I am temporarily living in Medellin, Colombia. In this post I am going to give you a breakdown of what it’s like, from basic costs to what I do all day. If you find this kind of information interesting I also wrote about my daily life in Tel Aviv, Israel. And more recently about living in London. I am of course supporting myself through my three businesses described here.

Sample Daily Routine:

Below is sample of what I do each day. Of course I don’t do these things every single day at the exact same time. Sometimes I skip salsa class and other times I work more hours or completely skip a day of work.

• 11AM: Wake up naturally without an alarm
• 11:00AM-12:00 AM: Shower/drink coffee/read emails

My Office

• 12:00AM-1:00PM: Work (Process ecommerce orders, respond to advertisers, email clients)
• 1:00PM-1:45 PM: Play tennis one-on-one with Pacho, a private instructor at La Unidad Deportiva de Belen
• 1:45PM-2:00PM: Order lunch from downstairs restaurant/shower, La Esquina de Basco
• 2:00PM-2:50PM: Eat a full lunch/watch TV/browse internet
• 3:00-4:00: Take private salsa dancing lesson
• 4:15PM-7:00PM: Work
• 7:00PM-7:45PM: Cook/eat dinner
• 8:30PM-1:00AM: Meet friends for drinks at a bar on La 33, Parque Lleras, La 70, etc.
• 1:00AM-2:30AM: Browse Internet/Watch TV
• 2:30AM: Sleep

My Home:

Rather than my previous plan to live by myself in a beautiful, expensive apartment, I chose a different option. I settled on a furnished 5 story, 12 bedroom/8 bathroom apartment with 10 others from Colombia, UK, Australia, Germany, Argentina, Switzerland, and other countries.

My particular floor looks like this.

And my bedroom looks like this.

View from my bedroom window

What I like most about living her is that it is located right next to a huge park with basketball courts, tennis courts, archery, a swimming pool, outdoor gym, track, and soccer fields. But I won’t lie. i only use the tennis courts!

View of the park from my balcony

Costs: US$

Rent (furnished bedroom, wifi, utilities, etc.): $266

Lunch (soup, meat, rice, side dish, juice): $3.50

Private Tennis Lesson(45 Min.): $13

Private Salsa Lesson (1 Hr):$8

ATM: a shit load of cash

Like most places Colombia is a cash society. All I can tell you is how much money I have spent in total.

Total Costs $3,400 for 49 days = $69/day

So obviously I am spending money on a lot of dumb stuff like a coffee maker, tennis racket, vacations to Bucaramanga and Don Matias, bottle service at clubs, imported swiss cheese and turkey for obscene prices, etc. I also have a girlfriend which in Colombia means treating her to meals, bars, etc.

Still, I wouldn’t say I am living like a king here. Just a nice lifestyle.

Daddy Yankee is only the most popular reggaeton (kind of like Spanish hip hop-rap) star in Latin America and I saw him perform in concert. I made plans with a 19 year old Colombian guy through Couchsurfing to go together to the concert in Medellin. While Couchsurfing is great resource, I do prefer meeting people naturally but for something as desirable as this concert I wanted some company.

By the way, this took place in August after nearly a month in Bolivia and a few days back in Argentina when I flew from Buenoes Aires back to Colombia, making it my fourth separate trip to the country.

I tried to go see Daddy Yankee on the same tour in Bolivia but if you read my last post you will understand that Bolivia is business challenged and so the concert never happened. I never did get a refund for my concert ticket.

I digress.

I met Sebastian at the metro station along with one of his buddies. Together, the three of us met a few of their friends at the stadium and entered early enough to arrive before any of the opening bands were set to play.

Now usually my Couchsurfing meetup experiences are positive and hardly awkward. But in this situation I had a hard time feeling comfortable.

• All of them were really great friends
• Only Sebastian spoke any English and the rest spoke too fast for me to be able to participate in any conversations
• They all kept asking if I was okay because I was not saying much
• The girls kept wanting to grind but I had nothing to drink previously and have no Latin/African blood…I am a gringo after all
• The girls were not attractive
• When sitting down there were two skany women and 2 dangerous looking drug dealing men accidentally rubbing their asses on my head at time
• It was raining and we were outdoors

Now despite all of that I did enjoy the music. Daddy Yankee and the other band Aventura were great. At one point Daddy Yankee asked everyone to take pictures with the flash on at once making a really cool flash affect.

