Meeting Strangers, Departing Friends...

As anyone knows who has travelled abroad and stayed off the resorts and big hotels, part of the whole experience is meeting new people. The ability to strike a conversation with someone, who is only common to you by the fact that you are both fish out of water, is quite easy.

You see here, in lands abroad, we´re all foreign and that is an instant pass to ask "How´s it going?" or "Where you from?" and these simple question can often lead to great friendships. Nicola and I have been very fotunate to meet some great people on our journey, but like all things on the road they must come to an end when it is time to move on. When the time comes to say our goodbyes, unlike the goodbyes to long time friends at home, these departures are with road friends and we never truly know where our paths go or if they will cross again.
The one thing we do know is that it hapened once and could very well happen again...

"What is that feeling when you´re driving away from people and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing?-it´s the too-huge world vaulting us, and it´s good-by. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies."
Excerpt from "On the road" by Jack Kerouac

The hottest `must have´ accessory.... having your very own Foreigner!!!!

STARE BEARS:

At times being in Colombia can make you feel like you´re a member of a VIP club. All eyes peeled on the gringo´s. Shameless starring by the children and even adults, nothing able to stop their gaze.

The other day on the Taganga beach we went into the water to cool off from the smoking heat. We were immediately swarmed by a large group of boys all daring each other to swim the closest to us. One brave young boy swam between us, showing off his back stroke, while the group circled around us all laughing. Then another boy did the same thing... and this repeated on and on!
A young girl in the distance waded darringly close to us... her eyes were locked on us. We saw her do a couple dolphin dives then she smiled at us... hoping that we noticed.
Next to us there was a Colombian family, we saw the father gestured to his teenage son to come over and talk to us. We ended up chatting in ¨Spanglish¨for about 45 mins. Andrew and I were able to practice our Spanish, and they were able to practice their English.
During our whole conversation with the Colombian family Dolphin girl was swimming around us, watching us like we were the most interesting people in the entire world. For the next few hours on the beach we went in and out of the water... each time Dolphin girl hot on our trail.

This is not a unusual occurance... generally speaking Colombian´s children love to stare at us/foreigners. Sometimes the brave ones will approach us and try to talk to us or sometimes adults will approach and strike up conversation. We love the friendliness of the people here whether it be their willingness to offer directions or their just plain wanting to chat!

SHAMELESS STARRING:

Back at home... starring is something that I can admit to doing on occasion. But it is a NO No to be caught doing it. When someone catches you googling, you automaticly break away and look elsewhere. Here it is not so, starring can not be broken even if you try. We have witness children starring so badly at my tattoo that they have fallen down, a mother has literally had to drag a child away while starring at my leg. Even Andrew and I conversing between each other warrants stares. (true story on the Medellin Cable train... entire car of 6 others was watching us.)

~Nicola

Taganga, Colombia

Taganga:
It is located 15mins from Santa Marta. Traditionally it is a fishing village but now it is another stop on the ¨gringo trail¨ in Northern Colombia. Being anywhere on the Caribbean coast has a different feeling than being in Bogota or Medellin. The people are a lot darker here, and the Spanish sounds different and the music is latin with a touch of caribbean sound. It`s definately a laid back atmosphere! There are restaurants and stalls that line the beach most of them offering fish, plantain, rice and salad all for only $5.00 CAD. (which is what we usually eat for lunches) Since it is school holidays for the Colombian children the town is alive with people. Every night there is music being played until late, and the little children are running around until the wee hours of the night. The weather is still very very hot and humid, but occasionally there is a nice breeze from the sea.

There are many other beaches in the area that can be access by boat and there is no shortage of fisherman selling rides. We have come to realize that the beaches here are not like the paradise beaches found in asia... but they certainly have their own charm and once we made that realization, we stopped searching for beaches that didn´t exist. Currently we are not sure where the next stop will be for us. We have about 3 weeks left and have considered either changing our ticket and leaving for Costa Rica earlier than planned, staying around here and relaxing for a while or seeing some sights in Venezuela. Stayed tuned for our decision.........

~Nicola

Click on picture below to see the album in Picasa.

Taganga, Columbia pt. 1

Santa Marta, Colombia

Santa Marta:
We stayed in the beach side town of Santa Marta for 3 days. The town really didn´t have too much character, and most people arrive only to leave for Taganga or other national parks near by. The weather was really HOT with super high humidity!!! During our short stay in Santa Marta we went to the beach in town, went to the beach in El Rodedero (another beach town 15 mins away) and one night we went for a date night to see the Terminator:Salvation movie. Watching a movie in South America is a different experience from home. You have to reserve your seats when you purchase the tickets from the box office. That way you know exactly where you will sit. FUN FACT: We have noticed that in every country that we have watched a movie (Peru, Colombia, Thailand, India) there is assigned seating. Even the popcorn is different than home. The popcorn in North America is representive of our diet... loads of salty butter with the option of dripping more butter on. Here in South America the popcorn is plain white and you have the option of either salt or suger.

~Nicola

Click on picture below to see the album in Picasa.

Santa Marta, Colombia

Forgotten Cartagena photos...

