Islas del Rosarios

I spent the entire day yesterday at one of the Rosario Islands which is about a 90 minute speedboat ride into the Carribean. Unfortunately, it was overcast the entire ride there and it was a little boring. The waters were calm and the ride was smooth.

Once we arrived at the island, everyone got their snorkeling or diving gear together. Brian and I were the only ones that went snorkeling out of the entire group. Most everyone else were rather experienced divers. Brian and I contemplated switching over to diving, but besides it being about 110,000 pesos more ($50 USD), and me wanting to just have, I guess, a romantic time with just Brian, we decided to just snorkel on or own.

I had a rough time getting myself going once in the water. I was explained what to do, but the instructions were in Spanish, and that led to the more specific instructions being hard to understand fully especially since they were speaking fast.

The hardest part was getting used to breathing only through you mouth through the snorkel tube. Then, once I realized I wasn't going to sink, in salt water, I was fine. You simply float belly down on the surface of the water. What you begin to see is a very diverse ecosystem that is a world of it's own! I'm so glad I have a waterproof camera. Here are some pictures, though, as I said, it was cloudy, and the sun didn't shine these up very well. Nevertheless, the pictures, of course, do no justice when you witness how peaceful this life underwater appears to be. It makes you wonder why and how humans can make things so complicated on the surface. Anyway:












The last two are Brian and I, respectively. This was right around the time Brian and I were tired because we were fighting the current going out, plus a storm was approaching so we turned around. The whole way back we just floated with the current to the shore.

The divers came back, too. We all went into the boat and went far out to the warmer waters around. It was raining pretty hard, but it was okay to dive because, well, you get wet anyway, lol. Here are some pictures of that:





This last one was after we returned from our second snorkeling trek. The pictures I took there didn't come out good at all. There was absolutely no sun. It was still beautiful to see for myself. Just take my word for it. =)

Later, we picked up all the divers and returned tot he island for lunch. It was fresh fish with all the fixings. It was amazing! I'm not a huge fan of fish, but man, this was awesome. I wish I had taken a picture of the dish.

Then, after nearly wanting to take a nap, we played sand volleyball with Ben and Felípe, who were a couple of guys we got to know. Ben is German and Felípe is Colombian. We played for awhile and went back to relax before having to leave the island back to Cartagena.

The boat ride back was fun!! The water was all choppy from the storm so the boat was bouncing a lot. I'm glad I don't get sea sickness. =)

It was a realy fun day for a rather reasonable price of 90,000 pesos - which comes to roughly $50 USD. That included everything. I don't think we could get something that afforable and exciting back in the States, and it makes you wonder whose currency really is worse.

The only thing negative about the day is that I didn't think to put sunscreen on my back! My whole back is burnt like, Woah! It was from my back being shown to the sun, and no matter what anyone thinks, this is PROOF that you can still get a sunburn when it's overcast. The UVA and UVB rays still penetrate through the clouds. It's not that I had thought I wouldn't get burnt, I simply forgot to put lotion on my back despite applying it everywhere else. I'll live, though.

I have five more full days left in Cartagena. We'll find many things to do, I'm sure, before leaving to Buenos Aires on Monday.

Teatro Heredia

One more thing, this place is about 15 feet away from the house I'm staying at in Cartagena. Last night, all of the streets around this place and my place were blocked off... by the National Army!!!

Okay, first of all, the actual police of Cartagena carry around large guns. It's freaky, but in a way relieving. You know that if shit goes down, they're gonna fuck someone up. However, the National Army carries around larger *automatic* guns. Now, this alone is enough to make anyone nervous, especially if you aren't used to this.

After coming back home from a long day's trip, we tried to get past the street gates. The men guarding that gate simply said NO NO NO!!! We stopped dead in our tracks. After some siple phrases between my broken Spanish and Brian's broken Spanish, we managed to let them know that our house was right down the street and we were just trying to go home. They let us proceed.

Along the street, there were more guards stationed around. We just logically deducted that something or someone important was either or going on there at the Teatro. The next day, we found out that the son of Álvaro Uribe, the president of Colombia, was getting married there!!!

