First Time Traveling Alone

by Leidy Johanna Gonzalez (Colombia)

A leap into the unknown Colombia

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Imagine a girl on a beach sitting down on the sand, enjoying the peace of the place, hearing the ocean and some children behind her giggling while they were playing soccer without shoes. That is me, my first time on a beach. I was there feeling the sand, hearing the waves, the boats far away with the peaceful ocean singing my favorite notes. The dream I had wished for years became true. My adventure started from Bogota D.C., a day in april 2017, my first time on an airplane with a lot of nervousness. I was excited enough till I felt in my stomach a weird sensation; my hands got cold and my face pale, a man in a friendly way asked me if I was okay, which I responded that it was the fear of something I didn’t know yet. (Probably, all of us at some point have felt like that, and then we stop trying new projects, experiences, get those things we want because is something inside which stopped us) I called my mom to let her know I was going to travel, her blessings calmed me down. In the airplane I didn’t have anyone next to my seat, which allowed me to enjoy the view and forget what was that I was scared about. After the plane landed and the process of taking my luggage was done, I just was looking everywhere to find the exit to go to a hostel I booked ahead of time, which the reviews were good “Dona Cumbia Hostal”. I need to say that before I traveled I went to some groups on facebook asking for suggestions. I met Andres who had been in Santa Marta before, he gave me some recommendations and suggestions of places I shouldn’t miss. The plan was: taking the bus from the airport to the hostel, going to Tayrona Park by walking, diving in Taganga, going to Palomino. However, I didn’t take the bus because I didn’t know where exactly I was going to go, (my mistake, I should have been prepare for that, internet offers many options) I took a taxi with two girls I have never seen before who were going to go farther than me, they made me pay a half of the trip, which I found unfair but I didn’t argue. I only needed since that moment to be aware and asked first about the deal before taking steps (I identified I needed to learn how to negotiate.) The thing I liked the most about the place was that I could cook to avoid eating out all the time, it allowed me to spend money in the places I didn’t want to miss. (I wanted to save as much money as I could) It was near the beach, and the people I met there were incredible. I remember Daniela, a woman from Argentina who was traveling by car for two year from her country; her goal was to get to Mexico, she taught me the meaning of traveling and encouraged me to do it young. She also gave me some suggestions if I wanted to be a "Mochilera" like her. The adventure started since I decided to travel by myself. However, the plan wasn’t in execution yet, do you remember that I had a plan? So, that changed a little bit at the end, which was going to “Tayrona Park,” I met Daniela from Ecuador after paying the fee to go walking through the forest, we found tropical trees, monkeys and indigenous. We enjoyed hiking while she was telling her adventures traveling to different countries in South America. We shared a good conversation while we enjoyed the road together until we got to “Cabo San Juan,” a beach with a stunning view. We spent a night there in a tent. In the evening we planned together to go to Cabo de la Vela. It was not my plan initially as you could see, but when I heard her I didn’t really care about joining . Actually, it was a perfect idea for my experience. At the end, the trip makes you and you don't make the trip.