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The Best Hostels in Latin America
Blog: Itinerant Londoner - 14 November 2009
Travelling for a year, constantly on the move, rarely staying more than three or four days in one place, where I end up staying makes a huge difference to my my stress levels. End up in a nice hostel, with things like comfy beds, warm showers, free breakfasts, a good location and a nice atmosphere [...]
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Lady in Cartagena
Blog: A Lady in London - 7 November 2009
After our short stint in Miami, my boyfriend and I headed to Cartagena last Sunday to enjoy some equatorial sun. One of Colombia's most beautiful coastal cities, Cartagena had long been on my list of places to visit.
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Lady in Bogota
Blog: A Lady in London - 7 November 2009
The final leg of my Colombian odyssey was Bogota. Reaching an altitude of 2640 meters (8300 ft), the city is the third highest capital city in the world. As such, getting off the plane from Cartagena is quite a shock. After only one hour of flying, the thin, chilly air in Bogota is a world away from the turgid heat on the coast.
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Highlights of Latin America
Blog: Itinerant Londoner - 1 November 2009
I had such an awesome time in Latin America it’s pretty hard to pick out favourite moments. But I’m going to give it a go anyway. Here are the best things I’ve seen and done over the past six and a half months, along with links to what I originally wrote about them. Favourite City: Valparaiso, [...]
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Colombia – South America’s Best Kept Secret
Blog: Brilliant Tips Travel Blog - 30 September 2009
In years past, talk of a trip to Colombia would result in questions being raised regarding the risks involved in visiting the country. However, recently the country has made great progress in the areas of safety, economic and social development and tourism. While some problems still remain unresolved, the reality is far distant from the perception many people have about Colombia. A tropical country of incredible diversity and charm, Colombia is quietly becoming one of the hottest travel spots in the world. With such wonderful destinations as Santa Marta, San ...
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Win A Free Trip To Colombia – Entries Due Sept 21
Blog: GoBackpacking - 14 September 2009
Ned Hepburn of the very manly Manolith blog will be traveling to Colombia within a month to experience the country’s best, and YOU could easily join him. I say that with confidence because the time between when the contest was announced and the deadline for entry is very tight. You won’t have to wait 8 [...]
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Interview – An American Expat In Costa Rica
Blog: GoBackpacking - 10 September 2009
Astrid, Casey (middle) and me in Medellin I met Casey during my last week in Colombia. More than a decade earlier, he had left the United States to start his own business in Central America, which surprised me considering how he seemed about my age! In the interview below, he talks about his move to Costa [...]Your Free Subscriber Download
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Trekking to Laguna Churup
Blog: Itinerant Londoner - 28 August 2009
Arriving in Huaraz was just what I needed after six weeks in Colombia. I mean, I wouldn´t say I partied non-stop there, but it´d be fair to say it was my most sociable country so far. What I need was a bit of time up in the mountains to get away from it all, and [...]
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Update: The Colombia Trip
Blog: GoBackpacking - 23 August 2009
As I shared last Thursday in Would You Accept a Free Trip to Colombia, I was asked to head down there next month for 2 weeks to see the best the country has to offer and blog about my experiences. I was 99% sure everything was in order, however I learned how important it is [...]Your Free Subscriber Download
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Would You Accept A Free Trip To Colombia?
Blog: GoBackpacking - 20 August 2009
I’m not going to get all sentimental on you, at least not for long.
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Video of the Week – Colombiamoda 2009
Blog: GoBackpacking - 15 August 2009
When I decided to stay in Colombia earlier this year, and start a new blog, Medellin Living, one of the goals I set for myself was to be in a position to attend Colombiamoda, the country’s annual fashion week held every July. I knew it would require a press pass, but I figured there was [...]Your Free Subscriber Download
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Colombia round up & budget
Blog: Itinerant Londoner - 7 August 2009
Colombia was a last-minute addition to my itinerary based on the rave reports I’d read from other travel bloggers, and as I travelled through Central America, I heard more and more people gushing about how it was their favourite country in South America. So how did it turn out? After a very disappointing start in Bogota, [...]
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Marvellous Medellin
Blog: Itinerant Londoner - 5 August 2009
After not really liking Bogota, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from Medellin, Colombia’s second city. I needn’t have worried – from the moment I arrived in the bus station I had a feeling I was going to love it. Considering the city was notorious in the 80s and 90s as the home of Pablo [...]
