Querida Colombia!

First and foremost, it's ColOmbia, not ColUmbia! The Colombians will thank you for not misspelling the name of their country!

As I have mentioned in a previous post, Colombia was not originally part of my recent travel plans. But fate would have it otherwise, and I am so happy I went. I can't wait to go back! As a Colombia newbie, I thought it would be best to hit the 3 most popular cities (based on an unofficial poll): Bogota, Medellin and Cartagena.

First up, Bogota. I was fortunate enough to have met someone while in Buenos Aires who offered me shelter in Bogota. I stayed near Zona Rosa, which has many bars, coffeeshops, restaurants and upscale boutiques. I felt safe walking around in the daytime, though there had been reports of recent crimes occurrences (i.e. robbery gone bad), so I did not venture out at night alone. I had amazing culinary experiences at a tapas and Mexican restaurants. And Old Bogota is nice too! I went to the Botero and the Gold Museums.

Word of caution: if you think hailing a taxi is easy in Bogota, think again. When you hail a cab, the driver will ask your destination before you get in. If it's not on his way, he won't take you. I learned this the hard way...during rush hour!

Sunday is a nice day to be Bogota. It is the perfect day to go for a run or a bike ride, thanks to Ciclovia! For a substantial part of the day, some of the major streets are closed to cars and opened to pedestrians wanting to workout. This is a great way to promote healthy habits, but it also causes a major headaches for drivers! If you're more in the mood to spend money, there's always the Usaquen Market, where local artisans come to sell their crafts. Unfortunately for me (but fortunately for my wallet!), I only dashed through the market, as I had to catch my flight to...

...Medellin! What a change in scenery (and weather) from Bogota that was! The drive from the airport was both amazing and (stomach) upsetting, swirling down the mountains to get to the valley where the city rests. The history of Medellin is very rich, and I learned quite a lot thanks to a walking tour I did. Among other things, I learned that people of Medellin are very proud of their heritage, so much so that they will say they are from Medellin before saying they are from Colombia!

Final stop, Cartagena! One of the main reason why I wanted to visit the city was for the beach and the Caribbean Sea. I just wanted to lie on a sandy beach with clear blue water nearby. But I got so much more out of my visit. First, and most importantly, I met a girl who took me under her wing! On the days we spent together, we did all kinds of activities, including acro-yoga and biking on the old-city wall! She told me about life in Cartagena, whether you are rich or poor, white or of African descent. She was very receptive to my questions and was happy to help me discover her part of the world. On the days that she was not available to hang out, she arranged must-do activities for me: Playa Blanca and a mud bath in the Totumo volcano. I don't want to play favorite, but Cartagena was definitely the highlight of this trip!

Overall, my experience in Colombia was very positive! The people are very friendly and welcoming, and there is something for everyone! The Colombians are very aware of the reputation the country has around the world (violence and cocaine), and so they are genuinely grateful that more and more foreigners come and visit. In fact, I was thanked on several occasions for being in Colombia! 

So go ahead, go to Colombia! You won't regret it!

TSWF - Travelling Solo While Female

Here's a scary thought: a woman, travelling alone to a country where she doesn't know a soul. That's asking for trouble, most will say! I think not...

I didn't decide that I was going to become a solo traveler. It just happened. I was getting tired of people showing initial excitement to the idea of going on a trip, only to back down with some really good excuses when it was time to actually plan the trip. And so I thought 'Screw you, I'm going alone!'

Then the 'what ifs' started to pour in:

-What if you get robbed or attacked? A major concern as a woman. The truth is that it can happen right here in the streets of my hometown. Violence against women is not limited to specific parts of the world.
-What if you get lonely? I don't mind loneliness, it gives me time to think. Besides, you're never alone when you travel.
-What if you get kidnapped? I have a (male) friend who felt the need to constantly remind me to not get kidnapped.
-What if...? 

The true is, you don't usually get a warning that something bad is going to happen. Bad things happen any where at any time. Travelling (alone) does not necessarily enhances or decreases the chances of such thing to happen. Granted, you might be an easier target, but with that in mind, one must take proper precautions (and no, being locked in your room is not one of them!). But I cannot or will not let the fear of 'what if' stop me. If any thing, my biggest fear would be to wake up one day, old, and realize I never even tried to do anything I wanted to do because I was too afraid.

“How much I missed, simply because I was afraid of missing it.” - Paolo Coelho

During my last trip, I encountered 2 types of women: those who thought like me and those who (not so secretly) thought I was crazy! Strangely enough, I met most of the latter women in Colombia, like the women I met during a guided tour to the Totumo volcano. I was chatting with our tour guide (female) and when I told her that I had been travelling alone for the past 3 months, I thought her eye were about to fall off their sockets! She said that in Colombia, it is rare, if not unheard of, to see a woman travelling on her own, that she would love to do the same but doesn't feel courageous enough. She also admired the fact that I was visiting South America despite the fact that Spanish is not my first language. The older women in our group gave me the same spiel. 'Aren't you scared? Don't you miss your family?' they asked. If I let fear control me, I would never leave my bed, and as far as missing my family goes, there's always Skype and Facebook!