How cool is that?!?!

We really came to Cartagena at a great time. First, we were here for Colombia's Independence Day, and next, we were just a few feet away from where the President's son was getting married. Not to jinx it, but nothing but positive things have been happening to me and around me since I've been here, despite the initial negativity that was ever egoically created.

Colombia is safe and FUN. Get over it, y'all! :-P

Santa Marta, etc

Today, Sunday, I finally felt like I had the type of vacation that I imagined. I spent most of the day at the beach under a cabana and in the very warm waters of the Carribean Sea. This is by far the warmest water I have ever been in. It was amazing! I don't have any pictures for that because it's advised not to bring anything of value to the beach. You will just have to take my word that it was awesome, and that I got a good amount of sun.

Earlier this week, a guy from my Spanish school, named Maciej (ma-SHAY), threw a party at his partner's place here in Cartagena. He's Polish, and one of the greatest and sweetest guys I've met here. He's "family". He also speaks around 5 languages: French, English, German, Polish, and Russian - along with understanding many other languages, too. Maciej has travelled a lot, so he has several stories to tell. He lives in Warsaw, Poland and has graciously invited Brian and I to visit him. Well, he demanded that we visit, lol.

Anyway, here's some pictures of the fun we had:


^^^From left to right: Simon (Swiss), Ana (Brazilian), Ariana (Washington, DC), Tara (Jamaican), and another Swiss gal. I forget her name.





^^^(most of) The gang from the Spanish language school. A lot of these people are from Switzerland, a few from Sweden, England, Brazil, Poland, and Italy.


^^^ This is Maciej having a "tequila bomb". I never heard of it, but it's a shot of tequila shaken up on a half pint of 7up. No thanks. =)


^^^ This is me at Café del Mar. As I mentioned before, Cartagena's Centro district is walled off where visible to the sea. It was a fortress during the Spanish colonial period hence me sitting on one of the several cannons along the wall that is over 20 km (12 miles) long. It was erected in the in the late 1500s for protection against the English and the French from invading the area. Cartagena was also considered the "door of the new world" where everything was traded from crops to slaves.

History lesson: back in back in 1810, right before the war of 1812, Cartagena was the center battle stage that led to the independence of Colombia. It was led by a good friend of George Washington and he was named Patrick Vernon. Under Vernon's command, he successfully wisked away the Spanish and Colombia became a sovereign country of their own. George Washington was so impressed and pleased with Vernon, that he named the estate, that we now know as Mount Vernon, after him. Pretty cool huh? This is one of the many reasons Colombia has such a great appreciation for America and they welcome them here with open arms.

I wish I had more pictures. The wall around the city, you are able to walk atop it and see all the cannons atop it, too. It's REALLY cool to imagine how it was back in those days - seeing the cannons shooting at any trespassers, etc. Furthermore, in the background, you can hear horse carriages clapping around on their hooves. The feeling of being taken back four centuries in time becomes more and more evident each day I'm here in Cartagena. It's a wonderful experience eventhough I'm sure what I imagine is nothing like how it really was.

On Saturday, after partying until 3am, I had to wake up at 7am for a day long trip to Santa Marta. It's a resort city like Cartagena, but without the history of it. The region is a national park, too. Parts of the Santa Marta park is still controlled by the ELN rebel group, but not to worry, they rely more on drug trade to keep themselves financed as opposed to kidnappings. Furthermore, they're dwindling in power. Plus, I made it back okay to post this blog, so it's not death-defying unless you live, right? =)

The trip to Santa Marta was very stressful. We were told it was going to be a 3 hour drive, but it turned into being a 5 hour drive. Plus, Colombians drive like maniacs. Imagine the worst driving experience you ever had and think of that happening every moment of your trip and all the time. Stop signs, stop lights, speed limits and lane dividers, especially, are considered mere suggestions to Colombian drivers. I was so tired and all I wanted to do was sleep. Yeah right, I wasn't able to do that.

