Cartagena and El Olivar farm

Back from our trek, we spent a couple of days in a beach resort, Taganga, near to Santa Marta completely surrounded by other travellers excited by spending their evenings watching films in the hostel TV room – we were not in our element. By contrast, after a 4 hour bus journey we arrived in the beautiful walled, colonial city of Cartagena, overlooking the Caribbean. We feel so lucky to be staying with Andrea’s family (my Colombian friend from work) on their gorgeous farm in the countryside near to Cartagena. Andrea’s dad has had to go to Bogotá until Friday, we were met instead by his lovely friend Jairo, who I think is determined that we should leave Cartagena with a much greater awareness of the social and economic problems of the majority, and not exist in a bubble of privilege. We’re thrilled to be learning more. Instead of taking the main roads, he has been driving us through the poor suburbs and talking about the problems facing the communities. He has plans to take us to a community in a sugar-cane growing area.

Simon is spending the next 10 days with Andrea’s family and I’m in the Dominican Republic visiting banana cooperatives.

The Olivar family are lovely, Andrea’s granny, ‘Abuelita’, the most glamorous and youthful 81 year old lady imaginable, made us so welcome.  I think Simon’s going to have a fantastic time – volunteering at a project near to the farm run by a local priest to provide meals and activities for local children each day. Andrea and her husband Charlie are setting up a charity in the UK to help support it and have raised money this year and bought Christmas presents so that they can all receive something from Santa. I’ll ask Andrea for details of the charity and post them on the blog.

Andrea’s Abuelita is also keen that Simon milks cows and rides a horse – I can’t wait to hear how he gets on. It should be great for him learning Spanish too. He has no mobile phone signal or internet access I don’t think over the next couple of weeks, so that’s why you won’t be hearing from him. I could write anything! 

 I’m so glad mum and dad have always been so hospitable to absolutely everybody over the years, it makes me feel a bit more comfortable about accepting it from other people now.  It definitely makes us determined to do the same when we eventually have our own home. Staying with a friend’s family compared with a backpacker hostel is a world apart and the former is so much more interesting and lovely.