Colombia!

 I have now been to Colombia several times, so I thought it deserved its own section!

Beaches, bars, and avoiding military police in Cartagena!

One Month in Colombia

1 Month In Colombia

   

      The first time was 2009, Cartagena, the 2nd Bogota, Medellin, and a side trip to Guatape for New Year's 2015, then 2025 came, it was time to go back. 2009 I could mumble some basic Spanish, it was my first time traveling to South America, I had no friends in Colombia, and really I was new at international travel in general. Fast forward 16 years, I've been all over the world, speak fluent Spanish, travel with multiple passports, I know the streets better, I know the world better.... At least I think I do.... Maybe we all think we do, but then the world can always surprise us! But all that aside, that first trip to Colombia was one of those trips that was significant in my travel life. It opened the doors to beautiful South America. Now, I don't know how many times now I have been to South America. I do know that I have been to every country in South America except Venezuela (yet), and I'm currently working on getting a rentista, nomad, or pensionado visa for Argentina, so needless to say, I like this place. It all started with Colombia. So it was time, long overdue, to go back.

Colombia 2009, my first time in South America!

     Since those early travel days of not knowing anyone I since met some great friends in Colombia and had to of course visit them. I also wanted to revisit some places, and to explore new corners, oh, and completely unplanned bonus, it was during Carnival, so I of course added Barranquila. So the month looked like this...

1 week in Medellín
1 week in Cali
5 days in Baranquila
1 week in Bogota

Medellín

      Medellín was the biggest change from my prior trips to Colombia, and honestly a bit disappointing. Medellín in 2015 was an untouched land, super super cheap prices, a bit touristy but not too much, a bit dodgy, but safe if you were street smart, and very Colombian. Fast forward 16 years... I exit my taxi to my Airbnb, I'm hungry and walk out around 8pm to get some food.... The whole block as I walk past restaurants, all I hear is English. The little Colombian restaurants we dined at have been replaced by giant hamburger joints and "New York Pizza". Don't get me wrong, I love hamburgers, and I love New York Pizza, but I was missing the Colombia I knew. For context, this was almost all in El Poblado, the main tourist area.

                

   The nightlife scene was over flooded with expats, prostitutes, scammers, and expensive drinks, I live in Scottsdale, AZ and at some of the bars the prices damn near paralleled what I pay in Scottsdale. The food wasn't as good. The scene was different... But I too was different. The Joe that went in 2009 probably would have been thrilled, "They speak English everywhere!", "Hamburgers were great!" etc. So that being said, I totally agree with the people that live there. If I worked in Medellín, I would have done exactly the same thing. It's a great way for a once poor city to make money and come out of poverty and hard times.

     The good, it was fun paragliding over the city. As much as I complained one paragraph ago about western influence, credit cards were now widely accepted, the gyms were way better, as were supermarkets. And the core that was there and still is was great. Laureles and Envigado were huge pluses. Laureles wasn't quite the Medellín from many years ago, but definitely didn't feel like I was in Times Square either. Envigado was also a super chill neighborhood I went to twice. Its the type of place that would be tranquil to live in, but could get boring after awhile. The fine line to cross, when it goes from boring to too touristic!

                              

Barranquilla

                         

     The next stop on the Colombia tour was Barranquilla. I had never been but definitely met a few friends from there over the years. It's not the best city in Colombia but we had a good time there. It's small as far as the tourist things to do. But that being said it was fun and easy to get around, seeing some crazy buildings, meeting friends there, exploring the city, spending time on the pier, and of course Carnival was all a great time.

      Carnival, Rio is the big one, but Barranquilla did not disappoint! For starters we came into the game late, booking hotels less than a month before and getting tickets to the parade the same day. We didn't go to see Shakira but for last minute plans we had a blast, the parade was fun followed by the night out after. Don't wear your favorite clothes because you will get the celebration powder on you!