See the two girls wanting to grind

Passing around the aguardiente (anise flavored spirit). But not enough to feel anything continuing the string of awkwardness.

Now despite all of that there were flashes of good times especially when I was not being asked if I felt okay. I am also certainly grateful to Sebastian for inviting me along.

After the concert Sebastian’s brother drove me and him home. They dropped me off by the taxis as I was staying in a completely different part of Medellin. I think i made an even worse impression when I decided to get some street food as they waited for me to get in a taxi from their car. I happened to be in a dangerous area and ignored their hand motions to get in a taxi from the car as I waved them off.

At the end of the night I made it home safely and was glad to have gone to the concert but also overjoyed that it was over!

I always figured I would get more of a reaction when it comes up in conversation that I have been to Colombia. Either people must not know anything about it or must not find it interesting at all. I'd like to introduce a little of what Colombia has to offer so when I return this summer more people will be interested in hearing about my travels there since its really an incredibly diverse and interesting place!

Bienvenidos a Colombia! A place filled with the friendliest people, most beautiful women, interesting cities and small towns…ect. I traveled solo to Colombia from July through August this past summer. Colombia is mostly known for the violence and drugs, which i far from the truth to anyone who has visited.

Instead, I encountered a country with beautiful and friendly people, colorful and interesting cities, small colonial towns, laid back beach towns, and a bunch of friendly travelers. I have traveled a bit and Colombia has been my favorite country so far.

My first stop was Bogota

I flew from Quito,Ecuador to Bogotá in a few hours. Even though every traveler i encountered in Ecuador claimed that Colombia was pretty safe, I could not help but feel apprehensive stepping out of the airport. The taxi driver who took me to my hotel did not help either. First he claimed that my hostel (the most famous in Colombia) did not exist. After i demanded he take me there anyways, he ended up dropping me off about 15 city blocks from my hostel at 6 pm with all of my bags. I ended up walking for an hour (hard to see the street signs), until a few military officers escorted me to my hostel.

I explored Bogota by foot for the next few days.

Plaza Bolivar (it seems like there is one in every city)

My dinner ($5)

They closed the streets at night for a memorial to remember everyone who had died in "La Violencia"

Cerro De Monserrate, a great lookout point with a church, market, and restaurants at the top.

I took a cable car to get to the top ($3 each way)

The market at the top

La Candelaria is the most historic & colonial part of Bogotá. All of its houses are bright colors, its streets narrow, some cobblestone, each place with its own unique door.
There are lots of educational institutions in that part, meaning lots of young people in the area and it's full of people. There are also theatres and quaint little restaurants in the area, check out some shows, they are part of Colombian culture.

Great Advertising!

This was a checkpoint where the military would check all bags before allowing people through. It also contains the presidential palace and other government buildings. I was not allowed to take pictures inside this checkpoint.

Homemade candy

Next up was Santa Marta

I went from a really cold Bogotá to Santa Marta, which is probably the hottest and most humid place I have ever been. I explored the city at night with a Colombian guy i met at the hostel. His parents were kidnapped and killed by the guerrillas. There was some huge Christian holiday festival on the beach with live music and lots of drinking. I don't have any pictures from that night but here is a picture of Santa Marta.

Also nearby Santa Marta is Parque Tayrona. I did not go there but it is supposed to have some of the best beaches in the world.

I went to Taganga the following day on a collectivo (shared minivan) to meet a few friends from Ecuador. Taganga is strange because it is a small town with little to do and below average beaches. However, it's a favorite for many people as its just so relaxing for some reason. It's hard to get bored watching beautiful women walk on the beach. I would easily lay on the beach and just watch for hours.

This guy loved to sing about Taganga

I forget what this thing is called, but i loved it!

Next up was Cartagena, located on Colombia's northern coast and facing the Caribbean Sea, is the most visited city in the country by tourists. The city is famous for the walled colonial city ("ciudad amurallada"), which is truly amazing and has many fancy restaurants, clubs and hotels; and a long strip of hotel towers and condos fronting onto the beach, known as Bocagrande.

