Prologue: Starting With Curiosity and Ending With Wonder

None of us really knew what to expect—in our group chat, Colombia was "the wild card." We came for beaches and city color; we left with hiking blisters, salsa skills, new obsessions (coffee and fruit), and an album's worth of unforgettable faces.

Chapter 1: Cartagena—Caribbean Walls and Midnight Salsa

The trip started under pastel balconies in Cartagena. We wandered the walled city, ate fresh tropical fruit from vendors, and joined a plaza dance that (thankfully) no one filmed except us.

Day one, a local led us to hidden seafood spots and told stories about pirates, poets, and his grandmother's secret empanada recipe. Nights: mojitos, old Spanish ballads wafting along the breeze, and rooftop parties that drifted until the stars faded.

Chapter 2: Mountain Cities—Medellín Reinvents Itself

Off to Medellín, land of transformation: cable cars up green hills, graffiti tours, football chants echoing from distant stadiums.

Our group spent afternoons in the botanical gardens and evenings sampling arepas. We made more friends in one metro ride than three months back home.

Best surprise: rappelling in Guatapé (those views!) and getting invited to a local birthday barbecue at sunset—Medellín generosity is real.

We took a street art class in Comuna 13, shared poems in broken Spanish, and learned you don't need a map when everyone's ready to help you wander.

Chapter 3: Bogotá—Altitudes, Gold, Street Eats & Nighttime Revelry

Arriving in Bogotá felt like breathing in a new dimension. Cold overnight, clear days, layers for every mood. The Gold Museum dazzled; even skeptics lingered.

Our street food crawl: hot arepas, chocolate con queso, fried plantains, and more bakery stops than anyone had room for.

We raced up Monserrate for sunset city views, bought knockoff football jerseys, argued over the "best empanada in town," and bar-hopped from indie jazz to pulsing reggaeton.

Chapter 4: Jungle Detours and Lost Cities

Adventure level: expert. We flew east to Leticia, spent two days in kayaks dodging howler monkeys, and counted over a dozen new bird species. Our group learned how to make Amazonian cocoa tea, and that hammocks out here are better than any hotel bed.

Biggest accomplishment: the Lost City trek. Five days in and out, rivers crossed by rope, group bets on who would cave first (nobody did—bragging rights secured). We survived rain, laughter, and a guide who swore he'd seen a jaguar. None of us did, but we "believed for the story."

Chapter 5: Coffee, Fruit, and Finding Community

Colombia is coffee country—we caffeinated every morning, visited eco-farms in Salento, and learned to be picky about brew strength. Papaya, lulo, maracuya, and guanabana: we ranked new flavors in team contests before deciding all were winners.

We joined locals for salsa in Cali, found ourselves in a mountain town fiesta, played football on unstable ground, and sang out of tune in a Amazon riverside karaoke night.

Chapter 6: People, Moments, Mistakes

• Our "Spanish improvement" never caught up with local slang, but smiles did the trick
• Three taxis, two wrong airports—learned you must always check the fine print (and that Colombians forgive anything if you try to laugh)
• Best hostel ever: a wall of hammock chairs, midnight plantain fry-ups, and shared sunrise hikes
• Worst idea: a group "street ceviche" challenge (only two braved it, but both survived)

Final Night: Still Dancing, Still Smiling, Already Planning Our Return

We finished in Bogotá, rooftop dance party, arguing favorite moments and already pitching "next trip" ideas. Colombia was a trip where the best plan was listening, where every day became a new favorite, and every friend met felt like a travel ally for life.

Why Colombia Will Change You

Because you come for color and leave with community; because a stranger's kindness shows you the heart behind the adventure; because every new taste or trail is a promise of more. Colombia's easy to love. Hard to leave. Impossible to forget.