Well, the first impression wasn't bad, because the lobby looks pretty nice. The rooms are actually not bad, the only problem is that they are TINY. They have nice comfy beds and all that good stuff, but they're just too small. The pool area is okay. It's a lap pool at the roof top of the building, and the gym has a couple treadmills and bikes and that's about it. The breakfast buffet couldn't be better, and if you wanna eat at the hotel or order room service it actually has a reasonable place. NOTE: Be careful if you're eating with somebody else and getting separate checks. They have a weird tendency to mess them up and you'll end up having a bill at the end of your stay that doesn't correspond to what you expected at all, and they won't do anything about it. It happened to a bunch of us.

Seems I have been trying to get settled in for a long time. I have found a job and have been teaching English for almost a month now. Was very nervous at first, but fell naturally into teaching and actually quite enjoy it. Right now I am working with an company that has contracts with international companies to teach their employees English. This is a big thing here as most companies, whether they actually have an institute or not, will send their teachers offsite to give classes. There are tons of international companies here and the ESL market is huge. The only problem is that when living in Bogota, trying to get people to speak with you in Spanish is a challenge. Everyone and their mother wants to practice their English. At the moment, the company is not giving me enough hours and I am beginning to seek out private students. They pay better anyways.

The visa remains an issue. Still trying to work out something to stay here permanently. Feel all is going to be ok, but still can't help freaking out about it.

Although I have only been in Bogota for less than two months. I am now embarking on my third room. I first found a room in an area called Chapinero Alto. I loved the area and it was in great location to transportation and tons of bars and cafes... and clubs. I was renting from this freak of a landlady who was way too anal for my liking. I thought I was cheap, but she takes the cake. I could handle renting from her only one month and then found a room in an area called Candelaria. Candelaria is the oldest part of Bogota, beautiful, packed with universities, bars, this area has all the retro people and hippies, great artesan markets. Overall a great place to live. As far as I know it has most of the best salsa dancing clubs around. Although the area is awesome, I am not digging the people I am living with. I like one guy and get along with him fine. They are all very young college students, smoking dope, listening to music and living in filth. The house I'm renting at and the area I'm living in makes me realize just how old I am.  Thus, have decided to seek a place back in Chapinero.  Sidetracking a little..... people asking your age here is incredibly common and very uncomfortable. That actually is the second question. First, we are you from and then, how old are you. I have come to have them guess and adjust the age by a couple of years up or down depending on the person I am speaking with. More fun that way..... And they all believe me to be a lot younger than I am. In reality, I'd rather not tell people my age and have them believe whatever makes them happy..... :)

Back to the housing situation.....
I met a girl the first night I arrived in Bogota at a couchsurfing meeting. We have been hanging out since and have become quite good friends. We just found an apartment and will be moving in the first of next month. It's a three bedroom, two bath apartment in a great location. Funny thing..... Just how everything works in my life. I was walking on that street last week and thinking that I wanted to find something there. I went to a couple of housing apartments, called cupos, which are for university students.....very much like dorms... and asked around in that area. Nothing was available...... Turns out that a guy I work with rents a room in the same building and asked the owners if there were any rooms available.... There were three rooms in the same apartment. My friend and I are taking two and will be seeking a third flatmate.

Looks like the housing situation is improving.... Now, attention needs to be focused on finding enough private students to make ends meet and taking care of my visa...... Until all that is done, I have very little to say....

Oh, that actually is a lie. The project with the University of Rosario is actually very interesting and has taken a couple of interesting twists  and turns. While thinking that I was going to assist in the project, it seems that I have been relegated to a position of permaculture consultant. When learning that I have worked on permaculture projects and have a certificate in permaculture design, the urban ag team asked that I give them workshops on permaculture. Therefore, yesterday was the first workshop and next there will be a series of 6 workshops on different aspects of permaculture. In addition to this twists, it looks like I will soon be developing a research project and will be working with the university to write a research paper on the project. I have been in contact with a university in toronto about making this a collaborative project, but I am still waiting a response. This same university offers a course online, via the same organization that is supporting the project here.... I'm trying to get in somehow.... I'll find a way...

I promise next, I'll write more about life in Colombia..... For right now, I am totally loving it here. I love the city, the people, the food, the nightlife. There is so much to do and so many opportunities..... I am staying incredibly busy and meeting amazing people...... Right now I don't want to think about leaving....

It was strange to be back in Bogota, for the first time in almost 8 months of traveling I was going somewhere that I had been before, somewhere at least somewhat familiar. Although by now, the beginning of my trip seems so far away but at the same time just like yesterday. I was last in Bogota right around the beginning of the new year. On my first visit I managed to hit the high points such as the gold musuem, Monserrate, and Zipaquira. For this time I wanted to hit a few things that I missed the first time as well as just hang out for the last few days of my vacation. Since I liked Bogota the first time I was here I was also interested to see how it would hold up after the hundreds of other cities that I had visited on my trip.

My first impression was that I had come to the right conclusion after my first stay here. The climate is very nice here, with warm sun during the day but cold at night due to the 8,500 foot elevation. There was some occasional rain, but nothing very heavy and never lasted very long. Compared to the other South American cities I thought that Bogota had the perfect balance between being modern enough without losing much of its traditional culture, that along with the warmth and friendliness of the people makes for a great combination. Since the gold musuem was being renovated the last time I was here I went back to see if they had finished the renovations but sadly they still hadn´t finished and the same temporary collection was on display at the Botero Musuem. The old section of the Candelaria was the same as I remembered but this time I was able to visit the archealogical musuem there that I didn´t get to the first time. The musuem had an extensive collection of pottery from the various indigenous groups in Colombia but sadly they don´t allow you to take pictures. Another musuem that I visited was the Museo Nacional, a huge musuem in what used to be the main prison in Bogota, with extensive collections on the history of Colombia and the discovery of South America with the clash between the Spanish and the native people. Since I wasn´t going back up to Monserrate I decided to go up to the top of Colpatria tower, located in downtown Bogota, where there is a viewpoint on the 46th floor and excellent panoramic views of the city. As it was Sunday, the main street, the Septima, was closed to traffic and filled with cyclists, rollerbladers, and walkers and the sidewalks were lined with vendors and some performers, a nice and pleasant atmosphere. 

