“I guess Colombia is a good example,” smiled Kelvin.
Suzie agreed, “you don’t hear a lot of good stuff about
Colombia in the news, only headlines to do with drugs
or guerrilla groups. This actually made us a little anxious
especially as we were starting our trip from Bogota.”
“Our fears were quickly quashed, and we fell in love
with the country,” Kelvin continued. “The people in all
of the countries we’ve been to have been fantastic and so
welcoming, it’s restored our faith in humanity.”
Together Suzie and Kelvin add that whenever they felt
unsafe generally it was unwarranted,they felt confident
that the locals always had their best interests at heart
often being told not to go somewhere, even the police
would look out for them.
“Locals have been fantastic on the whole and inter-
acting with them is one of the most important aspects of
travel,” they both continue.
“I have learnt a little Spanish on our travels, and this
makes things a lot easier,” Suzie continues. “Especially in
the more remote villages where no-one knows one word
of English and they’re super surprised to see you there.
“Often, if we’re making an effort to talk to them then
they’re keen to try to be understood and help us out. The
best part is being able to have a good laugh with local
people and understand a bit about how they live.
“In many cases their lives are so far removed from
the life we’re used to back home in the affluent Western
world.
“The people just want you to enjoy their country and
to be safe,” they add almost in unison. There’s a special
bond between these two adventurers and it’s clear there’s
a loving relationship but how does travelling with other
add to this?
“You never know for sure when you leave on an adven-
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