Paris

I miss the food, the cases of different types of bread

The selections of pastries

The selections of cheese

I stayed by the Sacre Coeur

So I went to visit the Sacre Coeur again

Well I arrived in Paris for the first time in Orly aiport.  It was so quick and easy to get to Paris from the airport.  I lucked out and it was free the day I arrived because of the pollution.  So I went out and took the Orly Bus to Denfert Rochereau Station. From there I changed to the Metro which was also free that day.
I went to Hostel Aloha. It was a nice hostel especially in comparison to the hostels in Latin America. On the upside they had lots of computers on the downside it was around 25 Euro and did not include sheets or towels.  I changed to a hostel close to the Sacre Coeur.  I really like this Hostel. Its called Perfect Hostel, the dorms are between 20-25 Euro.  The dorms are nice with lockers and include sheets and towels and are really clean.  They have a good breakfast that is served to you with juice, hot drink, baguette, butter, jam, and a chocolate croissant!  They have good wifi but no computers.  The hostel was nice and quiet and in a great location!  I really recommend Perfect Hostel.  The staff was really nice too.

Paris in the springtime.  The weather was really nice one day and a refreshing and cool the other days and the trees were starting to bloom.  The people were so nice and helpful.  I was walking around with a map just trying to get lost but it was hard cause so many people came up to me to help me and in English!  I am sad to leave so soon but glad I came to enjoy some good food and beer.  I didnt even get a chance to drink some wine.  Next time.  Paris I will be back!

Medellin, Cartegena, Santa Marta

Medellin
Hostels
Arcadia Hostel - Not recommended.  We first stayed in Arcadia hostel for 4 days but it was cramped.  The dorm room had too many beds in too small a space so we had to walk over everyones bags and the beds were three levels and I was on the top level so I kept hitting my head on the ceiling cause I could not sit up.  It was 18,000COP (~10USD) to stay in the 12 bed dorm.   They included make your own pancakes but they do not give any syrup or anything to put on the pancakes so the free breakfast is not really worth it.  They played the music too loud especially when people wanted to watch a movie.  The wifi did not always work.  Overall there was not enough space for the amount of people, the kitchen was always crowded.  The location was also a bit far if you wanted to go out at night, while its close to bars and restaurants there is a couple blocks where there is nothing and a little too quiet to feel very safe at night. It was also very far from the metro stop.

Grand hostel - recommended so we moved to grand hostel - wonderful place.  Really quiet with patio computers, nice kitchen and the owner Lucy really looks after everyone and runs a tight ship.  She keeps everything clean and makes sure everyone is behaving and keeping quiet.  Its right near the supermarket and the metro station and still close to the restaurants and going out areas.  We paid 25,000COP per person to share a room without a bath.  Really quiet and chill hostel. 

Cartagena
Well we decided to fly to Cartagena after finding flights for 80,000COP on vivacolombia (see cheap flights within Colombia at end of page) where you can pay at the exito in Medelling by the poblado stop.  We shared a taxi to the airport for 60,000COP so it was only 20,000 COP for 3 people.
In Cartagena we got a taxi to the street media luna where all the bars and main hostels.  It cost us 10,000COP but should really be around 8,0000COP.   We stayed at Hotel Marlin in a 4 bed airconditioned dorm for $30,000COP. It was nice because it was quiet on street with lots of party hostels but really close to places to go out as well as within walking distance of the walled city.  If I were to stay there I would stay at Mama LLenas next time because I ended up spending most of my time there. Its more like a hostel with lots of people and kitchen and its only $20,000 in the dorm and includes pancake breakfast.  But I think especially weekends but sounds like most of the time the popular hostels you need to book in advance.
In this season air conditioning is not needed at night.  The nights are cool and a fan is sufficient. 

Cartagena is really a pretty city with a nice ocean breeze right now.  It is so touristy though. The walled historic area is really nice.

Santa Marta
We took the tourist bus from Cartagena to Santa Marta.  They leave at various times throughout the day and pick up at the hostel and drive you direct to your hostel in Santa Marta. It was 43,000COP and said it would take 3-4 hours but took us 5 hours.  I was told the bus to Santa Marta was 25,000COP and you need to take a 10,000COP Taxi to the bus terminal in Cartegena and another taxi for 5,000 COP in Santa Marta or a bus for 1,400COP to get to the center of town so the tourist vans are much easier and not that much more expensive. If I were to be using Santa Marta as a base for trips I might stay at the Dreamer Hostel which gets good reviews and is close to the terminal.

Hostel La Brisa loca -not recommended- We are staying in the dorm for 22,000COP with fans and it seems OK. It seems pretty well run but its a Saturday night and a bit of a party hostel.  We go to Tayrona tomorrow.  


Cheap flights in Colombia
Vivacolombia has very cheap flights within Colombia.  Check their website as their prices change often.  Their prices are often cheaper than taking a bus and can save long bus rides.  Be aware that if you have luggage to check that you should purchase online when you purchase your ticket cause its only 20,000COP but if you wait till you get to the counter they will charge you 40,000COP.  You need to print the boarding passes yourself or they will also charge you for this.  To buy the tickets you likely cannot use your credit card if it has been issued outside of Colombia.  You need to click on the pay online option (Via Baloto) With Via Baloto you have till the end of the day to go to pay it at the nearest Via Baloto. You just bring via baloto number with you. There is a Via Baloto in most of the big Exito supermarkets.  

Salento - Armenia - Cali

Salento to Armenia
Buses leave a block and a half from the firestation as well as from the park in Salento
To Armenia - less than an hour, costs 3,400 COP, leaves every 20 minutes

Armenia to Cali
There are lots of collectivo vans that leave from the bus station and so many different companies for around 20,000 COP.  We went to TransArmenia which was 21,000 COP which the van was nice and clean though they said it wouldnt take more than 2 hours and 45 minutes it took over 3 hours and even though they said no stops they still stopped to pick up passengers.

