Travel Tales From a Colombian Abroad
![Monkeys Bite [Los Monos Muerden]](https://i0.wp.com/www.thiscolombiangirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/dsc01711.jpg?resize=720%2C471&ssl=1)
Last Bali post…promised. There are just so many stories to share about this trip that it’s hard to choose. But I left the best for last, or I should say the worst for last. During our last leg of the trip in the city of Ubud, we went to the Sacred Monkey Forest, a park where monkeys live freely in their habitat. And well, one of them bit me. [Versión en español abajo]
![Sailing Away [Navegando Ando]](https://i0.wp.com/www.thiscolombiangirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/dsc02502.jpg?resize=720%2C471&ssl=1)
What do you do when your boyfriend and his family are passionate about sailing and they invite you to spend a weekend with them in the Mediterranean? You take some seasickness medicine and pray that you will enjoy it. [Versión en español abajo]
![Pau, France [Pau, Francia]](https://i0.wp.com/www.thiscolombiangirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/img_5012.jpg?resize=720%2C471&ssl=1)
On my last post I wrote about my experience on moving far from my family. But…where am I? I’m in Pau, France. A city on the southwest of France located in the department of Atlantic Pyrenees. In about an hour we have the ocean, Spain, and the Pyrénées Mountains, therefore there’s always something to do in its surroundings. [Versión en español abajo]
![Moving to France [Mudanza a Francia]](https://i0.wp.com/www.thiscolombiangirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/arboles-free-foto.jpeg?resize=720%2C471&ssl=1)
I arrived in France with the joy of finally being with the person I loved, and the hope of getting to know more about his culture, friends, family, and of learning the language. The first couple of weeks everything is new, you feel like a little kid discovering everything where even the most ordinary things are fascinating. However, at the same time you feel vulnerable to be in an unknown place. I’m not going to lie, the change was hard on me at first. I felt strange, I felt like I was on a trip…on one of those trips where you feel that you’ve left part your heart somewhere else, and even though you try to enjoy all the new experiences you know you are fortunate to be able to live, your thoughts fog all the amazing things that are right in front of you. [Versión en español abajo]
![Valencia [More than just Oranges]](https://i0.wp.com/www.thiscolombiangirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/dsc00619.jpg?resize=720%2C471&ssl=1)
Two weeks ago, it was my boyfriend’s birthday. Since in France that Thursday was a holiday, we decided to take a trip over the long weekend. Our destination: Valencia, España! Being in the South of France, Spain is very close and it’s a very economical destination. To be honest, I knew very little about Valencia other than… oranges! However, I came upon a big city with the heart of a small town, where history and traditions live with innovation and globalization. A city that has more than oranges to offer to this world – even though I do love oranges. [Versión en español abajo]
![Medellín, Colombia [City of Everlasting Spring]](https://i0.wp.com/www.thiscolombiangirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/img_2211.jpg?resize=720%2C471&ssl=1)
Being from Medellín, I thought it was most appropriate for my first post to be about MEDELLIN. I try to travel back to my hometown once a year, and there’s always something new to see and do. The last two times I traveled to Medellín I went with my boyfriend who is French, and it probably took him longer to fall in love with me than with Medellín! [Versión en español abajo]