Oops,
I messed up the upload and didn´t check it too well either so for all who care here are more photos from the beautiful Caribbean city of Cartagena...

Click on picture below to see the album in Picasa.

Cartagena, Colombia

Exploring Cartagena and a visit to a mud volcano!

Our bus ride to Cartagena took 14 hours not the usual 12 hours because of a bad down pouring of rain. We travelled north up to Colombia´s Caribean coast. The buses here are known for being freezing because the air conditioning is blasted on high the entire ride. Andrew and I both welcomed the thought of a cold bus ride, as Medellin was really hot. Everyone warned us to bring a blanket and extra sweaters... but the "Canadian" in us thought we could handle it like champs! Half way through the night, teeth chattering, hood on, backpack on our feet as a blanket we thought our legs would fall off like icicles. From this point on we swear we will ride the Colombian buses with blankets, and very thick sweaters. When we finally arrived in Cartagena, to our shock it was boiling hot outside. (approx 30+ and high humidity) It was the strangest feeling as our legs thawed out!


We decided to stay inside the walled city, which is the old part of Cartagena. We found an inexpensive hotel that came with air-conditioning (a MUST in this heat), t.v and private bathroom. The only draw back was the guy below the hotel asking us if we wanted to buy some good "crack rock" and a couple of hookers prowling the street late at night. Other than that the area is safe and there are plenty of nice restaurants to eat at.



Our first day in Cartagena we met an American guy and we all decided to go out to eat. By chance we stumbled upon a restaurant that Anthony Bourdain had ate at called Cervicheria. I didn´t think I would ever eat cerviche again... as the thought of eating Peruvian food makes me feel sick (because of the parasite incident), but as Andrew and I love the show "No Reservations" featuring Anthony Bourdain.... how could we say no! The restaurant did not disapoint, and the cerviche was great!!!



Mud Volcano (Volcan de Lodo El Totumo):

Today we visited a mud volcano. Instead of having lava, this particular volcano spews mud which is supposed to be good for your skin. It is said to have 52 different minerals in the mix. What a weird experience!!! You climb up some stairs to the top of the volcano and into the mud like a swimming pool. It´s thick, slimy, greyish brown, and slippery. The floor of the volcano is 2300 metres down, but it is impossible to sink deep into it. There are men inside the mud that massage the mud into your skin. (including your hair and face) it feels slightly exfoliative because there are little pebbles in the mud. While getting the massage you are lying on your back, you need no assisstance floating on the surface of the mud, then you flip to your stomach without sinking. After the massage we all crammed into one corner of the volcano and played with the mud. It is a weird feeling because you neither float nor sink. It is like you´re stuck in goop and every so often a bubble and a "blap" would surface because of the volcano. After about 30 mins we got out and the guys at the top helped us get some of the slimy mud off before heading back down the stairs of the volcano to the lake for a propper clean.

This is where the story gets even weirder.......

The lake water is bright lime green (I don´t know why, it may be all those minerals) there were ladies waiting in the water to help you clean off. They poured the water onto your head trying to wash away the dense mud. The next thing you know... in one swift movement they have taken off your bathing suit and you´re sitting in water naked while they are washing your swim suit. Thankfully the murky lime green water offered a lot of protection for you body! It was all very strange... but thankfully most of the mud was removed.

Of course everyone involved... from the guy taking photos´s with your camera, to the massager, to the lady with the water expect a tip. And they were not shy to ask you for it!

Just as we were leaving the volcano to my surprise a wasp stung me under my armpit! It hurt like a bitch and got swollen! It was only my 2nd time in my life getting a wasp sting. I hope I never experience that again!

Tomorrow we leave for the Carribean coast of Santa Marta.

~Nicola

Click on picture below to see the album in Picasa.

Volcan de Lodo El Totumo

Spending time with friends in Medellin!

We loved Medellin!!! Let´s be honest... when you hear Medellin, immediately images of drugs and gangsters come to mind. That is a thing of the past, currently Medellin is safer than other Colombian cities, the people are friendly and there are plenty of things to do and see. In Andrew and I´s opinion it was one of the top hilites of our entire South American journey! We got to hang out with great people, eat at amazing restaurants, paraglide, take a cable car up a mountain, and see a museum/art gallery. Our hostel was in the Barrio Patio Bonito in Poblado which was a cute neighbourhood with nice restuarants and stores. Very safe to walk around at night which was important to us after leaving Bogota.



As mentioned in a previous blog we had made friends with some really nice Colombian people that we by chance met in a movie theatre, they definately played a major part in our enjoyment of the city. Normally I would NOT condone meeting strangers in a movie theatre, then taking a ride in their car and then driven around in a strange country.... but in our case I´m glad that we did exactly that!

Lonely planet and other guide books can give you valuable information, but having local people to talk and hang out with can make the biggest difference. In our experience, meeting them allowed us to see and experience things that were not on the "gringo trail" and to experience some real Colombiano life. Not only did they take us to our first Colombian night club and teach us to dance salsa and merengue, but they also took us out to a traditional Colombian restaurant.