Nearby the tower is the Plaza de Toros and luckily my visit happened to coincide with the 12th annual Summer Festival and they were holding free bullfights on Saturday and Sunday. I hadn´t been able to catch a bullfight yet in South America so I was interested to see this traditional cultural event. The stadium was packed with people and the bulls were as big as 350kg and the crowd really got going when some of the matadors performed some behind the back olays and other daring maneuvers. This was especially true at the end after the alcohol that everyone was consuming had taken affect. Although the whole spectacle was rather gruesome and led to some families taking their crying kids away, it was definitely authentic South American.

I also made a trip to San Andresito, a big marketplace where they sell all sorts of gray and black market goods and discounted items such as sunglasses, watches, electronic stuff, perfume, and footwear. There are some stalls selling pirated movies for about $1.50 a disc and they have seriously extensive catalogs of movies with everything you could want. Some 15 blocks away is the central market in Bogota where they have all sorts of different tropical fruits and juices that are so good, something I´ll certainly miss once I get back to the United States.

Amidst the immense complex of city parks is the Botanical Garden. Bogota´s elevation and climate give it the versatility to support many kinds of plants and the outdoor collection of plants ranges from paramo to cloud forest to semi-arid forests. There is an indoor greenhouse that contains every warmer habitat from tropical rainforest, complete with artificial rain from the sprinklers, to total desert in the very next room.

Considering the other big South American cities I found Bogota to be my favorite. While Buenos Aires, my second favorite, was also very nice, the problem with Buenos Aires is that in many parts of the city you could look around and what you would see could literally place you anywhere in the world. It is nice enough but it doesn´t really have any charisma or anything to really draw you in, in addition to being so touristed, which also makes things less enticing. I´m glad that I was fortunate enough to spend my last few days here but now, after 8 months on the road, it is finally time to go home.

Cathedral De Sal in Zipaquira, Colombia is an underground cave cathedral that is made entirely of salt(tried tasting it, and i really assure you that it is very salty). The place is a very solemn place to visit and usually gets busy during the holy week. A lot of walking but very rewarding to see. On the way to the altar, you'll be passing the fifteen station of the cross. Each station offers a unique sculpture of the cross. The place is cold to visit even during the summer so it is always recommended to wear something warm. Always bring your bottled water, there is no store or market that sells water inside the cathedral. The rock formation is just awesome!!!

i arrived back in bogota, in some strange domestic terminal and took a cab into the unknown. but no reason to worry, my last two days in bogota were a blast! she took really good care of me and we visited everything i missed on my first stay.

we went up to monserrate by cablecar where the sunset over bogota is just breathtaking. one can see the huge dimensions of this city. i also found a nice colombian-themed hammock for my balcony and, i felt really touristy, the miniature botero sculptures ('fat horse' & 'fat cat' :) )

last but not least we went to cha cha, the nightclub high up in the former hilton building in the middle of the city. it was one of the most impressive locations for a club i've seen so far. not as posh as i expected (or it used to be) but still a very nice way of spending your time at night! :)

2 weeks really is too short for a trip like that and it felt really bad to return home already... a rtw trip just spoils every future short trip as a comparison :) nevertheless i embarked on the adventure iberia for the second time and with the help of the colombian sleep/anti-motionsickness pills time passed quickly (not without waking up in the middle of the 'night' having no choice other than watching a coldplay concert on the monitors and hoping to fall asleep again asap). the 4h stopover in madrid was terribly boring again and i was almost happy to see the branded-travelling-gear wearing swiss people at the terminal, swinging their cameras around finishing their (i'm sure) immensly interesting travel videos about their adventures of 2 weeks in a 5 star hotel in patagonia ;)

I can say one thing... It feels so nice to actually stop living out of my backpack. Eight months on traveling, few showers if there were showers they were cold. Holes in the ground for toilets, overnight buses. Going to a new place almost everyday. Eight months and what a ride that has been.

I will say that I never thought I would make such a journey. I learned so much - about myself and only a little about the countries I visited. I think traveling has reinforced a couple of things.

One, we are all the same. We speak different languages, live different lifestyles, have different cultures, but I would have to say that there is one thread that ties everyone and everyplace together.... The drive to survive and obtain. Because of this insatiable desire to acquire that has virtually seen the end of almost every culture based on communitarian lifestyle and free from a monetary system that makes slaves out of everyone, every city in every country is exactly the same.... Trying to live, sell, gain and obtain......

Two, as much as I travel, I will know and understand the most minuscule dynamic of each country I visit. There is so much history that makes the people who they are - they don't even understand it. I learned that it would take a lifetime to understand one person in one pueblo. This is overwhelming especially for a traveler.. But, it is also extremely exciting. No matter how many countries I see and experience, there is always so much more to understand and see. A world beyond worlds... An understanding that will probably keep me driven for the rest of my life.

Three, I hate to admit it, but I have come to see how very intense language and cultural differences can be in communication and relationships. I have always preferred relationships with people from other countries, but I will have to admit that although the same culture as my own is not ideal, I will have to say that the same language is virtually fundamental. There is so much culture, local understanding, history in a language that language barriers are critical to relationships. People of the same language have insane issues regarding lack of communication and misunderstanding. We will never understand someone from a different country. In political relations, business dealings, personal relationships across language and cultural barriers is like trying to ice skate on a lake lightly topped with frost. The base of war and hatred of others in not understanding. How can we even hope to overcome this?

Well, there is still so much to learn.... I am now in Bogota. I have moved into my new room a couple of days ago. Amazing the difference of having one place to return to, the same bed to sleep on... Wonderful. Never thought how nice it would be to settle down for a bit- especially in light of my love of traveling.... I have secured a job, but think I want to keep looking. I know I'll find something soon.

The journey back up from Rosario was by far the most grueling experience. A total of nearly seven days on buses. I did stop in Mancora for four days to take a break. I traveled up from Rosario, Argentina to Mancora, Peru in four days. I was really wanting to see how I could make the trip straight, but on my way up to the border of Peru and Ecuador, I noticed that my legs were swollen twice there normal size. Four days sitting in a bus with only an occasional stop to transfer buses and go to the toilet took a toll on me. But, glad I made that stop. Relaxing on the beach for a couple of days was much needed. A friend told me once that you have to stay in a country until you like it. At first, I hated Peru. But I came to love three main places: Mancora, the beach town near the Ecuadorian border, Ollaytantambo near Cuzco - the most beautiful must see place and Arequipa a city I fell in love with and could easily have lived in.

