Postcards and shenanigans

Culinary adventures, resilience, and social reflections: Bogotá and Medellín

The object of my instant coup de foudre is Medellín, the City of Eternal Spring. I can’t quite put into words why I took to it like a thirsty traveler finding a fresh spring, having been here just over 24 hours. All I can tell you is that I feel its soul and I love it.

Plonked on the terrace of my Medellín AirBnB, enjoying the break between downpours, ready to write this blog post

But first, Bogotá

I spent my first nine days in Colombia in Bogotá, and the guide I had for the Medellín walking tour put it into words perfectly: Bogotá is a beast of a city (over 8 million people), and it has a soul, but it takes time, patience, and willingness to discover it. I have mixed impressions of Bogotá – while I love big cities, I didn’t have time to find its soul. I am lucky to have friends who welcomed me, making it less nerve-wracking to navigate. I learned from them where to go and how to get around: always Uber, never flag a taxi, always sit in the front of an Uber Ya (the cheapest Uber option), you can sit in the back of an Uber Comfort. Keep your valuables close to your person, don’t use your phone on the streets – it was overwhelming to say the least. It triggered my anxiety even though I am generally comfortable traveling alone and in big cities.

Friends in foreign places make a world of difference. Thank you Kelly and Christian for the incredibly warm welcome, you made the start of my visit unforgettable.

My accommodation was in a secure area, in a secure building, but all these warnings swirling around made my explorations a lot more cautious. Despite this, I saw wonderful things in Bogotá and I’m excited to go back to close out my Colombian adventure.

All the museums

Among the highlights are the Botero museum, where you can see not only the largest collection of his works, but also Botero’s private collection donated by the artist. And it’s free. You can spend hours enjoying wonderful art, and indeed I did.

Botero museum courtyard at dusk. The Andalusian influences are stunning.

The Museo del Oro is another must, where you get to learn as much history as you get to learn about gold. Entrance to the museum is 5,000 Colombian pesos, which is about $1.75 Canadian dollars. I am loving that art and learning about history are so affordable!

The misses…

I had some difficulty choosing my own food in Bogotá. I am mystified by these giant avocados that look nothing like the ones I’m used to. The first one I cut open tasted like bitter rubber. I was not impressed and chalked it up to user error in picking them. In Cartagena I learned that the best thing to do is to buy them from street vendors or fruit & vegetable stalls and ask for avocados that are ready to eat. As I said, user error…

The next disappointment came in the form of arepas (a type of food made out of corn) – no matter which I picked, they were all sweet. I learned wayyy later that the type of corn makes all the difference… And finally, I misfired on picking cheese! Fed up with my misses, I went to a market, found the cheese shop and talked to the cheese guy. He helped me pick a delicious local cheese called Paipa and most was righted with my breakfasts (I gave up on the avocados and the arepas).

Giant rubber avocado

… the hits…

Determined to eat well in Colombia and Bogotá, I set out in search for typical food that would also please my palate. I regaled in a giant bowl of ajiaco, a typical soup in Bogotá that is made of chicken and potatoes (plus about 17 other ingredients). Served with sour cream and giant capers, I have to say it was my favourite, even though I was sweating in the 25 degree weather eating with the lunch crowd at the La Perseverancia market. I also had good luck with fruit, particularly these beautiful mangoes that I hadn’t seen before, and lulo, a typical, tart fruit. I was fortunate that my friends in Bogotá showed me a few gluten-free spots and I am equally impressed with the gluten-free finds in Medellín.

Although I don’t normally drink coffee, it would be a pity not to partake here, in the land of coffee. So I do, once in a while, indulge in this delicious nectar of the gods. I quickly learned that café means coffee with milk, and tinto is a plain black coffee (an Americano). The methods of preparation are as dizzying as the options for bean origin – I am no expert, but I can say that I haven’t had a bad coffee in Colombia.

… and the in-betweens

The aguapanela con queso. This is a hot drink made of sugar cane juice, served with a hunk of cheese. You drink enough of the aguapanela to make room for the cheese, which you tear up in pieces and drop in the drink. You then eat the somewhat melted cheese with a spoon. The resulting mix is exactly what you imagine: melty cheese in a very sweet liquid. I honestly don’t know where to stand on aguapanela. Our incredible tour guide for the day trip to Zipaquirá and Guatavita (more on those below) convinced two of us to try this delicacy. She also tried to convince us of the deliciousness of another delicacy, hot chocolate and cheese (same concept, you drop the cheese into the hot chocolate and eat the melty cheese). Between the two, I am glad I got to try only the aguapanela. Is it the weirdest thing I’ve ever tried? Ehh… it’s definitely in the top three. Will I try the hot chocolate and cheese concoction? Tough to say, I am as fascinated as a moth is by a flame. We all know how that ends.

