The Earth + Nat

One of the best things about South America is the fruit. Almost everywhere you go, you find fruit that is far tastier and cheaper than anything you could possibly find back home. What's more, the farmers' markets are full of all kinds of strange regional fruits that you can't find anywhere else in the world, sometimes they are only native to a certain part of a country. Here I will show you what I found on market day in Villa de Leyva in Boyacá province, Colombia. Let's start with something familiar: bananas ( platanos ) on the left, raspberries ( moras ) in the middle and tiny red plums ( ciruelas ) on the right no more than two inches wide. The bananas here are incredible, perfect flavour and consistency every time. In South America, oranges ( naranjas or mandarinas)  come in different sizes, colours and levels of sweetness. The basket on the right contains oranges that are green through orange, all of which are ripe, with the orange ones having the most...

Couldn't resist some more Boteros After booking my flight north and realising I didn't really like Bogota at all, I made the decision to spend my last 5 days in Colombia in my favourite city by far, Medellin. This was an easy choice despite the inconvenience of night buses, and this time I got to see a different side of the city. Instead of staying in the party-mad El Poblado district like last time, I went with a couple of mates from Bogota to a nice hostel in the quieter Laureles district near the football stadium. This meant that we got a much more 'local' feel from our stay as this part of town was not as used to tourism. While we got some stares, we also got the opportunity to blend in a bit more with the local way of life. I went to a museum and saw this. Just a lot of dead nuns. Laureles was great, a classy area of the city with a lot going on. There were a couple of main streets where we spent a lot of time hunting for dinner and drinks, and a ...

There is a rule in Latin America that the capital cities are generally the largest, busiest and most dangerous places to go. Bogota is no exception. Just like its counterparts, Bogota is a centre of political influence both legitimate and corrupt, a magnet for poorer folks looking for opportunities which in turn brings crime and graft. I don't like writing negative blogs about places I've been, but sometimes the place just isn't that great. The first thing I was told upon arriving was DO NOT LEAVE La Candelaria. This is the heavily guarded area of the old city where tourism is concentrated, where you can see armed guards and even attack dogs on street corners. This did not stop crime in the area at night as a friend of mine found when he was robbed at knifepoint, but in the daytime it was pretty peaceful. There's a lot of notable architecture both old and new around La Candelaria and some cool graffiti pieces. "La Violencia" That said, venturing out...

One sunny afternoon in Villa de Leyva, I was walking down the street past a bar, when a bloke in a Colombian football shirt steps out, grabs my hand and says " Hola amigo!  How are you?! Bienvenidos a Colombia , I hope you like my beautiful country!". This to me sums up both Villa and Colombia: a land of happy people with open arms, who love a good day-drink. The Main Square - probably at least 200m across Just like San Gil, this was a place that sucked me in with its friendly, relaxed atmosphere and abundance of natural beauty. Villa is small, much smaller than San Gil, nested in a mountain range a few hours from Bogota. The most interesting thing about the town itself is that it has the largest civic square in Colombia - I mean, it's huge, the buildings on the other side fade into the distance, but that should give you an idea of how small this place is. It was perfect for soaking up the atmosphere and beauty of rural Colombia. My first day there, I was having ...

San Gil from the main bridge This was a town I found out about by accident. I hadn't really looked into the eastern part of Colombia, but as I was travelling the coast I kept hearing about this amazing place that everyone loved and no one knew how to pronounce called San Gil (said san HILL...sort of). Cat and I spent a night in nearby Bucaramanga which was nice enough, then planned two days in San Gil itself. For me, this turned into ten days and cemented this part of Colombia as one of my favourite spots on my trip. San Gil and the part of Colombia know as Santander is known for two things: gorgeous old towns and adventure tourism. Adventuring was the part I got stuck into first, with a visit with Cat to the extraordinary Juan Curi waterfall. The water starts 40m above me! Unfortunately Cat had to leave for Bogota the next day to continue her own trip, but I kept the adventure going in San Gil with a day of Whitewater Rafting on the Rio Fonce. This turned out...