PBH / colombia (travelguide, pictures) / post

trip to colombia...

hello all -

just got back from colombia and wanted to tell anyone who is thinking about going to drop everything and go... the place was beautiful, the people were beautiful, the culture was beautiful and the food was amazing.

my fiance and i went to medellin for a few days so i could meet some of her family. medellin felt very safe and has plenty to offer. granted i was in poblado most of the time, i felt extremely safe in the city. after spending some time and seeing the flower festival, we headed to cartagena for a week. this was absolutely incredible...... i would recommend eating at la vitrolla, staying at the hotel santa clara, renting a horse drawn carriage for a tour of the old city, taking a ferry to an island off the coast to snorkel, and chilling at cafe del mar (old city) for drinks. these were all highlights of this portion of the trip. cartagena is a bit more expensive than other parts but it is completely worth it... after a week in cartagena, we visited the small and amazing town of jardin, which is about 2 1/2 or 3 hours outside of medellin. jardin, simply put, is AMAZING... the most laid-back vibe that i've ever experienced. there is a nice hotel there that is relatively cheap and has amazing food (don't recall the name). i would also recommend getting one of the local guys to take you parasailing. there is nothing like soaring over the mountains and the small city of jardin for a couple of hours...

so after all of that......... it was back to medellin for a few more days, flew to miami for a (drunken and painful) visit/layover with a friend for a night and then home... it's nice to be back but must say that i will DEFINATELY go back and urge others to check it out.

thanks to everyone for responding to my questions prior to the trip and if anyone, has any questions, feel free to ask... not that i know much but i may be of some assistance.

c - ya

- d

ps... i'll post pics soon. check back...

By d52 on Aug 23, 2004, 08:19 in Friendly Talkzone.

utopiacowboy says on Aug 23, 2004, 08:29:

Good to hear that you had a good time - I wanna see the pics!

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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LarsBrink says on Aug 23, 2004, 08:39:

Congrats with finding our land! Hi d52,

Congrats with finding the lovely Country! You'we seen a log but there is much more to come!

Can't wait to go back!

Regards,

Lars Brink - colombia.dk - brink-christensen.dk

~ Lars Brink ~ www.colombia.dk ~

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Roncita says on Aug 23, 2004, 08:44:

Jardin The pics look nice so far, glad you enjoyed yourself. I haven't made it to Jardin yet but hope to when I go back to Colombia - can you definitely not remember the name of the hotel you stayed at? It sounds/looks nice!

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d52 says on Aug 23, 2004, 08:52:

roncita... yeah, the pics turned out great. i posted a couple more so you can check them out...

and no, i can't remember for the life of me what the hotel was called but if you go, just ask for the nice new hotel. it's up on the hill...

talk to you later -

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Roncita says on Aug 23, 2004, 09:07:

OK will do!

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Miguel says on Aug 23, 2004, 10:36:

¡Bueno! I hear your enthusiasm loud and clear...I made my first trip two months ago. I prepared months in advance and speak asi asi espanol, but there is always a little bit of trepidation before heading off to a new place. What I found in Colombia was, that with a certain level of Spanish speaking ability and a ton of street smarts, this gringo had the time of his life. On top of that, a Colombian friend of mine here in the states introduced me to a beautiful Colomiana months before my trip via the Net, and when we met la quimica fue magnifica. Afortunadamente tengo muchos dias de vacacciones, y regreso en solo 5 semanas! Now I won't be renting a car or taking a bus and traveling in FarcLand, but I also don't drive in some neighborhoods two mile from my house here in urban Estados Unidos. Colombia is an incredible country. Ahora Desi, debes ayudarme con mi espanol. Aproposito, hay muchas personas inteligente aqui, incluye Elmo. VIVA COLOMBIA.
p.s If you can find the August 9 issue of Newsweek in Spanish, check out the cover article on President Uribe...interesante.

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argtat says on Aug 23, 2004, 11:13:

trip hello there i am glad you had fun i am colombian and love it there especially after re aquanting myself with it after 7 years, i am new at these but i am curious to know if any americans with no spanish knoweledge have had any experiences good or bad in the touristy areas or in bogota. thx

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LarsBrink says on Aug 24, 2004, 05:25:

On my first visit to Cagagena.. .. the beach/street sellers were much more aggressive than in my later visits where I spoke more spanish. They even talked very badly to my girlfriend (now wife) like "let the gringo buy the stuff, he has the money, you allready got yours" etc.

Others than that I have been spared any bad experiences in tourist areas and in the big cities.

Regards,

Lars Brink - colombia.dk - brink-christensen.dk

~ Lars Brink ~ www.colombia.dk ~

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