Postcards from LifeAfar

By: Amanda Clark (February 2019)

If I close my eyes and throw on a sweater, I can still feel the warmth of the Puerto Rican sunshine against my skin and hear the contagious rhythm of Colombia’s heartbeat from 2,498 miles away in New York City. Before this year, South America had never been on my radar as one of those places that I was eager to visit, maybe I was blinded by the allure of Eastern Europe or preoccupied with the daydream of a coast to coast road trip. To my surprise, after briefly immersing myself in Colombian culture I’ve found myself wanting to share my experience with everyone I know and quickly planning my return. 

Seven days, seven flights, four women, four cities, and two countries – Hawkins International PR and our friends at LifeAfar provided the experience of a lifetime and kicked off 2019 in a radical way.

For those who are not familiar, Lifeafar specializes in offering travelers authentic experiences at affordable prices and providing investors the chance to find financial freedom by “owning a piece of the world” through projected high-return investment opportunities that tap into emerging real estate markets. The company currently manages premium custom-designed apartments available for short- and long-term rental in Medellín, Bogotá, Cali and Cartagena – all of which we got to see firsthand during our time across the Atlantic. 

Below is just a snippet of all ground we covered, the sights we saw, and the empanadas we ate:

Our journey spanned the technicolor doorways of Puerto Rico and brought us to some of Colombia’s most iconic cities including MedellÍn, Cali, and Cartagena. Before crossing into South America, the team’s first pitstop was a night spent among the vibrant streets of Puerto Rico. Stepping off the plane at SJU – the coastal heat was a nice welcome that proved opposite to the snowy concrete jungle that we had left that morning. The resilient city of Old San Juan and the locals that called it home captured my heart with their stories of family heritage and deep-rooted tradition that was found within the walls of the city. The iconic Spanish architecture and the vivid, polychromatic buildings were an invitation to relax and let the hustle and bustle of New York City roll off our shoulders. During our time in San Juan, there was no shortage of flavors to try, we indulged in Paletas of several flavors and sipped on refreshing cervezas as we watched the sunset over the Atlantic Ocean. We ended our brief two days in Puerto Rico strong by dancing the night away at La Factoría – the bar and nightclub made famous by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s iconic “Despacito” music video – leaving us sweaty, sleepy, and eager to find out the adventures that awaited us in South America.

Our next leg of the trip landed us in the ‘City of Eternal Spring,” aka Medellín, Colombia, and quite frankly it felt like home. We practiced Spanish in the Uber ride as we trekked through the mountainous Antioquia province, where we were then greeted by an expansive LifeAfar property that we claimed as ours for two nights. Better than any hotel room and my current Lower East Side Apartment, our LifeAfar property came complete with stunning hardwood floors, funky art, a rain shower, two hot-tubs and a typewriter, just because. Medellín has transformed from the city’s infamous past into an innovative mecca for start-up businesses, real estate development, and a booming economy that all began with public transportation. Medellín’s metro has been a beacon of hope since it was first built in 1995, signaling that anyone and any city can overcome their circumstances. Today, the city reminded me much of Williamsburg with its electrifying and quirky energy, the abundance of hipster coffee shops, and its variety of zany clothing stores. After consuming several street-side fruit cups and a few days of walking the urban streets, we packed our Away suitcases and jet-setted over to the Capital of Salsa.

Now if I HAD to pick my favorite stop in Colombia, I would most likely lean toward Cali – the moment we set foot on its buzzing streets you couldn’t help but feel the dynamic nature of the city. Music was blaring, horns were honking, and laughter narrated the pink and purple hues that stretched across the sky. During our stay in Cali, we spent several days taking in all that the electrifying city had to offer and we spent several nights around the dinner table with newfound friends. While I was a first-time visitor, not once had I felt like a stranger. In Cali, we went on a whirlwind walking tour led by LifeAfar’s high-spirited director of Operations Patrick Spanfelner, where we hit just about all the stops a tourist could in 24 hours. From enjoying street side empanadas and checking out an unusually historic cat park to learning how to salsa at La Topa Tolondra and visiting one of the city’s oldest bars La Colina – we came, we saw, and we never wanted to leave. A personal highlight of our time in Cali was a quick visit to Tienda La Linterna, one of the oldest poster print shops in the entire country. The hole-in-the-wall workshop was covered from floor to ceiling in bold, stylized posters that featured music stars, political figures, iconic films, and more. Inside sat two colossal printing presses that dated back to the 1800s, known for creating works of art for $10 USD a piece – needless to say, we walked out with several posters in hand and ready to show off to all of our swanky city friends back in New York.

We said goodbye to our friends at LifeAfar for a long weekend spent seaside in Cartagena sipping Pina Coladas by the pool, shopping for goodies for our loved ones at the local markets, and learning the rich history of the lil’ ole town before heading back to the Big Apple. Laid in between the old colonial stone walls was a preserved historic city, complete with winding cobbled alleys and effervescent flowered-covered balconies – it was unlike anything I had seen before. The people were vivacious, both tourists and locals alike, and there was music on every corner that invited your soul to do a little jig. In addition to exploring city life, we also took a day-trip to one of the nearby islands to work on our tan and remind our toes what sand felt like. Cartagena provided the perfect ending to a perfect trip.

Until next time Puerto Rico and Colombia, you were a dream and we can’t wait to come back.