My teaching contract ended in November, so I popped over to Puerto Rico for a few weeks.
Here's what I saw/thought/learned:
I did a whole bunch of stuff, so it'd be nuts to try and list everything and the prices, but two things of note:
1) Jetblue seem to do the cheapest flights - I got from Medellin in Colombia, to Florida, then to Aquadilla for $230. Then, back with Avianca for about $300. These, however, are/were holiday periods and, as an example, July flights to Puerto Rico (using the route above) is less than $200, with a return ticket around $300.
2) I think there are three bioluminescent bays around Puerto Rico, but I went to La Parguera - there's a nice promenade with some bars and restaurants there.
Don't be put off by the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, either - the island will undoubtedly take a while to fully recover, but there's still tons to see and do, and people are very welcoming.
And now if you'll excuse me, it looks like I've got another teaching job lined up so I get to stay in the bamboo for a while longer! No idea where the next AWOUND THE WORLD WITH WAYNE will take place, so here's to unknown adventures, wheeeeeee!
A super cheap day out, this one, if you're in the Quindio region of Colombia. You can hop on a bus to Salento from Armenia for 3,100 COP and stop in Boquia after about 30 minutes (the stop is right where there's a bridge over a river and a bunch of hostels/roadside restaurants). You'll know you're in the right place if one of the hostels has a big praying mantis sculpture outside it.
Aaaannnnddd that's the cost. 3,100 COP return, of course, but you don't need to spend any other money, unless you want a bite to eat (and then prices vary, but if you take at least 10,000 COP you'll definitely be able to get something filling). Oh wait, I just remembered there's a guy you've got to pay 2,000 COP to as you're technically on his property, but we got a free tinto (small black coffee) and decent conversation from him, so that's nice.
So, just over 8,000 COP for a decent day out (that's about $3 USD) - the trek isn't too difficult (though it was really muddy at certain points) and there's a little waterfall you can hike up to, as well as a nice 'hidden' river (that has crabs in it, so watch your toes).
[Prices correct as of November 2017]
NEXT TIME: I won't be in Colombia! But where? WHERE?! Tune in to find out!
Tatacoa desert is
situated in the northern part of the Huila region in Colombia – the
closest city is Neiva, with the picturesque town of Villavieja an
hour from the desert itself. It's very hot, so if you go remember to
pack shorts and plenty of sunscreen!
Our bus from Armenia
cost 40,000 COP each and only took 7 hours because the minibus driver
was a maniac. There are a ton of companies that travel there, so
check them all out and don't be afraid to try and get a discount (we
did, because we booked four tickets at once). There are fairly
regular truck-taxis going from the Neiva bus station to Villavieja
and then on to Tatacoa, and it costs 15, 000 COP for a one-way trip
(which lasts an hour).
Tatacoa is basically a
road, with a few hostels along it. Villavieja is the closest place
for actual shops, and there are nice hotels there, but they're more
expensive than the places in Tatacoa. We stayed in a hostel called
Sol de Verano for two nights, which has rooms available for 20,000
COP a night (which is VERY cheap), although they charge for meals
(breakfast was around 6,000 COP and lunch/dinner were something like
10-12,000 COP each, but the food was really nice).
Our room slept four
(two single beds and a king bed), had a working fan at night (it was
stifling in the room, despite it not been entirely closed-off from
the outside world) and the toilets and showers (with cold water) were
outside (but private).
The desert has a few
different areas to walk around, though we stuck to the 'red' part and
easily killed a couple of hours during the morning then another
couple of hours in the evening. There's a ton of bird life in Tatacoa
and, if you're lucky like us, you'll get to eyeball some lizards too.
The return journey cost
another 15,000 COP each, with another group discount of 40,000 COP
each to get back to Armenia (which took a bit longer, but mainly
because it was a proper coach and we stopped at a pandera (sort of
like a service station, but not fancy at all) for maybe 30 minutes so
everyone could stretch their legs and get a bite to eat.
So, looking at
transport and hostel costs only, you'd be spending around 150,000 COP
(with meals extra). We also spent a night in Neiva itself, but I
wouldn't recommend that, mainly because the city is really hot and
there's bugger-all to do there, other than check out a few okay bars
and a blindingly-lit pool hall.
Oh! And one last thing,
that was impossible to capture in the video or in photographs: the
night sky in Tatacoa is incredible for star-gazing. There's an
observatory there that charges, I think, 10,000 COP, but we just sat
out in the hostel car park after 10pm (when all the lights were
turned off to save electricity) and got to marvel at one of the most
beautiful sights on the planet – you can even see the hazy glow of
galaxies! I tell you, it's astounding, and if you only go to Tatacoa
for one thing, go for that.
Hello. Since I've been travelling around Colombia quite a bit, I thought I should make a bit more of a record of my adventures. So here we are!
COSTS:
(Everything correct as of October 2017)
Bus from Armenia to Salento - 4,800 pesos
You can catch this from the terminal or as it passes through the city - we caught it by the bridge on carrera 14 (there's a mini shopping centre by it, and a bar/food places under the bridge itself). Takes about 20-ish minutes.
Willy Jeep from Salento central plaza to the valle - a little over 3,000 pesos
There are loads waiting, along with (usually) other travellers, so expect to be crammed into a Jeep like sardines. Takes 30-ish minutes.
There are two main trails - we took the longer one, which lasts about 5 hours and ends in the valley itself (the other is shorter and starts in the valley). There's a guy charging 2,000 pesos a few minutes walk into the long trail (some of the land is privately-owned) and later on there's a hummingbird cafe you can go in for 4,000 or 5,000 pesos. However, if you go to this, don't continue up the mountain like we did, because it turns out you're not allowed all the way up it. The proper trail takes a right, shortly after crossing a very rough bridge made of a few bamboo poles and a single metal wire hand-rope.
Return costs are, of course, the same: 3,000 and 4,800. The whole trip costs around 22,600 pesos, depending on if you go to the hummingbird cafe.
Sidenote: make sure to take snacks and water, plus something warm - it gets chilly up in the mountains and high in the valley. Also, you may get the chance to ride on the back of a Jeep, which is an experience worth taking but definitely not repeating BECAUSE IT'S TERRIFYING.
Next time, on AWOUND THE WORLD WITH WAYNE: a desert!
