On one of our Overlander get-togethers in Cartegena, Colombia’s first-ever ‘Overland Fest’ came into conversation. It was going to be held in Puerto Berrio about six weeks from then, why not all reunite and attend? After all, they were giving free tickets to foreigners. We all enthusiastically agreed and signed up.
Little did we know things would start getting very busy for us from that moment on. You see; with it being the first-ever overland festival to be held in the country, there was a lot of promotion going on. The organisers soon caught on to the fact that we were a family who had been travelling on the road for three years and they wanted us on the airwaves. We were invited to an interview for national radio, but in order to make it, we needed to travel 1600km to Medellin, with just two weeks to get there. We took the plunge.
We were not going to miss Colombia’s Caribbean coast though and made sure we spent some time in Santa Marta first.
Our route took us through Barranquilla, Shakira’s hometown. Latin America’s most famous pop singer wasn’t there that day, but we did find a locksmith who could cut us a key for our roof box. Note to self; don’t ever try and open a bottle of beer with a key! It was quite a challenge to try and replicate the key, because in the bottle-opening process, a vital component broke off and went missing. But these masters don’t give up and two cafe tintos later (we were soon to find out this small plastic cup of black coffee really is Colombia’s signature drink), we were able to ride off with access to our winter gear.
…Not that we needed those ski jackets in Santa Marta though! Boy was this stretch hot and humid! The bay was stunning and we certainly joined in with the snorkelers in those calm turquoise-warm waters.
Moving south, our next major stop was at a balneario near Aguachica. This was our first encounter with the extremely curious and welcoming Colombians. We couldn’t get away with staying at this swimming pool for just one night. They had their own agenda written out for us. “You must stay one more day for Sancocho” they insisted.
Sancocho is eaten all over Colombia and traditionally on Sundays. Sancocho chefs take pride in the “organic” way of preparing the dish. Usually slaughtering, plucking and skinning the chicken themselves, and adding it to a very aromatic broth of fresh vegetables.
It was a hands-on morning for Richie with a trip to town on a motorcycle to get the produce, followed by the handling of the live birds. By early afternoon the soup was ready and was devoured. It was delicious!
The party however, had only just begun, with the whole village flocking in for a dip in the pools. DJ Dany also arrived with his decks and we were called up to speak into the microphone multiple times. That was after the many tours given around our camper.
We European tourists were definitely the highlight of this town that weekend.
The music got louder, and a bottle of Sambuca was passed around the crowds- needless to say, fully clothed guests were soon jumping into the pool! This was an ordinary Sunday afternoon;-)
Fit as fiddles the next morning, our hosts cooked us breakfast and introduced us to more of their neighbours. It really was time for us to get going and after exchanging numbers and joining the ‘Extranjero’ (foreigner) WhatsApp group, we drove on to Playa de Belén.
The mountain pass along the way was a feast for the eyes, and the many shacks on the roadside with whole hogs hanging upside down certainly had us stopping by for a snack. We filled our bags with chicharrón, costillas and other pork bits and had a peek at the piggies in the back garden. It really is funny how streets in the middle of nowhere are made up of little kiosks each selling the same thing- perhaps there were many acorn trees growing on these steep hillsides!
Well, from one breathtaking view to another, it was time to take in the rugged landscape of Playa de Belén. The backdrop to this quaint and sleepy village transported us to a another world. Eroded and weathered brownstone rock formations peak towards the heavens whilst farmers using cattle and carts tend to their steep cornfields.
…and Los Estoraques National Park with its columns and caves only added to the awe and wonder. After camping in the carpark under a clear starry night, we walked around the 6 square km protected area in solitude, with only our echoes bouncing off the walls. According to the ticket office, this scenery was the inspiration for Colombian Disney movie ‘Encanto’, and coincidentally, we learn about this all on the morning after we have watched the film for the very first time!
The E45 took us west towards Medellin, having us overnight at a couple of gas stations along the way. Our destination was to be at a campsite high above the city, popular with travellers; ‘Al Bosque’ in Santa Elena.
We happily circumnavigated around the city, accepting Google’s fastest route of getting there but didn’t anticipate the adrenaline factor that was going to be thrown in for free! We’ve always said that these navigation apps could do with some extra filters, for example, omitting any routes that are impassable for 4 meters-high trucks. But on this particular day, a warning sign stating “rollercoaster hill, do not attempt” would have been nice. This road, through, from Copacabana up, was insane! Insanely steep that is, and with a heck load of oncoming traffic. The road was too narrow to turn, and we had no choice but to proceed, receiving a lot of astonished looks en route.
One of those faces belongs to Germán @experiencia.travel. He had been driving behind us, in utter amazement, and had to stop when we had, at the top, to find out who those crazy travellers were. After declaring that in all his 40 years of living in Medellin, he had never before seen such a vehicle attempt that pass, he invited us to stay on his property. He too was living in the Santa Elena area, had a cabaña that we could use and would be available to show us around the area and be our tour guide.
Needless to say, we agreed, and two weeks later, we were embracing the whole extended family, bidding our farewells, with plans to return again before leaving for Ecuador.
During those two weeks, we got to experience Medellin’s advanced cable car and metro network, join in with the city commuters both on rail and on the road, learn about Commune 13’s troubled past as well as enjoying the creative expression of its present-day residents (we definitely recommend the graffiti tour), visit the government quarter and take ourselves off to a fancy mall.
We tried Coca leaves at the hippie market of Santa Elena (supposed to combat altitude sickness), joined in with the local swimming pool’s evening classes, and ate our way through a lot of arepas. In fact, the Antioqueños are very proud of their regional cuisine. Germán had us trying Chunchurria (pan-fried pork intestines), Murcía (blood sausage filled with rice), Buñuelos (doughnut-type ball filled with cheese) and some of his own homemade Sancocho.
We did make the radio interview, but it turned out that we didn’t need to go into the studio after all. Richie pulled it off over the phone and all in Spanish. He must have been successful because, the following day we appeared in 4 auto magazines!
Yes, it was time to get to that Overland Fest. Our time with Germán, Elena and their extended family had pushed us out of our language comfort zone. Instead of chilling out with some members of our travel tribe at the planned ‘Al Bosque’ campsite, we were completely immersed in Colombian culture, conversing in Spanish every day and learning about the country and its people firsthand. Germán and Elena were more than hospitable, dedicating all their time to their foreign guests and meeting our every need. They even managed to arrange their friend Cesar to custom design an ‘outdoor kitchen’ for us in time for our departure. The table sits snugly on the outside of our camper, and swings into place when we want to use it. A wonderful practical addition to our home on wheels.
So, fully equipped to cook away, off we went- with a quick ice cream stop at Santorini, Doradal (which looked very much like a Grecian village rather than a Colombian one) and an overnight stay at Rio Claro.
During the rainy season (which was very much upon us) the river tends to be more murky than claro, but nevertheless, we enjoyed a peaceful night and a dip in the waters the next morning, playing in the sandy beach and watching the tourist-filled river rafts pulling in. This area with its surrounding canyons offers many wild adventures for the thrill-seekers out there. We definitely would have fancied a go at the river rafting but with time running out and 1000 people expecting us, we would just have to save that one for our return.
Thanks for reading, and we’ll ‘meat’ you guys around the world!
