Mullet Hunting, Ghettos, En Un Barrio En Cartagena, Good Peeps, And Heaps of Uncontrollable Laughter

WARNING - although sometimes I have an eloquent way of telling stories or experiences, those of you who know me well also know the part of me that can be rather verbose and rambling. This post is one of those. I think it will be worth it when I finish trying to put my manic thoughts in order, but it may be quite long.

I've fallen behind on the blog. It's been almost 3 weeks, and even though I've uploaded all the photos in my free time, I haven't felt like writing. The thing is that right now it feels like a chore more than something pleasurable, so I haven't done it. Tonight I sat down to write 7 overdue posts about my amazing travels in Colombia, and it felt daunting. I don't want to do it. I can't put the last 3 weeks into words. It has been the most incredible part of my travels in 2012 by far. And I've met so many incredible people, and been having so much fun living the experience that I haven't had much time to sit down and bury myself in my laptop to write them for all to read. I'm totally fine with it because I have all those memories in my head. I have been living every moment, and for once getting really into the nightlife here. I have realized that sadly as much as I love to dance, I am shit on the dance floor. It doesn't matter how many partners try to teach me, it always culminates in a very stiff Kelly Kraft desperately trying to move her body in a way it simply won't. You can't master it all I suppose, though I have by no means given up hope. Colombia has a bad rap. Despite its reputation for being dangerous and drug-ridden it's one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. I haven't seen near as much as I had wanted to because I every place I have gone to I have found it harder to leave. But spending a week-ish in each place has allowed me to see much more of less places, and I'm really happy with that.

Sometimes when you're traveling you meet amazing people and it makes you really sad when you or they pack up and head to the next place. Though it gets exhausting sometimes having to make new friends each day, it's worth the effort because you realize you're going to get out of each experience exactly what you put in. There are amazing people to seek out wherever you go. (And also, there are a fair share of not so amazing ones, but they even out the experience) That's been my experience in Colombia. In each city I've visited I have met some of my greatest travel buddies to date. I have left one place, sad to say goodbye, only to arrive at another and find another gaggle of incredible people. 

Today is Tuesday March 20, 2012. I have a flight back to the US a week from today, Tuesday March 27, 2012. And while it makes me want to cry tears of extreme happiness that in a week's time I will be at my sister's house catching up with her and playing with my two favorite little people in the world, on a big level it makes me want to cry even more tears of sadness that this South American journey is coming to an end. I haven't thought much about that at all in the last 3 weeks. But now that 6 days remain, my brain is moving at a pace that even I can't keep up with. I can't process any type of feeling that's coming with this realization. And that's ok. Going to keep on the next 6 days living the same as if they were my first 6 (but probably enjoy them more because I feel smarter than when started this journey 1 year 4 months and 4 days or 490 days ago according to an online date duration calculator. Holy shit. Remember when everyone was wondering how I would survive with only 6 pairs of underwear? Well no worries. I just washed my clothes, and realized it's the last time I have to worry about having enough and when to do laundry until I get home. WAAAAAAAHHHHHHH. Whatever is next, it will be another great adventure, just sad to bring this chapter to an end (for now).

I don't know what's next for me. I knew going into this experience would leave me even more clueless as to what I would want to do with my life afterwards. I'm absolutely A-OK with that fact. At this time in my life, I have nothing to lose. I can do anything I want, take any job that strikes my fancy, and that's the most exciting thing in the world. But I think for the next few days I'm going to continue to not think about that. Because I can't think of anything worse than spending 6 days anxiety ridden in Colombia. It's too wonderful here.

Anyway, here is a photo essay/tidbits from my handy little notebook/recap of Colombia since I left Bogotá.

Medellín has had a bad rep in the past. The home of the famous Pablo Escobar, it used to be a murderous and drug-ridden city, a perfect picture of what Hollywood and the media want you to believe is Colombia. I am in love with Medellín, and not because it's murderous and drug-ridden. Nowhere else in my travels have I experienced hospitality as I did there. And I'm not talking about having stayed in a good hostel (which I did), I'm talking about the people in general. There seems to be a happy and good disposition about the people there. Maybe it's the year-round spring-like weather, I don't know. But there's something in the water, and it's lovely to be around a population of people so welcoming and helpful in a city. Add to that some epic nights out in what we like to call the ghetto (which is by no means the ghetto), good company, and an overabundance of laughter, and it's the perfect recipe for never wanting to leave.

