What would you do if you damaged your passports in a Colombian jungle?

April to May and October to November are rainy season in Colombia.

Rainy Season in Colombia

“Despite my boyfriend wanting to cancel our trip to Colombia a week before we flew out because it was the rainy season, it only rained once while we were there.

Despite my boyfriend wanting to cancel our trip to Colombia a week before we flew out because it was the rainy season, it only rained once while we were there. We stayed in a charming boutique hotel, Casa Quero, for the first few nights. The high ceilings and large wooden doors that took you out on a porch overlooked the narrow streets of Cartagena, making me feel like colonial royalty. After spending the first few days taking pictures in front of the colorful buildings, trying local cuisine, and spending the day at a private beach resort off the coast, we took a $14 bus from Cartagena to Santa Martha, another major city in a neighboring state.

The travel vlogs I read online said the bus ride usually takes 5-6 hours, and from there, I would need to take a taxi or collectivo to Minka, this beautiful jungle oasis. Our bus driver had connected us and another couple from the Netherlands with a taxi driver who would take us to our final destination. As we drove up to Minka in our taxi from the 80s, we rolled down our windows to let the fresh air into the car as Jose, our driver, continued to play videos of nearby attractions on the DVD player used to replace his stereo system. Eventually, as we went further up the mountain, the road began to change from pavement to dirt.

We stayed in an eco hab—a two-story tree house made of bamboo. In the mornings, you could hear the toucans, and at night you could listen to the swarm of beetles clinging onto the netting that was supposed to protect us from the bugs. For our first day, we set off to a coffee and cacao farm, and after vowing to my mom that I would not rent a motorbike, we hired two motorbike taxis to take us up. The tour included an hour-long presentation of the chocolate-making process and a face mask. Afterward, we decided to hike to a nearby waterfall. Along the path were fallen mangos, over 20 feet tall bamboo, and a few houses along the way. The hike was supposed to take less than two hours, but within a few minutes, the weather had changed, and it began to rain.

I had felt like I had done more preparation for this trip than any of my travels before because of the different excursions I wanted to go on, the added layer of stress traveling during COVID adds on, and how much my mom was freaking out because of the negative stereotypes of Colombia. I grabbed our rain jackets out of our waterproof bag, stuffed our water bottles in, and put one of our cell phones in a waterproof phone case. We carried on. Even though we were lost and the rain kept pouring harder and harder, I felt relaxed walking through puddles two feet deep and looking around at only a dense amount of forest. We made it to the waterfall thanks to the app, All Trails, and the man whose property we trespassed on. Honestly, the water didn't look that clean, but the rain had stopped, and we had made it to our destination. Soaked, I took off my rain jacket and reached into the fanny pack I was wearing only to realize at that moment... I was carrying both of our passports.

What a rookie mistake for a frequent traveler. I won't lie and say this was not a stressful experience because it was. We were hours away from the nearest consulate, and the American embassy did not answer our calls. The American passport services line told us to dry our passports with toilet paper and use a book to flatten them out. Considering it was over 80% humidity, it took several rolls of toilet paper and all three days of our remaining trip for our passports to return to their standard shape again.

“One of my most memorable adventures was damaging my passport and risking not being able to travel back to the US”

One of my most memorable adventures was damaging my passport and risking not being able to travel back to the US. Even though there were political protests that triggered the military to close down borders as we crossed state lines back to Cartagena, and my boyfriend got food poisoning on our last night; within the first few days of returning home, I did not want to risk any issues while crossing any borders. I went to the post office ready and excited to renew my passport and set off on my next great adventure.