We finally arrived at the park and it was a hassle getting in. We waited about 30 minutes before being cleared to go. We get off the bus, and there was a trail that we had to hike on in order to get to the beach where we were supposed to eat. This was straight up a Jungle. There were red ants everywhere, spiders the size of my hand, bug that sounded like eagles cawing, and the occasional monkey scurrying across your path. It was soooo humid but such a beautiful and amazing experience. Here are some of those pictures:









This trail was about 7km (3 miles) long. I had noticed at this time that my battery was running low on my camera. I decided to keep it off until I got to the beach for the better pictures. It was worth it!!





It was so beautiful here. I wish the pictures could do it justice. If you could picture the best vacation with just yourself and paradise, then this is it. Right after this last picture, my camera died. There were some cabana houses with hammocks that you could stay overnight in. I didn't do that because I just wanted to get back to Cartagena. Several people in my group decided to stay in Santa Marta, but I just wanted to get back. We got back into town at 10:30pm. It was just as stressful of a drive coming back. Brian, Devin, and myself all went to dinner, came home, and passed out.

Today we had a chill day, went to the beach, and then went out to dinner with Maciej and his boyfriend that had arrived the night before from Europe. We had an amazing dinner in Town Center. I had Langosta, which is similar to lobster. They just don't have the pinchers. It was a 500 gram (~1 pound) Langosta and it cost only 39,000 pesos, which is about $20 USD!! It is definitely the best "lobster" I have ever had in my life. The drawn butter was like no other. As I type this, my mouth is still drooling over it. I didn't take any pictures, but Maciej did, so I'll have to harrass him for pictures. We also returned to Café del Mar and had a drink in the brisk, warm wind from the Sea. It was the perfect close to the not-to-perfect week.

But who cares! I'm on vacation and I still have 19 days left of it. I have one week left in Cartagena, and then I'm off to Buenos Aires! Update on that: we secured an apartment there which is right next to the cemetary the Eva Perón is buried. I'm trying real hard to keep my expectation low for Buenos Aires. According to many, it's one of the best cities in the world. But, I'll see for myself!

Totumo Volcano, etc

As I said, I went to Totumo Volcano after Spanish class. It took about 90 minutes to drive there from Cartagena on a rickety bus that I named Rolskin Harley (a play on words for Rolls-can-hardly) - Rolls DOWN the hills, can hardly make it up a hill, hehe.

Okay, that's corny, but I daze out on long road trips to absorb the scenary, and let me tell you, Colombia's like no other when it comes to breathtaking scenary - especially in the "suburbs". Here are a few pictures:







This last picture is a FARC checkpoint - a rebel group that kidnaps people and uses ransom to finance themselves. After convincing them we were all Canadian, they left us in peace.

I'm sooo kidding! Okay, not a good thing to kid about. In fact, it's nothing to worry about in northern Colombia. A different rebel group, the ELN, controls some areas around here, but they're also deteriorating in their power, as well as the FARC, according to many locals. The government and Colombian army are regaining their upper hand against rebel groups and drug cartels - which is great because the people of Colombia are now, for the first time in a long time, able to experience true liberty. This may be why Colombia shot up really high on the list of the world's happiest countries. I don't blame them, though I don't know what it would feel like to have been under such an instable country plagued by corruption.

Okay, enough for the history lesson: back to Totumo Volcano.

This place was just awesome. It's a volcano that's been dormant for hundreds of thousands of years, apparently. I didn't quite understand the numbers that were being used. It's the first picture posted. When you climb up to the top, you get an amazing view of a lake to the south. It's fresh water and it's very warm! Inside the volcano, there's mineral mud that is all natural!

Check it out:

The view from atop





Inside the volcano














Isn't that COOL?!?! It was a VERY interesting experience. Apparently, the pit is completely bottomless, but since your body is less dense than the mud, no matter what you do, you simply can't sink. Also, there are clumps of mud and clay that float around in the mud. When you're kicking your legs around, you feel these on your skin and it kind of freaks you out! Moreover, people can't see where they're putting their arms and legs under the mud. It goes without saying what you may and may not do in those circumstances, lol. You were able to stay in as long as you like, but you're over it in about 20 minutes. Considering it only cost 25,000 Colombian pesos (~$14 USD) to go on this trip, I'm not complaining. This is a total tourist trap, and $25,000 pesos is a lot of money to the locals here.