After four days in Mancora, I journeyed straight to Bogota which took about 2 1/2 days. I had decided to go overland from Rosario because of the price of flights and I also want to do as much overland travel as I can. The flight from Buenos Aires to Bogota would have cost more than $700 one way.

For anyone wanting to make that same trek, below is a breakdown of cost and time...... What a ride...

From Rosario to Bogota it cost approximately $200.50. Remember guys, I bargain hard, take as much small buses and collectivos as possible. I travel cheap. It can be done, but very uncomfortable.

It took 147 hours to travel from Rosario to Bogota. This does not include the time I stopped in Mancora. It takes approximately 6 1/2 days to make the trip straight.

Below is the route that was taken:

Rosario crossing the Bolivian border at from La Quiaca, Argentina and Villazon, Bolivia. Villazon straight up to La Paz. A bus from La Paz to Desguardero border crossing with Peru. From there, I went to Arequipa, then to Lima.. Quicker and cheaper that way. From Lima to Piura and then to Mancora. I crossed the very strange and sketchy border crossing at Hauquilles between Peru and Ecuador along the coast. I don´t suggest you do this. It is better to cross via Macara, then up through Loja. It may take a little longer, but the border crossing is so much safer and straight forward. If you do go through Tumbes, it is best if you take a bus directly to the border that will stop off at immigration. Tumbes and Hauquilles is very sketchy and the distance between immigration on the Peruvian side and Ecuadorian side is lengthy and you will have to change cabs a couple of times. Very unsafe. Met a German guy who had all his stuff stolen as the cab drove off with his stuff. Wasn´t sure if he was telling the truth or not as he as asking help pay for bus fair to Quito.... Still, everyone was telling me not to cross by myself. Got ripped off from the bus fair from Mancora to Quito. Buses are much cheaper on the other side of the border of Ecuador. Save yourself the hassle and don´t cross here. From there I got a bus direct to Quito. From Quito to the border town of Tulcan to Ipiales, Colombia. From there a bus directly to Cali and the straight to Bogota.

If you ever decide to do this.... Good luck!

I am now in Bogota, embarking on a different part of the journey. Urban Agriculture is the main reason I'm here. I've got ideas... I wait to see how they all pan out. Will be teaching English - have yet to land a job. Will be starting Spanish studies as soon as I can get settled in and of course there is always salsa. Unfortunately, it is not as big here as in Cali, but I have yet to get into the salsa scene.

Until next time.

Llegamos a Bogota a las 5 de la tarde, y nuestro vuelo sale a las 4.50 am del otro dia. Nuestra espera se hizo interminable y ya estabamos cansado, por suerte nuestro espirituestaba bien alto ya que todo el viaje habia salido muy bien sin inconvenientes.

Cuando abrieron la ventanilla de LAB fuimos a averiguar por nuestro vuelo y para nuestra sorpresa, ya estabamos acostumbrados a esa altura, nos informan que el vuelo de partida se iba a retrasar, asi que nos pagaron la cena y nos llevaron a un hotel hasta la mañana siguiente que nos recogerian para la partida. Todo esto pagado por la aerolinea.

Yo no podia creer que nos pasara esto, en Argentina es muy comun que se demoren los vuelos por huelga de empleados o por falta de mantenimiento de las aeronaves, pero nunca pense que me tocara a mi estar tirado en un aeropuerto por horas sin saber que pasaba.

Por suerte nos reconocieron la cena y el hotel que se hizo cargo la aerolinea, ya estabmos entregado a la desicion de ellos, esto significaba llegar un dia mas tarde a casa y tener que llegar con retraso al trabajo.

Este dia nos despertamos un poco mas tarde ya que tendriamos que viajar toda la nocha hasta Santa Marta. Dimos una ultima vuelta por el centro de Bogota cambiamos algunos dolares en una casa de cambio del centro comercial, aqui se encuentran la mayoria de los bancos y tambien muchas casas donde venden esmeraldas y aqui fue donde mejor diferencia de cambio encontramos. Volvimos al hotel a recoger las mochilas y partir rumbo a la terminal de autobuses.

A las 15.00 partimos en un largo viaje rumbo a Santa Marta, por suerte no tuvimos ningun incoveniente, con algunas paradas en el camico para cenar. El bus no era de los mas comodos pero algo pudimos dormir en el trayecto.

June 5 – 26. Living High Life in Wonderful and Truly Metropolitan Bogota

The city gets 7 mm people and sits at 2,600m above sea level. I lived in a little “hospedaje” in Bogota’s historical center La Candelaria. I was steps away from jazz, Latin rhythms, tango parties, outstanding museums and excellent cuisine. One downside – average temperature is 14C all year round and it rains every other day. Finally I feel like my cultured self is at ease (it hasn’t been like that since Mexico City).

Don’t miss the Botero museum. Botero, the contemporary Colombian painter, makes you laugh. I rarely laugh that hard in museums.

Also, Bogota beats even Mexico City in terms of shopping opportunities. Half an hour by bus from the city center, in La Zona Industrial, there’s a district called Las Americas. It is full of outlets carrying authentic Diesel, Armani, Ives Saint Laurent, Givenchi. One can easily spend a whole week browsing through and getting original stuff at affordable prices (I only spent four J days…).

And it’s worth mentioning how much more relaxed I felt in Colombia where tourists are rare and locals don’t perceive foreigners as a source of income. Though, I admit, robberies happen even in La Candelaria – Martin and Jane, my German friends, were robbed 50m away from their hostel just 5 min before I joined them for a planned dinner.

Bogota became my home over the three weeks. I truly lived my settled life there – life with daily errands and pretty fixed routine. Mornings – numerous visits to Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Security Administration to fix the issue of being illegal in Colombia. A Russian who is illegal in Colombia – sounds quite naturally, doesn’t it? Afternoons – planning my next year of LIVING AROUND THE WORLD, i.e. tons of e-mails, data mining on Internet, numerous phone calls on Yahoo Messenger and Skype J Evenings – a two-hour class in stretching where I went beyond my perceived physical limits, thanks to my beautiful teacher Linda.

