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  • Blicki on the road
  • Blicki on the road

Central- & Southamerica

A 96-day adventure by Blicki on the road Read more
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  • Blicki on the roadCentral- & SouthamericaTraveler

    First week in Cartagena

    October 9, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    I'd like to sum up my first week of language school in Cartagena. Overall, I really like the city and I am very happy to be here. There are a lot of cafés and sometimes it's almost impossible to decide where to have a coffee or a nice juice next😊 Moreover, I'm already finding my way around pretty well and feel very comfortable. It's becoming slowly like a home. The school is very familiar and the people are friendly. My class is really great, even though there are two other Swiss students, I think I've already made a lot of progress in just one week. The two parents from Colorado are also super nice and funny, so we have a lot of fun during the lessons. This week we also had a salsa lesson and a city trip with all the students, which was very lovely. Every friday is cooking day, so all students cook a traditional Columbian dish together. This time we cook patacones with Guacamole, which was very delicious although it was fried. Moreover, on friday we had to sing karaoke to a Spanish song. Not something I really like to do, but somehow it worked out and was fun too.
    At the weekend, I went to the island of Tintipan with a German girl who is also at the language school. After a two-hour ride on a boat, we finally arrived at the island and were warmly welcomed with a drink. There were only two other guests in this accommodation, so it almost felt like a private island. In the afternoon we spent some time in the crystal blue water, relaxed in the hammock and even fell asleep. Finally, we were able to enjoy a beautiful sunset. For dinner we had a delicious fish with the famous coconut rice and patacones. Unfortunately, there was a heavy thunderstorm during the night, so the ground was shaking. From 4 a.m. onwards it rained continuously, so that unfortunately we didn't have any more of the beautiful beach. Nevertheless, you have to get used to it in the rainy season. and it was totally worth it anyway. The return journey was accordingly very wet and adventurous😅    Read more

  • Blicki on the roadCentral- & SouthamericaTraveler

    Cooking Empanadas

    October 13, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    Today we cooked delicious empanadas with and without meat at school. Unfortunately, they were deep-fried again. It's a shame that so much is deep-fried here. Eventhough, they tasted very good, I realise that eating so much fried food is not good for me and I try to avoid from now on.Read more

  • Blicki on the roadCentral- & SouthamericaTraveler

    Playa Tranquila Barú

    October 14, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    This weekend I spent on the peninsula Baru with the family from Colorado and my Swiss friend from the Spanish school. Playa Tranquila is just over an hour away from Cartagena. After cooking lessons on Friday, a minivan picked us up at the school. The reception in front of the entrance to Playa Blanca (the name of the entire beach) was, like Laura the women from Colorado said, a bit "wild". There were so many people, vendors and you were approached from all sides. Finally, after 15 minutes of walking, we reached our accommodation directly on the beach (about 10 metres to the water). The accommodation was very simple, but compared to the other accommodation on this beach, one of the cosy ones. By the way, we got the tip for this place from one of our Spanish teachers :-) The accommodation was simple and a bit adventurous, but more about that later ;) The water was crystal clear and the very warm. We spent the afternoon swimming, snorkelling and in the deckchair. It was nice to relax a bit and we needed it. Unfortunately, during the night, a heavy thunderstorm came up and I woke up in the middle of the night because the roof had a leak right above my head and water was dripping on me. So we had to move the bed. After 5 minutes it dripped again, this time on my hand. Finally, we had to move the bed to the front half of the room. Unfortunately, due to this stormy night, we all had not slept so well, but in return the next morning we were surprised with a lovely rainbow. Already at 7am we took a first swim in the sea and did some stretching exercises. The second day was spent on the beach again. It was very pleasant until about 11am because there were very few people and boats. After that, the people started to arrive. Luckily, we were at Playa Tranquila, where it was fairly pleasant with people. But it was a bit crazy with all the boats and jet skis. On our return to the minivan, which picked us up at half past three, we saw a huge crowd that almost took our breath away. It was unbelievable how many people were in one place! The driver told us that there would be even more on Sunday. It was a nice short trip, but I definitely prefer the island of Tintipan and I don't think I would return to this beach as it was just very wild. To sum up, a very nice, adventorous weekend with many impressions.Read more

  • Blicki on the roadCentral- & SouthamericaTraveler
    My favorite coffee and study place