Sugar cane juice and cheese. At the same time.

Zipaquirá and Guatavita day trip

On my must-see-in-Bogotá list were these two attractions, which are technically not in Bogotá. Zipaquirá boasts the title of the “first wonder of Colombia”. It is an impressive underground cathedral built in a salt mine. The size of it all is quite grand and the work that went into it is undeniable.

However, Guatavita stole my heart. It is the site of the sacred lagoon of the Muisca people and where the legend of El Dorado originated. Ascending from 2,600 to about 3,ooo meters was challenging (altitude definitely affects me) but we took our time and stopped to catch our breath, take in the incredible views, and learn about the local flora from a wonderful guide.

We learned about some Muisca teachings and wisdoms and I spent a lot of time reflecting about the similarities with Anishinaabe teachings and wisdoms I have learned about as I lived on traditional, unceded Anishinaabe lands for the last 13 years. Colombia, like Canada, was colonized in the 16th century. Colombia, like Canada, has a complicated history with its Indigenous peoples. Colombia, unlike Canada, has built more bridges towards a shared future. I am glad to have seen Indigenous representation in Colombia in the arts, history, and places I have visited. Through conversations with wonderful people I met during my travels, I learned that the Colombian government has given (some) land back to Indigenous peoples and groups. It makes me hopeful that Canada could do the same. It makes me conscious that we need to keep fighting for this.

Tomsa*, the sacred lagoon (*any spelling error is strictly mine). Known as Guatavita lagoon.

Social reflections

Back to Medellín, where I am writing this post from. It is a city of transformation, of resilience, of a traumatic past and a hopeful future. The paisas (the region’s dwellers) take great pride in how their city came through some horrendous events. Investments in public infrastructure and services such as libraries and shelters provided alternatives and glimpses of a brighter future. The city’s metro system is a great source of pride. But the economic crisis that followed the global pandemic of 2020 put a pause on these great strides. Safety, expressed through increased police presence amongst other things, currently takes priority over social services. These challenges are not unique to Medellín or Colombia, and I can’t help but draw parallels to the city I spent the last 13 years living in, Ottawa. The struggles with addiction, homelessness, and lack of social services are challenges that we all face. We know marginalization is harmful, yet it’s easy to throw blame around for who’s responsible for it; we throw our hands up in the air at the complexity of “fixing it”.

Public infrastructure and social services save lives.

The EPM public library in downtown Medellín faces Parque de las Luces (the Park of Lights). This is one of the projects designed to revitalize an area of the city. What can we learn from projects like these? How can we build thriving communities where opportunities are plenty for all, not just for some? How do we minimize inequality and stop turning a blind eye to our fellow neighbours? I don’t have a solution, but I know for sure that if not us, then who?

Medellín is a vibrant city, one that I would gladly spend months in and discover layer by layer. In my very short time here I already fallen in love with it and I expect that you will too, when you add it to your travel destinations.

This post is already quite long so Cartagena will get its own post. For now, I am enjoying the much cooler, if somewhat temperamental climate of the City of Eternal Spring.

My one month in Costa Rica ended almost a week ago and I am ready to share my overall thoughts and experiences. I am trying to strike a balance between telling you about the place and how I experienced it, and self-reflection. Let me know in the comments what you want to read more about!

The Good

I knew what to expect from Costa Rica, even though I hadn’t been to the Guanacaste province, and I wasn’t disappointed. The beaches, sunsets, volcanoes, fauna, flora, and food were exactly what a thousand other blogs will tell you about. The food is fresh and delicious (albeit relatively expensive), the nature a true sight to behold. The people are absolute gems, offering warmth and hospitality, excited to share their knowledge about the country and the region, and always willing to help. These are a few things that make Costa Rica a worthwhile destination, so if you’re hesitating about going – just do it.

In mid-April I started my second month of not working. I had a tough time answering the “so, how does it feel to be on sabbatical?” question, because I honestly did not know what I felt. For a good while I felt like the time off was short-lived and I would be going back to work the following Monday. Interestingly, that seems to have faded now as I’m settling into another rhythm.