Running my settled life in Bogota brought me to so many great people. People at Security Administration, who listened to me and went an extra mile to resolve my illegal status issue. Roberto and Lus, who run Hospedaje Cacique Sugamuxi and who made my stay there “at home – like” experience. Ladies in the next door comedor who would fix my regular huevos pericos for breakfast and pollo a la plancha for lunch J. Henry, a former Dominican priest, who opened my eyes on the truly comfortable reality of religion as a profession. Daniel, 2005 argentine tango world champion, who found a seat for me at his overbooked dance show. My wonderful friend and teacher Linda, who led me to [formerly] unthinkable heights in mastering my body and brought me to see new precious perspectives on my Self. Linda’s family who kindly opened the doors of their home for me and let me witness the privacy of alma Colombiana.

My time in Bogota made me positive about one aspect of the next year or two of my LIVING AROUND THE WORLD. I want to change its format from backpacking to sort of settled with one major base in each country that I explore.

May 30 – June 4. Ciudad Perdida – Colombian Major Ruin

A nice and relaxed hike to Ciudad Perdida. 50km roundtrip with one day at the ruins. The ruins are nothing compare to Tikal or Chichen-Itza. The local civilization never achieved the level of Maya or Azteca sophistication. But the location and vistas are totally worth doing the trip.

It was a great chance to slow down and make new friends. There were 6 of us representing Russia, Germany, Israel, Britain, and Italy. Walter, our Colombian guy demonstrated outstanding professionalism and patience. And I know what I am talking about J.

Interesting fact I learnt from Colombian solders patrolling Ciudad Perdida trail. Colombian military get Israeli sub-machine guns, which are designed after Kalashnikov AK-74. Guerillas and paramilitaries fight government forces with Bulgaria-made AK-47. Tom, the guy on our team who served 4 years in Israeli army, confirmed that original AK is way more reliable than its Israeli replica, particularly in wet conditions.

Turcol and Sierra Tours run the expedition. General notion is that Turcol gets more experienced guides. Here’s its web-site: http://www.hosteltrail.com/turcol/. My personal recommendation is to directly contact Walter Hinojoza at +57 313 536-0194 (Spanish only). You won’t save money as he works through Turcol but you’ll feel as safe and comfortable on the trail as it can be. If you go with him ask for Enrique story !

May 23 – May 29. Colonial Cartagena

Cartagena historical center is by far the true gem of colonial Colombia. And I think it rivals its Central American peers – San Christobal, Antigua and Granada. The City Wall and El Castillo de San Fernando strike your imagination. Spaniards spent 200 years building the fortification complex that can easily be comparable to the Great Pyramid volume-wise.

Cartagena is the place to splurge. Balcones de Ballardo is BY FAR the best value hotel in the historical district and I checked at least 15 hotels there. Great location, balcony, rooftop terrace offering views over tile roofs of old Cartagena, breakfast, impeccably clean roofs, hot water, wi-fi Internet – all of that for $44 (single room). It is easy to find in the tiny downtown.

And in the Central Park there are plenty of huge iguanas and a sloth family. Watching female sloth (with a baby) feeding might take a whole afternoon – the animal gets no fear of humans and even eats off hands !

May 18 – May 22. Sailing (well, motor boating actually) to Colombia

Julia went to Costa Rica to start her Dive Master program and I was going to get a glimpse of Colombia prior to leaving for Russia to renew my passport.

Taking a sailboat from Panama to Cartagena sounded like fun. Humberto Guzman, our captain, appeared to be a highly educated and very amicable guy, great cook also. If you choose doing such a trip, go with him (e-mail: humbertog07@yahoo.com, cell: +57 310 360-6199) and enjoy his wonderful alma colombiana, his talent of a real chef and good singing (you will need to bring your guitar for that J). Avoid captain Freddy (Frederico), a Colombian guy, he canceled the trip the very last moment leaving me and 5 other people hanging high and dry.

Boat trip might be a superb experience if you are a born sailor. I am not. First night I was puking and didn’t sleep at all. One day stop at a little island of San Blas archipelago was a major relief before we took off for a two-day open sea trip to Cartagena. I didn’t puke but I hardly ate either. Though our afternoon stops with swimming in the open sea, looking into bottomless Deep Blue, jumping from the boat nose, as well as befriending Kuna Indians on San Blas islands and watching a dozen of dolphins racing with our boat for a good hour – all of that well compensated the pain of sea-sickness.

The best part of the trip was meeting great people. We became friends and companions with Jane and Martin from Germany. Three of us explored Cartagena, Santa Marta, Bogota and went to 6 day hike to Ciudad Perdida. Hiroto from Japan taught me basic expressions in Japanese and I learned the proper way of pronouncing McDonald’s in Japanese. That knowledge proved to be essential later on in my travels J Ester from Netherlands inspired a sculptor in me. Ester created a sand statue lying on an island beach. Seeing that I got into the zone ! My creature was sitting on sand and watching the calm see. I saw him as an indigenous cacique whereas Ester was sure I created an incredible Hulk.

April 22 – May 21. Exploring Panama.

Panama City was a true surprise for both Julia and me. It is the only spot of stereotypical western civilization in the whole Central America. Ultra-modern skyscrapers, bustling banking industry, multi-billion construction project to increase Panama canal capacity, Mercedes and BMWs zipping through Zona Bancaria, national ballet (even Merida in Mexico is yet to create one !), beautiful waterfront – all of that made us nostalgic of Chicago.

We stayed in Panama City for a month making just two short side trips. One was to mountainous western Panama, the land of European settlers, manicured countryside and Volcan Baru, Panama’s highest peak. Baru is a very unique place in the whole Western Hemisphere. Other than Cape Horn, Baru is the only spot from where one can see both Atlantic and Pacific oceans. That was a good enough reason to climb the peak.

Also, I wanted to set another personal climbing record. In one shot I made three ! First, it was my longest day hike – I walked 42.2km (marathon distance) in 12 hours. Second, it was the largest elevation gain/drop for a roundtrip day hike – 2,415m – I started at 1,060m reached the 3,475m summit and got back to my base. Third J is a funny one: Baru is the only country’s tallest peak on my list that I climbed in sandals ! Julia, though, got a more impressive record – she climbed El Pital, El Salvador’s tallest peak wearing flip-flops.

