Already since I’ve been back I’ve seen news about Colombia, negative news regarding conflicts in parts of the country. Unfortunately this is the image Colombia has had for a long time and continues to have. Of course there are problems in the country. But I would like people to know that you can go there and have an amazing trip and meet wonderful people, never knowing or being exposed to any of these things that are reported on by the media.

After travelling from the capital city of Bogotá, to the beautiful islands of San Andrés and Providencia with their unique Caribbean culture, to the fascinating colonial city of Cartagena and to Tayrona National Park, my interests were piqued – and I couldn’t have imagined what more the country had to offer.

Our trade show in Bogotá gave me the chance to meet the many tour operators who have picked the best places in the country to visit. There is the desert of Guajira, the archaological sites of San Augustín, the Amazon region, the Pacific coast where there are ecolodges and whale watching and surfing, the colonial and modern cities, the coffee regions where some of the world’s best coffee comes from, and I could go on. I hope I have the opportunity to go back one day and explore some more.

I wanted to thank Proexport, the Colombian government for inviting us on the trip, the hotels we stayed at, the amazing restaurants we ate at (still can’t get that yummy food out of my head!), and the fun dive instructors we had. And a special thanks to Lorena Zapata for being our group’s leader, making sure we got everywhere we had to get to on time as much as possible and for being flexible with all of us, who each had different interests and independent personalities!  Lorena invited me into her home and became a great friend. She and her family, who moved to Bogota from Ecuador 10 years ago and fell in love with the country, charged me with becoming an Ambassador to Colombia! So I am attempting to fulfill my promise, with pleasure.

Here are a few more random pics of our “Chiva” driver in Bogota, Punta Faro, Cartagena, and sunset at Taganga.

I wanted to share some more underwater images from some of our dives so far. My favorite is the sting ray, such a graceful and gentle creature to watch up close. I love all the fish and corals and sponges. It’s another world. Enjoy the pics!

 

When I was a teenager I used to have a picture of an island in the Bahamas posted up on my wall, the perfect Caribbean island, with palm trees, soft pinkish coral sand, and beautiful turquoise water. This was my dream, I had to see something like this in my lifetime. Finally in my 22nd year I got to Jamaica for the first time, and was lucky enough to see some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The water in Montego Bay, Port Antonio, and Negril left me speechless. My dream had come true.

Since then I’ve been to many tropical beaches in the Caribbean, Central America and South East Asia, and the turquoise water is still one of my favourite things in the world. Here in Providence, I have to say I have been privileged to witness a sea so beautiful I gasped and repeated over an over again, “This is incredible!”

A few pictures, while not quite doing it justice, at least give you an idea. They call it the “Sea of Seven Colours” here because there are so many levels to the blues, aquas and turquoises. At Crab Cay, just a short boat ride from Providence we went up a short path to a lookout point on some rocks and had a 360 degree view of what I think is definitely some of the most beautiful water in the world.  Then we snorkeled around the small island and from the pictures it looks like we were on top of the world.

Back on San Andres we get a lesson in Rastafarian-style living. The word “Ital” pronounced “Eye-tal” while it might remind you of Italian, has nothing to do with it. It means “Vital” and it is what describes the natural way of growing and cooking food in Rastafarianism. It is essentially organic methods of farming and preparing food without chemicals and synthetic fertilizers, the way our ancestors were doing it for centuries.

As I mentioned before there is a strong influence of Jamaican culture like other parts of coastal Latin America (Nicargua, Costa Rica and Panama) and we had the pleasure of visiting Job Saas’ natural farm where he showed us the different fruit trees he grows as well as the endangered species he helps to protect and procreate such as various iguanas, black crabs and turtles.

 
Job Saas made us fresh Tamarind and cane juice and coconut cookies, sweetened from the sugar cane hand-pressed on his farm. Below he is pressing the cane, some of which we chewed on straight from the stalk, it’s sweet and refreshing.

Job Saas really believes in his work and it was nice to be able to visit his place and show him support, as organic farming is not easy, but is so important. He knows nothing he produces pollutes the water or the air, and is naturally healthy for all who consume the fruits of his labors. So kind he is, he even gave me a book that was on display called How to Speak Caribbean English. The Creole they speak here is similar to Jamaican Patois (in fact I can’t really tell the difference). The main difference is that Spanish is mixed in somewhat here, they say especially with the younger generation, as being part of Colombia means their education is in Spanish. Being completely captivated by language, I love to listen and pick out the roots of words and figure out what people are saying. It’s a lot of fun!

This part of our trip is over now, and on we go to one of the most historic and culturally significant cities in the world, Cartagena.

I’ve always been pretty adventurous. I tried skydiving when I was 19, I’ve been snowboarding for about 10 years, done lots of hiking, and I’ve tried my hand at surfing in Costa Rica and Bali. For some reason diving always interested me but never registered as something I could do, maybe because I’ve never lived near an ocean.

