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| Hola Colombia! |
Last month, I decided to be spontaneous and finally do
something that was just for me. I was officially done with all of my required medical
school clerkships, and had just finished my term as SNMA National President, so
I had a lot more free time on my hands. Plus, with all the hustle and bustle of
this past year, I was beginning to become completely burnt out and was in
desperate need of a vacation. So what did I do? I booked a one-week solo trip
to Cartagena, Colombia, and I enjoyed every last second of it!
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| Familiar faces in new places |
Right after I returned home from the SNMA AMEC, I repacked
my bags for my trip to Colombia. There were some amazing flight deals that I
couldn’t pass up, and Cartagena kept popping up on all my searches for the best
places for solo female travelers. The funny thing is that when I arrived in
Cartagena, there was never a moment where I ever felt alone. Even when I
arrived in Cartagena, I ran into one of the SNMA National Committee Chairs who
had just been at the conference with me! We had no idea that either of us would
be there, so it was a super crazy moment. She was staying not too far from my
hotel, so it was nice hanging out with her and her friends while also getting
my bearings and a feel for the city on the first day.
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| Melanin in Colombia |
On the second day of my trip, I had an excursion to Playa
Blanca that I booked through Alex Rocha (
The Real Cartagena).
Now let me just stop here and say that if you are planning any trip to
Cartagena, then he is the person to go through!
I not only got to fully experience the city and areas I visited, but the
tour guides were simply amazing and always on time. Plus, I had the pleasure of
meeting other tourists who were a joy to hang out with. During my trip to Playa
Blanca, everyone in the van was from Atlanta (I told you those flight deals
were crazy lol), and I had a blast with the ladies on the trip. We were taken
to a secluded area of the beach that had very few people stopping by to bug us
with selling things, and it included a delicious lunch, and a tour to some
lesser traveled areas of the city. It was definitely a great way to ring in my
vacation, and I ended the evening with a nice dinner at a lovely French
restaurant called Restaurant Montmartre.
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| Ser Negro es Hermoso |
On day three, I participated in “The real Cartagena” tour
and was floored by all the beauty in the city. Not only is over 75% of the
population in Cartagena black, but after a visit by President Obama in 2012,
the “Ser Negro es Hermoso” (Black is Beautiful) movement was started. The city
is literally filled with murals and statues celebrating black people. I was in
heaven! Plus, there was more great food involved, and I got to interact with
more awesome tourists. After the excursion, I went to the Choco Museum and
participated in a 2-hour class that involved making chocolate straight from the
cocoa bean. It not only was a fun experience, but I also ran into more
Americans who invited me to spend the next day with them on a boat. There was
no way I was passing that up!
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| Had a blast with great new people |
On day four, I met up with the guys who I met the night
before and spent the day having an absolute blast! It was also kinda cool
finally hanging out with people who didn’t live in Atlanta, and being from the
northeast, they were actually familiar with PCOM. They rented a boat for the
day and we were taken to a beautiful private island that was literally a party.
There were underwater huts where food and drinks were delivered to us, music,
and a ton of people partying on their boats. It was a surreal experience, and I
literally had the time of my life!
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| Wakanda Forever! (Even in Colombia lol) |
Day five involved a trip to Palenque, which is the first
free African village in the Americas and established completely by runaway
slaves/freedom seekers. I was immersed in the culture, had more great food, and
loved being around beautiful black faces. I also got my tour group to do the
Wakanda pose!
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| A night on the party bus with other solo female travelers |
When I arrived back to the hotel that day, I found that the
power was completely out in the old walled city where I was staying. Luckily,
the
HOTEL I was staying at had a great rooftop bar with unlimited ice and drinks for everyone. I stayed there
for a while sipping on drinks with my feet in the pool, and then as the sun was
setting, I took a beautiful horse-drawn carriage ride through the old walled
city. I then remembered I had signed up for the Chiva (Party) bus that evening,
so I returned to my hotel room, managed to get dressed in the dark, and went
out for some fun. It was great dancing the night away while meeting more
fun tourists, and when I returned to the hotel, the power was finally back on!
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| Med students in Colombia! |
I had reserved day 6 for relaxation and exploring, so I
slept in and started my day with a trip to the Historic Museum of Cartagena. I
spent a few hours there learning about the history of the city I was in, and
then I decided to go check out the Gold Museum. Unfortunately, it was closed that
day, but I was directed to the Emerald Museum next door. It was here where I
ran into two more tourists who not only also lived in Atlanta, but they
happened to also be two 4th year medical students from Morehouse School of
Medicine who just matched into orthopedic surgery. How crazy is that?!?! We
hung out a bit and then went our separate ways, but agreed to reconnect later.
After that, I explored some more, managed to have dinner in the famous Don Juan
Restaurant without a reservation (yay for being solo and cute! lol), and then
reconnected with the med students I met earlier. We hung out, discussed our
medical journeys, and then hit the club where I got the DJ to play my favorite
songs and played pool with Canadians.
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| Met so many awesome people in Colombia |
On my last full day in Cartagena, I took a trip to the
museum, visited the university, and invited a few of the people I met during my
time in Cartagena for a beautiful sunset dinner overlooking the ocean. We
somehow ended up just having drinks and then hitting a pizza place afterwards,
but it was an excellent ending to what couldn’t have been a more perfect trip. Cartagena
was the ultimate trip of self-care, fun, and relaxation, and when the next
morning came, I was not ready to leave at all. Out of all the trips I have
taken, it currently stands as my favorite, and I can’t wait to return again.
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| A great ending to an amazing vacation! |
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| Loved my hotel! |
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