San Augustin

Loving Colombia! What a beautiful country! Anne and I took an overnight bus from Bogota to San Augustin at 3am. We managed to not get robbed at the station, and slept on the mini bus. 

It wasn't this bus, but one like it. TaxisVerdes

The driver was super nice, as are most of the Colombians we have met. He helped me buy food at the bus station, and it was the best bus station food I've had so far. A hard-boiled egg surrounded by potatoes/lentils and then fried as a big ball. Yum. The driver even drove us all the way to our hostel, Casa del Japones, which is a beautiful spot up in the mountains. We immediately fell in love. Hammocks everywhere, and a private room with 2 beds in it! 

Loving life

View

My happy place. Yes, I got back together with Corona.

The hostel owners were happy to converse with us in our broken Spanish. We planned to go on a horse ride with them to visit all the ancient statues the next day. So fun! Even more so because Annie is a bit terrified of horses. She did very well :)

After our horse ride we had lunch at our first real Colombian restaurant. Before that we'd pretty much just eaten Mexican, Italian, and street food. It did not disappoint! Soup followed by rice, beans, chicken, salad, some starchy fruits and a fruit juice. Also, everything in Colombia has spoonfuls of sugar in it. Gotta ask for the juice sin azucar! Unless you're into that sweetness :) 

Afterwards we stumbled upon a giant parade celebrating the 70th anniversary of a local school in the town. It was a great stumble upon, but unfortunately we didn't have our cameras with us, so I can't share it with you. Lots of kids dancing in costumes.

Bogota, Colombia

Reflecting on our 3 nights in Bogota has confirmed my belief that cities are not where I thrive. I need green. I rarely enjoy myself as much in cities as I do in smaller towns or nature. I felt a bit suffocated in Bogota. I think this was also due to my lack of knowledge of the area. Places don't feel as welcoming if you're not comfortable. I should have found out more of what was going on there before arriving (lots of cool things). I was also rudely made aware of how likely it is that I'll be mugged at some point on this trip, which wasn't comforting. About 80% of the people I've talked to so far have had some kind of issue. One guy was robbed with a machete (sandals and money), another just had her bag grabbed while they distracted her with money on the ground. The guy said the worst part was walking around barefoot after, because the ground was so hot! This has encouraged me to not carry my camera around, because I don't wanna get jumped! So, I don't have too many pictures of Bogota. The people we met at Alegria's hostel where we stayed were super friendly, albeit mostly Australian. You's are everywhere! The owner of the hostel was very helpful in organizing the rest of our time in Colombia, as we only had a loose plan. However, she did not get along with the Australians..so that was a bit awkward. It's always weird being helped by someone you just saw be a huge dick to someone else. Not to mention 3 of them were attacked on their way home one night! All said and done, Anne and I were happy to be on our way to Saint Augustin the night of the 26th!

The highlight of my time in Bogota was taking the cable cars up the mountain to the Iglesia. Guadelupe? It was beautiful to look out on the city from atop the mountain! Bogota is huge, and I think I would have appreciated it much more if I didn't have a giant travel pack and my Spanish were a bit better. All in good time.

Loved the look of the hostel.

Trip planning our first night :) Also, I forgot I was quite sick the first night. Real stuffy, but nothing a little tequila couldn't fix.

Kitchen

Buena vista

On our walk down the mountain, accompanied by all the police stations.

Holala ! Alexandra in Amérique du Sud

Made it! Touch down, Bogota town. As usual my last few days of preparation for my travels were rather hectic, as I left everything til the last minute. However, with a little help from my family and friends, I managed to make it to LAX at 7:30 for our flight at 9 PM to Colombia. As most of you know, I'm traveling with my Aussie friend Annie. We enjoyed our last American meal at In-n-Out before our flight.

Snarky Puppy feat. Lalah Hathaway - Something (Family Dinner - Volume One)

She's singing chords!!  Right after 6:10

I realize this is oversimplifying things, but sometimes simple is nice.

Devendra Banhart - Little yellow spider

And hey there, Mrs. Lovely Moon, you're lonely and you're blue
It's kind of strange, the way you change
But then again, we all do too <3 p="">

First Week Home

Plunging into the salty Pacific Ocean, jumping on the trampoline, beach walks (with Dad, Katie and Becca), San Diego visit, chips, fresh salsa and guacolmole, American bars, American accents, short dresses, sunsets, driving, giant coffee drinks, yay!