The vibe was off
I have to be honest. I was happy to be back in Colombia. My pocket can breathe again. Guatemala was a financial creeper and an unsolicited Monzo (my bank) notification popped up. If you know, you know and I was shocked! Where I went wrong was not adjusting to the exchange rate. Whilst things were not Western expensive, the Quetzal held more weight than the Colombian Peso. That was an expensive lesson. On the way back to Colombia I had a transit in Costa Rica. I heard about how that is the Switzerland of Latin America which means a trip would require an entire dedicated budget. The airport gave me a taster. I know airport prices are already inflated but $18 (USD) for 1 litre of water and a bag of pretzels was pushing it. I’d rather starve.
Anyway.. Medellin this time was different. The primary reason for my return was to hang out with my friend before she headed back home. And that we did because we had a good time and hopefully we’ll see each other soon somewhere. I am hoping that that somewhere is Jamaica.
Apart from that, it was different. Though there were a couple of things I still wanted to do I wasn’t all too motivated to actually do them. For the most part, I just sat on the balcony and did nothing. I think I was just over it. It didn’t help that I couldn’t avoid news of robberies. Robberies inside Ubers (not by the drivers) and robberies in broad daylight. The news of the Americans being found dead as a result of dating also unsettled me. Though the dating incidents don’t apply to me as there was a clear pattern, the robberies were something I was more wary of than normal. The vibe was just off.
I think I got to the point of missing home. Missing my friends, family and routine. My Airbnb was above a yoga studio so I just had to do at least one class. Unfortunately, my big toe was still hurting from hiking down Acetenango (it turns out I did have a bit of internal bleeding hence the pain. I knew the pain I felt during the hike was a bit usual). As insignificant as this location may seem, it hindered me from engaging in the session. There were some poses that a few months ago I probably could have achieved but couldn’t this time round and this frustrated me. I realised that I need to pick up some type of physical activity to make it habitual which I can do in any city that I travel to.
In Guatemala, I met a fellow female solo traveller working remotely as a nurse. Yes, a nurse! I couldn’t believe it. We spoke over dessert and had similar feelings about being at this 3-month mark in our journeys. Maybe it’s a thing. It made me realise that I need to seek routine.
Anyway, I partook in a vox pop about female solo travel which I will share the link to as soon as it is out. I also went to a language exchange games night which was so much fun. I’ll be seeking these out more.
