2022 // Colombia on Film
Medellín, Minca, Santa Marta & Cartagena
Colombia, OCTOBER 2022
What a fucking whirlwind.
This recap has been a long time coming and there’s a LOT to unpack here. If you want to hear every single story in excessive detail, you’re going to have to book a one-on-one session with me. I’ve finally had enough time to get all of my film developed and reflect on such an incredible trip.
The Pitch & Planning
Anna graduated from nursing school (ugh, an obligatory congrats) this past June, and had originally planned to travel to Southeast Asia before starting. That didn’t quite happen because of the pandemic…As a graduation gift to herself before jumping into the workforce, she pivoted to travel South America for six weeks with an open invite for anyone who wanted to meet her there. I being the person I am and never having been to South America, seized the opportunity and joined her at the end of her trip for a week in Colombia.
In an ideal world, I would have done a lot more research to make the most of international travel. Pre-Colombia, life was overwhelming and by Greta standards, I was severely unprepared on the planning front. I also had the idea of brushing up on Spanish and well, that simply did not happen whatsoever. I embraced the idea of being go-with-the-flow since surely Anna would have some tricks up her sleeve.
Traveling to Colombia
Cheap flights mean brutal itineraries. Much to Anna’s chagrin (only because I get upgraded more than I should), things always seem to work out for me; in this scenario, it was for the best because I cut out a flight to Charlotte and ended up with a long layover in Miami. I popped out to tour Little Havana and quickly realized a lot of people only speak Spanish here and was confronted with the slender grasp I had on the language.
Medellín
Arriving in Medellín, I was picked up by a driver and attempted to converse with him as he brought me to Poblado, the neighborhood we were staying in. I reunited with Anna in the streets which were flooding from the excessive tropical rain. We went up to our room where I dropped my bags and freshened up from a day of travel then chitchatted with her.
Next thing I know, Anna had me downstairs for a bachata dance class 30 min within me arrive to the hostel. I won’t lie, I’m not good at dancing whatsoever. However, it worked out for the best because this is where we met our Australian friend Taylor as he ended up being my dance partner. Straight from bachata, we all hopped on the party bus that would take us around the Medellín bar scene for the night. The bus was an old yellow school bus that was hollowed out save for the railing that was installed as the only means of stability as we drove around blasting reggaeton.
Night one: we were up until 5 am. This seems to be an unfortanute theme of the first night of international travel for me (a la Luxembourg).
Sunday - the Lord’s day - we popped some ibuprofen and had brunch with our new friends at the restaurant next door while watching breakdancing street performers. In an attempt to have a more wholesome day, Anna, Taylor, and I set out to take the gondola up to Parque Arvi. The sweeping views offered a glimpse of how lush and sprawling Medellín is. Without a plan, we opted to wander the trails of the park with coffees (why, I do not know) in tow as the sky once again opened up and drenched us. We kept laughing about how we looked like wet rats. To end the outing, we gorged ourselves on birria tacos before taking some time to decompress.
It felt so wrong to be posted up in the hostel, especially when it was Anna and my last evening in Medellín, so after some necessary down time, the three of us agreed that we needed to hit a bar or two, but nothing crazy like the previous night. I don’t really know where we went wrong, but we somehow ended up staying out until 3 am.
Two days of late nights was starting to take its toll on us, but it was still bittersweet to be leaving Medellín the following morning. Anna and I had one last brunch with Taylor and said goodbye before heading off to the airport to catch a flight to the northern coast.
Minca
I have never seen it rain like it did at the Medellín airport. I thought for sure our flight would be cancelled or delayed, but nope! everything went off without a hitch. As we stepped out of the Santa Marta airport, I could already feel the humidity increase. We found our driver in the arrivals area and embarked on a harrowing drive up to Mundo Nuevo, an eco lodge nestled on the mountainside. Anna described the drive as the Indiana Jones ride at Disney World. We did the drive in a truck; there was an option to do it on a motorcycle which I could not even fathom.
After two rowdy nights, we welcomed full relaxation. It was peaceful and serene to be isolated in the mountains while watching the fog roll in. At Minca, we attempted to catch up on our journaling (LOL) and lounged about while discussing some big life questions. Well, as big of conversations as Anna and I are capable of. At this point, we had also slipped into this foul, silly voice that only brings humor to us.
The eco lodge was connected to various trails that you could take for a certain activity; think hiking to a waterfall or walking a coffee farm. Despite the on-and-off torrential downpours, Anna and I ventured out to see the cacao farm since we couldn’t pass up an opportunity like that. The rain managed to deter other guests, so we had our own private tour at Finca La Candelaria, a family run cacao and coffee farm. We took part in the chocolate making process, ate raw cacao, and ended with a chocolate face mask. On the hike back, we got caught in a downpour and emerged back at the eco lodge soaked to the bone, arms full of gifts we had purchased, and still wearing our chocolate masks. I know we looked insane. Anna and I quickly attempted to dry off by stripping off layers, but were cut short by our driver telling us we needed to leave now because the river was “mas fuerete”.