Dan and I walking on the side of the road on my first day in town for an impromptu visit to the cemetery to seek out Escobar's gravesite

me playing dead next to Escobar's gravesite. don't ask me why because i have no idea but can tell you the moment was surrounded by giggles from both dan and i

we spotted this small plastic bag in front of the grave site. my experience with movies like blow lead me to believe that someone was paying homage and trying to keep pablo's spirit alive

dan on the metro home trying out his axe moves...we counted 4 women who moved closer when he lifted both arms

botero statue in the plaza outside the museo de antioquia - i was curious about why all his figures are so fat, and found this answer in the museum, "Engordo a mis personajes para darles sensualidad. No estoy interesado en los gordos por los gordos". i'm fascinated by his work

guitar made from a machine gun in the museum - a gift to turn something violent into something more beautiful

reunited with johannes and dan - a sangría because as we kept reminding ourselves - we don't have to work tomorrow

ducks quacking around at the botanical garden

tree in the botanical garden

after our first crazy night out in the "ghetto", my new buddy tyler and i decided to take the metro cable line to the top after sleeping half the day away. it's so much easier to sleep in when you look over and see someone else is doing it, too.

we arrived to the top in the rain, but took a short walk anyway

tyler being rogue and eating his coconut despite dropping it on the floor (3-second rule)

a view from the cables. there was uncontrollable giggling most of the day this day, and so many random things happened. we decided that it's all one big surprise party and we're always invited. what a life we have.

all in a day's work

copping a feel

i sat while tyler got a shave. when he finished i asked him if he ever wonders if the guy shaving him washed his hands after he went to the bathroom last. he said that no, he didn't really think about it.

after an amazing dinner, we were back at it in our ghetto spot. by ghetto, i don't mean that at all. the night before when we were wandering around aimlessly searching for a good spot to spend the evening that wouldn't charge us to get in, we walked past a small kiosk selling beers. we decided to take the pressure off making a great night happen and bought cheap beers and spent hours sitting here until a venezuelan and two colombians came by offering us arguadiente and to take us out for the night. ended up being one of the most epic nights of my travels. on night two out, we couldn't imagine not visiting the stomping grounds that had treated us so well the night before.

dan and i wishing you a happy new year 2012 and counting mullets. there is a strange yet endearing trend of mulletness in medellín. all types and styles, but just a little longer in the back, shorter in the front. at one point we counted 27 mullets in 1 minute. they coined me the mullet hunter, a name which i proudly accepted and represented very well. this is the best people watching spot i've ever encountered in my entire life.

trying to capture the hipsterish man in the background

this toilet cam poster at octavo made me think twice about using the bathroom.

we reunited with diego and dj j (jota for all you english speakers) from the night before at pub octova (no i did not just accidentally type a similar bar name twice) there was mad dancing to be had

on my last morning in medellín i decided to take advantage of some of the best conditions for paragliding in the world.

the view from above before running and jumping into the sky

view of another above us

this was a crazy experience that i will not try to put into words. you just have to try it to understand. but i will say it was amazing because they strapped me in, and two guys helped us get the kite in place. they had told me to run when they said. i was confused and then heard the words. we just went running and then my legs lifted off the ground and we were flying high above the countryside. truly incredible.

a view of our kite from below. even though i almost threw up when we did some mad tricks at the end despite the fact that my body had trouble adjusting to the sudden surge in altitude, i would do it again and again and again

typical food - bandeja. so. dang. good. every. time.

Medellín was a fantastic adventure from the first moment. I am glad Dan is thinking about setting up shop there because I can't wait to go back and visit him and that incredible city. My favorite notes from the pocket notebook I carry around with me are as follows:

At the museum - "find out how people make marble statues so smooth", "'...Medellín lives a new reality where personalities like escobar make up a part of a history that can't be denied but a part which we can deal with through art'", "'se ve sólo con el corazón. lo esencial es invisible a los ojos'",

While walking around town and stumbling upon a rare scene in front of a church, "I either just found the putas at 3:20pm on a Monday or this is the 30+/80's/tight clothes on women with too much make-up/making sexy poses in front of the church party - confused"

After stepping off the metro, speaking in english - "Guy on metro stopped us to ask where we were from. he then told us in polished english, "Welcome to Medellín. Colombia is a beautiful country. Not everyone is bad. Enjoy your time here.""

My last day there I ran into Dan on the street and we sat in the plaza until I had to catch my bus, and all I could talk about was how I didn't want to leave but that I still wanted to get to Cartagena and the coast. He rubbed it in that he still had plenty of time, and I threatened that I'd be back some day. I then went to the bus station where the bathrooms were broken and I had to pee in the parking lot before jumping a bus to Cartagena, another epic stop on this journey. If love at first sight exists, I experienced it when I entered the old city. The architecture is incredible. Everything is colorful. There is an incredible mix to the culture of Caribbean mixed with Colombian mixed with African influences, and there is ALWAYS something going on.

i spent the first day wandering around aimlessly awed by my surroundings

the plaza where a young girl asked me to help her with her translation homework. we sat for hours trying to turn a very intense and heavy english anthropological essay into understandable spanish terms. i became her new best friend for 2 days before i realized i was her only friend, and she needed something from me i didn't think i could give her. i gave her my best advice on self-confidence and making friends. i now send her the energy to make those connections in her every-day life.

this guy.

entering the old city walls

chasing sunsets

i've never seen as many hat vendors in my life as there are in cartagena

dancers in plaza bolivar at night - INCREDIBLE how these people move their bodies

and the musicians

outfit chang

I spent some time at the beach and a lot of time wandering around taking it all in. I took full advantage of the night life and made some kick-ass travel buddy friends. One in particular, my new friend Justine. She reminded me so much of my cousin Robin, who is one of the greatest people in this world. I knew we would hit it off from the start. Lots and lots and lots of debauchery and GIGGLING ensued for the rest of the week.

our friend mandy kindly treated us to an amazing sushi dinner which she knew we couldn't afford. this photo is the appetizers of saki bombs, which pretty well explains the insane amounts of uncontrollable laughter that ensued the rest of the night

what is this? a fraternity? - yes.

we ended the night at havana club, which was incredible. i again put on my salsa face, and failed miserably. this is a photo of me demonstrating how my body goes into an awkward stiff mode when it tries to dance the salsa

incredible live music

our reaction to our own salsa moves

on my last day (the day i was supposed to leave but couldn't because i was having too much fun every day and night and had major fiaca and couldn't get my shit together to make any plans to go) i went to check out the Castillo de San Felipe

panoramic view of the city from the fort

views from above as we confusedly tried to follow the numbered audio guide map

we were attached to one audio guide and it was very windy. lots of laughter ensued as we awkwardly learned to move around the fort like conjoined twins yelling "stop", "wait, you're pulling me". i think we amused several onlookers

how i feel about colombia and my time here

sunset from the fort - such an interesting history visiting. so interesting to stand in all the areas and think about all the battles that took place there.

Every night started with the sounds of a 9-man Argentine band serenading the restaurants in the plaza below with one of my favorites.... "En un barrio en Cartagena...". What better mix of my two favorite countries than a Colombian Argie serenade?

On Sunday I went and bought a ticket to head to Santa Marta the following day. I knew that if I didn't make some kind of solid plan I would stay another week in Cartagena (and enjoy it). But I wanted to get closer to the beach, so I did it. I booked another room at the hostel in Cartagena for that night (best hostel staff ever btw), and landed myself in a room with 5 Argentine guys who said there was no way they were going to allow me to have a calm night in on my last night in Cartagena. Twist my arm why don't you. I was glad they insisted because I got one last night in that amazing and energetic city with a great group dancing our heads off. And despite pleas to stay longer, I amazingly woke up in time to catch a 6:15am taxi to the bus station for my four-hour journey after only 2 hours of sleep. Body, how do you keep going?

I arrived in Santa Marta, realizing I had no plan, which has kind of become the norm. No idea of a hostel, if I wanted to stay in SM or head straight for Taganga or Tayrona. Luckily I slept the whole bus ride and could function in a somewhat rational manner, and hopped a ride to Taganga, a small fishing village outside of Santa Marta. I checked myself into a cheap hostel where I ended up being the only one in the dorm (which is housed in a separate building), and was happy for some R&R and nothing keeping me from the beach, reading, and hammocking.

view of the beach. UNBELIEVABLE

my new, very large book and fresh watermelon juice. i can never live without daily fresh watermelon juice ever again.

 sandcastles and sunsets

no place to be except right here.

tomorrow i'm (ideally) headed to spend 2-3 nights in parque de tayrona. because money is so tight right now and the food is expensive there i made massive amounts of rice and beans and boiled eggs to get me through. may have overestimated the rice thing.

And there you have it folks, you are more or less caught up on my adventures in a large nut shell. Many details have been left out, but that's the gist. I can now go spend 3 days unplugged in Tayrona without having to worry about how far behind this thing is when I get back. I'm glad I waited because now there's not a thought about my return home, only how awesome the last weeks have been and the next one will be. Catch you on the flip side. Or the state side soon.