A part of the wall

A view from the wall

Another Plaza Bolivar!

Castillo de San Felipe, a fortress built in 1657 by the Spanish for protection against pirates while shipping gold out to Europe.

Views from the fort

Slum

I took a day trip from Cartagena to a mud volcano which was pretty cool.

I took a long (10+ hours) nightbus from Cartagena to Medellin (now made famous from Entourage). Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Medellin was considered one of the most dangerous cities in the world for its size, and had a highly disproportional homicide and kidnapping rate. It was the home of the drug lord Pablo Escobar and the so-called Medellín Cartel, who virtually took over the city in the late 1980's and early 1990's. Now, Medellin is one of the most safest and modern cities in Latin America.

I happened to be there for Feria De Flores, the most important social event for the city and features the Silleteros Parade, a pageant, automobiles, a Paso Fino horse parade and many concerts.

A homeless guy outside of my hostel

I met a girl at one of the concerts and we hung out for the next four days with their friends. Here is one of the malls they took me to

Paragliding around Medellin

Random Fountain

Subway Station (except the subway is above the ground, like a monorail)

Carnival for Feria De Flores

Public art must be built whenever a new building is built. The result is this…

Old Palace in Plaza San Antonio (i think)

Botero sculptures

Feria De Flores Concerts

Car Show

I went back to Bogota to party some more after Medellin. I also took up on a sunday morning to hit up some of the smaller towns.

I first went to Villa De Leyva, a charming old colonial city in Boyaca in Colombia. Villa de Leyva is one of the few towns in Colombia that conserved all its colonial architecture.

The Plaza

Random shots

Ice Cream!

The next morning I took a bus to Barichara (had to transfer in Tunya first). Barichara was like Villa De Leyva, except it was hotter.

I went to San Gil the next day, which is the adventure capital of Colombia. I was able to choose from white water rafting, bungee jumping, paragliding, rapelling down waterfalls, ect. San Gil is also pretty tropical.

Beautiful girl…

Rafting

I later made my way back to Bogotá for some more partying. I could not get myself to leave, so had to bus it down to Cali where I was to fly back to Ecuador the next morning. I had such a great time in Colombia, with so many stories to tell.

I booked my flight last week!

I fly out from Philadelphia to Atlanta to Bogotá, Colombia on may 8th. On June 22nd, I fly from Bogotá, Colombia to Lima, Peru. A week later on June 29th, I fly from Lima, Peru to Sao Paulo, Brazil. I finish up with Rio De Janeiro back to Atlanta and finally Philadelphia on August 3rd.

I would have normally booked my flights directly with the airlines. But in this case with a multi-city ticket, it worked out far cheaper with a travel agent. I contacted a few travel companies to help me plan and book the flights (STA Travel, Exito Travel. etc.). The total cost with taxes was $1,165.30. It may sound like a lot but I think it’s a great deal considering round trip flights to Brazil usually start at $1000+…

I hear mixed reactions whenever I tell people about my plans. But traveling is one of the easiest and most rewarding things I have done. Think about it. A bed and food are my only needs. I have no other responsibilities. Sure, i may feel a bit uneasy in each new place when I first arrive, but that feeling only lasts for a short time. I hope get rid of the routine I have at home, as its the best way to open myself to new experiences. Maybe I will discover a new hobby, friendship, etc. I learn the most about myself when I allow myself to take in whatever comes my way, which is only possible when I have little expectations.

Last summer, i went abroad on my own. I was only ever able to rely on myself which was challenging and rewarding. I made new friends, navigated foreign cities, depended on the kindness of people, etc. I chose the places to visit, but what I did in each place was determined by chance.

Travel is about getting lost on purpose. Wandering around places and seeing what happens (safely of course). “Travel” is not possible in short time period because responsibilities still exist. I chose to just travel instead of studying abroad in a summer program or working because eve abroad, the responsibilities such as having to return to work every Monday or not having a host family that expect me back at a certain time prohibit this. I need that complete freedom that allows me to make basic yet big decisions, as that is what traveling is all about for me.

