Tag: solo travel

One Saturday in Managua: Tiscapa and Zip lining

Today is my only day in Managua. I did a lot of research and everything told me that traveling around the city on my own was not safe. I didn’t want to come to Managua without seeing any of it though, so tried a number of tour operators but no luck as a singleton. So, I came up with another plan and spent my one Saturday in Managua zip lining at Tiscapa Lagoon.

tiscapa lagoon

This morning, after check-in, breakfast and a short nap, I hired a taxi to take me to Tiscapa Lagoon. A volcanic lake on a mountain, this preserve offers views of the sprawling capitol city, and a canopy tour of the lake itself. So a visit to the lagoon offers views and adventure, which sounded good to me. The taxi driver waited for me while I enjoyed the activities at Tiscapa.

Managua view
View of Managua and Lake Managua from Tiscapa
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Being Scared Of Solo Travel

So there’s that saying “do something that scares you” and I do agree with it. To me, there are benefits to being scared. In this case, it’s about being scared of solo travel. I want to try new things and sometimes I can only do them alone. That is not going to stop me. Before today, I thought this trip to Nicaragua didn’t scare me. Colombia scared me! I had never travelled alone before Colombia. But I did it! I figured, I’ve done it, and being scared of solo travel should be off the table for me now.

Nerves

Wrong. I am so scared. I don’t want to be away from Brian for 6 weeks. That’s too long! Too late now. I leave today. He’ll be fine. I’ll be fine. I will miss him to bits though, wow.

Last night, we went out for dinner and to a gallery show for my last night in town. The art exhibit was really great – it was a collective of design students showcasing their senior projects in process. And this one quote caught my eye and fits this moment for me right now. I don’t know: it is making me feel better about going on this journey alone. Plus, Brian supports this completely, and I know a bunch of you reading this do too!

Quote Being scared of solo travel
Yes!
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Heading Home: What I will Miss About Colombia

It’s been an experience. For someone who’s never travelled alone until this trip, I’ve done a lot of new things. I’ve also never been happier than when I saw Brian’s taxi arrive at the AirBnB in Cartagena and I knew the alone part was over! Now I am heading home and I don’t know what to even say after this amazing experience in Colombia. Here’s a recap of what I will miss about Colombia. It’s a lot.

Volunteering

The volunteering was really great – and really hard. I have a lot of respect for all teachers, and day care workers and babysitters. And parents. But day care workers? Wow. 26 2 year olds. In 33 degree heat and humidity and no air conditioning. Impressed. Next steps? Knowing I will never be a child care worker but still love to play with kids and having the utmost respect for those who do that every day.

Living in Cartagena

The home stay was also great. Warm and welcoming people and a different world for me. I definitely got to use my limited Spanish. Next steps? Spanish classes or a tutor back in Toronto. I went to a couple of language exchange meet-ups, in Cartagena and Medellin, and will seek those out in Toronto now.

What I Will Miss About Colombia

I will miss:

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