     I also really enjoyed the rooftops of Barranquilla. It's a more humble part of Colombia, great people, great food, bad humidity, but good times.

                         

Bogotá

          

     Bogotá was a repeat, sort of. The first time was in 2015, but I had arrived late after being stuck in the Dallas Airport terminal for 2 days during a horrific storm. So Bogotá Part 1 was rushed. Bogotá Part 2 was much more tranquil. My Colombian sister Martha lives there, shout out to you if you are reading this! A friend for over 15 years now, she guided us through the first time, and no doubt helped on the second. Travel is always better with locals, and even better if they are friends.

     

I bought some clothes and a pet to mask in with the locals!

      Parts of Bogotá remind me immensely of New York City where I grew up. I enjoyed those parts minus the traffic and rain, I also enjoyed where I stayed in La Candeleria, although in retrospect, Chapinero would be my recommendation for future Bogotá travelers as La Candeleria by night was not the safest place.Chapinero zero problems. But during the day La Candeleria was amazing, a step into Colombian history, museums, coffee shops, and so much good food!     

      We also set out to the country side one day. This was my last day in Colombia. I can't tell you where we went, I don't remember, and I wasn't driving. I can tell you it was beautiful to escape the city and spend time with my friends in nature. My flight was at midnight so things weren't rushed. We got back to Bogotá, and they dropped me off at the airport. I was truly sad to leave this beautiful country behind for the 3rd time, but also know I was blessed to have visited 3x. So it was time to say goodbye yet again... But wait.... that was good bye to Colombia, not the end of this article.                                             

CALI

                                 I wanted something else on this trip. A new experience, a less traveled road... I talked so some friends on language forums and was recommended to look into Cali. There's a reason I saved this for last. Of the 6 cities I have been to in Colombia, Cali is my favorite. Not by far, but its my favorite. The normal tourist things, the churches, the river, parque de los perros y los gatos, futbol games, and of course a deep dive into the capital of salsa dancing were all amazing. But I more felt like the place could be called home.
                      

      The gyms were great, very important for my daily life. The city is big, but not too big. The main street of the Granada neighborhood was perfect for nightlife. San Antonio for history. Food! Not just Colombian food, other world cuisine. I liked the unique vibe and flavor. Christ The Redeemer, almost as big as the one in Brazil, but much easier to visit as I have had the honor to see both. Night time, again, to be honest, not the safest place. I may live here one day. But it would be during my 40s, not so sure about the 50s. By day I explored many neighborhoods and loved em. By night it was 50/50. Especially on weekdays.

     But the friends I had there were very warm hearted. The strangers I did talk to were kind. The weather wasn't as good as Medellin, but 2nd best of all the cities I've been to there. And very very affordable. I remember sitting in a futbol bar, without my friends, just enjoying a beer, and watching the game, and thinking.... This is a city I need to come back to.

             

      2009 was a long time ago. I have to thank my friend also named Joe for introducing me to this country. It was his idea to go to Cartagena that I agreed to reluctantly at the last minute. Who would have thought I'd be writing about it 16 years and 4 visits later, yes 4! I actually got stuck there on a flight delay for a day 2 months ago and had breakfast with Martha. This country always amazes me, it always shows me something new, in the country, and in myself. When the plane takes off on certain countries, I sometimes reflect and think... This was a great place, but I'll never be back... I hope I never say that leaving Colombia.

2009 First time meeting a sloth!

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Why I Always Travel On New Years

Edit: This is a longer version of an article I wrote in 2015. After writing this article I wanted to make some edits and found the old article! I'm so old I'm starting to forget! Or I just love New Year's travel that much.