For example, when I arrived in Medellin, i wandered into a free concert for a week-long flower festival. At the concert I met a people and for the next few days I we spent a lot of time together enjoying the city and the festival. It’s also a necessity to be able to change my plans at a moments notice for when I meet a new friend with similar desires, and we decide to travel together. Maybe we would both plan on going to the same place but on different dates. But with no concrete plans, we can go whenever we want.

Travel is of course just plain fun! Whitewater rafting through the jungle or partying in a club on the 41st floor of the old Hilton hotel overlooking Bogota. Exploring beautiful foreign cities with great friends that you may only have known for a few days but understand you better than almost anyone else is amazing. Going out at night with friends and dancing and meeting new people in an environment where i feel like i can act however because almost everyone there is a complete stranger at first is refreshing. I love it. If i am going to make the effort to travel I need to do what interests me, which is selfish but necessary.

Like just about any country that I visit, i developed an extreme liking for Colombia. Such a great liking that I chose to return to Colombia instead of going anywhere else in the world.

I want to see some places I missed out on last time and repeat some of the same experiences. A few new things I plan to do are visiting the coffee region and trekking to the Lost City through the jungle for 6 days.

I’ll be heading to Peru because it’s a free stopover and will give me a taste of the country. I don’t have that much interest in visiting Peru but it will be interesting to visit nevertheless.

Brazil has always been a country I have wanted to visit more than almost any other. The country seems almost magical from the descriptions i have read, videos i have watched, and the music i have heard. I am really looking forward to hanging out in Rio. The beaches and nightlife should be excellent. I will travel up along the coast visiting other cities like Salvador, Recife, Fortaleza, etc. There is apparently a mini- Carnival in Fortaleza that i plan to go to.

As for safety in Brazil, “mostly, Brazil gets a bad rap for being very violent. A majority of the violence in Brazil, however, occurs within the slums in and around Rio and Sao Paulo The “favelas”
are places where drug lords control everything, down to who eats and who doesn’t. I would venture to guess that probably 65-75% of Brazil’s violent crime takes place in these neighborhoods. It’s so bad because the police don’t have the manpower to get inside them and maintain control. There are LOTS of organizations both within and outside Brazil trying to change this. Unfortunately, its a difficult task in that many kids inside these favelas are delivering drugs for food and small amounts of cash (instead of studying) by the age of 5 or 6.

“Anyway, you are not going to find yourself in one of these places unless you park your car, walk up a hillside and decide to go there on your own. One thing the police tend to focus on is keeping these people away from the tourist spots. In Rio, they have stepped up police presence with little kiosks every few hundred yards so you always know a police officer is nearby.”

The summer of 2008 is approaching and its time to begin planning. I had the time of my life in Colombia last summer and would like to repeat that again. I have also wanted to visit Brazil for the longest time. Argentina would also be pretty sweet too.

So then what can i do if Colombia and Southeast Brazil are so far apart? Surely I can’t visit both, or can I?

It turns out that it is quite possible, and so i present my rough plans for the summer of 2008 (May-August).

April 25=phl to bogota

April 27-28=Manizales

April 29-Pereira

April 30-Armenia

May 1-4=Cali

May 5-7=Popayan

May 8=Ibague

May 9-11=Bogota

May 12-13=fly to Santa Marta

May 14-19= Santa Marta (lost city trek)

May 20-21= Parque tayrona

May 22-24=Taganga

May 25-27=Cartagena/day trip to island blanca

May 28-31= Medellin

June 1-8=Bogota

June 9= Fly to Lima

June 9-12=Lima

June 13= Fly to Sao Paulo

June 14- Sao Paulo

June 15-17=Ilha Grande

June 18-June 19=Paraty

June20-28=Rio De Janeiro

June 29-July 2= Ouro Preto & Tiradentes

July 3-July 8=Salvador

July 9-July 12= Brasila

July 13-19=Rio De Janeiro

July 20=Sao Paulo

July 21= Fly to Buenos Aires

July 21-27=Buenos Aires

July 28-August 2= Cordoba

August 3-9= Mendoza

August 10-Buenos Aires

August 10th=Home