Firstly, I want to wish all my friends and family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
Secondly, I apologise for waiting so long to update my blog.I can’t believe that 9 months has passed since I last updated it!
So I guess I have a lot to update you on.Well here goes............
After Colombia I went up the The States to visit Jamie, the guy I had been seeing.I went up to Georgia and mainly spent my time in Atlanta, staying with friends and family of Jamie.I met some really nice people and enjoyed getting to know Atlanta a little.My new friend Jenny took me out and about to visit places in and around Atlanta.We visited Stone Mountain, a national park with nice trails to walk and a huge lump of granite in the middle.
We visited Helen, a re-creation of an alpine village in the Blue Ridge Mountains.Helen is nothing like what you would expect to see in America.The buildings, the cobbled streets, the food and drink, everything made to replicate what you would find in Europe.
I visited downtown Atlanta a few times and over-indulged in shopping at the malls after so long in Central America.I visited the Aquarium which was impressive and went out with Jenny and her brother on the lakes in their ski boat.
My mum was visiting America with her camera club so I took the opportunity to go and visit her in Vegas.I went for a week and had a great time seeing her again.Her group stayed in Vegas and then took a road trip to The Grand Canyon so I tagged along for the ride.I’ve seen the Grand Canyon a few times but it never ceases to amaze me.Luckily we took a different route into the park so I saw areas I hadn’t been before.
(Me and My Mum....Ahh)
(The Grand Canyon)
Unfortunately things didn’t work out between Jamie and I found myself in a hostel in downtown Atlanta wondering what I was going to do.I considered returning back to the UK but did not feel ready for that, I considered Australia because I found a cheap flight but in the end, I decided to return to Costa Rica.I was feeling pretty low and needed to go to a place that felt like home with lots of friends so back to Puerto Viejo I went.That was in May and I am still here.
So what have I been doing?A pretty mixed bag of stuff really.I went back to the dive shop and completed my Scuba Diver Leader course and started picking up bits of work when it was available.I moved back into Garibaldi where I was living before but this time in one of the cheaper cabinas.The cold water took a lot of getting used to.No, I take that back, I never got used to the cold water!
I’ve attended a Caribbean wedding on the beach in Punta Uva
(Frank & Gina's wedding)
(Looking over Punta Uva point) (Tradition is to pin money to the bride)
(The Bull Rodeo)
watched the Bull Rodeo when it came to town, been down to Bocas del Toro a couple of times to renew my visa, finally visited the Del Ray in San Jose followed by a trip to a strip joint (a first for me). There have been beach parties, birthday parties, leaving parties, pool parties and generally a lot of fun had by all. Halloween was a great night!
(Baby howler monkeys at the Animal Rescue Centre)
It has not all been great though.I was house sitting a great place that good friends of mine built in the jungle but unfortunately got robbed twice and lost my computer and things. Got up close and personal with a few of the neighbours I'd have been happy not knowing.
Had a tree fall on my porch.
Around this time work dried up for me at the dive shop and things took a downward slope.With no work I really could see no way of staying here so started looking for dive work in other countries.Unfortunately with little experience, this was a challenge.I was unlucky and missed out on an activities manager role in Mozambique due to my lack of French.I found a job in Vietnam but the wages were so low so I decided instead to accept a professional diving internship followed by my dive instructor course in The British Virgin Islands starting in April 2011.
I had a low couple of months but am lucky to have good friends who helped me back on my feet.Friends helped me find work and I got recommended for a house care-taker role.
I started working as a Poker dealer at a friend’s bar and quickly had to learn the game having never played before.In fact I deal No limits Texas Holdem.I still have a lot to learn but it is fun.The hardest part is standing for up to 7 hours straight but we have a number of regulars who come and it is usually a fun night.I run a game twice a week but we are looking to expand the operation in the New Year with more nights and different games.
The owners of the house I am now living in come and go a lot between here and Canada and were looking for someone to come and stay at the house to look after it while they come and go.It is a super nice house, just across from the beach. I have a couple of work projects on the go which keep me busy as well.
It has certainly been a year of highs and lows though, but I am happy to be ending it on a high.On Christmas Day there will be a big dinner / party here at my house with 20-30 friends.Good food and good company in a great place, what more could I ask for Christmas?
I hope that 2010 has been a good year for all my friends and family back home.If not, then I am sure that 2011 will be your year.Do let me know how you are all doing and I again wish you a very Merry Christmas.
¡Que calor! So I'm hanging out in 32°C and 66% humidity right now and it is too hot to go to the beach so I thought what a perfect time to update you on my travels.
I left Costa Rica on the 1st of February and flew in and out of Venezuela with only a night in the country. I'd originally planned 2 weeks there but I kind of used up the time in Costa Rica. So after a very brief visit I carried on to Bogotá in Colombia.
I checked into a pretty cool hostel in Bogotá and met some good people.I had a couple of days exploring by myself, visiting a number of museums and walking around the old centre of Bogota.
(Plaza Bolívar, Bogota)
(Bogota)
(The Gold Museum)
I also took a couple of day trips with other people in the hostel.4 of us took a trip to Zipaquiera to visit the Salt Cathedral.The cathedral has been carved out of a mountain 130 metres underground within old salt mines.The place is huge with 14 chapels and the capacity to hold 4500 people.Virtually everything is made of salt, the walls, the floor, seats and crosses.It was really impressive and still holds services every Sunday. (Plaza in Zipaquiera)
(The Salt Cathedral)
(Mining in the Salt Catedral)
(One of the chapels around 130 metres underground)
The following day I took a trip up to Monserrate with Hau, a Vietnamese – Canadian.You can visit Monserrate by funicular or cable car to visit the church up top and to marvel at the fantastic views.