The other side trip was to Portobelo to enjoy diving in Caribbean waters. Nothing impressive, except for a sunken two-engine plane donated by Panama Airlines to the divers in 1996. The good thing is that diving in Portobelo is one of the cheapest I had ever heard of. Local dive shops let you go on your own without a dive master, and a two tank dive costs less than $50 including equipment, air, and a boat trip to dive sites. We went with Scuba Portobelo, a part of Scuba Panama (www.scubapanama.com) . Don’t take their overpriced package tours from Panama City. Instead, take a bus (ask the driver to drop you at the gate, 5km before Portobelo town) or drive there and arrange your diving adventure in the shop.

April 3 – April 21. Costa Rica Revisited

My second trip to Costa Rica proved to be the most challenging of all my Latin adventures. Costa Ricans changed entry requirements for Russians in February 2008 as reciprocity because Russians introduced visa requirements for Costa Ricans a month prior. I didn’t know about that and ended up returning to Nicaragua for 10 days after waiting in line for 7 hours at Costa Rican border.

As soon as I finally got to San Jose and found Julia safe and sound waiting for me, we took off for Corcovado National Park. I dreamed about that place for half a year. The best way to explain why just imagine an ocean front jungle where in one day you can see wild ant-eaters, sloth, all the four types of monkey living in Central America, guatis, macaws, tapirs, and if you are lucky – puma. I observed a tapir enjoying late morning mud bath. I was just 3m away from the largest terrestrial animal of Latin America and the guy didn’t even look at me. Apparently tapirs see creatures like me on a daily basis as local guides bring dozens of tourists to their bathing spots.

The heyday of my Corcovado adventures was my rendezvous with puma. Julia didn’t join me that day so I had to enjoy the encounter all by myself. The animal was asleep right next to the trail. I only saw her back and couldn’t even imagine that I was literally a foot away from puma! My brain was telling me “Obviously it’s a light skin deer, who else it could be next to the tourist trail ?!” A moment later the animal sensed I was there and jumped away covering over 2m in one move. Puma stood right in front of me looking straight into my eyes. To say that I was terribly surprised encountering a wild puma would be to say nothing. I nearly peed my pants J Not because I was afraid. No! I was THAT lucky to get such a gift from the Jungle.

I could see the puma was not going to charge, instead her eyes were silently asking “What are you going to do to me? You are not going to hurt me, are you?” I pulled my camera phone and made several shots while the animal was carefully going around me. I wanted some better perspective and followed puma for 20m or so. She stopped and looked at me in quite different way. Her attentive eyes made me remember that I was following an adult puma, at least 80sm tall and 170-180sm long if standing on her rear legs. Ooops! Now it was my turn to feel what the animal felt just a minute before. I backed up and only turned my back on puma after she continued her way down to the river.

April 8 was the first year anniversary of my LIVING AROUND THE WORLD and it turned out to be a very tragic day. Julia and I were hiking along 17km jungle trail from one of Corcovado’s deep jungle camps to the research station on the Pacific coast. We started the hike in a company of a young biologist who came to Corcovado straight from a university town in South Dakota. After a short while the guy got ahead of us and we were only seeing him during short breaks. We were 7km away from the research station when he suddenly collapsed at one of those stops. Julia stayed in the jungle with the man and I ran for help. Two and half hours later we were back with a ranger. It was too late. The young man was in agony. I started delivering chest compressions and mouth to mouth breathing but the ranger stopped me a minute later – qualified help was a day away leaving no hope for the guy. Later on we asked what had caused the young man’s death but such information would only be communicated to his family members.

My realization was shocking: chances of survival are really slim once something serious happens to a person in deep jungle and when every minute counts. Even though I had my satellite phone, the canopy was too dense, and I could only get a signal an hour later as I reached the first clear spot - the airstrip of research station.

Three days of surfing practice at Playa Tamarindo helped us to get emotionally balanced after the shock. I was very excited to see my progress – by the end of my third day there I could catch a wave and stand on a 190sm board ! And it was not just luck – I was consistent.

And then Julia and I went to Panama. We thought we were lucky to get tickets to a sold out bus just 20min before the departure. Just 7hrs later our San Jose – Panama bus missed a curve, went off the road and rolled over. Julia and I only got bruised. 60% of passengers were hospitalized, two in critical condition. It looked as if the bus driver was trying to avoid a head-on collision with a taxi that was passing a truck. I saw that careless taxi but the real problem, I think, is Costa Rican roads. Despite the “primary tourist destination in Latin America” reputation, Costa Rica gets the worst roads in Central America. By far ! Guess where Panamerican highway is the narrowest and least marked ? The curve that sent our bus rolling didn’t even have a road shoulder, which could’ve changed the destiny of many people that night.

The moral is – when traveling by bus in Central America take your own safety belt. Even international buses there don’t have such a thing. Mexico is the only Latin country where safety belts are a norm on some bus lines.

March 9 – April 2. Gringo Trail in Nicaragua.

After conquering Mogoton we visited Leon, Managua and Granada. We liked democratic Leon filled with rocking chairs, we were OK with Managua’s hustle and bustle, but we fell in love with Granada. Despite all the touristy stuff the city somehow stole our hearts. Once you leave Antigua in Guatemala, Granada would be your next stop for colonial ambiance, first class dining options and boutique hotels. More and more Europeans and Americans choose to settle down in Granada bringing with them western standards of customer service and wider food options.

Enjoying Italian, French and Japanese cuisine after a long pause was great for our stomach, but the heart was looking for something more authentic. Café Nuit is THE SALSA place in Granada. Every night they have live music there. Oh! That music shows you what it is to be alive ! Our pics tell more than words J

Nicaragua gets over a dozen of active volcanoes making it a wonderful destination for volcano climbers. One of the best volcano hikes are Madera and Concepcion on Isla de Ometepe in Lake Nicaragua. Hiking Madera was like climbing a vertical swamp. At times we were deep knee in volcanic mud, at times - literally hanging on tree roots making our way up.

Concepcion was a different story – no vegetation and technically easy but still physically demanding climb. I strongly suggest climbing Concepcion WITHOUT a guide. Madera guides are doing great job, whereas many Concepcion guides seem to be a bunch of bustards. Their trick is to bring people 2/3 of the way up and then tell them some bullshit about too strong of a wind or the danger of eruption. People buy that, come down and pay the guides the agreed price.

