MARCH - APRIL 2019: LIFE ON THE ROAD
And that's a wrap. For now.
One year of travels have come to an end and I still can't believe how quickly it went by. In March 2018 I left my home in Paris, sold my belongings, and headed to Bali with a dream.
That dream was to travel to my heart’s content. Little did I know where it would lead me, but it has been one heck of an epic adventure.
Setting out to explore the world with no real timeline, no expectations and no return date, it's been one of the most freeing and rewarding experiences of my life.
The people I've met, the extraordinary places I've been, the limitations I've conquered, the memories I'll forever cherish for years to come.
Anyway, I can't leave without telling you what I got up to in Colombia in my final 6 weeks of travel.
So here it is, the finale of my first year of adventures.
San Andres
Gorgeous waters
of San Andres
A lot of people rave about Medellin.
It's a digital nomad hotspot. Head to a cafe and you'll almost feel guilty for going there just to sip on a cup of coffee and read a book.
Its cheap living cost, perfect yearly temperatures and great wifi make it ideal for setting up camp for a while.
At least that's what I thought I would do.
As a city, Medellin didn't really appeal to me. In some ways, it reminded me of Canggu in Bali.
It's great for going out, with bars and restaurants catering for gringos. There are coffee shops dotted around the city, yoga studios, and breakfast places serving your favourite fruit bowls and green shakes.
Medellin, or El Poblado at least, has been built up to cater to the gringo masses. It almost doesn't feel like you're in Colombia. Which is how I felt about Canggu, although I didn't see it at the time.
The best part about travel on the fly is having no obligation to stay where you are.
Enter Jardin. My favourite town in Colombia.
It's the perfect little town to unwind for a couple of days, sip on a delicious cup of coffee, whilst locals play a traditional game of dominos in the square.
Tranquil and serene, it's like a little piece of heaven on earth.
I didn't want to leave.
Travel in Jardin | Colombia
Waking up to cows mooing
Heading back to Medellin where I had left my belongings, I started looking into where to go in the north of Colombia.
One place kept popping up...
Off the coast of Nicaragua, located near to San Andres, this little island had glowing reviews. Dusty white beaches, turquoise waters and... very few tourists.
There was only one snag.
Flights were fully booked, the boat journey had horrendous reviews. It turns out that it's the kind of place you book months in advance. But... I really wanted to go.
Luckily I found a small agent who had some seats left about a week before I wanted to leave. I booked the most expensive 20-minute flight of my life.
And it was totally worth it!!
Unlike San Andres, Providencia is hard enough to get to that the only way you're going to get there is if you really want to go. I stayed for a week and wish I had booked more!!
As a solo traveller, I was definitely one of very few. Crossing the Lover's bridge, couples with selfie sticks were the norm. I could tell the company of a very good book is going to come in handy.
Thankfully my friend Joe who I had met in El Hoyo, Patagonia and his girlfriend turned up a couple of days later! As much as I love solo travel, I also love being able to do things I wouldn't normally do by myself.
My favourite day was kayaking and going on the search for Mcbean Lagoon.
Ask anyone, it's the kind of place people know about but have no idea of its exact location. For an island that's 17km in circumference, that's how well hidden Mcbean is!!
That is until we met Anderson. Hopping off our kayaks, with tired arms and a whole load of sunburn, it's apparently hidden behind the mangroves.
Defeated. After a failed attempt to solve the enigma of Mcbean Lagoon, we headed for a delicious dinner.
With fresh seafood, snorkelling hotspots, pristine beaches, hikes and turquoise waters, I really had to drag my heels to the airport and head back to reality.
Providencia is definitely one of my highlights of Colombia.
Almond Bay
Almond Bay, Providencia
My last few weeks of travel were spent exploring Cartagena, Tayrona National Park, Palomino and Minca.
Cartagena is a photographic gem and I couldn't help waking up early to photograph the city. Some might say Cartagena's a one-day thing, but it's the kind of city I could spend weeks in.
Some of the nicest people, police officers were kind enough to take some pictures for me!
It was also the kind of place I could wind down for a while.
Diving into Becoming Michelle Obama, spending my mornings wandering around and evenings watching the dancers outside the Old Town, even with the hoards of tourists, I adored Cartagena.
Oh, and the Sunday night Zumba classes outside the Church in Getsamani... Brilliant! Just the energy and vibrancy left me wanting more of Cartagena.
Cartagena Colombia | Getsamani
80-90% of the time it's random people taking my travel photos...
Sometimes they can be pretty good
After Tayrona National Park, I headed to my last stop in Colombia, Minca.
Staying in hostel Mundo Nuevo was like putting the cherry on a cake. Gorgeous sunsets, luscious green mountains, and amazing hikes. What more could I want?
Minca is gorgeous. My two-night stay quickly got extended to 5 nights as I spent my days laying in a hammock underneath a mandarin tree, looking out onto the beautiful valleys.
Thinking about my travels and where they had taken me, by now I had pretty much-ticked everything off my bucket list. There was one thing I started longing for...
Feeling ready, I booked my flight home.
Heading back to Cartagena, I was tired. So tired. I had little to absolutely no interest in heading anywhere else.
I pondered Panama, the Caribbean, USA or even heading back to Buenos Aires.
Nothing excited me. As much as I could carry on. It was time to call it a day.
My body had pretty much caved.
I looked forward to surprising my family. With no idea, I knocked on the front door of my family home in London, to the looks of shock as my family welcomed me back home.
It's good to be back.
Comuna 13 | Medellin | Colombia | travel
Comuna 13 in Medellin
What next?
If you've been following my monthly 'Life on the Road' posts, you may remember that I started to feel burn out after Patagonia and needed a place to base myself to recover.
Well, a few weeks into Colombia and I started to feel even worse. I lost my appetite, had terrible stomach problems and extreme fatigue.
To sum it up in one word... I was exhausted.
The only thing I felt like doing was curling up in my bed, with the aircon at full blast whilst binging on Netflix.
And for my last three days in Cartagena, that's pretty much what I got up to when I wasn't stocking up on coffee to take home or watching the beautiful sunsets.
I stepped off the plane at Heathrow airport, coming from 40 degrees, I sniffed the air, it felt crisp, fresh and cool. It felt like home.
It feels good to be at home, sleep in one bed, cook, eat all the British goodies I missed, have a decent cup of tea, and chill out with my family and friends.
Travel isn't off the cards for me. But I do need a break away from it. Give me some time to absorb some of the truly amazing experiences and the impact they have had on me.
You may remember me talking about starting an online business and travelling the world. This was my original plan when I set off long term.
At the time, something about this didn't feel right. I felt like I was choosing between one or the other. So I went with my heart and prioritised travel.
No regrets. I fully immersed myself wherever I went and made the most out of it instead of being stuck behind a screen.
Now I'm back, the online business is on the cards again. I'm not discarding getting a full-time job either. Part of me misses the routine of working and until I build a steady online income, this is one way forward.
For now, I'm taking the time to write up my adventures from the past 9 months. I have over 18,000 photographs and I've probably only shared around 150 of them on Instagram.
If there's one thing I've learnt, it's to listen to my gut and intuition. I can't see the full roadmap now and it's frustrating and freakin' scary at times.
But investing in the things that bring me joy, even when I don't know where I'm heading, who knows where that will lead me to.
Breakdown of expenses
Let's just say I let loose on the purse strings. Getting ready to go home, I totally splurged and loved every minute.
Travel costs and expenses | Life on the Road
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Life on the road | travel