  • Sunday in Cali

    28. juli 2019, Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Since there are only a few things open on a Sunday we decided to follow our hosts recommendation and go to the local market „La Plaza de Mercado La Alameda“. First we were unsure if we‘d like it because the street were super empty and there was almost no life on the streets, but what we saw then was the total opposite. Locals buying fruits and food, having lunch in a bunch of traditional restaurants. We dove right into this nice place and tried a couple of colorful things as well followed by a visit in the regional zoo.🐅

    On the way back to the hostel we got out of the bus in a very creepy neighborhood. The guy without an arm and the lady heating up her fire on the sidewalk gave us a first Cali-Feeling.😬 But walking simply a couple of blocks down the road took us to a different world in which you can feel very secure!
    Les mer

  • Cali es Cali

    29. juli 2019, Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Started the day with a free walking tour named „Salsa & Art“ which was amazing! We wandered around the city of Cali and learned many super interesting things about the birth of salsa music, it’s musicians and famous Cali personalities & artists. Our guide Paul was so passionate about his City Cali and infected us so much that we booked a second tour for the evening „Historic Cali“.

    3 FACTS ABOUT CALI

    1. „Cali es Cali, lo demás es loma“: Cali is Cali and the rest is in the mountains. No other city is like Cali.

    2. Salsa Capitol of Latin America and the famous salsa group „Grupo Niche“ got founded here.

    3. If you ever go to Cali, book a Free Walking Tour with Paul >> „Free Tour Cali“. 😎☀️

    In the evening we became real „Caleñas“ by taking a Salsa class in the famous salsa bar „La Topa Tolondra“, just to practice our skill in a local salsa bar. The colombians accepted our salsa moves very quickly and didn’t miss a chance to ask for a dance! One thing is clear - salsa entered our lives! 💃🏽💃🏽
    Les mer

  • Two Cowgirls in Salento

    31. juli 2019, Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    To explore beautiful Salento from a different perspective we jumped on our horses „Mustang“ and „Olafo“ and enjoyed a 5-hour horse ride through the Valley. Although it was a guided tour, the road was pretty challenging with stony ups and downs. We rode through the mountains & the valleys. We had stops at a local coffee farm and at some nice waterfalls inside of the jungle. And the best part of day, our long ride in the river, which was the most unique experience - EVER! The nature was just so fantastic that we cannot describe it.🌱🌺

    After this challenging but totally amazing day we enjoyed ourselves in the hot jacuzzi of our hostel. It was the perfect end of the day! 😍
    Les mer

  • Cocora Valley

    1. august 2019, Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Today started very touristy. We had to wait more than 30 minutes in line to catch a „Willy“ (Jeep) which brought us to the Cocora Valley. When we finally arrived there we were amazed by the nature we saw. The worlds biggest palm trees were expecting us. Or to see it from the perspective of a swiss guy we met on the road: „Cocora Valley looks like Switzerland with Palm Trees.“

    After our hike in this beautiful nature we had the traditional Salento food „Trucha“ for lunch an afterwards we took the last bus from Salento to Medellín. What we didn’t know at that time is that we had a 10 hour ride ahead of us - puh! Finally made it to Medellín - it’s 2:30 am! 😂
    Les mer

  • Medellín - nice to meet you!

    2. august 2019, Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    After a rough and short night we rewarded us with a colorful breakfast full of vitamins at „Betty’s Bowls“ in the middle of hip Poblado. 🥑🥭🍉🍌

    To get a better overview of Medellín and to get to know the city we are going to stay in for the next couple of days, we booked a Free Walking Tour with the amazing guide „Pablo not Pedro“. The passion he put into his stories and the way he showed us his city was incredible and we really enjoyed every second of this 4-hour tour! Thank you, Pablo (not Pedro).🕵🏽‍♂️

    3 interesting things about Medellín:

    ✔️ The Metro has a deep cultural meaning and is a symbol of hope to the people, because it was a branch to hold on to, while all the bad stuff happened in the 90s. That is the reason why today - still - nobody even tries to ruin, scratch, spray or destroy any part of the whole metro complex.🚊

    ✔️ The transformation is real. Buildings of crime became the headquarters of education. Symbol of fears got rebuild and the society really figured out, that education has the power to change things to a better.📚

    ✔️ Why are Colombians so happy, although all this bad things happened in the past? - Colombian people have a bad collective memory and decided to forget everything bad that happened to them and look forward to new things.☀️
    Les mer

  • La Feria de las Flores

    3. august 2019, Colombia ⋅ 🌧 24 °C

    Medellín’s biggest annual festival „La Feria de las Flores“ starts in August and is a huge 10-day festival to celebrate the paisa culture. This year is the 62nd annual Feria de las Flores in Medellín. Also, this festival is the most important social event for the city of Medellín. And the Flower Festival is one of the best ways to get an authentic taste of the local culture.

    As usual, this year’s Festival of Flowers schedule is packed with many events, big and small. And in 2019 there is expected to be a total of over 400 different events between public and private events for La Feria de las Flores.

    We decided to go to a big concert in the Stadion of Medellín. An amazing party from 7pm - 4am with high quality colombian acts such as:

    🌼 Becky G
    🌼 Malouma
    🌼 Marc Anthony
    🌼 Ozuna

    🌼 Carlos Vives
    🌼 Alex Fernandez Jr
    🌼 Jaycob Duque.

    It was amazing! We enjoyed a full night of „Baila, Baila, Baila“ to top acts and great happy songs!!! ☀️
    Les mer

  • Comuna 13

    4. august 2019, Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Today we made a walking tour through Comuna 13 with a local guy, who got born and raised in Comuna 13 and really nows the hidden stories behind the touristic attraction.

    On the outside this barrio looks uprising and super hip, but when you look behind the facades you recognize the struggle all the people living here went through and still live in. It makes you realize quickly, that your own problems are mostly „luxury problems“ and that we can be super happy to live the life we have!Les mer

  • 740 steps to go...

    5. august 2019, Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    After a rough and almost dangerous bus ride, we made it to sweet and loving Guatapé, a little Colonial Pueblo that is about 85 km from Medellín. True to the motto: „Been there, done that“ we checked in quickly and took the adventure of climbing up 740 steps of „La Piedra de El Peñol“ afterwards. Our effort got rewarded with an amazing view!

    In the evening we found a new buddy who we called Rico! 🐶 He followed us because he liked us... Oh no, I think because we got Pizza on our bag.
    Les mer

  • Paradies - you got us!

    7. august 2019, Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    We never imagined that we will miss the beach so much, but after these past days of city hopping it is time to get a serious chill mood on!

    For the first day we decided to hit the local beach „Tierra Bomba“ and what should I say - it was totally worth it:
    • almost no people (and NO tourists)
    • only 15 minutes by boat
    • friendly locals
    • back massage
    • super cozy beach bad
    • Rum bomb in a coconut
    • [...]

    Let the pictures speak for themselves!
    Les mer

    Reisens slutt
    16. august 2019