Some of the boys I´ve told you about over the last months just had the week of their lives. As a group we managed to send 16 of them on the vacation of their lifetime. We didn't save the world, or solve poverty, or cure all the hurt they carry in their hearts; but we gave them a week of reprieve from the very dark world in which they live. I wish you could have experienced it with me. To see the new glint in their eyes the week before the trip. To see their joy as they jumped waves and built castles.
I don't think I can summarise the trip in words, but I´m sure the below photos will give you some idea of what we experienced. Truthfully though there were many moments that just couldn't be caught on camera. Like the look of amazement the first time they saw the ocean, or a dolphin, or boarded a boat. Those moments I had heartfelt thanks for the opportunity you gave me to share the trip with my boys.
On behalf of the 16 boys and myself, thankyou for your generosity. You made a dream come true for us.
We set out on a Saturday morning around 10am, arriving in Medellin 5 hours later. We were dropped off at the train station, where the boys boarded their first train ever. We caught it to the other side of the city, where we caught the MetroCable up to a neighbourhood in the mountains. We then met the bus and travelled through the night to Tolu. We arrived around 6am, pretty worn out from travelling through the night. We enjoyed our first morning on the beach, jumping waves, exploring rock pools, and playing in sand.
High up on the MetroCable in Medellin
First steps on the beach.
During the afternoon we went to a Volcan de Lodo (Mud Volcano), which is more of a pit than a volcano. Nonetheless the kids absolutely loved the experience.
The next morning we travelled 3 hours to the major port city of Cartagena. Our first stop was the important historical site Castillo San Felipe. The boys liked the stories of pirates and the Spaniards having to protect their city, and were thrilled as we walked down seemingly endless passageways deep into the heart of the fort.
We spent that afternoon at the beach in Cartagena, and at night walked around the beautiful historical city centre of Cartagena. We found a man on the street holding a sloth, so paid him a couple of dollars for each boy to have a photo.
The next morning we set out on a boat for Las Islas de Rosario. This was the first time the boys had been on a boat, something they had been begging me to do before we left Periera. The boat trip was about 1 hour, and we were blessed to have a pod of dolphins swim alongside us for some of the trip.
We arrived at the islands and visited the aquarium. I was quite impressed with the aquarium, the animals sectioned off in sea water.
I know this is just another photo of a dolphin to you. I've seen so many dolphin shows in my life that I´d be happy never to see another one again. But I didnt realise what such an experience would mean to these kids until I saw the look on their faces. I didnt actually compute what it meant for a child to see a dolphin show having never seen a dolphin before. They were absolutely in awe, and most would say the show was the the highlight of their trip.
We then went to enjoy the rest of our day on the island.
There I enjoyed the highlight of my trip, if not the highlight of my year. We were able to rent snorkles, so I taught the kids the basics in snorkelling. We then set out to explore the tropical underwater world. The reef was nothing compared to what I have seen. I have dived the Great Barrier Reef, so normally I wouldnt have even been bothered to snorkel in Colombia. I set out though with a boy hanging off either arm; and had one of the more memorable times of my life. We explored small caves and chased fish around coral for a good 2 hours.
The following day we travelled to Santa Marta, a beautiful beach town. We stayed in the best hotel of the trip (which I forgot to mention was another great experience for the kids; enjoying hotel living), and had access to clear blue beaches.
One morning we visited Tyrona, a large national park. There we swam in a river where it meets the sea, nearly losing about 6 people to the strong current (we were definitely being cared for that day!)
Santiago, excitedly, ''La primer vez que estaba enterrado'', ''the first time I´ve been buried in sand''.
I`m sure you can look back to your childhood and recall the joy and excitement of a trip away. Together we were able to give that to 16 Colombian children. Thankyou for making that possible.
When I was snorkelling with those 2 boys we had a brief break in the middle of the reef. As we sat there and looked at the clear tropical sea, Jhony said to me ''Este es uno de mis sueños realisado'', ''this is one of my dreams come true''. I know that that is a saying used frequently, hence has slightly diminished meaning. But when it was said to me in Spanish I appreciated what that meant. The impossible made possible. A dream come true.
