The weather the next day wipes out the planned trip to the beaches of Isla Rosario and we instead opt to shoot in the old city in between downpours.
Cartagena: The Old City's Architecture is Stunning
If you’ve never been, the old city of Cartagena is gorgeous with lots of history. The city is walled in and protected by forts, streets are cobblestone and some architecture dates from as far back as the 1500s.
It has a tragic history as one of the centers for the slave trade in South America and still has a very strong Afro-Colombian influence.
A Local Painter in the Old City
It’s a good romantic spot too, very international with cruise ships docking for the day throughout the week, guaranteeing a steady stream of tourists for the locals to hit up. Unfortunately, this is the only downside to visiting Cartagena, you WILL get badgered to buy, buy and buy some more.
Just put on your game face and be prepared to say “no, gracias” a lot or you’ll be broke before you know it.
Performance Artists Abound in Cartagena's Old City
But on the flip side there are some great local artists, from painters to performance artists to jewelry makers and most things are not that expensive so do plan on getting some cool stuff for friends and family back home (or maybe yourself!).
We ended up getting some decent shots during the day while the rain held off. Without the cover of constant clouds, Cartagena became it’s hot and humid self, but after days and days of soaking rains we were glad for it.
Renzo, still sick, battled valiantly but had to call it a day after lunch so Moe, Luis and I continued shooting. We took advantage of our “freedom” from our Supervising Producer to try different techniques, he, he. But we’ll see how many actually make it to air and how many make it on the cutting room floor!
Cartagena's History on Display
Luis shows us the major sites around town, but he couldn’t walk two feet without someone stopping him or yelling “Luis Towers” from a passing car. Dude is famous around these parts for sure.
Africa? No Cartagena
We wound up the day right with a perfect sunset watching some African dancing and drums. Not a bad day at all.
Check some video of Afro-Colombian dancing below and to see more pics from our trip to Cartagena go HERE!
We woke up brutally early to catch a flight from Pereira to Cartagena with a stop in Bogota. Renzo, the Supervising Producer, was really, really sick all night. Food poisoning. Definitely not good.
Enterprising kids built a "toll booth" over the flooded streets
Once at the Pereira airport, complete with an hour long delay, Renzo was not getting any better. Poor guy was in hell. We arrive at the Bogota airport to catch our connection to Cartagena and I got something to eat but Renzo could hold nothing down.
Rain lets up so we grab some dinner in Santa Domingo Square in old city
At Bogota airport we met up with Moses, our cameraman / editor who joined us for the remainder of the trip. Moe is a talented and experienced guy so luckily, Moe and I could at least carry on without Renzo. There is never a good time to be sick when traveling but at least we have a back up with Moses.
Afro-Colombian Dancing in Santo Domingo Square
In Cartagena the weather was absolutely horrible on arrival. It had been raining hard for days and the streets were completely flooded. Our hotel situation was not nailed down either but Renzo’s buddy, Luis Towers, a local Champeta musician was on the case and nailed down the Villa Colonial in Getsmani just outside the old city. It was cool.
Since Renzo was exhausted after being up all night and needed some sleep, Moses, Luis Torres and I headed out to shoot some b-roll. It started raining again so we stop to have a light lunch, but we really don’t get much video shot. We instead go on a quest to buy ponchos for everyone as it looked like we’re going to need them.
Cartagena is beautiful, day or night
Later that night the rain lifted for a bit and Moses and I took advantage to get some night shots of the old city. I sure hope this rain goes away tomorrow. Cartagena is not as much fun when it’s raining, but it still beats snow any day of the week!
We woke up early (are you sensing a theme here?) to head to the San Vicente Termales (Thermals), a beautiful, eco-touristic retreat about 1 and ½ hours outside of Pereira. We were met by Laura (our film student assistant) and Alexa, our bi-lingual guide that had been recommended to us and we had met the night before.
The terrain of the winding road was really rough from the rains with the small rental car bottoming out numerous times, but the scenery was incredible.
River that flows through San Vicente Termales
We arrived in a dreamland of exotic foliage, waterfalls and ponds (thermals) with steam wafting from them.
The first thing we did was to take a hike and after Renzo fell and barely escaped pitching into the rolling rapids (along with the camera) we realized tennis shoes were NOT the right footwear for trekking in these parts, so if you go, wear boots!
Alexa and I then did a canopy, the 2nd canopy ride in my life (all in the past week) across an incredible landscape of greenery and trees whizzing by and below. I did mine superman style which is laying belly towards the ground and going face first. Very cool!
