On life reconfigured and reimagined
Saturday morning. 4:30am. Medellin’s main bus terminal.
I’m trying to catch a semblance of rest after a sleepless night on an overnight bus, when a police officer taps my leg. I swipe off my sleep mask, guarded, and meet eyes with the uniformed young man no older than 22.
Several weeks ago, fortune found us hours away from Carnival in Barranquilla – site of the second largest Carnival in the world. Only Rio tops it.
After being in Colombia for 30-days, I can still recall the scene of my room the night before I left:
Prioritization piles, meticulously stacked and organized, next to my backpack. One, non-negotiables: headlamp, knife, travel adapter. Another, required clothing: hiking pants, several pairs of Darn Tough socks, rain jacket. Another, if I have space: an extra pair of yoga pants, denim shorts, denim jacket.
In the zona de cosmetica, where things like sunscreen, toothpaste, and insect repellent lived, so too, did my make-up bag. As wearing make-up had been a part of my daily routine for fifteen years, it was just as implicit as my passport.
Nestled in the Sierra Nevadas, the world’s second-highest coastal mountain range, lies Minca – a laid-back, backpackers haven where people come to bird watch, swim underneath waterfalls, and dance under full moons. After a few steamy nights in Cartagena, we were delighted to breathe in cool air and tropical rainforest.
Early this morning I sat on a platform made from dark-stained wood, overlooking a valley of Colombian heartland. My feet, kept warm by wool socks, dangled over the edge without fear of the distance below.
