xoxo, galápa-gossip girl
1 July 2024.
Other working titles for this month’s newsletter include:
Ecuadorable
I wish I could Quito you
Equator? I hardly know her!
As I’ve always said . . . no bad ideas in a brainstorm.
If you haven’t guessed already, this edition of the newsletter is coming straight to your inbox from Charles Darwin’s old stomping ground, the birthplace of modern evolution theory, the Galápagos Islands.
We’ve only been here a few days but it has already jumped up to become my number one recommendation. We’ve snorkelled every day and swam within an arm’s length of sea lions, green sea turtles, whitetip reef sharks, stingrays, schools and schools of fish and more. It’s incredibly unreal.
The wildlife dominates here. Sea lions uses public benches as their daybeds while marine iguanas are spread out over every footpath - soaking up that good equatorial sunshine. If you haven’t been here, I would move it right to the top of your list.
BUT how did we get to the Galapagos? Here’s a handy visual aid:
The best (and rest) of Colombia
We started June in Cartagena on the Caribbean Coast with our final week of Spanish School.
Travelling full time, you met lots of other backpackers and follow their journey online once your paths separate. At the same time our algorithms on social media transform into nothing but reels of influencers attempting to look as candid as possible while they wander around cities with full camera and lighting setups.
What’s my point here exactly? In the current landscape where we get a window into other people’s world through the screen of a smart phone it’s easy to forget you’re just viewing the highlight reel of someone’s experience. That’s why I thought I’d serve up my perspective of Cartagena in a real and honest way. Even if only for my own sense of catharsis.
With absolutely no offence intended to anyone that loved their time in Cartagena, I can say I really didn’t enjoy it. It felt overly touristy, with the illusion of ‘authenticity’. Compared to other parts of Colombia it was expensive and from the accommodation to the food, nothing was really quality - at least to me. To top it off, you couldn’t take more than 15-20 steps in Cartagena without a vendor trying to sell you weed or cocaine. Is that unique to Cartagena? Absolutely not. But in Cartagena it was pushy, and relentless, and people would follow and harass you for a block even when you’d already said no.
As someone who has experienced depression in the past, I found myself struggling. When we were in Cartagena, I physically felt like I was wading through molasses each day. I didn’t feel like myself and instead it was like a different version of me was piloting my body. I barely socialised with the other students at Spanish school and most nights were spent lying in bed watching re-runs of Drag Race – waiting for the clock to get to a reasonable time for me to go to sleep and temporarily escape the chaos and noise of a place I didn’t want to be.
Did my experience of being in Cartagena impact my mental health? Yes it did. But did my mental health and other factors colour my experience of being in Cartagena? Of course. It’s a two-way street.
Why am I telling you this? Because it’s my newsletter and I’ll cry if I want to. But I also felt it was important to be honest with myself and the people reading. I love not working – but long-term travel can be isolating and exhausting at times. I miss being with people who know know me. With the exception of Kusi my support network is on the opposite side of the world.
Reflecting now though, I think I had to go down to go up. I had to have my ‘Cartagena’ to remind me of the things I do love and why I’m here in the first place. I love the mountains. I love galleries. I love learning the history of the places I’m visiting. And most importantly, I love the freedom to wake up and choose what I want for myself each day. That’s why I came on this trip. And hey - I’m privileged enough to be able to travel the world in the first place. As Natasha from America’s Next Top Model famously once said:
I will wrap up this section though with my highlight of Cartagena - which was snorkelling on the Caribbean reefs an hour’s speedboat ride out of the city. There is a sense of peace when you’re gently floating over a bustling coral reef full of fish, rays and a bevy of other wildlife. It’s a key memory I’ll carry with me from my time in Cartagena.
Medellin
We left Cartagena for the central Colombian city of Medellin – which may I say, is probably one of the coolest cities I’ve visited. Nothing but straight up vibes really.
In the post-covid world, Medellin is a digital nomad hotspot and it’s easy to understand why. Known as the ‘City of Eternal Spring’, Medellin’s geography/altitude means that it’s pretty much 26-28 degrees every single day – with brief rainy periods throughout the year.
The restaurants are cool, the nightclubs are cool, the street art is cool and the surrounding mountains are a quick and easy escape if you’re tired of the city.
It's not without its problems – the city is attempting to crack down on the sex tourism that has made headlines over the last 12 months. Increased tourism has led to increased rates of petty crime, while the growing number of digital nomads has driven up prices and made parts of the city unaffordable for local Colombians. The same story is playing out in cities across the globe however (Chiang Mai, Lisbon and Mexico City are prime examples) so it will be interesting to see how governments respond to the increasing pressure on housing and resources.
Other highlights
I was a huge fan of Parque Arvi, not just for the beautiful nature reserve/walking trails but for the method of transport to get there (you catch not one but two cable cars). On the first leg you watch Medellin disappear into the valley behind you, while on the second leg you get to zoom over hectares of untouched Colombian forest.
