Backpacker Diaries – A journey from my routine in France, through my life as a backpacker, to the discovery of a new home at Casa Kayam Hostel in Guatapé, Colombia. How I became a world backpacker and how my experience brought me to Colombia. Who am I?
Hello fellow travelers, my name is Hugo, 26 years old, born on earth, within French borders. After a degree in Tourism Hotel Management, I spent a lot of time working in medium-high category restaurants/hotels around Europe such as Crete, Corsica and France. This time in these fast-paced environments didn’t suit me well and is the main reason why I started backpacking.
Backpacker Diaries
At the end of 2016, I took my first steps in South Africa as a solo traveler and never looked back. After two months and for several reasons, I switched continents and moved to Southeast Asia for about 7 months. After Asia, I spent the next four months traveling from Sri Lanka through Nepal and India before returning home to Europe. This time the journey home was only for a connecting flight that would eventually lead to South America, Bolivia to be exact. I enjoyed all of these places throughout my travels and spent a lot of time volunteering along the way. Unfortunately, on this trip to South America, I messed up my ankle and was forced home for proper medical treatment. Lucky for me, my dad is a pilot for Air France, so all those flights around the world cost me a bit.
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Those were the good old days of cheap travel, but like most things, those perks had to end with my 26th birthday. With that birthday fast approaching, I decided to use the benefits one last time and moved continents to South America again bad ankle and all. From Bolivia to Colombia, I just couldn’t get enough of the good South American vibes (especially these two countries). In Colombia I found a second chance to volunteer at the Casa Kayam hostel. It didn’t take long for this place to grow on me, so much so that I ended up staying two months. Every day wakes up happy, surrounded by charming nature, people, animals. I finally found a place like “home” in Guatape, Colombia.
After my 3-month visa expired, I chose to take a 2-month break from this tough work and went to Ecuador to do some traveling. It just didn’t feel right, like something was calling my name. I started listening and realized it was the Kayam Vibes calling me home!
After 5 months of healing the bad ankle, and not even completely, Maracuya land was calling my name, so I packed my bag and hit the road again. It wasn’t easy at less than 100%, but life always gets you where you need to be. I knew it was the best choice. This time I wasn’t looking to travel so much, but more to relax and rest. I couldn’t have asked for more than Casa Kayam, it really is everything I needed and wanted. My journey leads me here, and now moving no longer feels like an option. Life just feels good here, it feels right.
Just like anywhere else in the world, Colombia is a big country with its good and bad points. The nature here is incredible, the Pacific coast, the Caribbean, the Andes, volcanoes, canyons, all the way to the Amazon rainforest. You can really find any type of environment or climate that suits your needs. Of course, with all this nature comes the amazing wildlife.
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With a developing country just like any other, it comes at a price. Much of the country does not have enough garbage cleanup or disposal, combined with the disregard for nature my many Colombians and tourists. Combined with all this is the boom in development. Hotels are popping up left and right and places are becoming more touristy. And of course with this comes all the vendors, who treat white people like a “walking wallet” and try to squeeze us for every peso we have! Sure the government plays a small role in trying to protect this, but they make money here too. Stupid human evolution destroys everything! Isn’t it sad to see people willing to pay to enjoy a clean nature around the world? Nature is nature and it belongs to everyone!
Still with all this growth it’s years away from having any truly significant impact, so enjoy it while you can. There are many different regions and cultures to explore, from the volcanic Cauca region, salsa dancing in Cali, jungle life in Putumayo near Mocoa, all the mountain sports in Antioquia, surfing in El Choco and the warm north coast, plus more! You could easily spend 6 months here and leave feeling like it wasn’t enough. Different foods common to different regions and different locals, but all extraordinary people. There is really something special here for me.
Even with different food traditions throughout the county, it is all too similar. This is the biggest problem for me, I mean I’m French, we love our food! No need to worry, there is an easy solution to this, just stay at Casa Kayam where there is a full kitchen (oven included) and the problem is solved! Colombia had a great variety of local fruits and vegetables and all are very cheap. The only good thing I would say about the local food is how affordable it is to eat out at times. Any traditional Colombian restaurant will offer a “Menu del Dia” that can cost as low as 7,000 pesos, it’s a cheap trade-off for a lazy day without cooking. In my opinion, all the exotic fruits make up for the lack of choice in the restaurants.
A concern for many people who come to Colombia, they feel that it is not safe. I found the opposite to be true. Most of the locals you meet are very welcoming and happy to meet foreigners and backpackers traveling their country. The only danger comes in the big cities, the same as everywhere else in the world, including the Western world. Before I left I lived in the South of France near Marseille and I can tell you that Marseille can be dangerous. So no matter Asia, South America or Western countries, more people in the same place bring more problems and dangers. Just stay out of the cities and “todo bien,” life is good. Furthermore, the police activity in Colombia is impressive, they are everywhere. I prefer to avoid them, I have my reasons, but they are always around if you need them. As you can probably tell, I’m not a fan of big cities. I avoid them most of the time and avoid the problems that come with them.
What Happened When I Started Backpacking?*
Another great thing about South America is the visas. For most people and countries, 3 months are free and have the option to extend to 6 months each calendar year. This means that if you want to live up to one year in Colombia legally, it is possible. You just have to travel for a day to another country in South America and come back when the calendar reaches January 1.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]
Why do I choose to stay in Guatape at Casa Kayam Hostel? How I lost my bags at Casa Kayam Hostel
The Caribbean coast is the most touristic part of Colombia, so I decided to start my trip there, but kept hearing about this tourist place called Guatapé and Casa Kayam hostel. I had to check it out myself. Touristic, yes, but most tourists only come for a day trip from Medellin. Medellin, Bus, Plaza, Piedra, Bus, Medellin, all in one day. Nowhere near enough time for me and not something I would recommend to anyone. Who am I to judge, it’s only a 2-hour bus ride from Medellin, so if you want to spend 4 hours on a bus in one day, I’m not going to stop you. In my opinion Medellin is the most exciting city in Colombia, so if you want to live there all good with me, it just means less people in Guatapé!
After hearing so much about this place and a series of bad luck with my plans, I decided I wanted to stay at Casa Kayam for a bit and really experience the place. So I contacted Loren, one of the owners, and asked about volunteering, and obviously this plan actually worked. I took a day bus to get to Guatapé from Cartagena, but as soon as I arrived I had a good feeling about this place, it’s backpacker friendly. The weather at 2000m is perfect for both people and plants, sunny during the day and rainy at night. Leading to warm days and cool nights combined with cascading rivers and beautiful vegetation, there really is something for everyone here.
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As the hostel is a 20-minute walk from town, it is outside the light and sound pollution of Guatapé, making it a peaceful place to relax and unwind.
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