Let’s start this post by just talking about Colombia in general, because it was our favourite country in South America. Forget about the fresh fruit falling from trees everywhere on the street, the coffee, or the incredible Caribbean weather, Colombia is the best country in South America because of the people.  Colombians are the most friendly and welcoming culture we have ever had the opportunity to come across. They come to chat with us on the street for the sole reason of making sure we’re having a good time in the country and to welcome us. They are also incredibly lively people. Everyone, from the shopkeepers, to the kids not even 8 years old, to the old men who care barely stand, are always dancing and smiling. Even the buildings are that much more vibrant in Colombia; they’re all painted different bright colours. Salsa is exciting and fun and everyone want you to have as good a time dancing as they are.

Ok, now we can talk about the food and drink. We stayed at one hostel in Palomino that had so many mango trees, it was impossible to eat all the fresh mangos falling in the yard (but we certainly tried our best). So imagine this, but all over the country. The rum is generally accompanied by a delicious, freshly made pina colada or daiquiri, and is also generally cheaper than beer.

Casa en el Agua

180 people applied, two people we accepted to volunteer there for a month. We rushed to Cartagena to get the two and a half hour boat ride out to sea to see our new workplace. When it says “house on the water” they mean it. This is a house that was built right in the water in the Caribbean, right on a reef. We jumped from the floor of the hostel right into the water. When we arrived we were greeted by some of the nicest people you could ever meet who were going to be our coworkers for the next month. We were taken around on a tour, shown to our room, then immediately thought, “how are we going to spend a month isolated in this building?!” It turned out to be very easy.

Except for the few staff that lived there at the hostel with us, most of them came every day from Islote, the closest island and world record holder for the most densely populated man made island in the world. The people in Islote - while incredibly nice, friendly people – have a completely unique culture from the rest of Colombia, which brought its own set of challenges, like what to do when your coworker drinks from your glass, or borrows your shirt without asking; what seems so strange to us is completely normal for them. Other than those small cultural differences though, we made some amazing friends from that island that we will always remember.

Our day to day was pretty easy: wake up in a hammock to watch the sun rise over the palm trees, head down for a breakfast of eggs, fruit and arepas, then for Brad work began. He helped with general maintenance, doing repairs and doing some carpentry work. During that time Miche could be found snorkeling, reading in a hammock, or making siguris (South American dream catchers). Shift change: Miche went behind the bar, and Brad took advantage of the delectable cocktails created by his lovely spouse while watching the sun set from the water – he definitely had the better job of the two! Lunch and dinner were usually – scratch that – always fish with rice. That may sound boring but not when you watch the fishermen every day come and drop off fresh barracuda for dinner.

Extracurricular activities included: stand up paddle boarding, kayaking, snorkelling, slacklining, visiting Islote for soccer games, going over to Isla Tintipan for a day at an amazing beach with the strongest cocktails you will ever taste, dancing to salsa or reggaeton, and finally one the highlights of our hole trip – the plankton tour. After a sunny day, when the moon is hidden by clouds, we would take guests into the mangroves where the phytoplankton lived. For those of you who don’t know, these plankton survive through photosynthesis and when agitated, let out a bright light. We would jump into the pitch black water with our snorkels, and our whole bodies lit up with what seems like sparkles... or something less cheesy but with the same effect... we only wished we were able to catch it on camera because there aren’t really words to describe how cool this experience is, and if you ever get a chance to try it, it’s a must-do. I’m sure if you google’d it you could see what it looks like.

Overall, there’s no better way to describe this experience other than as a month in paradise. We made some amazing friends that we hope we will be able to see again, danced to A LOT of reggaeton, ate some amazing food, and got to live in the middle of the friggin’ Caribbean for a month! It was a once in a lifetime opportunity that we will never forget.

P.S. the thunderstorms were insane!! In a good way, of course.