Well my friends, a new chapter of my life has begun. The world of diving offers so much. It’s a special experience for humans, out of their natural environment, floating weightlessly among the fish and seeing the vast coral ecosystems that are hidden from the surface.

Those are my legs!

Tuesday was a full day of lessons and tests for me. I watched three videos in total, read three chapters of the PADI Open Water Diver Manual, and took three short tests. That was the “in-class” part. The “practical” part included two pool submersions where I had to learn all sorts of skills, practice hand signals, simulate running out of air and sharing your “buddy’s” secondary air source, practice buoyancy control, among others. This includes learning about the equipment, how to put the tank and regulator and buoyancy control device (BCD – that’s the vest) together and turn on the air, check the pressure, etc.

After I passed all the tests and practiced the necessary skills, Fabian, my instructor, took me out to the ocean for the real deal, practicing skills at the bottom of the ocean. I had already been out once the day before after my first pool submersion and had been doing fine so this was just a progression.

Then I went back for the final test and I now have the PADI Scuba Diver certification. The full Open Water Diver certification takes a little while longer, but this one allows me to dive anywhere in the world, to a depth of 40ft as long as an instructor dives with me.

I have to say I am really impressed by the attention and service I got from Blue Life Dive Center because knowing my time was limited, Fabian and his father, Educardo, the owners of the shop, made sure I was able to complete all the requirements.

That’s me in relaxed diving form

All the other divers on the trip were really happy for me, congratulating me on “joining their club” and toasting to me at dinner which was really nice.

For our last night on San Andres before heading to Providencia we went to an excellent restaurant that served fondues and imported cheese and wine, a nice end to a great first day in the world of diving. Thanks to Fabian for the pics!

Being part of GreenSpot.travel means not only am I trying to find out which are the best hotels that we could potentially send our clients to, but also which ones (if any) have sustainability initiatives, are contributing somehow to the preservation of the island’s natural heritage and are benefiting the local people. I have to say that there are a few hotels right on the beach, and literally only several feet back, that are not integrated into the natural landscape at all. There are however some charming smaller guesthouses and posadas which are part of a program which helps Colombian natives rent out rooms in their homes, offering a private space but a warm and welcoming family atmosphere. There are of course a handful of all-inclusive hotels owned by mainly one chain.  So the main thing is to find lodging that would accommodate our clients in a unique and green way.

Speaking of green initiatives, our restaurant last night, La Regatta, was out on a pier and while they served the best fish I’ve had maybe ever, what struck me on the way in was the way they reused their bottles on the grounds to create gardens and decorations, some seriously creative recycling!

Onto the subject of diving, I have to say the undersea world is something all humans should be able to experience!  If the opportunity comes up, take it, because it is unreal. At times I felt I was watching what was in front of me on TV because it was so incredible to see so many fish swimming about right before my eyes.  The coral here is known to be quite healthy in comparison to other parts of the world. I did not see any brightly coloured coral yet, but the fish were amazing. And sting-rays! They are so beautiful. Several times we watched a large sting-ray, even an elusive Eagle ray, which had been resting on the soft sand floor, rise up and float away looking like it was flapping its wings. Such a breathtaking sight, we got to our knees in the sand and just watched. One of our group members, Willian Bueno from Brazil took a video that I will have to post.

I decided while I’m here to do my beginners certification because the more I learn about the sea, the more I want to see.  Today I began by watching a video at Blue Life Dive Center, and then my instructor, Fabian, and I went to the pool to practice and get used to the equipment. Now I have a text book that I have to study to take some tests tomorrow before I do a second open water dive like I did today, as well as another pool session to practice more technical skills.

In the afternoon we took a tour of the island to see some sights, including Henry Morgan’s cave where the infamous pirate hid treasure centuries ago. It is now a tourist attraction with some good points and some bad. It has a pirate museum which is interesting because of the artifacts such as old kitchenware and utensils, 400 years old, that have been discovered around the islands.  It also has locals dressed in pirate attire, giving spiels about the history and a replica of Morgan’s ship with dance of the pirate times. These aspects are not very authentic experiences, but the cave in addition to the small museum is interesting because it is made completely of coral, showing that the entire island was once under water.

 

Touring local areas on islands is always the most fascinating part for me, seeing where the people live, often times how poor a place really is especially in comparison to sprawling resorts. I’d much rather spend some time with some natives of a place in their homes or their hangouts but it’s something that’s not always possible. That’s why I love the posadas concept, because while it is a regulated system to ensure standards, it gives the local people the opportunity to really benefit from tourism, and provides a really enriching and authentic experience for the visitors. I only wish I get to stay in one but as we are a group it was not arranged for us.

I hear that Providencia, where we are heading to next, is spectacular compared to San Andres so maybe the excitement is just beginning!