The restaurant was similar for lack of better explanation, to a country western bar with latin music, live band and animals. It was an open air restaurant decorated with twinkle lights and wooden tables. The waiters wore big hats and ponchos. We ate traditional Colombian food which was a platter to share of differnent grilled meats and sausages. Half way through the night 3 horses pranced into the restaurant to the time of the music. Their feet were tapping and moving (dancing) to the latin music. The next animal to enter was a big cow being ridden by a lady. Following the cow was a really cute miniature horse. We were given the opportunity go up and pet the animals... so cute!



Another night we were invited to watch Rocio (our lovely Colombian friend) perform in a concert where she sang and played the guitar. Following the concert we were invited to dinner at a Peruvian restaurant then to a surprise birthday party for Luis (another Colombian friend) at his new apartment. We were introduced to their friends and family at the party. It was interesting because only Luis and Rocio spoke English, the others spoke either no English or very limited amounts. This allowed Andrew and I to really get to practice our Spanish. It´s amazing how easy it is to converse in a language you only know a little of.



The following day we went our for lunch again with Rocio and Gustavo (Rocio´s husband) and they took us to a restaurant to try food from Cali (Gustavo´s hometown). After lunch we said our goodbye´s... and then it was off to Cartagena for Andrew and I.

~Nicola

Click on picture below to see the album in Picasa.

Medellin, Colombia

Paragliding in Medellin!!

Well I did it!!
I convinced Nicola to go paragliding with me and luckily enough for me nothing bad happened to her. We went out with another couple from England, Tim and Nancy, and we all headed for the western side of the "hills" surrounding Medellin. The company we used is one of the only licensed outfitters for paragliding and they were very professional! For this blog we will let the video's and photo's do the talking.

~Andrew

Click on picture below to see the album in Picasa.

Paragliding in Medellin

Medellin Skyline



Nicola soars to new heights



And her triumphant return to the Earth!

Bumming around in Bogota

Bogota was not one of our favourite cities. We used it mostly as a stopover while I was getting better. Our hostel didn't have our reservation so they offered us a stay in their higher end hotel for a discounted price. This turned out to be an amazing place to stay, we had our own t.v, and private room. It was located in the La Candalaria area which is the historic part of Bogota. (definately not know for the saftey) Although the area was unsafe at night to walk around, during the day it was fine. During our 5 days in Bogota we tried to take in as many sights by day as we could. We went to the top of Cerro Montserrat by cable car, which was amazing because we could see the whole city from a different perspective. We went to an amazing gold museum... probably the best museum that we have been to in South America. All the pre-Colombian artifacts were perfectly preserved and the building itself was very high tech. We also visited a art museum featuring works of a famous Colombian artist named Fernando Botero and some of his personal collection of various other artists like Pablo Picasso, Renoir and Degas.

Security in Bogota:
During our stay we noticed a huge amount of security throughout the city, not only inside locations but on patrol throughout the city. Everywhere we went there were security guards or police or army officers with huge machine guns and/or service dogs. Although we never witnessed anything sketchy we definatley had a feeling that something could at any moment turn terribly wrong. And if you payed attention to the small detail you could see paint balls on some of the offical buildings and look out towers in the plaza centre.

~Nicola

Click on picture below to see the album in Picasa.

Bogota, Colombia

Clubbing in Medellin!

Well we have finally done it!
We have attended our first club in South America and it only took 4 countries and 2 months. Now we have been to many bars and many, many restaurants, but this one was an actual night club including live show! Now I should preface this with a story on how we ended up at this club...
Nicola and I decided we wanted to go see a movie, our second on our trip (Angels & Demons was first), it was X-Men Origins: Wolverine and it was very good. While we were getting our Crispetas and Bebidas (popcorn and soda-pop) we had a misunderstanding with the concession girl, which was totally to blame on our poor Spanish. After all was settled a nice Colombian Gentlemen, Luis, came up to us and asked we were okay and if we got what wanted. We talked a few minutes and went to our movie noting that we had met another nice local here. After the movie we walked out of our Sala (theatre) and ran into Luis who was now with his girlfriend (Andrea) and good friend (Gustavo) and his wife (Rosio). After talking a while they offered to show us where this nice nightclub is and also to go for a drink with them, on a Tuesday night.
After driving by the typical Antioquia nightspot we went to a Salsa-Meringue-Tango-Reggaeton bar with live dance show and singing. It was a very colourful and brightly lit bar and we left the seating and drink orders up to them. We brought fresh fruit in a bowl and everyone was brought soda water and full bottle of Antioquia liquor, similar to a light Zambuca, for shots for everyone. We drank all night and danced to all types of music. The booze and direction of our counterparts helped make the dancing enjoyable and entertaining. Nicola of course was whipped around the dance floor and I turned only to my right and shook what little I have. The ladies graciously complemented me on my moves and I on there teaching.
When the clock turned near 2am we all decided to call it a night as they had to work , at 8am, and we had to... do nothing!
This just goes to show you that you never judge a book its cover and you never know what place is truly like until you hang with the locals!!

Thank you to Luis, Andrea, Gustavo and Rosio for a wonderful evening!

~Andrew