Ellie Wilson-Smith
Aged nineteen, I waved goodbye to my jittering parents and headed to South America, seldom returning home over the course of the next five years. I carefully sought out those fly-on-the-wall moments that connect you to everyday life in far-flung places. Whether it was a month spent traversing the east-to-west divide on the Trans-Siberian Railway, working with Zapotec women in the mountains of Oaxaca, or stringing up a hammock on a ferry up the Amazon. Slow travel was the key for me to become a part of the story. I also have a particular penchant for celebrations, be it the Day of the Dead in Mexico, Carnival in Brazil, or Christmas in Prague, it’s a true expression of a country’s identity.
I love that I get to help make these remarkable moments happen for other travelers in my job as part of Black Tomato’s operations team – planning the logistics that get our clients from A to B.
'A deeply profound human experience'
A closer look at South AmericaOne of my most cherished adventures came from finding a way to get from Brazil to Colombia. The vibrant chaos of Manaus’ docks came first, where patient negotiations led to an intriguing directive: “Bring a hammock.” This simple fabric became my passport to a transformative week-long journey on a supplies ferry, tracing the Amazon River’s sinuous curves to Tabatinga at the Colombian border.
This unconventional trip granted me the luxury of time, and a connection with the locals who shared the ferry as they returned to their remote communities. In the end, this adventure from Brazil to Colombia turned out to be more than a mere crossing of borders. It was a deeply profound human experience and an intimate encounter with the soul-stirring beauty of the Amazon. All from the comfort of a humble hammock.
See it All on a Luxury Vacation in Colombia: Coffee, Culture & Coasts
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