     Antarctica was the chalice of my New Year's trips, I wanted to visit all 7 continents, and all 7 continents for New Year's. It was a trip I thought would never happen, thus the name of this blog 6 of the 7... And surely became one of the best trips ever to this special land, and on for me, this special day. Was it time to retire New Year's trips after? Not even close. I celebrated New Year's in Oregon the following year with a girl I was dating, and kicked off the year this year in the Old Havana neighborhood of Cuba. This year I'm thinking of celebrating it in Africa or Asia as I realized of the 18 New Year's I've done, they are heavily weighted in my hemisphere and I'd love to expand the resume just like expanding the passport stamps, but it's a good ways away, so we shall see when it gets closer.

     In my past life when I grew up in New York City I remember as a little kid the celebration was to have a big dinner and at midnight we would bang pots and pans over the streets in Brooklyn, some people shot off fireworks, some people shot off guns, but my block was pots and pans, and I'm okay with that. Y2K when the world was about to end would be the last New Year's I'd truly celebrate for awhile, it was a house party in Brooklyn, nothing special, but I still remember it 25 years later. After that when I became a grown up I had grown up jobs that I worked new years for several years, bartender, police, firefighter. Somewhere in that mix I did get to celebrate Las Vegas with friends for New Year's and one year with the fire department I had off and celebrated in Scottsdale, Arizona.

                                

   Then in 2011, things changed. I once again didn't have off, but I knew if I covered one of my buddies for Christmas he would cover me for New Year's. At the same time a friend invited me to Austin, Texas to end 2011 and kick off 2012. I don't have any kids so the trade was on and the trip was on. The following year me and a good friend celebrated it in Russia in Red Square, from there on, I decided after having worked so many New Year's shifts (which in retrospect now at 43 years old was only a small part of my life) I wanted to spend the rest of my New Year's traveling to a different city or a different country every time. It could be a huge party like in Red Square, it could be something quiet like a cold beach in Oregon with the girlfriend, a deck overlooking Antarctica, a rooftop party with the pyramids Egypt, the Sydney harbor, Miami Beach, wherever!

                                     

     The thing that makes New Year's special for me is that it is the holiday for all. They don't celebrate the 4th of July in Mongolia, we don't celebrate El Dia De Las Velitas in the USA, not everyone celebrates Christmas, etc. But New Year's is the one day, the world gets together, and says, "Ok, let's do something." Some places are clearly more than others! But what about China Joe? China has their own New Year's? Yes they do, but I was in Shanghai on December 31st, trust me, they also celebrate that night! 

               

     It's a special time for me, I still don't have kids and I still generally work Christmas, but then the travel blood activates, and I'm on the plane to wherever, a long or short flight I'll review the year that was in my life, my travels, and in the world. And of course, plan the next year ahead. The end of one chapter, and the beginning of the next. I'm only 3 months into 2025 and have already done 3 trips, 2 international (Colombia and Cuba). And some big things happening at work that will change my life forever. So while I plan to enjoy every minute of 2025, I'll also be excited to see where I end it on yet another special New Year's in 2026.




UPDATE: Brazil, here I come! New Year's eve 2026 in Rio!

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The Dakota's The Most Underrated States I Have Ever Been To

                               

    I am currently at 49 states on my 50 states mission! Michigan will be my last state which is planned for this summer. It's been an exciting ride, and that's a whole other article and/or YouTube video in the works. I don't think I'll write an article about every state, but the Dakota's were really special, and I want to share what made these less visited states so much fun and so exciting for me in Summer of 2024.

                        

    I had originally planned to do the Dakotas alongside with Montana and Wyoming, it quickly became clear that these states were too big to do altogether, especially on a time crunch, so I made them two separate trips, I then realized how wrong I was about them being "so big", when I set my GPS for day 1's driving, it was telling me at 7am I would arrive 11am or so, but I thought day 1 was a 5 hour drive, then I saw it was indeed a 5 hour drive, it involved crossing a time zone, these states are not "so big" they are so gigantic they have more than 1 time zone!

                         

    From there it was time to spend a week exploring these two giant states, these are very untraveled places in the USA except for maybe Mount Rushmore, you don't hear of too many people that visit either of the Dakotas, and I'll admit my expectations even with my research was that it would be a check mark for the 50 states, and nothing special. I was incredibly wrong. Here's my quick bullet points and recount of visiting these 2 beautiful states.

