After nearly a year on the road, we finally reached our half way point in Cartagena – our last destination in Colombia and in all of South America. There is no road from here north and other than fly, our only way to Panama was by boat. Once we loaded our bikes and had a farewell toast, we reflected on our year in South America. Here are some of my thoughts:

As we travelled through the different countries within South America, at first it all felt very similar. The main differences that I noticed as we crossed borders were actually just the smallest. The availability of key items increased and decreased including fresh food, petrol, postal services, directional signs, ATMS, small change and even basic necessities such as toilet paper were sometimes hard to come by. As we travelled further the language, food, dress and music started to change. We noticed also that the people could be very warm, friendly and interested in one country, or they could be quite reserved in another.

At first trying to understand the local ways was frustrating – sometimes I found it quite infuriating: “Why can’t they just do it like this / give us directions that make sense / realise that I’m not interested in buying their stuff?”. But after a while (indeed, I am still learning it), you start to understand that things here are different and are not the same as at home. Expecting it will only lead to disappointment and missing out on what’s great about travel.

With nearly a full year in South America, we had the chance to take our time. We’ve been able to read some of the local news, pick up on some local history here, a bit of folklore there, and learn of about past bitterness and current issues, of ancient civilisations and colonial and modern history.

Despite the time we’ve had, it is impossible to fully understand the depth of history and feelings that has shaped the culture in any one place or country, let alone the whole continent. The history is rich and so complex. Even learning about any one event or issue is challenging, such as the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile, the dispute over the Islas Malvinas (Falkland Islands), the slums in Rio de Janeiro, or the drug wars in Colombia. Even though these are things we already knew a little about from home, we only knew the western media version of those stories. Hear it from the people who have lived it and you get a very different picture. There is so much more fascinating and extraordinary history that has shaped this continent.

I leave South America knowing very little about it, but having developed a platform and strong desire to learn more and to stay tuned to current developments.

This does not mean I have not learnt a lot. Not least of all, I have experienced this continent’s natural beauty, the stunning soaring peaks and vast plains, the lakes bluer than I thought possible, and fields greener. I have learnt of wonderful indigenous art and cultures, of new delicious foods, of the incredible achievements of past civilisations and of today’s people who are so proud, resilient and resourceful, possessing a sense of happiness that so often eludes us in the Western world.

Leaving here might only be temporary. I’ll definitely be back to explore and to learn more.

Posted by Matt

A map of our travel through South America is here.

Back to Cartagena, we spent a week learning to salsa, wandering the streets of the old city and visiting numerous drinking establishments. We loved the city and it was a great end to this chapter of our trip. The complete photoset is here.

Cartagena’s beautiful old town. We spent hours wandering the streets.

The clock tower by day…..

…and night. Cartagena knows how to do Christmas lights!

Castillo San Felipe de Barajas fortress was built by the Spanish in the 16th century.

Awesome street food!

Plaza Trinidad was our favourite place to hang out at night.

Celebrating our wedding anniversary with sunset drinks at the Cafe del Mar (don’t worry, Fi was there too!).

The joys of finding a champagne bar, with outside seating and superb crowd watching potential.

Cecil B is loaded onto the Stahlratte, the boat taking us to Panama.

The view to Bocagrande, Cartagena.