I'm still in the Emerald City.. its going to be hard to leave. Gorgeous Cartagena is a lot of fun. There is music playing everywhere, and I've been out dancing to salsa, samba, calypso and reggaeton. Every day I find something else to love about the city... great food, friendly people (I'm now friends with the street vendors in the Old City, and everyone here calls out to me as the girl with the yellow hair!). There's a park just over the road from the hostel wh...

Buenos noches from Cartagena! Ever since I saw Romancing the Stone (aged about 7 - is that really appropriate viewing for a 7 year old?) I have wanted to come here. I'm staying in a lovely hostel, Media Luna, in a beautiful converted colonial building in the crumbling old quarter of the city. It looks like a film set here, palm trees line the streets and there are towering modern hotels next to stunning old theatres and museums. I'm really excited about spendin...

I'm happily in a hammock again, swinging alongside the pool in Santa Marta. Very happy days indeed. It's about 36 degrees today, and blazing sunshine - definitely better than the chilly Bolivian desert I should have been in now! Coming to Colombia was the right move - it is just gorgeous here, and I'm having a great time in Santa Marta. The crowd at this hostel at great, its really sociable - at the weekend we went on a Chiva Bus - a Colombian favourite apparent...

I've trekked through the Colombian jungle, dodged tarantulas and spent the night in a hammock under the stars.. every day Colombia looks more beautiful. Tayrona National Park is gorgeous; lush tropical rainforest edges the stunning beaches along the Caribbean sea.. bliss. A group of us from the hostel set off for what we thought would be a moderate trek through the canopy to reach the campsite we planned to stay at. Hmm... 3 hours later we were red-faced, exhau...

I'm sitting in a hammock next to a pool, listening to the Beach Boys. Bliss. Having a great time in Santa Marta... I'm in the nicest hostel ever, The Dreamer. The rooms are centred around a courtyard where the pool and bar are, so it's really sociable - a bit like a resort.. there's even an Italian restaurant. After originally thinking I'd stay here for a couple of nights then move to Taganga (the party place right on the beach) I've decided to base myself here...