It was also a great opportunity to spend time with fellow long-term traveller Rory as our paths crossed for a few days in Medellin.
I insisted we visit Salento purely so I could go to a Colombian coffee farm but it was well worth the trip. After trudging 45 minutes in torrential rain we reached Finca el Ocaso – one of the few Colombian coffee farms that primarily sells to the domestic market. Where most farms will export their best beans and leave Colombia with the dregs, Finca el Ocaso sells 90% of their product to local roasters/cafes.
As a Melburnian (the home of the world’s best coffee in my humble opinion), I relished the opportunity to get out in the fields and start collecting. We got to see and experience the whole end to end process, from how the beans are grown through to our own coffee degustation. If you’re ever in Colombia, it’s a must visit!
Quito
Given their current state of emergency, we’d heard mixed things about Ecuador. Many travellers we’d met had opted to skip over it completely to either Colombia or Peru. Within less than 24 hours of being here however I was ready to declare my love for the country – and in particular the mountain capital Quito.
Sitting at 2,850 metres above sea level and smack bang in the middle of the Andes, Quito is surrounded by dormant, snow-capped volcanoes with the outskirts of the city slowly creeping up the mountainside.
It was serendipitous that Quito Pride was on the day we arrived. Unlike the glossy (and overly-corporate production) of Sydney Mardi Gras or Midsumma, Quito Pride is a much more community driven affair. Rather than standing on the sidelines watching a big four bank march by waving their latest marketing slogans, you are the parade – everyone there is welcome to march together.
The other key memory we have from Quito is getting stuck on a mountain ridge for 2+ hours and needing to be rescued by a local Ecuadorian couple (more on that in Kusi’s Korner).
For the moment though, here’s some photos taken before the disaster:
and one immediately after:
Kusi’s Korner
I actually can’t believe it’s already time for another Kusi’s Korner, which means another month living the dream of being a full-time mochilero (for you non-Spanish speakers, a backpacker). In continuing with the poetry theme I’ve gone with a ballad this month, although to be frank I’m not sure how many more of these I can do (I hate acrostic poems, and then we’re into epics and odes which are even longer than this).
A Day on the Volcano
Last week we were in Quito
Enjoying the city and the sun
We decided to hike up a mountain
Just for a little bit of fun
As usual, I made some new friends
So we invited them too
There were five of us in total
A decent-sized crew!
The weather was brilliant
With the sky blue and clear
We took the cable car to the start
Which filled Spence with cheer
The up hike was good but tough
(We climbed nearly 1,000 metres)
We didn’t rest until the top of course
(Because none of us were cheaters)
But then came the descent
Which is where things became hairy
We decided to take a different route
One that was a bit more scary
The track was called “The Walk of Death”
And the signs said a guide was needed
“She’ll be right” we said
And the advice was not heeded
The mountain was very rocky
And the path wasn’t very clear
We took a wrong turn early on
And one man disappeared
We saw him head for the other path
So we knew he would be fine
Our group was now down to four
But we continued in our line
Then things got really messy
As we tried to come around a peak
We lost the trail again you see
And things were looking bleak
Martin and I searched separately
As time was getting on
I found the trail and returned to the group
But now Martin was gone
We waited and waited
Assuming he would come back
When he didn’t, I went searching
But I found no sign of his track
Now our group was down to three
And we had no choice but to go on
The trail disappeared again
And so did the ridge we were upon
We headed for the other trail
The one we knew would get us home
Problem was, we were blocked by cliffs
And we were all alone
We tried our best to find a passage
But each one was a dead-end
Thankfully some locals saw us
And helped us to descend
Now we were safe, although a little shaken
But we couldn’t start relaxing
The cable car was going to close
And Martin was still missing
We hurried down the mountain
(I was jogging at the end)
Hoping we didn’t have to call the army
To go and find our friend
Thankfully, he had made it too
And was waiting at the bottom
That feeling of relief when I saw him
Is something that won’t be forgotten
We made the last cable car back to Quito
And all had a good laugh after
Overall it was an incredible day
But it nearly was a disaster!
For now, we have a couple more days of snorkelling and exploring around the Galapagos before heading back to Quito and further into the Andes.
It’s also my birthday today so we’re celebrating by climbing another mountain - but I promise we won’t get stuck on this one.
As always, some shouts for the month:
Rory for a great couple of days in Medellin
Jose, Raul and Steven for our big night out in Medellin
Richard and Christian for great conversation and good vibes in Cali
Joe, Jens and Martin – glad we survived the mountain together in Quito
Becca and Phillie for making the most of the cheap cocktail deals on Isla Santa Cruz with us.
Thank you as well to you for reading – especially this extra-long edition. Catch y’all next month.
you know you love me,
xoxo, galápa-gossip girl (AKA Spencer).