Travel Tales From a Colombian Abroad
![Camping in the Pyrénées [Acampando en los Pirineos]](https://i0.wp.com/www.thiscolombiangirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/dsc02658.jpg?resize=720%2C471&ssl=1)
Since I arrived in Pau, we had been talking about going camping in the Pyrenees, and we finally made time to do it. Before going on the trip we went to the Decathlon (a French store where hey sell outdoor and sports stuff) and bought a few things to be fully prepared. [Versión en español abajo]
![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]
![Trekking Mt.Batur [Trekking el Monte Batur]](https://i0.wp.com/www.thiscolombiangirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/dsc01082.jpg?resize=720%2C471&ssl=1)
Climbing to the top of Mount Batur was without a doubt one of my favorite things about the trip to Bali, and maybe even one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. If you go to Bali and don’t climb to the top, you’re missing out on an incredible experience. It’s like going to Chicago and not eating deep dish pizza, or going to Paris and not visiting the Eiffel tower,… or going to Medellín and not eating arepa con quesito. Well… you get the point. [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]
![Weekend in Bordeaux [Fin de semana en Burdeos]](https://i0.wp.com/www.thiscolombiangirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/img_5235.jpg?resize=720%2C471&ssl=1)
This past weekend I finally had the opportunity to go to Bordeaux for my first time. The actual reason we went was to see Muse play that Thursday night at a festival, Garo Rock, near Bordeaux in Marmande. Our plan was to rent a house though Airbnb, and sleep close to Marmande the night of the concert; then the following day head to Bordeaux to spend the rest of the weekend there. [Versión en español abajo]
![Bali, Food Diary [Diario de Comida]](https://i0.wp.com/www.thiscolombiangirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/dsc01469.jpg?resize=720%2C471&ssl=1)
If you’re like me…you eat through your eyes ! And the flavors, scents, and colors of the Balinese gastronomy are amazing. One of the things that I enjoy the most when traveling is tasting the typical food and drinks of each place.
This past Monday I came back from a two-week trip to Bali, Indonesia, an incredible island. Before leaving, we made an itinerary of the trip we wanted to make in Google Maps. We practically ended up crossing the whole island except for the West part… and we decided to spend the two weeks in Bali only to really enjoy and get to know not only the important places, but the people, the traditions, the food, etc. If getting to Bali from France is a long trip, from the American continent it is even longer, which is why in my opinion it is worth going at least two weeks. [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]