Back in San Gil...

Ok so already I've been falling behind on these, so my apologies. (ie. stop pestering me mom! haha)

So like I mentioned before, didn't love Cartagena at all. All my plans of staying there for a month or so to take spanish classes sort of flew out the window when it was obvious that while the walled old city was beautiful, it was also pretty seedy, very touristy, dirty, and it seemed like everyone was always after you for money or something. That, plus the fact that out of the 3 days I stayed there, it rained for pretty much 48 hours nonstop didn't help my impression of the place. The streets were constantly just filled with that stanky sewage water, and you had to either walk blocks out of your way or pay to cross via these rickety bridges they had lashed together out of scrap wood.

Spent a few days checking out the town though, getting muddy and dying of heat, but eventually left on thursday for further up along the coast, to Taganga. It's a small fishing village/suburb of a larger city called Santa Marta, but is much quieter although filled with backpackers and Colombian tourists. The people were much more chill than in Cartagena though, so I didn't mind that so much, and was able to enjoy a few days lounging on the beach, eating ceviche and getting a bit sunburnt/bug bitten. Well actually a LOT bug bitten. In fact, my ankles were starting to get so canklish and sore that I was having scary flashbacks to the days after the sandfly invasion in the bolivian jungle last year, when I couldn't wear shoes for like 2 weeks because my ankles were so sore. But luckily it didn't get quite that bad, and in fact, the bites are mostly gone now. More or less.

There were some cool people there, though a few token crazies as well. Met a guy who strangely is from a farm outside Chatham, and then just yesterday there was a guy here who grew up in Delaware and goes to King's at Western. Small world.

Anyhow, found a few others who were interested in going up to Parque Tayrona, so on Saturday we negotiated ourselves a boat to drive us the 2 hours and drop us off inside the park, thereby bypassing the dreaded entrance fee. It did mean that we had to suffer through those 2 hours of frightfully maniacal nautical maneuvres, sin life jackets, with giant waves and a speed only approached by nearby Colombian coke runners. Nevertheless, arrived safely, absolutely soaking wet, but the park itself was astounding and more than made up for the white knuckle ride. Talk about the stereotypical Caribbean paradise, it was absolutely gorgeous, and we got to sleep in hammocks in a small open cabana on a cliff overlooking the ocean. I hadn't really brought enough clothes, so it was a bit of a windy and cold night, but so beautiful I didn't even really mind. Just laid around on the beach for those two days, enjoying the views before hiking out through the forest, catching a series of 6 busses and eventually arriving here in San gil on Monday morning.

Since then, I've been doing a bit of spanish studying/reading in the mornings, and lately have been going to a nearby orphanage to volunteer with one of the other girls staying at the hostel. Pretty relaxed pace, but I am loving it, and I do think my spanish is improving. Maybe not as fast as at a school, but this was is definitely more economical and fun. Have some conflicting reports in the last couple days regarding the health unit job in may, as well as the volunteer post i'm trying to set up, but i'll get back to you on that one.........

Hope all is well and I'll try to give more in detail updates when I have time!!

Oh and Dad, what time is good to call on Saturday??

xo