Day 205 : Horse Riding in Boquete

Boquete

Boquete is located in the mountainous region of Panama, and we were welcomed by cool weather upon arrival in Boquete around 11am. We were looking to do zip lining in the afternoon, but as it was full for the day, we booked ourselves in for a session early tomorrow morning.

One of the waterfalls

 So instead of waiting around, we decided to go horseback riding. 

The idea was good, but unfortunately the tour wasn`t. We were ¨picked up¨ at 3pm, and followed the guide in our car to a farm located about 30 minutes drive away.

When we got there, we were the only ones there, and the guide interacted with a guy at the farm, whom we later learnt to be the owner.

Day 204 : Car Rental

Niklaus felt bad that he had put me in a situation of not going anywhere, and since the boat will not be operational until parts can be replaced, he suggested to show me around Panama. So off we headed to Colon to rent a car.

The ironic thing was that we used my driving license (Niklaus has misplaced his license) but his details for the insurance coverage – something which I don`t think will be allowed elsewhere?

Day 203 : Engine Breakdown

We were planning to leave for San Blas this morning, but due to strong winds in the wrong direction, Thomas suggested that we wait till the afternoon to monitor the weather, as it may get stronger, and may not be advisable to leave as scheduled.

While waiting, Niklaus decided to do an engine check, and it was at this time he found water had entered the engine! Olivier came by the boat to check what had happened, and discovered that the water pump had burst, resulting in water leaking into the engine.

Day 197 - 202 : Puerto Lindo

Puerto Lindo

Niklaus boat is located in a sheltered bay in Puerto Lindo, located about 1.5hour from the city of Colon and 30 minutes from the small town of Portobello. Both Puerto Lindo and Portobello is where most of the sailboats heading to San Blas islands and Cartagena departs from.

Puerto Lindo is where we had spent most of our days at, having a meal or drinks at Han's (an open air restaurant by the sea side), if we were not on the boat. Most of the people residing here are blacks (vs the fairer skin Panamanians residing further inland) and had a more fishing village feel.

Monkey Feeding

Located near our boat was a small jetty, where lived 3 monkeys. Thomas said that they often come out to the pier in the evening, waiting for people to feed them, and that they are really funny to look at.

We invited Jim to come with us, and we were surprised at his answer.

Portobello

Portobello

We had to make a trip to Portobello today to the port authorities to get the paper work done for the boat to go to San Blas, and Niklaus took the opportunity to show me around.

It is an extremely small town, which can be covered within an hour. It used to be a historical fort, with remnants of the fort structures still remaining.

Day 196 : Flight to Panama

It was a 1.5 hours flight to Bogota, followed by a transit in Bogota airport for about 3 hours and then another 1.5 hours to Panama - 4 times the time needed to fly direct from Cartagena to Panama city, but with a USD50 savings, the slight inconvenience was marginal. In fact, the journey was not as bad as I imagined it to be and COPA airlines had been much more comfortable than I expected.

2 interesting things happened when I was in Bogota airport though.  First, when I arrived at Bogota airport, we were met by a couple of COPA staff, who led a few of us transiting to Cartagena to a terminal to process our boarding passes.

I was subsequently led by one of the staff to one of their counters, and for some reasons, after being asked to sign a document, I was handed with COP65,000 in cash!  I was extremely puzzled as I was the only one in the group that was led to the counter, and additionally handed cash!  

Knowing not to complain when money is handed out to you, I took the money without asking why and left.  Yay, more money in my pocket!

The 2^nd interesting thing was with the immigration.  I had been extremely concern that I would encounter problems with immigration since I had overstayed in the country.   But when I presented my passport, they seemed to be more intrigued with the passport numbers found on the top of every page in my passport, as well as the particulars page on the passport.

Day 193 - 195 : Cartagena

It is hard for anyone not to like Cartagena... ok.. maybe just the weather (read : hot and sunny), but just walking and exploring the streets of Cartagena city is a pure pleasure.

Modern Cartagena in
fortress background

Cartagena city is enclosed within the fortress walls located next to the sea. Sights of historical buildings, colourfully dressed black women parading their bowl of fruits on their heads, the warmth of the locals, the gush of cool breeze flowing through the streets, walking along the fortress walls admiring the view of the sea on one side and the historic city, horse drawn carriages trotting along the narrow streets, are just some of the things which makes up the Cartagena charm.  

Day 192 : Baranquilla

I must say that Baranquilla is perhaps the most disappointing city I have been to in Colombia!  Baranquilla was never a planned stop in my original itinerary, but just because there has been so much mentioned about it, (famous for a Carnaval held once a year here in this city), and being enroute to Cartagena, I thought I would stop here for a night to explore the town.

