Life Lessons I Learned While Traveling All Over Colombia, Story Time

By Warren Wong

I spent two years traveling all over Colombia, after falling in love with the city of Medellin. Whether it was the people, the hustle and bustle of the busy streets, or the Paisa Spanish that filled the air that won me over, I am still not sure.

What did dawn on me during my travels through the many unique cities of Colombia was a newfound sense of freedom. That I was truly out there, living my life. Here are my stories.

Wedding in Bogota

I stumbled upon Bogota, the capital of Colombia, by accident. I was invited to be a groomsman in a traditional Colombian wedding. I was met with the gracious Colombian hospitality of the family and friends as soon as I walked through the door. 

The night was filled with laughter, exchanging of stories, and lots of dancing. Uncles were curious to learn about life in the United States and Aunties were asking who I was seeing. The typical family affair transcended borders and culture.  

I fondly remember that night, it was filled with emotions of happiness, love, and tears. Of course there was some family rivalry and unfinished arguments happening at the fringes too. Weddings are a time when family comes together despite everything going on to watch the union of the beloved couple.

Seeing the love in the air, I couldn’t help but think of my own family and friends back at home. Being on the road, especially as a solo traveler can be lonely at times. It’s a tradeoff for the flexibility you gain, but that doesn’t make it any easier. 

It was during times like these when it’s all about friends and family that I came to a realization that no matter where you are, or what you’re doing, life moves forward, with or without you. Kids keep growing up, weddings come and go, and birthdays are celebrated without you.

I believe beautiful moments in our lives are meant to be shared, and sometimes life gets in the way, but making the most of the time we do have together is important. When I do see family, I cherish the time I have with them, because you never know how long it’ll last. Happiness is fleeting.

Camping in Ibague

On my journey to explore Colombia I found myself visiting a friend in Ibague, a lesser known city in the central mountain range of the Colombian Andes.

We had gotten ourselves a little cabin in the mountains for the weekend. It was late at night, so the only mode of transportation up the rugged mountainside roads was by motorcycle. So, we contacted 2 local moto taxis and after some convincing we hopped on with the destination in our sights. 

Outside of almost slipping off the side of the mountain road, when we finally reached our destination after an hour of going up steep rocky roads, we found out there we were at the wrong cabin, with the same name. Ours was on the other mountain, and there was no route there besides going back down and then up. At that point, our drivers were already pissed at us, making them drive all the way up the mountain and threatened to leave us stranded.

Luckily after finding cell service, I was able to talk to the cabin owner and he was able to set us up with another cabin on that same mountain without too much trouble. We were saved.

We woke up the next day from the natural sounds of the Ibague mountainside. There were early morning farmers working the hills, collecting their harvest from the banana trees, and coffee plants around us. They were working and humming along to typical Finca music and drinking coffee made from the plants they harvested. We were greeted by the neighborhood dogs which run wild, and happily fed by the locals.

As I looked out from the mountainside down onto the populous city of Ibague, where people were living busy city lives, I realized that life up here was the dream. Surrounded by nature, slow living, not caught up on our phones, enjoying the company of friends, and experiencing the present moment. Everything else seemed to fade away.

Conclusion

For some, traveling is an escape from the day to day grind. For others, it’s a time to connect with friends and family or go on an adventure to discover a new place. Travel means different things to different people.

For me, travel has been a constant in my life. I first fell in love with travel in my early 20s. It was a time filled with backpacker hostels and meeting people from all over the world, from places I couldn’t pronounce.

I discovered parts of myself that I didn’t know existed. I discovered I was so much more capable than I realized, and I gained a deeper curiosity of the world and the people within it. It started as a vacation, but became part of a much larger journey, one of self-discovery and matters of the soul.