I’ve heard lots of stories like that and decided to find my own way to the summit. I and three other backpackers climbed Concepcion’s northern slope. The last third of the hike was straight up a 40% (!!!) gravel slope. It is hard, man ! Add a 40mph wind to that and you know why local guys trick their customers – they just don’t want any extra effort for the money they charge. I hate that pobrecito mentality. In case you really want to go with a guide tell him this upfront: “I pay only if you bring me to the summit”. When starting the hike ask how much water the guide has on him. If he gets less than a liter (one 600ml bottle in most cases) – be sure he is going to trick you. There’s no water on the slope and making the 8hr hike even on one liter of liquid is virtually impossible.

Paul (Switzerland), Rob (Canada), Theo (Belgium) and I reached the summit at 10am. It was still cloudy. If you plan your climb in March – try to reach the summit after 12pm – by that time the clouds are gone. Even if you start descent at 2pm – you have enough time to make it down before it gets dark at 6pm.

Plenisphere put the idea of travelling to Colombia on my mind. Plenisphere must be one of those people who really have a severe case of travel-itis and  ( I suspect) must have spent most of his waking hours  researching about places where he want to go next. Plenisphere said Bogota is one of the world's safests cities for women (at least based on his research). Something that I find prespoterous. I always associate Colombia with drug cartels and drug related violence, so how can Bogota  be safe for women (or for any human being for that matter?)?

It was during the Asian Clean Energy forum held in the ADB headquarters in Manila that my perspective on Bogota changed.  One of the main speakers of the forum is former Bogota mayor Enrique Penalosa in which he talked about how to make a city both ecologically and socially sustainable. And what is a better model for that than Bogota - where traffic jam is practically non-existent, pedestrians can walk safely, and children aren't scared to play in the streets?  Penalosa, has been largely credited for making Bogota for what it is now.      
As Penalosa himself said, "a good city must be planned, designed and built around the needs of PEOPLE, not the needs of cars."

Wich is why for Penalosa constructing more highways won't solve traffic jams. Rather, it's having a more efficient public transport system and encouraging people to use the bike, instead of a car, for mobility. In Bogota, at least based on what Penalosa said (and the pictures of Bogota that he presented), Bogota is definitely lovely, the street looks clean, there are buses that transport people, and there are bike lanes which enable people to bike safely.  And if only for that I'd love to go to Bogota, just to know for myself if Penalosa's Bogota is for real. 

Of course anyone in any city can bike to work, but try doing that in Manila. Not only would a biker get dirty from the fumes, he/she might get mugged, or killed - by a speeding bus, jeepney or car or get his/her lungs poisoned by dirty air pollution. I dont ride a bike (one of the many motoring skills that a klutz like me could hardly master)  but I agree with what Penalosa said about bikes:  
"A protected bicycle way is a symbol of democracy. It shows that a citizen on a $ 40 bicycle is equally important as one on a $ 40,000 car."
Bikes are very democratic and environment friendly and people should use it.

But then, planning a city such as Bogota also requires a change in the city folks attritude and I don't see Pinoys giving up their fondness for cars. It doesn't matter if it's second hand or that they can barely afford to pay the installments or that a car is not a worth investment as its value depreciates, for most Filipinos, having a car is a status symbol. I remembered one media coleague who was so obsessed to buy a car that she begged her brother to lend her money to purchase a car - something which she deems really important as she's one person who really loves to brag and showing off a brand new car is the way for her to cover up her insecurities. Filipinos will always buy a car instead of investing it on education or mutual funds. (another colleague who chose to sell her car told me that she'd rather spend her money traveling instead of paying for car maintenance. I sooo agree with her).   Not to mention that well, in Manila, it's really difficult to be mobile without a car.

  
But changing a mindset wil take a perhaps a lifetime to do. That said, there are few things that can be done which can actually reduce car use. As Penalosa said, people don't use the public transport system because they care for the environment. what will encourage people to use the transport system is to make it more efficient and affordable. Which is why, unlike the crowded and oh so inconvenient MRT in Metro Mabnila (have you tried climbing the steep stairs which can give you a heart attack and queing for tickets here?) - MRT is the way to in Singapore and Bangkok. Trains in both cities are clean, air conditioned and efficient. I never stopped telling my friends that in the Lion City, learning how to drive a car is NOT a necessary motor skill. But in the Philippines, where public transport system sucks, it's just easier and convenient to buy a car. 

Amanece un dia soleado, muy lindo, hace un poco de frio unos 10 grados aproximadamente ya que Bogota se encuentra a mas de 2600 metros de altura, el sol calienta rapido, desayunamos bien temprano en un localcito en la calle cerca del hotel y nos fuimos a la base del cerro Monserrate para subir a la cima que esta ubicada a 3160 metros y asi tener una vista general de la ciudad de Bogota. La idea de ir bien temprano para poder ver la ciudad antes que el smog tapara todo, lo cual ocurrio al poco tiempo de estar arriba. Subimos en el funicular ni bien abrio, eramos los primeros en llegar. Cuando llegamos arriba la vista de la ciudad era espectacular, si bien ya habia un poco de smog nos permitio tomar algunas fotografias de la capital. Recorrimos todo el sitio que es muy lindo, con muchas flores y todo muy limpio. En la cima se encuentra una ermita que data del siglo XVII , tambien abre un mercado de artesanias que cuando nosotros nos ibamos recien empezaban a abrir.

Cuando bajamos nos tomamos un taxi hacia la terminal de autobuses para reservar el pasaje a Santa Marta y conseguimos sin problema para el dia siguiente a las 15.00, aprovechamos y almorzamos en la terminal.

Por la tarde regresamos a La Candelaria y terminamos de recorrer los lugares que nos habian quedado pendientes del dia anterior.

Finalmente llegamos a Bogota, la capital de este lindo pais. Aproximadamente a las 07.30 am, hicimos los tramites en aduana y pasamos a recoger nuestras mochilas, que un poco maltrechas llegaron a destino, yo tenia un poco de miedo que se extraviaran por tantos cambios de vuelos y conecciones. Pasamos por los controles policiales que te revisan hasta el ultimo bolsillo, quiero comentarles que aqui la policia es un poco celosa y tienen sus motivos. Es un pais con muchos problemas con la guerrilla, en este tema no me quiero meter pero recomiendan no viajar de noche en lo posible. Cuando llegamos al aeropuerto encontramos un monton de afiches en las paredes de miembros de las Farc que se buscan y sobre los cuales ofrecen recompesas, esto hace que uno sienta un poco de temor por lo que se escucha sobre secuestros a turistas que pasan por Colombia, pero bueno en todos lados creo que existen problemas si uno se deja llevar por todo los peligros que se pueden encontrar no viajariamos a ningun lado, en realidad no se podria salir de casa, debemos tomar todas las precauciones y no andar en lugares peligrosos sobre todo a altas horas de la noche.