                                     

• The rental car, for most of the 50 states I was able to secure a one way rental car for the trip, this was great to start in West Virginia and end in Indiana for example. This wasn't an option for me when I booked the Dakotas, the price difference was almost $1,000 more, now this can change daily and vary widely, but for that week of summer I decided I would do a round trip, and conveniently it didn't really change anything for what I wanted to see and do.
  
  

  

  Upgraded to a pick up for the adventure
  
  

  
  
• I arrived in Fargo early evening and did a 2 hour drive to Watertown, South Dakota, there was nothing too special about Watertown, it just seemed to be a bigger town to stop in on the way to the main attractions of South Dakota, which would be the 5 hour drive, I didn't want to land and drive 7 hours, so a budget hotel in Watertown sufficed for the night before the adventure began.
  
  
• Day one was a long drive, and I wanted to get to Badlands national park sooner rather than later, but there were too many tempting spots to pull over that the drive took longer than planned, one such places was Fort Hayes Old West Town, it was used in the Dances With Wolves, film and was a great spot to stretch my legs and tour, there were plenty of spots, this was definitely a nice one to sight see.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Badlands is a fantastic park! Parts of it absolutely beautiful, parts of it looked flat out like a different planet! Great to spend a few hours, even a few days to see what this park has to offer with hikes and sight seeing, I was of course hoping to see a Buffalo but didn't catch one there.
  
                          
  
  
• Mount Rushmore!
  
                    
  
  
• I posted up for the night in Rapid City, while I don't usually prefer a hotel, the hotel Alex Johnson by Hilton was in a historic building and had a great rooftop bar to enjoy the night before the next days driving.
  
  
• Now this was the Dakota's trip, but when in Rome, Mount Rushmore and Rapid City were too close to Devil's Tower in Wyoming to say no, and then the way back to North Dakota, would also cross me thru Montana, so why not? Of course fortunately they would both get their own dedicated trip down the line, but it was a nice appetizer of things to come.
                  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• I stayed that night in a small town called Belfield. This was a type of town with two restaurants, a cafe, small place. I ate AMAZING North Dakota chicken, I don't know if thats the name, but that's what I called it, chicken breast with swiss cheese, mixed peppers, and Alfredo sauce, writing this reminds me I still need to try to make this at home. Belfied was a good launching point for Theodor Roosevelt national park! 
                   
                  

  

  North Dakota Chicken!
  
  

                      
  
  
• Another breathtaking place for hiking and sight seeing, and even though I didn't catch the Buffalo in Badlands, Theodore gifted me a herd of over 100 (from a safe distance of course).
  
  
  
  
• I saw several other Buffalo in the park, one perhaps a bit too close! But luckily the rental truck was with me!
  
  
  
  
• If I wasn't fulfilled enough with Buffalo I made one more stop in Jamestown, North Dakota to see the largest statue built of the beautiful animal.
  
                    
  
  
• From there it was back to Fargo.
  
  
  
  
• Fargo surprisingly had a very fun night life scene! I also had some great dinners there, and met great people.
  
                                          
  
  
  
  
• The last night was a concert for the state fair, The Goo Goo dolls, for the 50 states mission, I timed out some of the potentially boring states with bands I like that were on tour. So if the trip was a bust, at least I'd see a good concert at the end, the concert was great, but of course the Dakotas were even better!
  
  

         

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• I sometimes say the best things aren't always posted, that being said, the driving itself had just random beauty I saw with the rolling plains, or small towns, and of course friendly people.

    As I headed back to the small airport I had a feeling of nostalgia and happiness... I came in expecting nothing, and left with so much more. These are not fly over states, maybe they are not for everyone, but the Dakotas were a special place for me. I'm glad I got a taste of them, and without a doubt I hope that one day in life I will go back.

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