Aruba

Back to the island. After spending some time in the cold Bogota and lively Cartagena, our travels brought us back to the islands again.  Our first night was spent at Hostel Room Aruba, which was more of a homestay with a couple from Venezuela. This was probably the most affordable accommodation the island had to offer. The following two nights we decided to stay at the Renaissance. As an associate, I receive better rates and therefore the access to the Flamingo Beach and the hotel was definitely worth it for us. For the remaining 4 nights we booked an apartment, which was quite far away from everything and decided to rent a car on our last day.

One of the days we decided to head towards the natural pool Conchi. The only way to access it was either by a 1,5h hike, or jeep. We decided to walk but a local tour company decided to drive us the last part and also back. After a quick swim we had an amazing lunch before spending the rest of the day at Baby beach. This was supposed to be one of the best beaches on the island, but I was not convinced.

We had the pleasure to meet Maxine from France, together with a few crazy guys from Argentina, which made our time in Aruba a little bit more fun for sure.

Cartagena, Colombia

After a cold few days in Bogota, it was almost a relief. This city was the complete opposite to Bogota. Cartagena was warm, not only the temperature but also the locals, colorful and in general alive in a different way than Bogota. We were staying at a apartment hostel called Soy Local. The breakfast was included at the rooftop every morning with great options.

Most of our time was spent relaxing in the sun, hanging out with other tourists from the UK and Israel, discovering the love for ceviche and taking beautiful pictures of this lovely city. We also visited the San Felipe Castle. What was great about Cartagena was that most places was located within walking distance, at least from our accommodation.

Bogota, Colombia

South America has always been a continent I wanted to explore more of. For this time, we will spend only 1 week in Colombia. Out first destination was Bogota and to our surprise (or poor research) it was very cold in comparison to Curacao.

As we arrived late to Bogota, we had a transfer arranged for us in order to arrive safely to our hostel, Explora Hostel. The hostel was an affordable option for us with excellent location in the La Candelaria area of Bogota. We headed up to the monastery to get a panoramic view over the city, and enjoyed some tamales. On our last day, we decided to join a graffiti tour, which exceeded our expectations. We got a brief story about the different artists, the country’s politics and generally how the life is on the streets of Bogota.

In regards to food, we were lucky to stumble up on a magnificent restaurant called Tabula, which was extremely cosy and the food was excellent. Additionally, we decided to take a 1 hour drive out of Bogota to experience the Andres Carne De Res. This place is just something else. With a menu of 75 pages, I restaurants, 3 dance floors, the atmosphere, space for 3000 guests, just spectacular. I highly recommend to make a trip there for one evening.

Curacao

A 3 weeklong holiday started with flying from Amsterdam on a 10h flight to Curacao.  As my travel buddy I had the privilege to be exploring some new places with my best friend Josie. As we arrived on the island, we took the local bus in to town. We decided to stay at a hostel located close to the city center of Willemstad. The hostel is called Bed&Bike. The hostel has everything you need, and the location could not have been better.

Throughout the week we had the pleasure meeting people from all over the world and also create memories for life. We attended a food festival called Culinair, danced to the Caribbean rhythms at Zanzibar and rested at Mambo beach under the sun. At one of our last days we visited the Christoffel National Park and hiked up the Christoffel “mountain”. I have to say; the climb up was not the easiest, but the view from the top made it all worth it.

Curacao was definitely a cozy beautiful island with colourful houses and friendly people. 1 week will definitely be enough for the island, unless you will be occupied scuba diving or doing other activities. Unfortunately, there is not much to see and explore, but still worth the visit for sure. 

And... In the pictures you will see the german brothers who stayed at the same hostel, Norman and Marcus.