Real quick: you get bills in denominations of thousands: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50. Pretty much like US dollars but they're in thousands. What you can get for 20,000 pesos is about what you can get for $20 USD in the States. However, since the cost of overall living expenses are considerably lower, you're money goes a lot further in Colombia, especially in the smaller cities, and Cartagena is the third largest city behind Bogotá and Medellín (me-duh-ZHEEN), respectively.

Now, I digress. Once you get out of the volcano and are completely covered in mud, you are walked over to a small lagoon to get washed off. I sat down, and got completely disrobed under the water in order to clean out my shorts. There were nice ladies that were helping everyone as they were getting cleaned off.

Then, what turned into a very good experience quickly turned sour.

The moment you get back to the cabanas, you get bombared, almost to the point of harrasment, from the workers there for "propina", which means Tip in Spanish. It wasn't "Propina, por favor", it was a flat out *Propina!*, in a firm voice, an wiggling their index finger as in "gimme!". Being in the service industry where I work for tips, I became rather agitated by this.

To me, you get tips for performing services that are requested by the guest. Then, if the guest sees fit, they tip you at their discretion, and it is NOT to be demanded at all by the one providing the service. That wasn't the case here.

The moment you get off the bus and get to the stairs, one person tells you to take off your sandals or shoes. Understandable, they'll get destroyed.

You get to the top of the volcano, a guy takes your camera away before you get in. Okay, that's understandable, too.

Then you get into the mud. There are complete strangers in there that start giving you massages, and to be honest, they sucked. You don't ask for the massages, they just give them to you - at one point, I told the guy to quit touching me, but of course, he acted like he didn't speak English. Ugh.

You get out and someone scrapes mud off of you. Even though you tell him not to f-ing touch you, he still does. I ran from him pretty much but he still followed me.

Finally, like I said, you go into the lagoon and women help clean you off. That was actually nice, but I still could have done it myself.

So, yeah. I got completely annoyed when I got back to the cabana and these people that forced services on me were straight up demanding a tip. There was about a total of five people tapping an my arm or shoulder. Just to get them away from me, I gave them each a 1,000 peso bill. That's about $0.55 so I figured it was worth it to get them out of my face. Furthermore, they didn't say anything, but I can tell by the look in their eyes that my tip "wasn't good enough".

It gets worse: I dropped a 10,000 peso bill. Right as it happened, Brian noticed some quickly go to the ground to pick something up. Brian, not knowing until after he saw me looking for it that I had dropped it, asked me what I was looking for. I told these people I was looking for a "10 mille billeta". They acted like nothing had happened.

I tried to talk and explain to them in Spanish what Brian and I think had happened, but they acted like my Spanish was so bad that they couldn't understand me. I started swearing in English along with raising my voice, and they quickly clammed up and left.

Luckily, we left quickly after that and I quickly detached myself from the situation, hence releasing all negativity about it.

On the bus ride home, I couldn't help but try to analyze it outside the box. At first, I was feeling "cultralcentric" meaning I was holding the standards of my culture against theirs. Then, I realized it wasn't even about that. It's not "Centric" in any respect. It's about respecting your fellow human beings and not allowing selfishness and greed to overpower that. We're all the same more than we are different.

Normally, I'd damn them with the cliché, Karma's a Bitch. However, I just learned that releasing yourself from a situation by wishing more negativity accomplishes nothing. Instead, I will continue to live my life faithfully trusting that people on this earth are generally well-intentioned.

Sorry for another deep epiphany and moment of self-discovery, but every day that I'm here in Colombia, I'm learning more ways on how to spread things in this world more positively and it pleases me to help others do the same.

Anyway, we're having dinner tonight with friends from Spanish school, and tomorrow is an all day trip to Santa Marta. It's a National Park and is FULL of rare species of birds and plants.

Hasta luego!

Upcoming trips, Shifting Itinerary, and Realizations

I'm pretty damn happy about my trip... now. Does that mean I wasn't? Kind of.