Alexa taking a canopy ride
We then hit the thermals and it was like a really, really warm bath outside in the mountain air surrounded by trees, flowers and the sound of nature. It was incredible and naturally heated from the nearby and (I hope!) inactive volcano.
We broke for a delicious lunch and the owner, who is a well known expert on the healing power of thermals and somewhat of a celebrity in these parts, pulled out a crystal to read all of our energy. All but one of us had negative energy, so one by one he fixed us up.
After lunch it began to rain but thankfully that passed and we were able to continue shooting my favorite part, which is getting buried up to our faces in hot volcanic sand, followed by a Turkish bath, an invigorating but painfully cold water rinse from a natural spring and then we hit the thermal spas again.
This combination supposedly opens your pores and allows the natural minerals to get inside, healing you from the stress of life from the inside out. I don’t know about all that but I will tell you I felt like I could sleep for a week afterwards.
But wait, there was more. Then we were given mud baths from the natural algae pools. The greenish mud didn’t smell great but it was warm and gooey and afterwards my skin has never felt so soft, like a baby’s behind!
One of the many naturally warmed pools of San Vicente (75-80 degrees)
The drive back was exquisite with the sun setting over coffee country. A magical day thanks to the hospitality of the people from the San Vicente Termales. If you’re ever in coffee country you really should check them out and their overnight accommodations are both charming and reasonably priced. You can find out more about them at their website HERE.
Some of the beautiful flora of San Vicente
Renzo and I grab a late dinner and discuss our progress and give feedback to each other. So far so good and how could I complain after a whole day of pampering?
I think I’m beginning to dig this job!
Check out more beautiful photos from San Vicente Termales HERE
We woke up early to take the 5 hour or so bus ride to Pereira. The bus was big and comfortable and we made a couple stops to eat along the way so the time passed surprisingly fast.
After we pulled into the Pereira bus terminal we were met by Renzo’s friend Laura, a local film student who had agreed to help us out on our shoots while we were in town. We were glad for the help and she was glad to get some real world experience in her field.
After checking into the hotel in the central part of town, we rushed out to the rental car agency because Pereira was really just our home base and most of our shoots were an hour or so outside of town.
Javier Picking Coffee
After renting a decent sized vehicle we headed over to the Villa Martha Coffee Finca (ranch). The drive was absolutely stunning as we climbed the mountainous terrain and the weather thankfully held out. We arrived late afternoon, a perfect time for shooting.
Javier, the owner of Villa Martha met us and, appropriately enough, offered us some of his home grown, organic coffee. I found out later that almost all of the best Colombian coffee is exported to places like the U.S. and Europe, with the worst quality held back for sale in Colombia locally. Not so with Javier’s coffee, it was extremely fresh, just picked and processed days before and I can honestly say was the best coffee I think I’ve ever tasted (and trust me, I’ve drank a lot of coffee over the years) .
Javier doesn’t speak much English, but I instantly liked him and we built a good rapport as we shot a few on-air segments with Renzo shooting camera, and simultaneously translating my English questions to Spanish for Javier and Javier’s answers to English for me. Not an easy job even without the worries of shooting camera!
Villa Martha Accomodations
The Villa Martha Coffee finca (farm) is relatively small and the sole purpose is tourism. The coffee it grows is sold exclusively to tourists and those who come to the finca specifically to buy the coffee. The accommodations are rustic but beautiful and run around $30-$50 US Dollars per night, depending on the season. There is also a nice pool out back, tiny hummingbirds and colorful butterflies all over the place. All in all, it looks like a very relaxing and tranquil place to vacation and I was bummed we weren’t going to be spending the night.
We met one young European guest who was in the middle of an epic motorcycle journey from Alaska to the tip of Argentina! He had some great stories to tell but since he’s hoping to write a book about them someday I won’t steal his thunder.
Villa Martha Pool
We wrapped up the shoot and headed back to Pereira just as it was getting dark. I felt really good about the shoot today. I sure hope tomorrow that the Termales (Thermal Spas) will offer more of the same.
We woke up early to head to the town of Guatape, home of Penol, the big rock, about 1½ hours outside of Medellin.
The weather was gorgeous as we headed out and were joined by our friend and guide Jonier, a longtime resident of Medellin.
In the morning we stopped off in Guatape and roamed around the town square, taking some b-roll (footage) and talking to the locals.
