Descansa, estas en Colombia! (Relax, you are in Colombia!)

I was almost too relaxed to write this blog. Colombia has a depressing history of violence and political upheaval, but walking around the charming city of Cartagena; I feel completely at ease. The Carribbean coast is a land of fairy tales. Beautiful people, beaches, architecture, and weather.
It amazes me how much the weather and my enviroment can affect my mood. The Carribean sea has insane power over humans, it makes life feel like a dream, a dream you do not want to wake up from.

Travelling all over South America has introduced me to a lot of different climates, and terrains which are all beautiful in their own right; somehow I always find myself happier and more at ease by the sea.

Here on the Carribbean coast I feel like a less scruffy, less rum soaked, less talented, Hemmingway. I want to get a boat, and sail around, like a salty old sea captain. I can understand why the Carribbean attracts both the masses and the geniuses. It is paradise here.

This is the South American vibe I was searching for! Here on the northern coast of Colombia I am right in the middle of a serious cultural mixing pot. It is Latin, and Carribbean, and African, and even West Indian. It is a little bit of everything rolled into one spicy setting. Salsa music and afro-music is bumping out of every store front and car window. Here in Colombia tropical fruit and fish are the staples, and the sun burns hotter than I even thought possible. The air truly smells of coconut, and fried plantains.
I only just arrived, and I am already planning my trip back.