Bienvenidos a Colombia! Here I am in the land of Juan Valdez, the homeland of TV’s “Modern Family’s” hot Sofia Vargara, hip-shaking Shakira, coffee beans and coca leaves; hence it being the largest producer of processed cocaine in the world.   But it is also known as one of the friendliest and most beautiful countries in South America. This country of about 40 million people also boasts one of the largest middle classes in all of Latin America.

Colombia seems to have it all: white sandy beaches with Caribbean flair, cities with metros and outdoor cafes, mountain escapes, Amazon jungles, well-preserved Spanish colonial towns, and adrenaline-pumping activities.

And yet, of the main South American countries, Colombia is the most unvisited by outsiders. Second only to Brazil in population, its landscape is variously Andean, Amazonian, Pacific and Caribbean. It can be high, low, hot, cold and steamy.

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Cartagena (car-ta-HEY-na…not car-ta-HEY-nya as pronounced wrong by Michael Douglas in Romancing the Stone and then by many others, including myself before I started planning my trip, because of that) is Colombia’s Caribbean jewel.  The center of town is a UNESCO World Heritage site of walled-in Spanish-colonial splendor.  In the 1500s, this port city became the major northern gateway to South America.  It also was a major target for pirates. Despite numerous attacks, Cartagena persevered and eventually led the way to all of Colombia’s Independence movement from Spanish rule.

The walled port is still an enclosed maze of cobbled streets, colorful stucco buildings draped in bougainvillea, green parks, plazas, churches, and palaces.

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Estoy Sola (I am alone).

I have traveled alone on and off for four years. I’ve mostly loved it and at times, I’ve I hated it, but luckily not often. I wrote about its virtues here. And there are many.

In my last post I talked about how traveling alone pushed me out of my comfort zone. Well, I wrote that before I left. Now I am here and feeling the full effects of just that…being uncomfortable.

I’ve mentioned previously my self-awareness of my mood when I first arrive in a new and foreign place – taking time to get accustomed to the sights, sounds, and smells, finding my groove, and giving myself ‘transition time’ to just feel comfortable in my own solitary skin.

Well, I’m not there yet.  I landed in Cartagena, Colombia at ten o’clock in the morning on New Year’s Eve day.  I cabbed it to my hotel, checked in, dropped my bags and then hit the streets.  For the first couple of nights I was staying in Bocagrande, not a remote outskirt, but also not the totally touristy center.  It felt like a slightly crumbling Miami Beach. There were concrete high-rise condos and hotels wedged between shack-like eateries and the odd hip café or modern home appliance store. This was more the place for Colombian tourists and less expats.   It seemed up and coming, but for many here, this was already it – the posh and trendy place to be…and also allegedly a nice dumping ground for drug money.  But for me and my American preconceptions and innate views, it still seemed poor, dusty, and in parts, dodgy.  My traveler side knew it wasn’t and some of it reminded me of many Latin-American or southeast Asian countries…especially the sidewalks.  They crumbled beneath my feet and I had to watch for cracks and broken tiles.

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I’m heading into 2011.

And I’m heading South…to South America.

It’s been nearly two years since I returned to the United States after traveling on my own around the world for 2 ½ years or so. Wow. Two years already?! A lot has happened in that time and much of it unexpected – proving to me yet again, that we can’t control everything and you just never know what’s around the bend…unless you go take a peek yourself.

I’m on my way to Colombia.

As I set out to travel solo again, I’m reminded of some main ideas that helped me the first time.

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It’s winter. Have you planned your ski trip yet?

The Alps
Chamonix-Mont Blanc, France

Two years ago, I spent a lovely week in south-eastern France with my friends Leyla and Ann in a small town about an hour from the Swiss border.  They showed me around nearby towns including the famous Chamonix (sham-oh-NEE)–known for it’s beautiful peaks and popular ski resort.

Chamonix was the site of the first Winter Olympics in 1924.  Mont Blanc, which is nearly 16,000 feet high (4800 meters), is the third most visited natural site in the world.  This area is famous for a number of outdoor sports including mountain climbing, extreme skiing, ice climbing and rafting.  While I didn’t participate in any of that, I did ride up the cable car up to the summit of Aiguille du Midi.  When it was built in 1955, it was the highest cable car in the world.