All this happened on the 2nd of November, 2017. We rented a kayak and paddled to Crab Cay from the island of Old Providence. This is part of the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina. This is where I did my first successful and enjoyable snorkeling session. Renting a Kayak on Providencia We asked the owner of our guesthouse (Posada Sunrise View) Keoma how to go to Crab Cay (Spanish: Cayo Cangrejo). She told us where to catch the little motorboats, but also told us of the option to rent a kayak. Jonas and I had paddled inContinue reading
South America
South America is my original fave. I fell in love with Argentina long before I knew what it was like. You can imagine the expectations I set before arriving there at age 19 for the summer holidays to learn Spanish after my first year at university Of course, summer in Europe means winter in Buenos Aires, which was about one of the only things I knew as preparation for a five-week trip.
But enough about 2011! You’re here to read about hitchhiking stories, not very average experiences by literal teenagers.
In 2015, I returned to South America as a hitchhiker. I took a free repositioning cruise from the Canary Islands in Spain to Santos in Brazil.
From Brazil, I hitchhiked overland to Paraguay, Bolivia, Perú, Chile, Argentina, Chile, Argentina, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Perú, Ecuador, and Colombia. In Colombia, I took my first flight in over two years to visit the islands of San Andrés y Providencia. I left in 2017.
South America is also where I started living the digital nomad life with Jonas. Together we wrote many Digital Nomads Guides. I also tried to take my blog to the next level, which worked out so-so. I had a serious block on my creativity due to the impending doom that I had to return to university to finish studying before I had to pay back the government €20.000 in student debt.
But that’s all gone now. Next time I’m in South America I hope to write more and better. Enjoy the posts!
Hiking Up to ‘The Peak’ of Old Providence Island, Colombia
We did this hike on Tuesday, October 31st, 2017. Jonas and I traveled around the San Andrés Archipelago for two weeks after extending our Colombian visa in Santa Marta. This Caribbean archipelago comprises three islands (San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina) which are part of Colombia. We stayed on Isla de Providencia (Old Providence Island) for one week and did this hike to the peak. Preparations to Ascend The Peak Having had enough of the crabs and the sea for a day, we wanted to explore the inland of the island and hike up the highest point. According to theContinue reading
Colombian Visa Extension in Santa Marta
Today I got a visa extension for the first time in my life. I’ve been nearly 90 days in Colombia, which means my passport needed a refresher 90 days. I’m very far from ‘done’ with Colombia; it’s a fun country! With 90 extra days, I can hitchhike around the country in peace. While I know it’s not such a big deal for EU citizens to do this, it requires me to play the role of Good Tourist: a role that’s not well-suited to me. I entered Colombia on the 4th of July on a tourist visa from the land borderContinue reading
Kitesurfing South America: 3 Obscure Spots
Ever considered going kitesurfing in South America? If not, it’s time to reconsider! Many South American countries are full of river dams. Where there’s a dam, there’s an artificial lake. Where there’s an artificial lake, there’s oftentimes real strong winds. Many of these kitesurfing lakes are rather obscure for the kite community, yet are famous locally for their reliable, strong winds and tiny waves. Watch out, some of these locations aren’t for beginners. All of them do have schools that offer classes but ask yourself if you want to tackle these beasts when just starting out. Perhaps you’ll be sittingContinue reading
Ecuador’s National Font: Hobo
Perhaps you think I’m imagining things, but I swear by it: Ecuador has a national font! And that font is Hobo. It all started when I entered Ecuador from Perú. My first place of visiting was Nuevo Rocafuerte at the Napo river. While I hadn’t noticed the presence of this particular font yet, I did notice some other odd typeface choices; ‘Hostal Chimborazo‘ written in the Harry Potter font. Next up I went to El Coca, where Hobo had fully penetrated society and replaced all competition. Everything came in the form of Hobo. Whether it was a menu on theContinue reading
Quilotoa Caldera Hike
If you’re only here for an overview of the hike and preparation tips, click here. Months ago I heard for the first time of the Quilotoa Caldera, a collapsed volcano in Ecuador with a crater lake in the middle. The pictures looked incredible and I wanted to visit. A few sprees on Wikipedia and my map app later, I knew I wanted to hike the rim of the caldera. Besides hitchhiking, I also enjoy hiking without the hitching part. I hitchhiked from the town of Baños de Agua Santa – a cool destination in its own right – in oneContinue reading
Munching at Quito Food Festival in La Gasca
Quito Food Festival address: Avenida La Gasca with Gaspar de Carnival. Open Monday – Saturday 12:00 – 22:00. On my way back from Quito’s cable car, I spotted a sign from the city bus: Quito Food Festival. I made the snap decision to abort my mission to get home. Was I just hungry? Or hangry? The food around the teleférico (cableway) to Pichincha mountain was too expensive and my tummy was making noise. A mildly annoying rain wouldn’t stop me from eating fabulously. Upon entering the pearly gates to what looked on the surface as munch-heaven, I became unsure of myContinue reading
Iquitos, Perú to El Coca, Ecuador by Riverboat!
If you came to this article from YouTube and just want to know the price to travel this route by riverboat, scroll down or elegantly click here. The “downside” of traveling to a jungle city only reachable by riverboat, is that you know you’ll also have to leave it by riverboat! Our journey to and stay in Iquitos had been quite the experience. Last week I had to leave Perú. My 90 days stamp would expire on the 17th of May and I don’t like the idea of overstaying my welcome in a foreign country. I had spent about 10Continue reading
Atacama, Andes & Amazon: Lima to Pucallpa
OK, maybe Lima’s desert is not called the Atacama, but the “Peruvian Coastal Desert“, but this was the more poetic choice for obvious reasons. On the 20th of April, I left Perú’s capital Lima for a city named Pucallpa, a journey of 789 kilometers, four nights and five days. A map for reference: I wanted to hitchhike, dammit. I had just spent five weeks exploring the enormous capital of this country for the sake of writing the next Digital Nomads Guide. It was fun again to really get to know a city, but I really needed to go back toContinue reading