I got into the habit of doing yoga flows, using the travel mat I carried with me. Always looking to optimize my packing, I was afraid carrying the yoga mat would be a PITA and I wouldn’t use it – I was wrong (well, it is a bit of a PITA to carry but mostly worth it).

I read 13 books in April, which feels like such a luxury. I simply had no mental capacity to read when I was working full-time. Or rather, I didn’t (couldn’t?) prioritize reading when I needed to disconnect. I love immersing myself in the written word, and yet I somehow found it too hard, which seems very nonsensical. I was afraid I’d lost my love for books. Luckily it seems that I still have the capacity to immerse myself, devour books, and enjoy the heck out of it. On the flip side, I have not watched a single minute of tv since I left Canada (I don’t even miss it).

One of the books I read in April, What My Bones Know (Stephanie Foo) – highly recommended!

The pictures below capture some of the amazing sights and experiences from Costa Rica.

The Shenanigans

You can read about the laundry shenanigans in this post. There were also cold plunge shenanigans (you can read about my cold plunge experience in this post). My cousin and I dropped by the wellness centre a few days prior to my cold plunge to find the owners refilling one of the tubs with water from various plastic bottles that had been stored in a freezer. We helped out while talking to them (as one does) and it took all my willpower not to have a giggle fit at filling a 65 L tub with 250 ml Fanta bottles… but hey, they had their system (and it worked)!

As expected, sending postcards from Costa Rica was rich in shenanigans. Accompanied by a new friend, I set out to Playas del Coco to look for postcards and stamps. Neither of us knew the exact Costa Rican term for postcards so we got some blank stares when we asked shopkeepers if they had them until a kind soul finally understood and told us the correct term (rinse and repeat with stamps). Armed with postcards, we set out to find stamps. From experience, this is the problematic quest in most countries, Costa Rica being no exception. We were told that the only place you can buy stamps is at a post office (called correo) and there was one about a kilometre away from where we were. We set out on foot in 37+ Celsius weather and somehow made it alive to the blissfully air conditioned post office.

I was able to buy international stamps, which the post office worker additionally manually stamped. Interesting. When I asked where I can drop off mail I found out that I would have to return to said post office or drop them off somewhere at the airport (the second choice seemed a little risky to me, I did not particularly want to leave the country with mail I wouldn’t be able to send from anywhere else).

Days flew by and I realized I wouldn’t have the opportunity to return to the post office so I packed the postcards in my bags and left for San José to fly to Colombia, hoping for the best. Luckily, my wonderful AirBnB host in San José told me there is a post office in a nearby mall. Huzzah!! Finding the post office was an obstacle challenge, peppered with many, many interesting shops (apparently I lost my interest in watching tv but not in shopping). I managed to make it relatively unscathed only because I simply have no room in my packs for anything else. I did however buy a slightly bigger messenger bag to fit that one extra shirt I found and couldn’t say no to…

In the end, I managed to mail the postcards! They were left with the Costa Rican postal office on May 2, 2024. Godspeed, little paper rectangles!

And uh… I obviously stumbled on the mailbox at the San José airport without any effort. Figures.

Mailbox in departures area of San José international airport

The Ugly

The heat. I am not made for it, and I suffer from being in it for long periods of time. By the same token, the blistering sun – with all my efforts to sunscreen diligently and cover up as much as possible, I still got a weird half-a-leg, half-an-arm, full-face sunburn.

Costa Rican road infrastructure. From bizarre 3-way intersections with no traffic lights to clogged up traffic due to choke points. It takes wayyyy longer to get between places than it should.

Public buses, for their lack of air conditioning. At the least the ones I took, which included a 6-hour bus from Playa del Cocos to San José. See first issue re: heat.

Getting caught in a downpour and walking the 15 minutes from the grocery store to my accommodation on the side of the highway in shin-deep side-of-the-highway runoff water, in the dark, with a backpack of groceries and a 6 L water bottle.

Feeling guilty if I don’t do anything “productive” during my day. I think this one will take a while to unlearn. I’m working on it every day, trying to relearn how to simply live my life, find joy, and not feel guilty about it. My sense of worth is so wrapped up in my work that I have to actively focus on defining who I am, not what I do.

What’s next?

I have started exploring Bogotá, Colombia! I am letting everything settle in, taking the experiences, the lessons, and the self-reflections in stride. I will continue to work on myself while enjoying a cooler climate, learning about a new culture, seeing new places and meeting new people.

There is so much more I could share about Costa Rica, let me know in the comments below if you would like to know about anything else!