Three things I wish I knew before coming to Colombia

When I first visited Colombia in 2018, these things shocked me, I was a novice. Since then I have had to learn to bend and be flexible with adapting to living in a new country, culture, and language.

These are three things that I wish I would have known, more of a ¨hey, guess what no blogger talks about, because honestly it is not that exciting, but valuable ¨.

Check your receipts and change before leaving the store.

My boyfriend will hand me the receipt to ensure we were charged only for what we purchased. It would never occur to me to do this in the states.

Cash is king, and you must always check to ensure the correct amount has been given back. Also when you pay, they will check each coin and count it to make sure the amount is correct.

The next tip is something that I saw my boyfriend doing this morning, and naturally, I said what are you doing?

Check your bigger bills to make sure they are real.

I said is it that common, he said no, but many still do it. I have never had an issue, but it was common to have counterfeit money on larger bills in the past, he informed me.

I know this frequently happens in Argentina, and until this morning, I was unaware that it used to be a common issue here. Yet as he said, not as often, but it can still happen.

So how do you check to make sure your bills are real? I have no clue. I will have to ask him when he comes home from work.

If you plan on traveling long distances here in Colombia, it is common to take a night bus. The buses are comfortable and usually have a bathroom.

The night buses have frigid air blowing all night long.

When I traveled throughout Colombia, I used to see everyone with a blanket. I never understood why and thought maybe it is common to take your blankets when you go to a hotel.

But, no. It is because the buses are so cold; if you do not have a few layers of clothes, a hat, and a blanket, you will end up like a popsicle in the morning. Trust me; it happened to me.

So, the next night bus I took, I purchased a blanket at the bus terminal, which made taking the night bus much more pleasant! The best 6 dollars I ever spent!

I could write a million stories on transportation here in Colombia as it is always so fascinating to me, especially the buses. Including how they will stop for an hour around 12 to eat lunch!

Lunch is the biggest meal of the day here, and it is always honored, even while you are on the bus!

So have you visited Colombia? If so, what is the one thing that still makes you go hmmmmm?

Also, I am aware some of these could be me! I can be careless at times and very carefree regarding certain things. So maybe these will not surprise you as much as they did me.

Living in a country that is not the one you have been born in, is always an adventure. I feel that I am constantly, learning, adapting and going with the flow. It has been an adjustment and still remains to be the best decision that I have made in my life.

XOXO

Sara B