15th September 2018
In Cartagena, you're in a bubble, especially if it's your first destination. It lures you into a false sense that the rest of Colombia is also this vibrant palette of glorious colour.
Once well outside the city, the reality that I'd forgotten came quickly back as we passed rubbish laden shanty towns.
Colombia is still developing; an easy sentence to write as a comfortable British citizen (and I don't for a moment want to be condescending and dickish).
I found the journey fascinating, especially what I saw at intervals throughout the towns: a pristine, astro-turf football pitch and an even more pristine cemetery; rows upon rows of white tombstones adorned with fresh flowers. The importance of death had been prioritised, it seemed.
Death, and football.
And watching those delicious, jungle covered mountains coming into view an hour outside of Santa Marta was pretty damn special.
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