After being here for a few days in the sweltering humidity, I thought to myself, "Do I really want to be here for four weeks, or am I just being a baby?" Well, I thought it was just the latter, lol. I'm not used to the humidity and I'm not used to the style of life in Cartagena. After thinking for a bit, I got to the root of the real issue: this is a 2nd World Country. It's nothing like the US or France, for example, and according to Brian, it seems rich here compared to places like Vietnam and Cambodia. I began to feel like a real asshole because I felt like I was subconsciously acting like I was too good to be here.

Let me back up a bit though. It's rather well developed here. They have banks, grocery and department stores, and an okay water system. There's no hot water since it's not really necessary. The economy seems to be okay - everyone is very happy and doing all they can to make and maintain an income. So hmm, what really is the problem then?

I came to the realization that I owe to myself to be extremely fortunate and gracious for what I have. Furthermore, I need to be more gracious that I was brought into the life and have been able to maintain the lifestyle that I prefer. Digging deeper, I realized that none of that really matters in the end.

Yes, none of that really matters in the end.

Life is what you make of it as to what is available to you. My view of a comfortable life is just that, my view. It's all relative. One can always wish and dream for more, but the thought and presumed image something is always better than the reality of actually having what you wish and dream for. So, that is why it doesn't, and subsequently will not, matter in the end.

Okay, that was pretty deep, lol.

Right now, I have planned a trip to Totumo Volcano which is about and hour Northeast of where I'm from. It's near Barranquilla which is still on the Carribean Coast. I'm going there with my Spanish school tomorrow after class. It should be GREAT!!!

Saturday, we're going to Santa Marta which is about 30 more minutes up the coast from Barranquilla. Then, for the next weekend, we're hoping to make it to the Islas del Rosario which is off the coast of Colombia about 45 minutes west into the Carribean Sea. There's a beautiful coral reef there, and I can't wait to experience the apparant laid back atmosphere of island-living.

Biggest shift of all: I'm leaving Cartagena on August 4 and going to Buenos Aires, Argentina for 11 days before returning to the USA. I'm soooo ecstatic about this!!!! I've always wanted to go there, and I'm glad we were able to work it out. It will be chilly there, but I won't care after being in this humidity for 2+ weeks. Seriously, I think I've sweated off about 5 lbs. since I've been here. There's a pair of pants that are either getting bigger or the humidity is having an effect on them too.

Anyway, that's an update of my adventure. I'll soon change my blog title to "Aventura de Sudamerica" or whatever/however you spell it. OH!

My Spanish is getting MUCH better. I'm almost able to talk without having to think and translate everything carefully. It's a very liberating feeling, and I really feel what people say about it being a life-changing experience.

Pictures to come probably Sunday after I go to Northeast Colombia.

Tchiao!

Primera clase de Escuela Español

Today was my first day of class at the Spanish school. For some reason, they placed me in the beginner class. Brian and I, after awhile, asked the teacher to put us in a more advanced class. They were going over the pure basics. Though I did learn a few things, I needed to know more. I'd consider myself, and Brian, a high beginner in Spanish. We know the basics, can have a decent conversation with someone, and ask for and look for things when given direction. We certainly weren't going to be dealing with "Hola! - Comó estás? - Muy bien, y tú?"

Um, no.

We got moved to the other class albeit it was challenging. We were stretched, but not overwhelmed. The teacher was very nice, thorough, and articulate. Also, I'm glad it's a female teacher. For some reason, I've always been able to understand females speaking Spanish much better than males.

Furthermore, I've been impacted on a personal level now that I'm in a Spanish speaking country where most people don't speak English. There are 5 of us, and we always walk around town speaking English. It's kind of mind-blowing to actually be in that reverse position. Normally, I'm back in the States, and see groups of people speaking French, German, Chinese, etc, etc.

They're in their comfort zone. Now, we're forced to be in our comfort zone, hence alienating ourselves from such a vibrant, happening culture. Now, I know how it feels for these groups of French, German, and Chinese to feel in the American culture - especially since the American people tend to be ethnocentric assholes expecting everyone to know and understand English.