(Looking out over Bogota from Monserrate)
(Artwork in Bogota)
Hau and I were both destined for Cartagena so we decided to travel together for a while.The flights were not much more expensive than the bus and taking 1.5 hours instead of 18 hours so we opted for the quicker option.For a long time I’ve dreamed of going to Cartagena so I’d built up my expectations without realising it.Although it is a very nice old city, I’ve been spoilt by my other travels and found it very reminiscent of Old Havana in Cuba, New Orleans and Casco Viejo in Panama.It therefore didn’t have the ‘wow’ factor that I was hoping for but I still enjoyed my time there.
(Artwork in Cartagena)
(Treating ourselves to coffee and a slice of pie in a pretty fancy café)
(Colourful goods for sale)
(Fruit for sale)
Hau and I also took a boat trip to Playa Blanca, a remote beach with basic facilities where we stayed overnight in a hammock.It was a beautiful beach with crystal blue waters.I left the following day and headed to Barranquilla.
(Playa Blanca)
(Home on the beach. I'm staying on the left)
(Sunset over Boca Grande in Cartagena)
So what was in store for me in Barranquilla?The carnival of course!The carnival at Barranquilla is said to rival Rio de Janerio and runs for 4 days.I arrived a bit late on the first day to see the opening parade and got stuck behind a crowd of people trying to push through the barriers.It was great fun though and I got covered in shaving foam and flour.I found out that I needed to get down to the main street early to get tickets for the bleachers to get the best view so that is what I did.It wasn’t however as easy as I was expecting.The police wouldn’t let me pass the barrier without a ticket but they couldn’t tell me where to buy a ticket.In the end a street vendor helped me out.He took me in a taxi and went and bought me a ticket at local prices, half that of what tourists are usually charged.How nice was that!Taking time out of his day to help.This wasn’t the first time this happened to me and I’m sure it won’t be the last.
For the next two days I watched the paradesfrom front row seats and it was fantastic.The parade runs for about 70 blocks and goes on for 3 or 4 hours.The outfits are so beautiful and the people are too.
I really enjoyed my time at the carnival and met some really nice Colombians.It would however have been nice to have had some friends to enjoy the evenings with.Barranquilla is very big and there is little information about the night time events, most of the time they were in dodgy areas of town so I didn’t want to travel alone.Next time I’m going with friends.
(Catedral on Plaza del Paz in Barranquilla)
(Tasters of the carnival)
Next was Taganga, a small fishing village 2 hours along the Caribbean coast.It was an idyllic setting in a cove surrounded by hills and the bay filled with fishing boats.On my first evening I went down to the beach just as the fishermen where returning with their catch.There were loads of people on the beach buying the fish.
At the hostel I met a big group of really cool people.We all went to the beach together and then had a big night out in the evening.It had been a few weeks since I’d partied hard and I suffered and wasted the following day.
(New friends in Taganga)
(Taganga cove)
It was in Taganga that I finally decided to do the Ciudad Perdida (Lost City) trek.The trek is 6 days, five nights and takes you to a city that is older and larger than Machu Picchu but without the hordes of tourists.You have to take a 4 wheel drive jeep for around 45 minutes to a village at the bottom of the trail.After lunch we started up the trail, a steep climb for about 4 hours.Our first camp was typical of all the places we stayed, pretty basic without electricity, food cooked on wood stoves and hammocks for beds.The food was fantastic and I think I put weight on during the trip.We usually had fruit stops on the trails, soup or sandwiches for lunch and full dinners with meat, rice, salad and dessert.
(Dinner on the Lost City Trek)
(On the trail)
(Our group)
(One of the indigenous villages)
(River crossing)
(I've found paradise)
(Lunch preparations)
(Home for 2 nights below the Lost City)
Our group was small with only 5 people and our guide and cook and appeared to be one of the best groups on the trek.Our guide and cook only spoke Spanish but we have a number of Spanish speakers so we didn’t have any problems communicating.The trekking was not easy but the days were not too long.The trail is 21km to the Lost City with 4 major assents and descents and 9 river crossings.We took 3 days to trek to the city, we had a day at the city and then 2 days to return.We has time to enjoy swimming and relaxing in the river surrounded by beautiful rain forest.
(Only 1350 steps to the city)
(And then a load more steps to tackle)
(View from the top)
(Mixing with the locals)
(Fun with guns)
As is normal with me, I got blisters on the first day so suffered somewhat with the walking and am still suffering now 4 days later but it was all worth it.
The city has 250 plazas of which 170 are accessible.It is a climb up 1350 steps to the bottom of the city and many more to the top.There are loads of staircases covering the mountain side leading to the plazas.The city is guarded by the military to safeguard the tourists.Most are very young, serving a minimum of 2 months in the jungle.
(Still surviving on our last day)
I'd originally planned to stay here for 3 weeks but I loved the country so much I decided to forfeit my flight to Ecuador and stay longer here. The country is so diverse and it is possible to see so much here. Colombia has mountains, Caribbean coast, ancient cities, Amazon rainforest and much more.
I've found the people to be so so nice and friendly as well. On more than one occasion people have gone out of their way to help me. One guy walked me 20 minutes to my hotel when there were no cabs because of the carnival. Another guy took me on a bus to a mall and into a store to enquire about a new camera after mine was dropped. I've been offered rooms in peoples houses to stay and been given emails and phone numbers of people who want to keep in touch.
I can whole-heartedly recommend Colombia as a travel destination but I suggest you learn a bit of Spanish first.
So that brings us about up to date. I'm off the the Amazon tomorrow, flying to a place called Leticia. I will be at the border of Colombia, Brazil and Peru. I hear I can have dinner in Colombia, after dinner drinks in Brazil and go dancing in Peru, all in one night! I'll let you know soon about my jungle adventures.
I hope you are all keeping well and I look forward to any news from you all.
