Entering Comuna 13, the past is still present; you see bullets inside the wall, graffiti describing the history, and museums telling you the story of their neighborhood. It is a cruel and terrifying story:From the 1980s to the early 2000s, Comuna 13 was one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the world, plagued by violence from drug trafficking organizations, guerrillas, gangs, and paramilitaries.
Imagine you own a big rock in the middle of nowhere and decide to sculpt stairs out of this rock that people can walk up, and you later realize that was the best idea ever as now hundreds of people pay 6 USD to step up, and you make a fortune of money. That is what might have happened with the Peñol stone next to the city of Guatapé.
If you ask people living in Cartagena, they will tell you they are more Caribean than Colombian. And walking in the beautiful streets of the historic city, I do feel the same: Palm Trees, Caribbean music, colorful houses… But Cartagena is so much more. It’s a big party city, young people everywhere, going out every day. It’s good food, it’s primarily good weather, but it’s also pretty touristic, which results in a lot of vendors asking you if you need sunglasses (even if you wear your own) or if you need drugs or a hooker for tonight.
You read the headline and might ask yourself: “What did he do? Did he stay for two weeks in Bogota?”. Not, it was 36 hours, which was already too much. Friends warned me about Bogota and the non-existent beauty, so I already have been warned. I arrived late at night at Bogota airport (it was planned) and have been in the hotel around 4 a.m. Unfortunately, the hotel forgot my reservation, so they had no room ready for me… Long story short, it was not the best start 🙂
Being in Peru, I decided to also visit the Amazon. It is not typical to see the 2nd largest river here, mainly as everyone is connecting Brazil with the Amazon, but also Peru has a part of the Amazon. I decided to stay at a lodge and do day trips rather than go camping while …
Getting used to the altitude is recommended before heading on the Inca trail to Machu Picchu. The best place for that is Cusco, located at an altitude of 3,400 meters. Cusco is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the former capital of the Inca Empire. It is known for its stunning Inca architecture, cobbled streets, and vibrant culture. So I decided to take three nights at Cusco before walking the Inca trail, and damn: that height kicked me 🙂
Even after some weeks now, I am still not 100% sure if I would have done walking the Inca Trail with knowing what I will experience. It was beautiful (and more beautiful than Machu Picchu itself) but also suffering, pain, sweat, and sleepless or short nights. But please, make your own picture!
What? Does it never rain in Lima? A city close to the ocean? Or is it just a phrase? Let’s take the statement as a cliffhanger that you read the whole article 🙂
Before heading to Cusco for the ultimate Inka Experience, I had four days in Lima, the capital of Peru. And I am amazed. In regards to big cities, that is the (so far) most beautiful I have seen on my world trip. It is clean, it is green, the people are friendly, you always feel safe, the food is good, and and and…
As plans during a world trip frequently change, the chance of a short stopover in Rio de Janeiro came out of nowhere. My goal was at least to see the big 5 of Rio!
My first four weeks have been over fast, and so is my time in Buenos Aires.
You might wonder why I stayed that long in one place. As you might have seen with my other posts (Montevideo, Puerto Madryn, and Iguazu), I used Buenos Aires as a hub to experience amazing things during the weekends. During the week, I still had to work a couple of days remotely. As this time is finally over, my real sabbatical is about to start.