Rio Claro

A two hour car ride from Medellin is a special gem in Colombia called Rio Claro. The best way to arrive is in the dark because you have no idea what to expect and with darkness your other senses are stronger. The weekday adventure consisted of a wild bunch of individuals - Michael and Andy from lighten up and shoot, two graduate students - Johanas and Matt, and me. Upon arrival, we treked through the jungle to an open air cabin perched high above the clear marble river. When I lay my head to the pillow the sound of a near by rapid kept my mind at ease, however the night had just begun. After a few more laughs and story sharing, we treked back to the main building for dinner. A few beers later, we were ready for a bit of night swimming. One of the many things that I love about Colombia is the perfect climate. here that it is absoutly perfect for adventures in all parts of the day. Taking away the element of sight made the experience so much more of an adventure and the water felt so incredible. It was at that moment that I lay on my back and let the river take me that I felt so free. Michael had brought a little speaker and we listened to music while we played in the river then discovered this near by cave where we proceeded to start our own party. At these moments you think about how special and simple dancing to music with the cave as your sound studio.

After a night filled with a few shots of aguadenete and deep conversation, I awoke to the incredible views of the river and a local fisherman catching our lunch. After a breakfast of eggs, cheese and arapas, we began our journey to the nearby cave in which a river flows through. We reached the cave in about 30 minute walk. As we entered the screetch of these crazy birds that sound like darth vader on steriods welcomed us into their home. The guys shared a lesson on night photography in the cave and we . After jumping off into more pools of water, we finished our adventure with a few saltos off the cliff.

The day was filled with laughs, smiles and excitment. I am so fortunate to have met such a great group of individuals to share in these experiences.