The Caribbean Coast
Down the mountainside we went, making a questionable river crossing that I would like to never do again. Back in Santa Marta, we switched to a taxi and drove past Tayrona National Park, which was sadly closed during our stay, while singing “Despacito” with our taxi driver. We eventually arrived at Blue Mango Beach Hotel, where we immediately posted up on the beach and ordered some daiquiris.
This leg of the trip we chose to unwind by bouncing back and forth from pool to beach. By the pool, we had our lowest moment of the trip when we realized we had been bitten by bugs. The back of our legs were dotted in red lumps. Once we quelled our disgust, we continued on with the regular programming by ordering beers, with the occasional pescado taco or milkshake, and reading in the sun. The waitresses all knew us by the end of the evening. The night finished off with us sweating in our little bungalow while watching Love is Blind and waiting for the BeReal notification.
Cartagena
Entering the last phase, we soaked up as much beach time as possible before embarking on a six hour bus ride to Cartagena. It sounds daunting, but passed by rather quickly all things considered since it’s six hours of sitting. As was the theme of the trip, Anna and I fell into our own language and way of entertaining ourselves by looking at pictures and recounting stories from earlier in the trip.
After checking into our final hostel, we freshened up and spent the evening exploring the Cartagena night life. We ended up at some fun bars and managed to integrate ourselves into a bachelor party visiting from Mexico City. I truly don’t know how that happened.
We awoke refreshed and eager to explore the colorful colonial town. As we wandered the vibrant streets, stumbling upon bits of history and linen clothing stores, Anna and I realized we would spend the day sweating. We popped into every other store to gain some temporary relief and buy last minute souvenirs. In the afternoon, Taylor arrived in Cartagena and met back up with us - probably for the best since Anna and I had slipped into our language and were being so weird with just each other. Having an outside presence would keep us grounded.
The three of us booked a sunset boat tour of the bay to kick off mine and Anna’s last night in Colombia. Properly sauced on the boat, we hopped off, grabbed sustenance in the form of arepas, and hit the town. We made our way over to Getsemani, the hip neighborhood of town, where we maneuvered around salsa dancers in the streets and drank numerous mojitos. The night ended on the dance floor at a discoteca.
The final morning consisted of packing our bags, a goodbye brunch with Taylor, and one last jaunt around town before Anna and I commenced our ungodly itinerary of Cartagena to Miami to Chicago to Seattle. Stateside once again (thanks Sharon for picking us up), we were already missing Colombia.
Oh man, I love Colombia. I am eager to go back. It’s already been predetermined that we will go there for Anna’s future bachelorette party. I feel fortunate to have been able to see and experience so many different places in such a short time. Though I didn’t have culture shock, Colombia felt different than many places I’ve been. There is an energetic spirit that accompanies the vibrant streets. The Colombian people were some of the kindest I have ever met with a passion for their culture and an enthusiasm to share it with you.
I now love reggaeton. I hated on the genre for so long, but I get it now OKAY. I sincerely apologize for any past comments I have made for not giving it a proper chance. I GET IT NOW. BAD BUNNY IS GREAT.
My biggest “regret”, if you can even call it that, is not spending more time down there. People were so surprised that I was visiting for just a week, common in the U.S. but an anomaly in comparison to other foreigners. The majority of travelers we encountered were abroad for months at a time or adopting the digital nomad lifestyle. Aside from duration, every fellow traveler we encountered were so kind probably because of the mutual understanding of our common circumstances. The currency of travelers is exchanging stories and recommendations. When I decided to go on this trip I didn’t realize I would meet incredible people from all over the world. Anna and I fully intend on visiting Taylor in Sydney. Who knew we’d make lifelong friends.
Now back in the states, I’m aiming to prioritize gaining a more global view of the world because we’re insulated in our perspectives. I have always known this, but something about this trip shifted things for me. I want to take salsa lessons and actually brush up on my Spanish (so that the next time I visit a Spanish speaking country, I’m not completely helpless). This trip reinvigorated a desire to learn and indulge in other cultures. It piqued my curiosity to see as much as possible.
Thank you Anna for letting me tag along on her South America trip. I already knew I could travel with her because of Mexico, but I think Colombia strengthened our friendship. There’s no one else I would rather be SAUCED with. Thank you to Taylor for putting up with us.
I wish there was a better way to label a trip other than “trip of a lifetime”, but it truly felt that way. With everything that I experienced it all felt memorable. These are all stories I will tell for the rest of my life and for that, I’m grateful for Colombia.
