In February of 2024, my boyfriend and I backpacked through Colombia for a total of 10 days. I've decided to write about our food experiences in Colombia.
We first hit Cartagena, which is on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. Cartagena has a tropical climate and a beach atmosphere, and while most people think of Cartagena for all the partying, I'm here to tell you that your tastebuds can enjoy Cartagena without the partying.
While In Cartagena, we did a lot of walking through the walled city, which was built to instill fear and to protect the city from the pirates attacks. The inner city upholds a colonial-style architecture with a range of beautiful colours from the buildings, to the bloomed flowers to the beautiful sunsets. From a food perspective, we got lunch at Santa Cattleya and it was delicious with big portions however more than we had anticipated spending that day. Lunch the next day was across from the Castille San Filipe and it was a beautiful rooftop hole in the wall restaurant called Mirador del Carajo.
Cartagena was also the first place where we were introduced to the limonada de coco, essentially a delicious and fresh coconut and lime blended iced drink. It was creamy and tangy and refreshing after our long walks in the sun.
We then travelled to Leticia, which is in the south of Colombia next to the Amazon river, bordering Brazil and Peru. Leticia is also known as Tres Fronteras (three frontiers) due to the bordering of those 3 countries. While in Leticia, our meals mainly consisted of ceviche with a few of our meals being fried fish or chicken and rice... Our ceviche dishes were elaborate and often consisted of at least 3-4 types of seafood with plantain or yucca.
We finally ended our travels in the capital of Colombia, Bogota. When I think of the food scene in Bogota, I think of freshly cut fruit, arepas and empanadas, coffee, and chocolate. At least that's what my boyfriend and I seemed to be attracted towards when roaming the streets. We wish we had spent more time in Bogota just to experience more delicious meals and snacks.
One thing that was on our bucket list for Bogota was to visit La Perseverancia Market. Before departing on our trip, we had watched Netflix's Street Food: Latin America episode on Bogota, Colombia - The heartfelt stories from the local chefs and the eye-catching food was all we needed to add it to one of our food stops. At the market, there were plenty of options however we noticed seating filled up quickly with locals and tourists at a couple of specific stalls. We chose to visit La Esquina de Mary and we were absolutely blown away by the mouthwatering flavours of our meals. On top of that, it was evident that the produce in the food was fresh because the flavours of the produce left a mark on the dish. To top it off, the portion sizes were gigantic. We were upset that our next stop was the airport to head home because we still had leftover that would have been just as delicious the next day!
Overall during our trip, we had plenty of fresh food from mixed seafood ceviche, grilled fish, yucca, plantain, fresh fruit, arepas, empanadas, coffee etc.. After all of our meals, I kept thinking to myself how flavourful and fresh tasting everything was. There was a noticeable difference in the amount of flavours I was tasting compared to a similar dish back at home and I was thoroughly satiated and content as my taste buds reveled in delight.
Now as lovely as eating anything I want sounded, I also tried to follow rituals that I know work well for my mind and body such as eating something in the morning, making sure I was getting enough protein and staying hydrated and mineralized throughout the day. One thing that I did do was that I brought protein bars with me so in the mornings when I knew it was less likely to find a breakfast place early on, I would snack on my protein bar to hold me over until lunch. I tried to bring my trace minerals but unfortunately the bottle spilled in my bag on our flight over to Colombia. Thankfully I packed enough electrolytes for the whole trip and they worked out well especially with the heat in Cartagena and the humidity in Leticia. In regards to my protein intake, most days were not enough but when I had lunch and dinner, I chose protein dense (and delicious) options to regulate my blood sugar as best as possible. Backpacking can be a challenge in some ways, but the challenges is one I thoroughly enjoy. Backpacking sometimes ends up turning into commuting for hours with nothing more than a snack and minimal water, early mornings that aren't conducive to stopping/making breakfast, remote locations far away from grocery stores, a heavy backpack and a hangry human and the list goes on.
This contrast from my normal routine makes me have a deeper appreciate for the mind-body routines I create and master in my home element.
Have you been to Colombia? If not, where in Colombia would you like to go? Which foods are you most excited to try in Colombia and why?
Memories 🙌