From Quito to the Colombian Coast

Basilica

After spending nearly three weeks in Ecuador I was back where it all started: Quito.  I only had one full day left in the city and I knew it would be a busy day seeing everything that I missed the first time around.  One of my friends from the Galapagos, Gil, flew back to Quito on the same day so it was nice to travel around the city with a fellow backpacker.  We stayed at the same hostel, Secret Garden, in the old city and it felt a little like home going back there!

We got an early start and decided to go to the Basilica which was located in historic Quito.  Unfortunately it wasn't open so we were only able to see the outside of the building.

From the Basilica we caught a bus to Mitad Del Mundo to visit the center of the world at a latitude of 0'-0'-0'.  What is confusing about Mitad Del Mundo is that there are technically two sites.  The first site is the very popular tourist attraction, which has a little souvenir village built around the monument.  Although it isn't technically 0'-0'-0' on a GPS it has still remained the nationally recognized site.  I will say though that the monument makes for a great picture!

 From this site we went to the "real" Mitad Del Mundo called Museo de Sitio Intiñan, which is a quick five minute walk from the monument.  This museum was very interesting, built like an old Ecuadorian village.  Not only did the entrance fee include a guide, but we were given history on the tribes of Ecuador before our guide took us through some demonstrations that could only take place at the real equator line.

Our guide showing the small shadows on the equator

Successfully balancing the egg on a nail on the equator

The true Mitad del Mundo mark!

The bus back to Quito took much longer than expected! On the way back from Mitad Del Mundo I was resting my feet on one of the bars of the bus and somehow when the door opened it managed to crush my ankle.  I kept screaming "Ayudame, Ayudame (help me, help me)" but it took the bus driver a minute to realize that my ankle was stuck in the door! At first I thought I broke my ankle as there was a huge dent in it but luckily I think it was just a bruised bone.  After recovering from the intial pain of it I started laughing, explaining to Gil how stuff like this always happens to me!

By the time we actually made it back to the hostel I was exhausted.  Luckily it was calzone night so I enjoyed one final meal in Ecuador on the rooftop of Secret Garden!  At 7am the next morning, I found myself saying farewell to Ecuador as my flight departed for Bogota.  After a quick stopover in Bogota my flight landed in Cartagena.  The views of the city from the flight were amazing.  I definitely felt good about my decision to opt for a flight rather than a 48 hour bus journey to Cartagena!

From the moment that I arrived in Cartagena I fell in love with the city.  You can feel the energy of the city at every turn.  The colorful buildings, vendors, crowded streets, and music bring the city to life. It is a perfect city for walking with no particular destination in mind...you just embrace getting lost in the narrow alleys.

On my first day in Colombia I met up with one of my friends from Baños, Ecuador (Carol from Brazil) to travel with up the Caribbean Coast of Colombia.    Given that Carol was in Cartagena for the past five days we decided to continue up the coast as I knew that I would return back to Cartagena to spend some time there before going to Panama. So, more to come on Cartagena!

From Cartagena we took a four hour shuttle bus to Santa Marta which is another colonial city of Colombia although it doesn't have the charm of Cartagena.  Since we had not heard great things about the city we decided to take a 15 minute cab ride to a laid back fishing village called Tagonga.  The town in itself is incredibly touristy but still has a cool beach vibe with a mellow atmosphere along with fresh fish and juices everywhere.

Tagonga

A proud local fisherman

Life as a tourist in Tagonga is a simple, but relaxing one! We wake up, have a nice breakfast, hang out at a mellow beach, then drink some Alguila (Colombia's national beer) as the sun goes down.

And where there is a laid back beach vibe there are hammocks, which is always an added bonus!

From Tagonga we spent a day at Playa Grande which is a quick 10 minute boat ride, or 30 minute walk from the town.  This was a great little beach and it was perfect for relaxation.

Playa Grande

Our time in Tagonga was uneventful, but a good time! We met other fun backpackers and fully embraced two days of complete laziness which was perfect before heading on a five day trek to Ciudad Perdida!