We took a ride in one of the three wheeled motors down to the lake waterfront where we ended up taking a canopy ride over the lake.
The "Rock" in Penol / Guatape
This was my first canopy ride and I wasn’t sure what to expect. After riding to the top with a guide who spoke no English, I rode down on my own at a very good clip. The water zoomed by underneath as the camera crew zoomed by to my right. I wasn’t really paying attention as I headed into home base at an even faster rate of speed, and to my shock, I did not slow down at all.
I wonder if this had something to do with what the guide was telling me at the top…?
I’ve really got to get out of that habit of saying “si” every time someone speaks Spanish and I can’t understand.
Were they telling me how to brake? Oh hell! Luckily there was a padded landing that I hit, albeit pretty violently. Thankfully it gives some time when I slam into it and a couple of workers come over to help me out of the harness. I’m ok but a little dazed by the hard landing.
When it was time for Renzo, the Supervising Producer, to take his turn I strongly urged him not to take the new AND expensive camera with him. MY new and expensive camera that I hadn’t even had a chance to shoot with yet since he’d commandeered it for use in the show.
He ignored my plea and headed up the canopy peak. I thought I was going to at least enjoy watching him slam into the mat and present him with a nice little bill for the camera when he breaks it.
To my shock he glides slowly down at a very conservative rate of speed and lands effortlessly on the landing pad without so much as coming close to the crash pad. What gives?
Turns out he had asked the operator to let him down slowly so he could take some b-roll footage with the camera. It sure pays to speak fluent Spanish sometimes. While I was disappointed that Renzo didn’t share my pain, I was relieved the camera would be operational for a while longer and maybe I’d even get a chance to use it soon.
After the canopy ride we broke for lunch at a beautiful outside hilltop restaurant that served typical Colombian food. The views were amazing but about half way through lunch it began to rain like Armageddon and we had to abandon the rest of the planned agenda and head back to Medellin, unfortunately before we even had a chance to climb the famous Penol rock.
We rested up and then shot a scene with my buddy Raul and I at one of his friend’s bar/restaurants in Parque Lleras. Raul is a videographer as well and is a Colombian-American from Virginia now living in Medellin. Raul has lived in Medellin for a few months and he’s gotten to know Medellin quite well, so I really wanted his input on what it was like for an American living in Medellin, especially one with Colombian roots and who speaks the language fluently.
Afterwards we headed over Parque Poblado area to hook up with the local punk band Los Suziox (LSZX) as they rehearsed. The rehearsal space was really tight for two cameras but the music was really good. LSZX plowed through their big “hits” “Armas Silenciosas” (Silent Arms) and “Perfeccion” (Perfection) before launching into some of their older songs that they are in the process of re-recording.
Andres from the band "Los Suziox" and Robert
About half way through rehearsal they surprised me with a rendition of Social Distortion’s “Don’t Drag Me Down”. They knew it is my favorite song so they invited me to sing lead while Andres (lead singer) sang backup. It was a thrill and we made it through most of the song without a hitch, but I do shudder to think I’ll have to look at the footage when we review the dailies. Hopefully that will never see the light of day.
After a brief on camera interview with the band we headed back to the hotel to pack. Turns out I had neglected to bring sunscreen to Guatape and paid the price. I was sporting a beautiful farmer’s sunburn.
So far so good but I can’t say I’m comfortable being on camera just yet. I know it’s just a matter of time but I’m not sure how much longer I want to continue feeling this discomfort. Life was so much easier behind the camera, directing someone else. Now I have to worry about bags under my eyes from lack of sleep, sunburns and what to wear.
Speaking of sleep I better get some. Tomorrow is another early day as we have to wake up early to catch the bus for the 5 hour ride to Pereira. I’m off to pack!
Day 3 in Medellin and we were able to sleep in for a change. The only thing on our agenda was to grab some b-roll (extra footage) from Pueblita Paisa and then hit the big punk concert in Barrio Castilla, which featured my amigos Los Suziox and some other bands like the famous Colombian rock band Aterciopelados and Konflict who came all the way from Slovakia.
After shooting Pueblita Paisa it started to rain, foreshadowing a pattern that I’m afraid will follow us the rest of the trip.
We got to the concert way early and the rain delayed things transforming the concert area into a muddy mess.
Enjoying the Concert despite the rain
Early in the concert, I was afraid a riot was about to ensue when one of the policemen made a young punk assume the position while he searched him. Things were thrown, a crowd formed but just as quickly as it all started, it dispersed without any incident and the punks headed back to enjoy the music peacefully.