Lo primero es cambiar unos dolares en una casa de cambio, a este momento estaba 1 dollar a 2200 pesos colombiano, pero este cambio varia dia a dia. Tambien pasamos por la oficina de exencion de itasas, donde te ponen un sello en el pasaporte y con esto te ahorras un 50% de impuesto al salir.

Pasamos por el mostrador de aerorepublica donde reservamos los vuelos desde Cartagena a San Andres y regreso a Bogota. Quiero comentarles que me gusta viajar independiente, solo compro el aereo ida y vuelta, el resto lo decido durante el viaje, esto me permite moverme con comodidad sin depender de lugares y horarios, osea que me quedo en un lugar el tiempo que haga falta o me voy antes si no vale la pena. Oviamente antes del viaje me informo sobre hoteles, medios de transportes, horarios, etc. Esto tambien me sirve para intercambiar con la gente comun del lugar, o sea gente que no esta relacionada con el turismo, que te muestran solamente los lugares preparados para los turistas. Siempre tengo programado ver  mas lugares de los que realmente me alcanza el tiempo, pero bueno esto tambien sirve para quedarse con un poquito de ganas para volver.

Llamamos por telefono y reservamos en el Hotel Regina, carrera 5 n15-16, te 3345138, en la zona de La Candelaria en el centro de Bogota, un hotel economico $65000 Habitacion doble con baño privado. Me gusto por la ubicacion desde donde saldriamos a recorrer Bogota.

Luego para no desaprovechar el dia, por la tarde nos vamos al museo del oro ubicado a 1 cuadra del hotel y como es domingo la entrada es gratuita, otro ahorrito. Un museo muy interesante que no hay que dejar de visitar. Cuenta con tres plantas en las cuales cada una de ellas estan dedicadas a distintas tematicas. Hay piezas de oro realmente interesantes.

Cuando salimos del museo fuimos a recorrer un poco la zona de La Candelaria, una de las mas recomendables. Zona antigua y con edificios coloniales. La Catedral, el Parque Santander, el Banco de la Republica, Iglesia de la Veracruz, La Tercera, San Francisco, Palacio de Justicia, Plaza de Bolivar, etc. y asi podria nombrar un monton de edificios mas, todos muy interesantes. Un comentario para tener en cuenta, aqui como en todas las capitales de sudamerica hay muchos mendigos pidiendo limosnas, pero cuidado tratar de evitarlos en lo posible ya que son un poco pesados y te siguen por todos lados y ademas te insultan cuando no consiguen algo. Asi finalizo nuestra primera jornada en Bogota, tempranito fuimos a cenar y a dormir ya que estabamos muy cansados y al otro dia teniamos que madrugar.

After three days, including one cancelled flight, I finally made it to the last continent on my world tour, starting in Bogota, Colombia.  Luckily it´s been a week since my journey so I no longer care to complain about some of the hassles I dealt with in LAX, but being on U.S. soil was strange and a bit depressing really.  I think I glimpsed what I will feel like when my trip comes to an end.

But here I am, still on the road and glad for it!  A good friend´s brother´s fiance named Emilse lives in Bogota, although she is working on getting a green card and moving to Minnesota soon.  She greeted me at the airport (where I was barked at for not speaking Español), along with her English teacher, and off we went.  She lives with her family, including her father, mother, sister and son, brother and wife and their son.  It is not unusual for families to live together in the same house, with everyone working and helping out the entire family.  Anyway, they live in the northern suburbs of Bogota in a house above a bread shop.  Emilse gave me her room while I stayed with her family.  The Colombians are very hospitable people and I hurt for nothing during my stay. I wasn´t even allowed to pay for anything.  They fed me huge meals and Emilse took me all around the city.  We had such fun together.  She is a doll, and I´m happy she will be moving to the States. 

The old part of town in Bogota, called La Candelaria, reminded me of a European city, including having a central square. The architecture is amazing.  Inside some of the buidings you can see the large wood beams and the colors on the outside are so rich.  We took a funicular up to Cerro de Monserrate, a 3160 meter peak that is home to a church and provides a great lookout for the city.  Incidentally, Bogota itself is about 2600 meters above sea level (the third highest capital in S. America) and the temperture was very cool.  I so enjoyed needing to wear my fleece again at night.  Emilse and I also toured some museums, including one that featured works by Botero, a famous painter/sculptor from here.  You can easily recognize his work by his unique style of painting all his figures as very fat (gordo).  I also tried many foods, including a soup called ajiaco that has chicken, corn and potatoes.  Chicken is a main feature in many of the dishes here.  I also tried chicha, a thick, alcoholic brew made out of something I can´t remember, and another alcoholic tea-like drink with spices.  Both were tasty.  Emilse´s family fed me so much I needed to leave Bogota just to contain how much weight I´d gain from my visit!

Aside from all the usual attractions, the main highlight was staying with Emilse´s family.  They were so friendly and welcoming.  I must admit at first I was very nervous.  I took Spanish in undergrad some ten years ago now, so I am not completely unfamiliar with the language, but talk about crash course.  Emilse speaks some English, but her family does not, and a few times she had to go to work, leaving me to piece together conversations.  So I spent a lot of time at the kitchen table with my books and they with theirs, each of us trying to put sentences together to create a dialogue.  I actually remember more than I expected but I have a long way to go.  For the first time on my trip, speaking the local language is a must.  In other countries, I was usually spoken to in English, and I never felt guilty about only speaking English. Learning to say hello, thank you, good bye was usually sufficient.  However, here I have a guilt complex about not being fluent in Spanish, maybe because everyone comes up to me and starts carrying on in Spanish, and most of the other travelers even speak Spanish.  I´ve been yelled at in Spanish a few times, usually by Latinas.  Not sure what that is about. It´s definitely the most challenging travel for me thus far.  It is forcing me to learn quickly, though, and I can actually understand a lot more than I expected.