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Who needs Starbucks?
Blog: Itinerant Londoner - 5 August 2009
After a fair amount of distinctly average tintos (the ubiquitous small cups of Colombian black coffee – unfortunately most of the best stuff is exported) I was keen to try the real thing, and my stay in Manizales, at the heart of the Zona Cafetera was the perfect opportunity. The highlands south of Medellin have the [...]
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Snow in July
Blog: Itinerant Londoner - 3 August 2009
Altitude sickness is a serious matter. In mild cases it can lead to headaches, dizziness and vomiting. In more serious ones it can lead to death. The good news is that it’s easy to avoid by ascending slowly once above 2,500m in altitude… …and not by going straight from less than 2,500m up to 4,800m in [...]
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The Perfect Day Hike
Blog: Itinerant Londoner - 30 July 2009
I’ve done some pretty good day hikes since I started my trip back in March, but my visit to Salento in the Zona Cafetera (the main coffee-growing region of Colombia) unexpectedly gave me my most enjoyable so far, on a walk into the Valle de Cocora. Neither too strenous nor too easy, about the ideal length, [...]
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Cartagena
Blog: Itinerant Londoner - 28 July 2009
Even though I’d just read Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s ‘Love in the Time of Cholera’, with its vivid description of the heat of Cartagena in the summer months, nothing could prepare me for quite how intense the humidity would be when I got there. Even just wandering around slowly, taking in all the beautiful colonial buildings, left [...]
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Getting stuck in Taganga
Blog: Itinerant Londoner - 26 July 2009
When I arrived in Taganga, my first stop on Colombia’s Caribbean Coast, I wasn’t all that impressed. And yet I somehow managed to end up staying more time in the area than anywhere else I’ve been so far on my trip. The obvious highlight of the place is that it’s a great place to start the [...]
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Making My Way Back Home
Blog: GoBackpacking - 21 July 2009
I awoke at the all too early hour of 5 am with nothing about a long travel day toward home ahead of me. It was cold enough that I didn’t bother with a shower. I had also packed my headlamp at the bottom of my pack, and without the desire to repack the night before [...] Related posts:Last Morning In Medellin
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Finding the Lost City
Blog: Itinerant Londoner - 20 July 2009
Despite the doom-laden warnings from the Foreign Office ( We advise against all but essential travel to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, including the ‘Lost City’. Armed groups are still active in this area, there is extensive cultivation of illegal drugs and the risk of kidnap remains high. While tour organisers may assure [...]
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Bogota Travel Blogger Meetup
Blog: GoBackpacking - 20 July 2009
The taxi ride to Jose Maria Cordova International Airport outside Medellin was just as stunning as the bus ride which first took me to the city in late January. Blue skies, warm sun, green mountains. But instead of feeling the exhilaration and anticipation of arriving somewhere new, I was trying to let go of not [...] Related posts:Last Morning In Medellin
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Last Morning In Medellin
Blog: GoBackpacking - 16 July 2009
I managed to roll out of bed a few minutes ago, eat some “goodbye” cupcakes a friend left for me last night, and get a good connection from the neighbors’ wi-fi. In about 2 hours, I’ll take a taxi up 1,000 meters in elevation as I leave the valley which cradles Medellin, my second home. In about [...] Related posts:The Return Trip To Medellin
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Parapentismo!
Blog: Itinerant Londoner - 14 July 2009
…or Paragliding as we call it in English, which sounds much more boring to be honest. Anyway, after a few days in Villa de Leyva, next stop on our way to the coast was San Gil, a little town that is rapidly developing a reputation as the adventure sports capital of Colombia. Rock climbing, white water [...]
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Growing to love Colombia
Blog: Itinerant Londoner - 12 July 2009
After a disappointing time in Bogota, I made sure I asked around before deciding where to head next. Villa de Leyva was one of those recommendations, and it sounded like the perfect place to start on the long journey north to the Caribbean coast. The recommendation was perfect – from the moment we stepped off the [...]
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The danger of raised expectations
Blog: Itinerant Londoner - 6 July 2009
Amongst the global backpacking crowd, countries don’t get much cooler at the moment than Colombia. While I was researching my trip, Colombia wasn’t even on my original itinerary. After hearing people rave about it, and in particular how much safer it is now, it became a must see. When I got to Mexico, the excitement continued [...]