    Second Week in Cartagena

    October 14, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Another week is already over and my time in Cartagena is slowly coming to an end. I had even considered staying a little longer because I really like this city and the school and I also noticed that my Spanish is improving, but I know that more adventures are waiting for me and it is time to move on. Neverthenless, now I am enjoying my last week in this vibrant city and planning my next trip. Although, I have become very accustomed to life in Cartagena. For example, that not everything always goes according to plan and you have to take several attempts, to get what you want. The Colombians though are very friendly and helpful. and therefore I feel very comfortable here. My host mother also makes a lot of effort to introduce me to various Colombian specialities and so there is something different almost every day (almost exclusively vegetarian). She has also noticed what I like and what I don't like so much. She is really very nice and accommodating. Overall, I feel very safe here, even though I have learned through our teacher that there are also a few barrios that you are not allowed to enter under any circumstances. One teacher even lives in a neighbourhood where she doesn't leave the house after 8 o'clock in the evening. Sometimes it is hard to imagine that poverty and danger are so close. So now I have to go to bed because we have an exam tomorrow at 8 o'clock, now that we have moved up a level.Read more

  • Blicki on the roadCentral- & SouthamericaTraveler

    Mantenga siempre la calma...

    October 18, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    You also have to capture the less beautiful moments, they are also part of travelling. Unfortunately, I picked up an infection in my eye and now have to take antibiotics for 5 days. But luckily it's getting slowely better already😊thanks to all who support me so great, great credits to Sandra❤️ It's nice to have such great people around you and not to feel alone in such moments, even if you are in a foreign country.Read more

  • Blicki on the roadCentral- & SouthamericaTraveler
    With our spanish teacher
    My hostmotherMy second familyNew Swiss friendReady for the next adventure

    Time to say goodbye😥

    October 20, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Unfortunately, my time in Cartagena has come to an end. The three weeks in the language school and the life in the host family were an unforgettable time. I was able to meet many new nice people and learn a lot about life in Cartagena and the culture. The people are generally very nice and helpful and I felt very comfortable. The host mother was just great and I had the chance to try so many different foods. She really put a lot of effort into it. Finally, we went to a coffee together and had very delicious cake. On the last evening we enjoyed the sunset in a cozy restaurant and watched the sunset. Furthermore we went toa dance show of our Spanish teacher. I also had the chance to dance Salsa with a few locals myself😊. I would have liked to stay longer and it was hard for me to say goodbye to everyone. But somehow I knew that it was time to move on. Now I still have a total of 2 months to travel Colombia and Ecuador. I'm really looking forward to it😊 my eye is unfortunately still not quite good, meanwhile no longer swollen and it looks again quite healthy, but unfortunately I see only blurred. Therefore, I will go in Medellin to an eye specialist and hope that then everything is good again. If not, I will still think about whether it will continue for me. It is a bit worrying and I hope that everything will be fine again. But now I am looking forward to Minca!Read more

  • Blicki on the roadCentral- & SouthamericaTraveler

    Minca - Next chapter

    October 21, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    The journey to our hostel was very exciting. First we took a bus from Cartagena to Santa Marta and then a cab to Minca. From Minca it was another 30 min uphill in a 4×4 wheel. There was no paved road and the drive up there was pure shaking. A little adventorous like in a roller coster.
    But it was worth it! We were rewarded with a breathtaking view and very good and healthy food.
    The small village of Minca is located about 20 km from Santa Marta at 600 meters of altitude in the slopes of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. The climate is very pleasant and not so hot like in Cartagena. Among other things, it has a river with many waterfalls. The vegetation is very lush and is home to a variety of exotic bird species. It also has a lot of hummingbirds which fly around😊    Read more

  • Blicki on the roadCentral- & SouthamericaTraveler

    Time for meditation at the waterfall

    October 23, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    The yoga teacher, who I met at the hostel the first morning (I had the honor for a single yoga class with her), took us on a short hike to another waterfall to meditate. She is originally from Bogota and is in Minca for a week to give yoga classes. We got along very well and became very good friends. We were joined by a Dutch woman and a German woman. It was a very nice experience to meditate in the middle of nature on a stone in the river. Afterwards we took a cold bath (13 minutes). Good regeneration for the body.Read more

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