We all had a fantastic trip that was jam packed with adventure. As my mom said, I will need another vacation to rest from this vacation. Luckily Christmas break is only a week away. We experienced, saw, ate, and felt so many different things during this trip. We made note of a few of the differences in physical and cultural between the US and Colombia.

-The most obvious difference was that of the driving. The only way to describe it is chaotic. I would be scared to have to drive in it, but everything just works. Lanes aren’t abided by, people park/stop randomly on the side of the road. Motorcycles lane split between oncoming traffic. The roads are too narrow for two cars (very close). And everyone drives manual on top of it. Roads reached up to 20 degree inclines, although it felt steeper.

-The second most obvious is currency conversion ratio. Almost everything is 4x cheaper than the USD price.

-All motorcyclists wore helmets (it is a law).

-Swim caps must be used in pools, you must shower before, and there is a pool of water to wash your feet before going into the area.

-Light switches are more toggle switches and outlets are mounted horizontally, most without ground plugs.

-There is minimal zoning ordinances, meaning there are lots of little shops for random things all over the place (easy to get food though)

-Food is paid for after the meal and enforced only by honor system.

-On government vehicles (taxis), the license plate is painted on the side of the car as well.

-Minimal regulations: no osha, I saw someone welding 10ft in the air by wrapping his leg around the bar and using his hand as a blocker. Open bottle is allowed in cars and street as well.

-People do not wave as a way of saying thank you while driving, instead, two short blips of the horn are used.

-The negative sides of Colombia were also witnessed, such as homeless kids, theft, and sanitation.

We learned lots more Spanish and everyone was very nice about trying to talk between the language barrier. We plan to go back in the near future for a longer time and to do more outside nature adventures.