On the morning of the second day of our tour to La Guajira, Pedro woke us up at 5am to start the journey to Punta Gallinas. We were taken from Cabo de la Vela to nearby Puerto Bolívar, an industrial area used for shipping. There really isn’t any reason to be there other than for the boats to Punta Gallinas.
Midway through the first day of our trip to the peninsula of La Guajira, we were taken down a very bumpy road through the desert. The path would lead us to the small village of Cabo de la Vela. This village made up of mostly simple huts is famous for kitesurfing and can be quite difficult to get to.
El Totumo is a unique mud volcano found halfway between Cartagena and Barranquilla. It’s a popular tourist destination for the healing powers of the mud, which we were told has over 50 minerals. For me, it was fun just to flop around in it. Day trips from Cartagena are very easy to book.
Just 15 minutes from Belén de Umbría is Taparcal. It’s a tiny little village set beautifully on a small mountain ridge with incredible views in every direction. It’s located within the UNESCO World Heritage listed Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia.
Quinchía is a town in the coffee region of Colombia and part of the UNESCO World Heritage listed Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia. It has been described as one of the more beautiful towns in the Coffee Region, and has a large indigenous population.
Lashae and I were invited to go on a hike through Santa Emilia Municipal Park (Parque Municipal Natural Santa Emilia) one Saturday with an adult English class from Belén de Umbría. The park is located about 20 minutes from Belén. It has a nature trail through a dense forest that leads to a few waterfalls.
The biggest social event in Medellín is the annual Flower Festival (Feria de las Flores), held annually in August.
The last day of the tour in Uyuni would take us through more of the Eduardo Abaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve. First thing in the morning, we made a quick stop to see some geysers. Not exactly Old Faithful. I was expecting them to be much bigger, to be honest. But, a geyser’s a geyser and it was still cool to see.
I was terribly sick on my tour to Uyuni. I tried to fix my stomach the night before, but I woke up in horrible pain. It felt like someone was stabbing me in the guts and twisting the knife. I skipped breakfast, packed up my things, and loaded them onto the vehicle. I couldn’t do anything but try to sleep through the pain.