The other challenge here is safety.  I think most people picture drugs and violence when they think of Colombia, but the current president has done a lot in the way of changing that image.  I actually feel quite safe, owing to the fact there are police on every corner.  The men are required to serve for one year after high school in the police force.  They stand in pairs on the corners and are on motorbikes and just strolling everywhere.  There are also civilians on motorbikes with colored vests on that are also apparently security. They follow the public buses and just patrol the streets.  Despite all this extra security, Emilse was constantly reminding me of the dangers of Bogota.  She´s had jewelry stolen off of her before. Some of the ATMs are rigged to take your cards, so she showed me how to test that the ATM was safe.  One morning we spent an hour over breakfast trying to figure out how I was going to get home from the center of town (a 30 minute taxi ride).  Emilse needed to head to work from the center, so I would have to take a taxi alone back.  I´d already witnessed one taxi driver try to give her back the incorrect change, and the other concern was that I would get taken on a city tour rather than to my destination.  You´d think after traveling this long I would´ve thought of this one myself, but Emilse came up with the plan for me to go to a hotel and use their fleet of taxis.  In the end I had no problems getting back. 

There are reasons to be on guard, so I travel with very little money and watch my bag very carefully.  Having said that, Colombia is not unique to this problem.  Getting your stuff stolen is a concern in every city, even my home town.  There are parts of Colombia you just don´t go, though.  A big chunk of the southeast is off limits.  It´s mostly jungle and inhabited by FARC, the armed revolutionary forces of Colombia, the largest leftist guerrilla group in the country.  I plan to stay well clear of the off-limits parts, so I should be fine.  I already traveled overland here and there are many check points and police along the roads as well.  I guess traveling in a place with so much potential danger is a little off-putting, but judging by what I´ve seen so far, it is worth the risk (a small risk at that).

Aside from the language barrier, safety concerns, and wishing I were a guy, Colombia has been great!  The latter issue has been a problem many places, notably Turkey, Egypt and India, but here I can understand the comments men make to me as I walk by because for once they speak to me in English! Anyway, I had a nice break from it in SE Asia, so the frustration of traveling as a solo female, with blonde hair and blues eyes, has been renewed.  I´ve only been on my own here a few days so the shell will harden again.   

So now I am actually in Cartagena, a town on the Caribbean coast and apparently where they filmed Romancing the Stone.  It is hot and humid here, but the town has great character.  The bus journey took almost 24 hours, so I plan to sit tight a few days and relax in the Carribean atmosphere.  The bus was very nice actually, and the companies list how many deaths, injuries and accidents they´ve had recently to help you choose which one to go with.  How nice of them! 

Now off to go butcher the Spanish language some more as I order lunch somewhere…

After much planning and saving, I've finally made the leap across the atlantic and landed in beautiful Bogota. I chose the Madrid route so I could get a glimpse of that wonderful city en-route. The flight was 11 hours of the usual excitement mixed with stiff neck, itchy legs and nodding off to sleep. The flight attendants were competent but seemed to prefer chatting amongst themselves in the galley rather than attending... still I understand Iberia staff are famous for this skill (and not the only ones to employ it). The landing was perfect and then it was real... I was on Colombian soil. The altitude made me a bit fuzzy-headed but maybe the long fight played a part too. My first impressions were of the massive contrasts in wealth - huge american SUVs jostling for road space with 30 year old dodges and pony-drawn carts. I'll add details as they happen and as many photos as I think the old TravBuddy system can hold.

Did some tramping round the old heart of the city and took my time in the exhibition of the Colombian artist Fernando Botero whose full figured primative paintings burst with vitality. Some impressive works by Léger, Chagall, Picasso, Max Ernst etc... well worth a look-in.

Today I went up north of the capital to visit the famous Salt Mine Cathedral. The mine is situated in the town of Zipaquira and can be reached by taxi (expensive) bus or the little wood-burning narrow gauge railway "Tren de la Sabana" (Savannah Train), which leaves on weekends and holidays at 8:30am from the "Estación de la sabana" in the Zona Norte. The fare is 21,000 pesos for adults and 14,000 for children. I took the taxi option as time was tight.

The Salt Cathedral is one of the must-see sights around Bogotá. It is an enormous 'cathedral' built out of a salt mine, complete with a baptismal font, the twelve stations of the cross carved in salt rock, a 1,000 seat functioning church and enormous stone statues bathed in a atmospheric blue light.

It's fairly easy to get to the Cathedral. You can take a bus from Bogotá's main terminal, or you can take the Transmilenio to the Portal del Norte (lines 50, 60, 70, 100, 25) and transfer to a feeder bus from there. I recommend the Transmilenio, especially if you're staying in the centro, since it is faster and cheaper. The Transmilenio route takes about 1-1.5 hours.

The Salt Mine is safe, NOT claustrophobic and a unique experience. For the pedants amongst us its not really a cathedral as if doesn't have a bishop, but the title (and the spectacle of the place) certainly might draw the tourists. I've attached some photos of the trip but I wont spoil the 'cathedral' experience... just go there and say Paul and Paddy the Bear sent you.

About to hop onto a flight to Cartagena for a few days sailing. Don't know what the internet access will be like there but to keep and eye 'out' for the Cartagena Blog appearing at a computer near you SOON!!!!

I've added a few atmospheric shots taken round Bogotá this morning, buses, carts, cops and vendors... I love the place.

May 6th

Back from amazing Cartagena, see the linked blog. Winding down for the last few days of my trip, more photos tomorrow.

bogota is by far the best south american city i have visited so far...

nightlife is absolutely amazing, everything feels a lot safer than for example lima or rio. havent heard any bad stories from fellow travellers so far and every expat you speak with is in love with this city.

street artists everywhere, historic houses in la candelaria, modern posh malls in northern bogota. plenty of cheap bars, squares filled with people having a good time, excellent upper-class nightclubs.

when you exit a nightclub or restaurant they will note the taxi drivers license plate and your destination on a sheet for safety, police is controlling everywhere.

food is plenty and good, fellow travelers at my hostel are good fun and i've met several people from couchsurfing showing me a local view on bogota and colombia.

will travel to medellin tomorrow by daybus and from what i hear it does not look as if thats a place to rest as well.

viva colombia!!