A life in Colombia
Writer
I was in Santa Marta for a few days before I hiked to the Ciudad Perdida. There I met a skinny, 26-year-old Colombian lad called Diego. He was on a short holiday from his home in Bogotá, where he lives with his brother, Juan. Now, when Diego heard I was planning to skip the Colombian […]
MoreMy legs used to be my best physical feature. I am 6’1 and – my fondness for cake aside – I have the genes of two relatively skinny parents. As a result, I have long legs. They are reasonably shapely and, most importantly, they were always generally unmarked. I mourn this fact. My legs are […]
More“Do you like cocaine?” he asked, politely. I shook my head. “No, I don’t like,” I replied, in my best broken Spanish. “I think stupid.” The cocaine farmer laughed. “Do you like cocaine?” I asked, curiously. He shook his head and gave me a beautiful smile, revealing two rows of startlingly white teeth. “No, I […]
MoreThe music was loud, the street was filled with people and the smell of fried festival food followed your every move. I went to Medellin for the city’s flower festival and, although this was probably an unofficial street party, everyone seemed in the mood to celebrate. The crowd was too thick for six people to […]
MoreMy Spanish is terrible at the best of times. But, of course, it fails me most when I’m trying to talk to an official through a thick pane of glass. I wobbled onto the tip of my toes, peered over the glass panel and asked the immigration officer to repeat his question. He smiled. “How […]
More“It’s great that you loved Ecuador. “Lots of people I know found Ecuador to be the most disappointing country here. “Well, not disappointing. But certainly not their favourite.” Someone said that to me recently and I nearly choked on my coconut. (Probably because coconut is so foul, I actually can’t stand the stuff, I have […]
MoreFew people could deny that travel broadens the mind. But it can have a negative effect too. I first left Europe when I was 18, to go to South Africa. I was naive and trusting and I am still teased about the time I cheerily agreed to a tour of Cape Town’s townships, suggested by […]
MoreIt was always going to be difficult to say goodbye to the Galapagos. It was not only a paradise for me (all those animals and that beautiful scenery) but my home too. But it is too easy to forget the little things that make a place special and I wanted to sketch a quick list […]
MoreThe trouble started, as always, around the dinner table. Solaise was obviously thinking something. I say obviously, but neither Pippa nor I could tell you what she was thinking. She didn’t voice her thoughts aloud. Jhosellyn, on the other hand, answered her unspoken question as if it was the most natural thing in the world. […]
MoreI wonder what would happen if someone tried to copy the ceiling of the Sisteen Chapel using a toothbrush and a few manky watercolours? I’m sure we all agree even a decent artist would struggle to replicate such beauty. That’s exactly how I feel when I sit down and try to write about Galapagos. I’ve […]
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Banana Skin Flip Flops 