ko-LOM-bee-yaa!!

s a part of New Year's Eve celebrations in Colombia it is customary to carry a suitcase around the block to ensure many travels throughout the new year. Such a contrast to the kinds of things that Americans wish for at the start of their new year. Americans wish for things like smaller waistlines and making more money. So of course, among other reasons too, I was very excited to visit a country that puts such high value on traveling and experiencing new places.

From January 2nd through 9th I had the chance to visit Colombia for the first time. Why Colombia you ask? No, I am not Colombian, as everyone I tell about my trip first assumes. Arya went a couple years ago and ever since he had been raving about how amazing the country and the people are, etc, etc. I couldn't handle it anymore and convinced him (didn't take much effort) that if it was that great then he was due for a return. Plus, he wanted me to finally see what all his fuss was about. After more than a year of hearing about how amazing Colombia was, how could I turn down the suggestion? And that's how I eventually ended up in Colombia.

Although it was Arya's second time in Colombia, his first trip was very different than what we experienced this January. He spent his first trip primarily at the parties and beaches of  Santa Marta, while our trip was spent at a different city everyday. We got to see Bucaramanga, San Gil, Tunja, Villa de Lleyva, Sogamoso, Laguna de Tota, Playa Blanca, and Bogotá. A lot of time spent in cars, buses, and planes, but it was all well worth it.

I saw so much I don't even know where to start. I guess I will just share some pictures and let it stand at that. Please keep in mind that we only took pictures with an iPhone 4 (sorry we were lazy) and pictures never ever give beautiful places the justice they deserve. And Colombia is a BEAUTIFUL place, no lie. The only unfortunate part about our trip was that it was too short (there was so much more we wanted to see) and Colombia just experienced a series of freak floods, so it occasionally rained, which is very unusual. Even at it's ugliest, the country didn't stop taking my breath away. Considering how beautiful every place we visited was, I was not surprised by the pride and love all of their citizens have for their home.

And now for some pictures:

Bogotá from above

Christmas is a big deal there
and that's their congress building on the left 

Bucaramanga

Ana Maria's bf, Ana Maria, Arya, Tatiana, and Me

Karaoke in Spanish

Chicamocha canyon as seen from behind the bus window

A beautiful hotel that had no vacancies so we didn't end up staying there,
but it was pretty enough for a picture 

Teaching us how to Salsa...

Favorite drink in Colombia: Aguardiente

After a night of dancing in San Gil

The view from the hotel we ended up staying at

White water rafting

We ate hormigas culonas (roughly translated to: large-butted ants)
... they were lightly toasted and salted, yum

Last battle site for the Colombian revolution from Spain

Just driving around the country

Town known for their desserts

Laguna de Tota

Villa de Lleyva

Walking down the streets of Tunja

La Playa Blanca

Our last night in Bogotá 

Ok, I'm sick of posting pictures blog-style, if you really want more though, click here.

We stayed with Arya's two great friends from high school, Tatiana and Ana Maria. They are pretty much total opposites, which was perfection because that meant we were shown the country from two very different perspectives. Again, there is way too much to say about the whole trip so I will just share a little about what I loved and will be attempting to incorporate into my own life. Which is what traveling is all about, right? Learning new things and taking what you love home with you, be it cheap souvenirs or life lessons.

Colombia is a relatively poor country, but I never really heard people complaining about their lot in life. So many Colombians we came across worked so hard for so little. A taxi driver (which isn't even one of the worst jobs there) waited for us for 20 mins to drive a couple blocks, only to be paid three pesos. So much to complain about, yet they had so much passion and love for life and their country. Even the babies were better behaved there. We were taking a two hour bus ride from San Gil to Bucaramanga, which meant speeding down the bumpy roads on the edges of the Chicamocha Canyon (which has been pre-selected as one of the new seven wonders of nature, fyi) totally disregarding all speed signs, oncoming traffic, and the occasional cow, making me and Arya pretty carsick after about 15 minutes. As we looked around at the other passengers, we saw that most were laughing and having a generally good time. An hour and a half into the ride we realized that a smiling infant was sitting in the seat in front of us and that her and her whole family had been on the bus ten hours before we even saw our seats. But we were the grumpy carsick passengers, not the giggling sisters and mother. Even a traffic jam didn't detract from the Colombian's enjoyment of the day. People simply jumped out of their vehicles to see what was going on. We saw couples arm in arm as they passed by our bus to see what was causing the standstill. Even traffic, such a giant source of stress in America could be enjoyed in Colombia. They know how to go with the flow and have a good time. Still, they managed to get down to business and complete some of the most grueling school systems in the Americas. During a party in Bogotá, among the recent university graduates, a heated, yet very educated discussion about politics arose, but the minute a good Vallenato song came on everyone came together to dance and just enjoy the moment. 

Ah, I can't really put into words how amazing Colombia and the people are, so here is a song/video about the wonders of Colombia. Enjoy!