Day 189 - 191 : Tayrona National Park

Just came back from spending 2 nights in Tayrona National Park, sleeping in a hammock about 50m from the beach.  Being the first time I am sleeping overnight in a hammock, it was a rather interesting experience, though it got a little chilly in the night and I had problems sleeping through till the next day.

Tayrona is said to have one of the nicer beaches in Colombia, however after spending the last 2 nights here, I have to say that I really miss the beaches of Asia, and look forward to my trip to Koh Lipe when I am back!

Day 188 : Santa Marta

Got into Santa Marta early this morning at about 9am, and went straight to the hostel.  As usual I had not really booked anything, and tried my luck by heading straight to the hostel.

Upon arrival, they mentioned that they couldn't confirm anything until about 12 noon - it is currently the high season, and that they have some tentative bookings, and will reconfirm with them before letting me know.

After a couple of hours wait, I finally got a bed in a 10-bed dorm.

Day 186 & 187 : Final Days in Bogota

Last 2 days in Bogota - didn´t do much except for catching up with some of Robin´s friends when I got back, as well as got the chance to eat at Juan Pablo´s (a friend of Robin who operates a cafe round the corner where he stays) cafe, which had just recently re-opened after it had been under renovations for the last 2 weeks.

Day 184 & 185 : Villa de Leyva

Villa de Leyva is located about 3.5 hours bus ride from Bogota.  I had not heard of this place until a few days ago when I realised I am going to be stuck in Bogota much longer than I had hoped for.  It was recommended by Robin, his brothers, as well as a couple of his friends, and said to have one of the larger squares in Colombia.

Thermal Pool in Villa de Leyva

After a long trek, I booked a trip to the thermal pools with a tour company that provides a return transfer.

The thermals were located about 20 mins drive from Villa de Leyva, and the sun has already set by the time we arrived (around 7pm).  I was surprised to find that people were carrying torchlights to walk down the path from the carpark.  Even more surprising was when I arrived at the thermals.  It was pitch black and it looked like a totally natural setting..

Parque Iguaque

Under recommendation by Robin, I left the hostel at 7am and made my way to Parque Iguaque, located about 45 mins by bus.

Upon arrival, it was about another 30 mins walk from the bus stop to the main entrance of the National Park.  Parque Iguaque is supposed to have a very significant historical meaning for Colombia, as according to some tribal beliefs, it is at the lagoon at the top of Iguaque which was where humans first came about.

Disappointment at Brazil Embassy

I managed to hitch a ride in Miguel´s car together with Robin, since their office is just 1 block from the Brazil embassy.  Considering that I had lugged my luggage along (so that I can make my way up north upon obtaining my passport), the ride was good instead of having to squeeze in the bus with the morning traffic.

I had asked Robin for a favour to help me with translation at the Brazil Embassy and to mention about the news article and changes to the visa policy.  The staff at the counter subsequently showed us a long list of all countries and the visa requirements (information which was dated in mid November), and according to it, visas are needed for Singaporeans.  I pointed to them the date and mentioned that the news article was published on December 14.

Day 183 : Brazil visa not needed?

Got an email from Aliang today, after some email exchanges we had over the last couple days, and my complaining about the extended stay in Bogota to settle my Brazil visa.

It was at this time he pointed me to an article in ¨AsiaOne¨ website dated 14 December that an agreement has been signed which does not require Singaporeans to enter Brazil for up to 30 days.

Yippee!!!  It is strange that the embassy didn´t highlight this to me when I was there.  Since today is a public holiday, I am going to make a trip tomorrow, and see if I can get my passport and hopefully money back too!

Day 182 : First Time at the Movies in 6 months!

It is Robin's birthday today.  I had headed out earlier in the morning to take a walk around the city and to settle some personal stuff, before heading back to Robin´s place.  While on the way back to Robin's house, a car suddenly stopped halfway along the street and to my surprise it was Miguel (Robin´s brother), and in the back seat was Robin.

They were on their way to lunch, and was hoping I could join them, but as I had no contact number, I was lucky that I had run into them on their way out!

Day 181 : Montserrate

Funicular

I made my way to Montserrate, a mountain that dominates the city of Bogota, and rises 3,152m above sea level, where a cathedral is located on top.  The hill is a pilgrim destination, as well as a tourist attraction.

