The Long Journey South

What a journey to get to South America. We had a fabulous time chillin' in Panama City. A lot of
business, i.e. teeth cleaning, post office, figuring out flights to Columbia, and since I got sick again, a trip to the $6 open medical clinic. Todd is very stict about his 6month cleaning. Since it has been a year, he was very excited. Oddest teeth cleaning ever, but it will do until we hit Argentina. As for the doctor, I got the gripe. Also known as the common icky coughing cold and a weird fungi on my finger. Yes, I have a fun-guy traveling with me. But, a little triple action cream and he is slowly departing me. At least the parasite left before they could become too buddy buddy.

We did manage to see the ever impressive Panama Canal. What a true feat of human nature. The heat, humidity, and bugs in Panama, along with the fact that they bombed through the continental divide leaves me in awe of what man power can accomplish when big money is to be made in the end. And now, they are working on expansion. We will see if they finish by 2015 as predicted. So, we finally booked a flight from Panama City to Cartagena, Columbia. The last continent on this adventure. I can't believe we actually made it. A tiny little prop plane delivered us safely to the small airport. Where we were immediately hit with some of the most humid weather I have ever experienced. Cartagena is an old colonial town. The hub of the Spanish empire and its shipment of gold and other treasures back to Spain. Because of its location on the coast and massive amounts of wealth associated with the town, the Spanish built the largest fort in the Americas here. And walled in the city.

The fort was impressive in size, especially how far underground they built. We walked about 3 stories down creepy tight passage ways before our lack of a flashlight forced us back to the surface.

Cartagena as most cities has two faces. The pretty, refurbished tourist center, in this case the walled city, and the out skirts of town. As we saw on the taxi ride to the bus terminal, the Cartagena that Columbians experience is nasty and full of trash. It smelt funky also. A combo of trash, rotting fish, and I have no idea what else. A harsh reality of what we as tourists experience and what really exists.

We were actually a little burnt out on colonial towns, but we did manage to check out the major squares, walk the city wall, and sight seeing would not be complete without a trip to a couple of old churches. I was more impressed with the amount of fresh fruit that was available on the street the anything else; papayas, mangoes, cherries, plums, peaches, strawberries, passion fruit, guava, pinapple, apples, and lots of fruits I have never seen before. I think we would have been more inclined to see more if it wasn't sweltering outside. From the minute you wake up until bed, the beads of sweat drip constantly from every pore in your body. Frankly, its gross. So, I spent one whole day watching the fabulous finale of the US Open. Even when traveling down time is needed.

We decided to head to Bogota. An escape from the heat. We took what ended up to be a 26hr trip to the capital in the most freezing bus ever. I think I could see my breath. Be careful what you wish for, because we definitely beat the heat. The bus journey although long was magnificent and beautiful. Minus the 2hr fuel pump repair around 8pm. We did get to witness a whole football squad arrive in the back of a pick up truck. Gives new meaning to carpooling. Any way, the Columbian countryside is wonderful. We passed lush, dense rainforest that decorated the mountainsides before diving into the river below. The clouds danced through the forest. Delicately touching the foliage as they tried to escape the constraints of the valley. And amazingly enough, on the cliffs above it all, houses and cows grazing on thin skirts of land. I can't imagine how hard life must be in such a remote place, but maybe the scenery makes it all worth it.

As we passed this beautiful scene as the bus worked its way first up onside, tightly s-curving the whole way and then back down, the scene gave way to reality. The people survived in this climate by clear cutting the back side of the mountains and planting corn. It was a reality that I knew existed but I immediately and begrudgingly snubbed my nose at the sight. Not so pretty anymore. Just a side note, at this point in the journey, lets say hour 16, Todd and I were 2 of the 4 passengers left on the bus.

The ride dragged on. But we played musical chairs trying to find the most comfortable position. After we passed the mountains, there were more mountains. And then finally pasture. I was giddily listening to the Traveling Wilburys watching the scene unfold. In a way, it reminded me of a trip to Colorado I took with my dad years ago. The way the pastures of bright green tufts of grass butted right up against rolling hills that just wanted to be called mountains. And the cows. They make me laugh every time. They are not our big Herefords from the states. No, they have huge humps on their back, ears that must have come from a donkey, a gizzard of loose flesh that every turkey must envy, and a swagger that makes them look a little confused.

26 long hours and one lost taxi driver later we finally arrived at our hostel in Bogota. What a clean fabulous city! And really cold. I was immediately impressed. Bikers riding next to buses next to the millions of motorbikes. We settled in, fleeces, scarves, and hats donned, with a well deserved beer and a feast of pasta. How we managed the energy to cook I have no idea. I did wake up this morning in need of a good massage, my muscles are sore from all the sitting. Is that even possible?

Today, we decided to walk. And walk we did. From 11th to 85th in search of some new sandals for Todd. His Chaco's have decided they have had enough and are no longer working or should I say walking. The walk was long, but nice. We saw all the different parts of the city; the universities, the indie area, the ritzy houses, the imposing churches, and even the mall. No luck, but we did find a micro brewery,

Bogota Beer Company, and treated ourselves to a pitcher and some bar snacks. Oh, the joys of a modern city.

This trip is great, but it definitely keeps my mind busy. The difference in cultures and modernity. Why are some places still so far behind in terms of what we in the western world would call progress. And then, one bus ride later we are able to drink mirco beer in a super shishi shopping area. Yet, there are still horse drawn carts on the streets of Bogota. And the grocery stores are fascinating to me. They never have the rows and rows or processed box goods that we have. They may have 10 different varieties of saltine esque crackers but nothing compared to the states. It keeps me thinking.

So far, South America has been great. I still find it hard to believe we are here. For some reason, I keep dwelling on the fact that we are in Columbia. It seems so much riskier and dangerous then other places we have visited. Yet, it seems so normal. Not a country riddled with guerrilla warfare and kidnappings and raging amounts of cocaine. Just Columbia. But as we walked today, we just looked at eachother and said "Columbia." I don't really know how to explain the feeling but it is good. Tomorrow we play tourist and visit the museums and the gold museum. And hopefully, figure out how to enjoy the Jazz Festival. Good times in South America!