Kindness

There's something beautiful about travelling alone that makes you a magnet for kindness.

I’d already heard about the famed friendliness of Colombians ahead of my travels, but I've still been genuinely touched by people's responses to this lone chica. 

I'd been in the country all of ten minutes before I made friends with a wonderful woman called Grace on the bus from Medellin airport.

Grace teaches English to primary school children (lucky me!) and we had a fantastic chat about her life and family on the way into the city.

When we arrived, she made sure I found a taxi to take me to my hostel and even tipped the boy who helped me with my bag so I didn't have to worry about getting my purse out in public. 

I felt truly welcomed. 

A couple of days later, I visited the Memory Museum and arrived by taxi from my hostel. Before I left the car, my taxi driver warned me not to go into the park next to the museum.

My original plan was to walk from the museum to the metro station (about 20 minutes) but on starting out, my spider sense started tingling and I decided to head back. 

I asked the museum security guard if my route was safe, he consulted with two women working at the museum and they told me they were about to leave and would drive me to the metro themselves. 

One of them even walked me into the station to make sure I knew where to buy a ticket.

And now, alone again after Emily left for home, I found myself on a bus full of Colombians on my way to Mompos. The only other non-native on board was a Canadian woman who was travelling with her daughter and Colombian ex-husband.

I made friends on the bus by offering a young girl my last Oreo and the woman sitting next to me a sherbet lemon.

She responded by giving me a pack of crackers, and later, half a pastry that had been shared with her by the man in front of us.

When we arrived in El Banco (after seven long hours), I'd expected to be able to hire a jeep to Mompos, but there wasn't even a taxi waiting at the bus station.

The Canadian women, Andrea, told me I might have to stay the night, but her ex-husband would try to help me.

He took me into the bus terminal, made enquiries and told me there was a bus going to Mompos, but no-one knew when it would arrive. 

He arranged for me to wait in the ticket office and off he went, with my gratitude.

The people in the office kept a close eye on me and as soon as the Mompos bus rolled in, escorted me right to it.

The bus driver greeted me like a long lost friend. 

When we finally arrived in Mompos under cover of darkness (who knew you could go off road in a coach?), the driver made sure I knew where I was going and was safe with a moto driver. 

The first thing many people asked when I told them I was going to Colombia was 'is it safe?'

It would be naive to suggest this question is irrelevant, but here's another we could ask alongside: 'is it kind?'

My answer time and time again, has been yes.

I really hope visitors to the UK feel able to answer so positively about us.