I'll be honest here. As much as I endorse solo travelling, there are parts of the world that I simply do not see myself going to on my own, primarily for security reasons (See? I'm not completely nuts!)

Ultimately, I think that travelling solo as a woman is very important. It strengthens the sense of self and identity, which is especially important in a society that perpetuate the degrading of women (did someone say rap music?!). It made me realize that I am capable of anything that I set my mind on.  I learned to listen to and trust my gut feeling. Now, more than ever, I feel proud of myself and my accomplishments. Without a doubt, there are many other ways to achieve such a sense of self, but doing it while travelling is just so much fun!

You Are Never Alone When You Travel Solo - How to meet people while travelling

When I announced to my friends and family that I was going to Buenos Aires for an extended period, one of the many questions I was asked was 'Do you know anybody there?'. The short answer was 'no'. I saw it as a challenge to get out there to meet people and out of my comfort zone. Don't get me wrong; it was not always an easy process, but it was definitely rewarding!

I met some quite interesting people who have enriched this trip in many ways. How did I meet those people? The Internet.

Cautionary tales will tell anyone that the Internet is a dark place where creepy weirdos are lurking around, waiting for their next innocent and naive prey, or pretending to be someone they are not (Catfish, anyone?). And unfortunately there have been too many cases to deny it as true. But I will tell you that, if you use a lot of common sense, trust your gut feelings (if it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't) and have a little faith in the genuine goodness of people (especially travelling peeps), you will be rewarded with amazing encounters.

First, I used Facebook. As much as I deny loving it, it is a great tool to meet people, as there are any groups that caters to various interest. My interest being travelling, I joined this one group that take travelling seriously and when I wrote a message on the wall to announce that I was on my way to Buenos Aires and was looking to meet fellow expats, the responses were almost instant!

I also used the website called TravBuddy, which is sort of like Facebook, but only for travelers. On this website, you set up an account and pay a small one-time fee and then you can connect with expats and locals who wants to show around their part of the world. And that's how I (indirectly) met the friend I stayed with in Bogota!

Then there's the old fashion way to meet people: through other people. Shocking, eh?!

One way that I thought was surprisingly harder to meet people was in hostels. I noticed that most of the people staying in hostels were couples or friends travelling together and thus more inclined to stick to themselves. Also, if they were not with their travel partner, they were on their laptop or smartphone. As a solo traveler, I found that to be harder to engaged with.

Another sure way to not meet people is to stay locked up in your apartment or room. The days that I didn't leave my apartment were out of choice, because sometimes I just didn't feel like introducing myself for the umpteenth time and answer the same old questions (Where are you from? Why are you in Buenos Aires? How come you speak Spanish so well?). It can be draining, especially if you do it several times in a short period of time.

The quasi-instant friendships that develop may or may  not last; we all make the promise of keeping in touch when it's time for goodbyes, but that could very well be the last time you ever each other. It's a gamble that comes with the game. Regardless, I remember everyone I met during my travels, because they are part of specific moments in my life. And sometime I will smile to myself, thinking about 'the time when we...'.

Overall, if one reason stopping you from travelling alone is 'I'm going to get lonely', guess what? You won't get sympathy from me! I consider myself the shyest person on earth, but when it comes to travelling, I get bold! So go ahead, book that ticket, you might surprise yourself!

Travel Memories: Lebanon

A year ago, one of my travel dreams came true when I went to Lebanon.Growing up, I was constantly exposed to the Lebanese culture and food, and I thought 'if it's great here, it can only be better in the homeland!' And I was right!

I won't lie, I had many concerns before heading to Lebanon. Although it is a beautiful country with beautiful beaches and people, it happens to be in a very volatile region of the world.Without going into the details, there is never a dull day in and around Lebanon with the many ongoing conflicts. As I was told, it only takes one seemingly benign event to have s**t hit the fan! So, though on the surface the average Lebanese appears cool, calm and collected, s/he remains on alert, because you just never know...

And to top it all off, I was concerned with the way I would be perceived and treated as a visible minority in Lebanon. Because the visible minority in Lebanon, usually from India, Pakistan, the Philippines and Ethiopia, are the ones who do menial jobs; the maid, the garbage man, the construction worker, etc. And there's usually not that much more else they can do, partly because they don't speak the language and also because they don't have access to the proper documentation. The good news is that steps are being taken so that discrimination does not go unnoticed, as per this video.

Well, I can gladly say that none of those concerns came into effect. I felt safe the whole time I was there, and people were friendly and welcoming. Perhaps I felt this way because I was staying with one of my closest friends, and her friends and family made me feel like I was one of their own. Sometimes I wonder if my experience would have been the same if I had gone on my own, with no one to turn to. It definitely helps to be with people who speak the  language and know how things work. I am all for solo-travelling, but Lebanon is probably not a country I would have gone to on my own.

Don't get me wrong, I will go t back to Lebanon, most likely for 'family' business rather than vacation. Yes, because I left Lebanon with more than a bigger waistline and greater appreciation of its culture; I left with a new extended family that I hope to see again in a near future.

Me and my  'cousin' enjoying the view!

Breakfast!

Getting ready for Ramadan