Cali
From the bus station we took a cab which use taxi meters.  To get to hostel El Viajero we took a taxi that cost 8,000 COP. The hostel is nice and is 23,000COP per person for a dorm room of 12 people.  I was annoyed when I was checking in and the 6 people who came after me were all brought to the dorm first.  It has a pool and is open so it stays nice and cool.  They have free yoga classes 3 days a week and free salsa classes everyday.  It includes breakfast of coffee/tea, bread (but no marmalade or butter) and cornflakes, pineapple, yogurt, milk and a juice mixed from a packet.  It a good hostel with lots of activity and two computers and good wifi.  It does not include towels which surprised me cause all of the hostels I have stayed in recently in Ecuador and Colombia have provided towels.
I am going to move to another hostel Tostaky which is 18,000 COP that is down the street and a little bit quieter, no breakfast (but the free breakfasts are not normally very good) or pool or yoga, but they do provide free towels and the dorm is only 4 people and also has a computer.  Its close to San Antonio park which is nice to walk around.

Cano Cristales

I went to Cano Cristales after leaving Medellin.
Photos first.  Summary after.

Here is the green algae

Cano Cristales is famous for its colored algae that is in the river.  They say it has 5 different colors.  Yes it was pretty.  I love water and the water was nice, they have nice pools to swim in.  The tour was a bit disappointing for the money cause you spend a couple hours at one pool and then another couple hours swiming at another pool.  The pools are nice but nothing spectacular.  I have seen better for free.  I also maybe was a bit disappointed cause before I left I contacted the tourism information center at Cano Cristales to ask about the conditions since its October and every year is different as well as because I am travelling alone I often have trouble getting on a tour because there are no other tourists, as well as I asked about English speaking guides.  They said there are countless numbers of English speaking guides, tours leaving everyday so I would have no problem joining a tour and the conditions are absolutely amazing right now.   I really wanted to like this because I love going off the beaten path and exploring less touristy areas and especially natural settings.   Well I arrive and they tell me I have to wait around for one specific person to find out if there is a tour the next day.  I wait for an hour then they tell me to come back in an hour. I come back in an hour and wait 2 hours.  Finally someone comes to talk to me saying there are not tours to Cano Cristales there are other tours.  So I ask what tours. She says she doesnt know.  I ask her to find out cause I would be interested even though some other travellers had recommended I just do the Cano Cristales tour cause if you do the two day the second days is not worth it, its boring you just spend the day at a pool that isnt as nice as the first day and thats about it.  So she comes back after 20 minutes and tells me there are two tours one to a pool and the other is a bird watching tour.  I get very excited because I love nature and would be very interested in a birdwatching tour and ask about the details, when it leaves how much it costs as well as the other tour.  She answers she has no idea about the details of either tour and tells me to wait again.  After another 20 minutes she tells me the tours are private and I cant join and there are no tours till the weekend so I will have to pay for a private tour.  So I took the private tour and found it disappointing cause the conditions they said were not great. She said the water level has been decreasing every year so its better when there is more water but the locals are very worried cause the water levels keep going down.  So overall it was very disappointing.  Especially after the tourism office told me the conditions were so great, and there were nice.. there were different colors.. they were not spectacular.  I had to pay twice as much for a private tour, and the guides did not speak English which is not a problem for me but I wish they had just told me the truth from the beginning. 

How to get to Cano Cristales as of November 2013
From the main bus terminal in Bogata (teminal de transporte)
Take a bus to Villavicencio.  (3-4 hours, cost 20,000COP) La Macarena or Boliviano
Taxi to airport in Villavicencio is 14,000COP.  (The taxis have a list of fixed prices and its 11,200 for the fare and 2,800 for the toll for a total of 14,000COP, my taxi driver tried to charge me 15,000 COP initially then admited when we arrived that its only 14,000)
Flight - I took TIA air... I had heard its the cheapest.  It cost just under 400,000COP.
The 1 hour journey in a 5 seater plane is loud.  I recommend earplugs ; )
I stayed at the hotel across from the airport for 30,000 COP in an unfinished hotel cause I heard all the hotels were booked, but if you walk the 10minute walk into town there is a place called Hospedaje los Cristales that was charging I think 15,000.  The rooms were a bit dingy but if you are on a budget maybe a good alternative.
I was told group tours would cost about 130,000 COP a day but they didnt have any tours in the coming days so I paid 170,000 COP for a private tour.  I met some other people who said I should just do one day because the second day is really disappointing.  You go down the same path then end up at a different pool.. Its a nice pool but you pretty much spend the whole day there and its not as nice as the pool on the first day.  You are not allowed to enter the park without a guide.
In Villavicencio I heard mochileros hostel cost COP 24,000 but I arrived in the afternoon and was able to get on a flight immediately as well as leave in the morning so I didnt have to stay in Villavicencio.
Overall it isnt that hard to get there but I did not find it worth the money.  I went in October and they said in September its better but I still think even with more water and more color it wouldnt be worth it for the average traveller. I think the time and money it takes to get there you can see so many other amazing things.  Yes it was pretty.. at least when I was there it was not anything amazing. As a nature lover I was a bit disappointed, but maybe I am comparing it to the amazing colors you can see in the ocean. Overall I would recommend skipping Cano Cristales which I hate to say cause every area wants more tourists. There are so many great things to do in Colombia that dont have to be this expensive or out of the way such as just enjoying the wonderful people in Colombia.  The people really make Colombia special.