Being lazy, I decided to take the funicular up, and then take the walking path down later.  The funicular ride was not as pleasant compared to the other funiculars I had taken in other places, as it was extremely squeezy, and one could hardly see the view of the city within the funicular due to the crowd.  It was a great relief when the doors opened upon our arrival, where I could once again take a proper breather.

Day 180 : Extended stay in Bogota

The first most important thing I had to do in Bogota was to make my visa for Brazil, in order for me to attend Carnaval in Rio, as well as to catch my flight out to Barcelona!  My earlier visa had expired, and thus I made my way to the Brazil Embassy.

Encounter with the Colombian Police

I had to get some documentation done at the police station, and thus made my way to the tourist information centre to seek for directions.  I must say that after today's experience with the Colombian police, I am extremely impressed at how warm and friendly people in Colombia are!

Apparently the tourist police located in the same tourist information centre was not able to help and so called to check and soon mentioned that the superintendent was busy and they will send a vehicle to pick me up when he is done.

Day 179 : Bus Ride to Bogota

I had wanted to take the night bus from Medellin to Bogota last night, and had arrived at the bus terminal at 8.30pm to buy my tickets.  Alas, all tickets for the night was already sold out, and there were at least 10 buses from the time I reached the terminal to the last bus for the night heading to Bogota!

I have had no problems in Colombia regarding getting bus ticket to the next location upon arrival at the terminal, and so this being the first time, I was quite surprised.  When I asked one of the counter staff why wasn´t there any tickets, all she replied was ¨Mucho Gente¨ (Too many people).

Day 178 : Santa Elena

Boys on bicycle being dragged by bus

We (Kelly & I) made our way towards Santa Elena to meet up with one of her friend, who was going to show us around the area.  Santa Elena is a district up in the hills of Medellin, and on a side note, within Santa Elena resides Parque Arvi as well. 

So we took a bus from the city, and spent the next 45 minutes spiralling up one of the hills of Medellin.  It was a packed bus, as many of the people on the bus were heading to Parque Arvi, the final stop of the bus. 

Day 177 : Cable car ride to Parque Arvi

Took the metro on my own today with intentions to visit Parque Arvi, an ecological park located high up in the hills of Medellin city.  Kelly has mentioned that this is a really beautiful park, with some nice walking trails including some archeological remains, and where one can also get a great view of the city from the top.

Day 176 : Medellin

I am sooooo exhausted after spending the whole day walking, probably over 10km! 

Palacio de La Cultura

We first visited Palacio de La Cultura, a really grand and interesting building architecture in the heart of the city, housing some art and photo exhibits, before heading over to Plaza Botero (remember the big fat bird sculpture in Boat Quay?  It is sculpted by Botero, a Colombian!).  

In this square, housed many outdoor exhibits of Botero's sculptures, all in his distinct voluminous style.

Plaza Botero

Posing in front one of the many Botero sculptures at the square!

Sweets for my sweet

Had a couple of sweets for the first time today, the first being Gelatina de Pata (literally translated as foot jelly), made of cow's cartilage mixed with sugarcane syrup. 

Gelatina de Pata

Kelly with a portion of Gelatina de Pata

While at Pueblito Paisa, we came across a guy "pulling" a white substance and it seemed as if he was making noodles or pasta out of it!  Kelly bought a serving of it, and I had a few bites, which tasted really good.  I would never have guessed that this was made of cartilage just from the look as well as the taste! 

Day 174 & 175 : Manizales

Again, this is another non planned stop, where I spent 1.5 day over the New Year's eve! 

Manizales is also located on the northern part of the coffee triangle, with great views of the valleys and if the weather is good, possible to see some snow capped mountains. 

It also has some good hot springs nearby, which unfortunately I did not have time to go and also things seem to be closed for the New Year's!

New Year´s Eve

Everyone keeps telling me that Manizales is a party town, however, on New Year´s eve this seems to be totally opposite!  Everything is closed, the streets are quiet and the only bar that was open was the one that is in my hostel, which closed shortly after midnight.  This must be the quietest New Year I ever had! 

I was told that Colombians view New Year´s as a family thing rather than a celebration that is usually among friends with partying.  The quietness sure doesn´t seem right, and even the 2 Peruvians who share the same dorm as I do felt the same way!

Though I am not the party sort, I have to admit that not hearing major fireworks or not having any countdown, nor any cheering or bubbly popping sure seemed strange. 

Nevertheless, I wish all a wonderful year ahead, filled with great tidings and pleasant surprises, and may it be a a successful year ahead for all of us! 

For sure my next 4 months will be filled with more travel and adventures.  However, let´s see what my future holds from May onwards!