San Gil, COLOMBIA: Maybe I will learn how to be a raft guide?!?!?

I arrived in San Gil over a week ago and I can´t seem to leave.  I somehow managed to start volunteer teaching English in a local school and help out with the staff at the hostel I am staying in for a free room. Luckily, there is a fabulous market where I can get loads of fruits and veggies for under a dollar. I have been going vegetarian as of late, much cheaper and still tasty! San Gil is known as the adventure capitol of Colombia. SO far I have been rafting, down hill mountain biking, paragliding and have done lots of walking. I feel right at home here, and I can see why many people never leave. 

Our guide and fellow UVMer showing us the basics of the mountain bike.

The gang getting ready to ride. 

Me realizing that I might in fact lose it on this ride....the bikes go pretty fast down hill. 

Looking a little more composed, and always coming in last.

What's up, muscles?

The little ginger mermaid. 

Barricharra! A cute little colonial town outside of San Gil famous for its big bottomed ants-ormigas culonas-and it's quaintness.

El Camino Real-Barricharra to Guane.

Guane.

My favorite shot, I kinda look like I know what I am doing. 

This truck was pretty much behind me the whole time, Nice guy from CO was driving it. He taught me to never give up! haha

New friends getting ready to look at some bees.

Hernan showing us thousands of African bees he uses to make honey.

Being absolutely cautious.

Believe me, they were quite busy!

Hernan and his finca, gracias y suerte con las abejas!

Minca, COLOMBIA: café y chocolate

I took a nice weekend break away from it all and headed to the Sierra Nevada again to a little town named Minca. I arranged to stay on a coffee farm with a local couple named Eugenio y Ana. Eugenio is the third generation proprietor of La Candaleria coffee farm. We were taken up by mule to their coffee farm which is a good 1 hour hike straight up. There were lemon trees, grapefruit, banana, avacado, cacao, beautiful birds, howling monkeys, giant cicadas, butterflies, magnificent views and much more. I even learned how Eugenio makes his coffee from picking the seed to toasting the coffee.

Minca is surrounded by beautiful hikes and waterfalls.

View outside my room with a chile tree right next to the window.

Eugenio made this contraption himself.

Eugenio giving us some delicious fruit on our coffee tour.

Picking lemons.

Grinding coffee.

Tossing the beans.

We helpes to pick out the shells of the coffee beans.

Then toasted the cofee.

Going down to pick some grapefruit.

How's ya grapefruit?? It's HUGE!

Needless to say we enjoyed many fresh cups of coffee. Lemons and cacao. 

Jesse, the local neighbor boy holding cacao cut in half.

Humming bird stopping in for a drink.

These remind me of pointsettas.

The eye of the tree.

Playing damas with the two Isaacs. Ana's son and the volunteer from Australia.

View of Santa Marta.

Ana, Eugenio, Simón, Isaac and i drinking coffee.

Beautiful sunsets over the Sierra Neveda. I really enjoyed my stay at La Candelaria coffee farm, I felt like a member of the family. I will try to go back to visit soon!

La Ciudad Perdida, Santa Marta: COLOMBIA

After my trials in Colombia with the whole getting robbed, I figured the best thing to do would be to go find a lost city. I arrived in Santa Marta and immediatley signed up for the Lost City trek. Five days and four nights in the jungles of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It was great. I walked, ate, slept in hammoks, got in touch with nature and then forgot about how badly I felt about....ohh, nevermind I forget. Anyway, I even saw a Shaman.

Day 1 we stopped for fruit!

Rodrigo, our guide explaining the rout.

He brought his daughter, Luna, one of six girls, busy guy!

Natural pool, heck yeah nature.

Tallest tree in Sierra.

Just beautiful.

Nice touch of color amongst the green.

Hammoks!

Buenos días mula!

Bridge to camp 1

Graveyard along our walk, spooky.

Ahhhh, breath of relief.... Sierra Nevada.

My new friends.

Indigenous houses used especially for meetings of the Kogi people.

Girls wear necklaces and boys have bags in order to distinguish them.

Ginja jane!!

They always asked for dulces.

Little snake.

Dinner and stories by candle light.

Many rivers.

Get it gurl. In the sierra nevada.

Before we start our ascent up to find the lost city. More stairs, you ask.... Of course there are. 

Stairs in a lost city.

Dude sucking a lollipop with a machete, my colombian dream.

Is anyone home?

Lost city: found.

On top of a lost city, a group of people found.