The bands were great and we got some really nice footage of the punk scene in Medellin as well as some great footage of Los Suziox on stage (see video below). We scheduled a shoot for Sunday night to see them in action at their rehearsal.
With Andres from Los Suziox before their set
After Los Suziox’s set, we left around 8pm because we were set to visit Penol/Guatape early the next morning on top of all of us being a bit tired of being cold and wet.
I enjoyed the concert immensely and felt it was a good day. A day at a punk show with lots of positive energy and good people…life is not bad indeed.
1st day of shooting and we get an early start meeting with Paula from Medellin Tourism office. Paula has a whole agenda planned for us so we start the trip off with an intense schedule that includes stops all over Medellin.
We begin at Barefoot Park where I am forced to remove my shoes and wade around in the water, grass and sand and get in touch with Mother Earth. The park is tranquil and the weather is splendid but I am in desperate need of a tan. I probably haven’t been this white in months… why didn’t we start in Cartagena?!
I’m pretty nervous and not used to the camera following my every move. This is going to take some serious getting used to.
We head from there to the Metro Cable and take the cable car up to the barrio Santo Domingo, and to one of the five new libraries the city has constructed in poor areas throughout the city. The views from the Metro Cable are stunning! And looking down gives you a glimpse of barrio life from above. It’s a must do when traveling to Medellin.
Metro Cable - A Must Do In Medellin Barrio Santo Domingo
After touring the library, we break for lunch and meet one of Paula’s counterparts, Cristina, from the Medellin Convention and Visitors Bureau. We have a delicious lunch and head over to Parque Explora to take in the science museum. It’s full of schoolchildren and the most memorable part was going in the earthquake simulator which simulates a 6.0 Richter scale earthquake. To be honest it wasn’t that bad, but that is of course without buildings collapsing around you.
Pueblita Paisa @ Night Pueblita Paisa in the daytime
By the time we finished Parque Explora it’s getting late so we fight rush hour traffic and head over to Pueblita Paisa, which is a reproduction of a typical little town in Colombia. The view is incredible but it’s too dark to shoot much so we’ll have to come back tomorrow to get b-roll.
We head back to the hotel and I grab a quick workout before we head out for some legendary Medellin nightlife. Our first stop is Woka in Parque Lleras, where we order a drink called La cucaracha or something like that and the bartenders set the bar on fire. Good TV!
Nightlife in Medellin
From there we head to a couple of really cool clubs and end up the night in Sabaneta at a place called “Dulce Jesus Mio” (My Sweet Jesus), that is a real trip. It felt like Halloween inside the bar with so many people dressed up in costumes, but to be honest I was so exhausted that I couldn’t really enjoy it. I just wanted to go to sleep. It was 3AM and I’d been up since 6AM the previous morning. All in all, a pretty intense first day! Travel ain’t easy!
Getting ready for our first day of shooting tomorrow and it’s going to be ROUGH. What a way to start off a 20 day shoot, and travel schedule with a 15 hour day our very first day! Welcome to showbiz right? As I’m well aware this is not a very glamorous business 99% of the time. Actually, you could say the same thing about traveling. It’s a lot of grunt work and grit along with moments of pure joy and enlightenment that sustain you, and make it all worthwhile tenfold.
I’d be lying if I said I don’t have some mixed emotions about being in front of the camera after all these years behind the camera. It’s got to be authentic or I just won’t be able to do it.
I’m a pretty confident guy, but just to be safe, I’m really hoping that by shooting this a bit documentary style, I’ll get over the self consciousness of having cameras follow me around after a couple of hours.
The love of travel and the creative process of producing will keep me going. Of course, the real challenge won’t be until edit when I’m forced to look and critique myself over and over and over. Ouch! I sure like critiquing other people’s work better, ha, ha!
Medellin's Pueblita Paisa
But I’m excited to get started. Colombia is a great country and most travelers in the U.S. at least aren’t aware of all it has to offer these days so we are really excited to bring this information to people.
Tomorrow, bright and early, we’re shooting with Laura from Medellin’s Dept. of Tourism…she’s done a great job of putting together a jam packed agenda for us. After that, it’s rehearsal with local punk band Los Suziox.
And we end the evening at the wee hours of the next morning, partaking in some legendary Medellin nightlife. As I said, I’m super excited and I’ll rally, but tomorrow is going to be exhausting. I better get off here and get some sleep tonight…for a change.
