sebbo on tour - around the globe with sebbo

While I thought San Andrés was a shock in terms of city noise and buzz, arriving in Cartagena was another level. Especially within (and on) the walls of the historic center and the colorful neighbourhood of  Getsemani there was neither a quiet corner nor moment; street parties, rooftop clubs and bars, and a lively restaurant scene (broad range and high standard) make Colombia‘s 5th largest city an attractive place for international tourists as well as local visitors. To my surprise  I actually appreciated this colonial city and its vibes, with a blend of Caribbean, African and Spanish culture and colors, as touristy as it might be: sitting on the city wall sipping a beer and w atching the sun set over the Caribbean sea with the distinguished skyline looming in from the left, busy street sellers offering beers, soft drinks and souvenirs, enjoying a good coffee in Getsemani among tons of street art...  Further to the East along the coast is Taganga, a small fishing village...

My Caribbean island escape is coming to an end and I gotta admit that time truly flies when having fun and/or being on holidays.. at the same time, as much as I needed this break from traveling - I was more than happy to not pack my bag after 1-2 days and leave to some place new - I‘m now refreshed and ready to go explore again, 2.5 weeks by the sea served me exactly what they were supposed to :) In order to get to these islands, I needed 1.5 days of travel, as turned out that La Paz is not a great hub for flying across South America. (It would have been perfect to enter the South of Peru by bus, as per the original intention and route; but my need for a break and the political situation in Peru still being somewhat unstable, hence the change of plans). After everyone had been checked for narcotics three times at the airport in La Paz, a short flight to Lima with two hours to change, then Bogota with actual five hours overlay, eventually I made it to San Andrés island (total of 18h of ...

While I was keen to enter and explore Bolivia, a 3-day-tour ending in Uyuni long booked, my body and mind weren‘t just ready for it. Some symptoms of altitude sickness accompanied by a cold had me postpone the tour three times to take rest and acclimatize in Chile’s San Pedro de Atacama (on 2,500m, but day trips can take you up to 4,700m or higher), the anticipation of three days in a jeep through areas on 3,500-5,000m created a number of worries and fears. Not feeling well physically, worrying and being by myself I had some symptoms of home sickness come up, too. As I didn’t want to succumb to the fear and at least try, eventually I made it; and I can say some of the worries have been quite justified. The altitude and speed we climbed up is no joke: from San Pedro we went to cross the border, then drive through sandy desert for 12h up to 4,000-5,000m to check out lagoons with flamingos, geysers and hot springs surrounded by snow capped volcanoes. We were with five people in our jeep a...