Wednesday, January 28

Colombia. You think of drugs and murder, I think of backpackers and adventures.

It has been crazy and I have not stopped in a cafe or been without people long enough to write anything.

I have such mixed feelings about Colombia so far. The culture seems almost Costa Rican (my sister in CR told me that) yet the landscape and cities so far have been almost Nicaraguan and the food is amazing like Guatemala. It's so hard to see it as it's own country when it is so similar to places that I already know and love.

Day one, Tuesday 1/27 I arrived in Cartegena and after meeting a crazy adventurer on a motercycle and walking around town awhile, we met tons of backpackers and sat in the hostel, talking, joking, and sharing stories like old friends. Travelers always become good friends for a few days. It's so beautiful. I was dead tired so I slept at 9, but you can't really call it sleeping. Hostels like to be noisy until somewhere around midnight. A little rough for kids just arriving. :)

Day two, Wednesday 1/28, I relaxed all morning, as always amazed at how tired an stressed out traveling for two days is. I didn't want to sit and do nothing all day, so I hopped in a bus and went to a mud volcano.

The Tutomo volcano is pretty epic. You climb up, jump in, and...float. It is literally impossible to go under past your shoulders and your feet keep wanting to come to the surface making it hard to take anything seriously. 

I had gone with a friend from the hostel and quickly made friends with several others. It's hard not to when you are laughing and in absolute awe at what is happening and the fact that you're floating in sulfer smelling clay.

When we got in, the locals gave us all massages and took photos for us. We rubbed the clay all over and floated for awhile before they made us get out and head down to the river. There are local women there who try to bathe you, but charge money. The water was so nice, but the clay, nearly impossible to get off. Epic. Result: extremely smooth skin and ridiculously stringy, greasy feeling hair.

 

Later, I sat in the hostel speaking Spanish with a guy that worked there. He spent the night teaching me to salsa...and trying to kiss me and telling me how I am different from everyone else because I am not a crazy girl that does drugs and drinks all the time. Well then... 

Also got my first taste of Colombian party life. Some friends and I climbed up to a roof where there was a DJ and occasional live rappers. South Americans are crazy, and I don't know how anyone can move their hips like they do. A hilarious boy from Chile spent the night also tryin to teach me to dance, but...I still can't dance.