Here, you are expected to know Spanish. The tables are turned. People only speak to you in Spanish. And honestly, it feels a little uncomfortable being the only people around speaking a language no one else can understand.

This is what is driving me to assimilate into this culture. I may look like a typical American gringo, but little will they know, this lanky white boy can hold his own in Spanish before THEY know it.

Hasta entonces, lo verémos (until then, we'll see)

Colombian Independence

Once we all woke up and went about the lovely city of Cartagena, it was quickly learned that today marks 198 years of independence from Spain. It was one hell of a party! Despite the heat, we bustled through the crowds, took pictures, and ate some good food along with drinking beers!

The more I learn about Cartagena, and the country of Colombia, the more I appreciate and understand the Spanish culture. It really is no joke, too, that being in an actual Spanish speaking country helps you learn the language. I've learned more Spanish in just a couple days than I feel I've learned in YEARS! No, I'm not exagerating. Well, it did help that I had a private tutor for 4 weeks from Bogotá to help me. She was great!

Anyway, here are some pictures. These people really know how to let loose and have a good time. It really shows why they were ranked the 4th happiest country in the world.

Anyway, Viva Colombia!!!!








"Yes to Liberty, Yes to the Truth, Yes to Life, Colombia without FARC"






Many Colombians here hate Chavez, the President of Venezuela.


Pedro de Heredia - Spanish Commander that founded Cartagena in 1533.

Pictures of the Apartment

I must show you the house we are staying in. Pictures really don't do it any justice. This is the front of the house. We're staying on the first level. All the houses here look like this - at least in this barrio.






This is the dining room and kitchen. The back area there with light is actually an open roof! There's a hammock that you can't see from here that actually strings out. If it rains, there's a drain. The bedrooms are off to the right. They closed off and are air-conditioned. There's also no hot water here.

Okay, I'm way ahead of myself here. I really need some coffee. Colombia is supposed to have some of the best. Off to find me some!

Teaser pics

As we began our descent on Cartagena, we flew in from the north. I'd say the plane went about 30 miles south of the city, and swung back up from the south allowing breath taking views of the city and the northern coast of Colombia. I was amazed, yet frustrated because I couldn't seem to get my camera out of my backpack quick enough. This, I wasn't expecting.


















And here we were: landed at la Aeropuerta Internacional de Rafael Núñez in Cartagena, Colombia. This is what I will call home for the next 4 weeks. Getting through customs wasn't bad at all. I must say that most of the trip was rather uneventful. Getting a cab outside the airport was a little frustrating though. Between our broken Spanish and the cab drivers' and policias' broken English, we managed to realize there weren't any vehicles large enough to fit 5 people and all our luggage. We ended up taking 2 seperate cabs to our apartment in the barrio (neighborhood) of Centro.

This neighborhood is AWESOME! Between the echoes of the horses clamoring down the streets in carriages and oil lit lamps outside the houses, I really felt like I had travelled through time back tot he 17th century. The houses have maintained their colonial charm. This neighborhood, along with most the rest of the city, was walled off during the Spanish Inquisition. The streets are narrow, are all one way, and can barely fit cars down them. I really don't want to have to drive here... lol.

The weather: it's REALLY f'ing humid here. I don't care for heat that much, but I promised that I'm going to make myself get acclimated to it. All you want to do is drink gallons of water, but of course, you can't drink the water here. I had went to the corner store, that actually ended up being a bar, to get bottled water. That was fun trying to figure out what to get, how to ask for it, etc. No one speaks English here except for the occasional BRITISH tourist. Yeah, they barely get American tourists here. I have noticed that there are a lot of French tourists. What's sad, is that these French and British tourists have nearly not as much trouble with Spanish as I do. That is going to change!

Anyway, just in case you're wondering, the time here is 7:45am right now. I'm two hours ahead of California, and one hour behind East Coast time. They don't observe Daylight Saving Time here.

OH! Here's a couple of pictures from the beach I took as we drove to our house from the airport! It was right around sunset: