Colombia is a magnificent country.
I probably looked like an idiot on the taxi ride from the airport to my hostel. Mouth agape, I stared out of the window with cool tropical air blowing my hair back, with a "you-got-me-the-perfect-gift" smile plastered on my face. That feeling never left me. Don't get me wrong, I was also nervous and terrified of what was to come. I mean, I had decided to go to a Spanish speaking country ALONE with Spanish so bad that my hands would get clammy when speaking to locals. So clammy that pearls would start forming in my hands. But that nervousness and fear of embarrassment heightened the entire experience. I had to learn to trust the very people that I was told to be wary of and let go of this Hollywood "Narcos Colombia" image.
I had to let Colombia speak for itself.
Graffiti x Infinity
The graffiti culture in Colombia is a big part of the city. Almost any visible wall is plastered in detailed art portraying various elements of Colombian culture and history. Whether it is describing the plight of the native tribes that live in Colombia, or depicting oppression or corruption, their freedom of speech is painted on the walls of the city itself. The city government and the people within Bogota understand the underlying sentiment of this art, and rather than fight the expression, they embrace it.
The level of effort and detail that is put in to these commissioned works is highlighted by the wall below. It's a wall of cats, but if you notice, the black cat in the center is covered by the two poles and stop sign if you're looking at the wall from the angle that I am standing at. To compensate for the obstruction, the artist painted the hidden portion of the cat on to the two poles and stop sign, so that there were no barriers between the artists art and the audience.
Guatapé and the Rock
I was told that there was a giant rock called El Peñón de Guatapé, AKA La Piedra (literally meaning the Rock), and a little town by the name of Guatapé about 2 hours outside of Medellin. So, on an early Saturday morning, I got up to catch the bus to Guatapé. Well, I walked to the metro, which then took me to the bus station, which would then take me to Guatapé. I had hoped that I could get someone to come with me, but this was the last full day of my trip so I wasn't going to be there long, and I didn't want to cut someone else's trip short. I somehow managed on my own, not without a couple of nervous conversations with the locals to find my way around. The bus climbed up the mountain, giving me the most astonishing view of Medellín. But that wasn't even the best view I'd see. We drove deeper in to the country side of Colombia, which was a replica of the European countryside. Rolling hills that were patterned with different colored land. It was like a giant, lush quilt of yellows and greens. This country was full of surprises.
