volcanoes and waterfalls

i arrived in banos a few days ago. its a small town at the bottom of the largest active volcao in equador. actually, a few weeks ago they had to evacuate the villages higher up because it was getting a little bit too active. Last night we took a chiva bus to a look out point to watch the volcanic activity. I saw a little bit of i dont know if it was lava or fire, and heared it groan. it felt more like watching some living being, than land mass. it almost sounded as though it was hungery. it felt a little erie. i quite liked it.



banos is known for its hot springs, hikes, volcanoes, rivers and waterfalls. there are alot of different tours and treks to take from here. i decided to try repelling in the falls. i suppose that there are a few things i should've thought about first. one being that maybe my spanish is sufficient to find out about the tour, but perhaps not good enough to understand all the instructions. second, that it might not be the best activity to try with a bad shoulder. yes. i dislocated it jumping into a waterfall. this actually was only the first and beginner waterfall. and my joints are actaully loose enough that i can tell someone how to put it back in - even in spanish.


so needless to say my afternoon was cut short, i wish i could've finished it. it was actually harder than i expected. i dont know why i thought that it would be pretty simple. but you have to lean back really far so that you dont slip, you're fighting against the natural force of gravity, the frictions of wet rocks, and the force of the water pulling you downward. it was intense to say the least.

i am now in equador

i made it to quito equador. it was a marathon of 24 hrs in tranisit. flagging buses down from the roadside, waiting in the cold at immigrations for an hour after not sleeping on the night bus. i feel like i need a few days to recover, but i dont really have time to sit around. its hard for me to judge how much time im going to want at different places so that at the end ill be close to lima when my plane leaves.

theres a part of me thats over new cities, strangers and small talk, but at the same time its a shame to end it now because im feeling like im getting the hang of how the whole travel thing works. its still hard on the body to go from cold altitudes, to humid sea level, to endure sleepless nights, and have an ever fluctuation diet, but it doesnt stress me out to pack up my bag and jump on a bus to unknown destinations. in fact, i actually embrace the challange. i feel accomplished when i ask a question and can understand the answer, and would rather figure out the public bus system than grab a cab.

but aside from my complaining, i am doing well.

salento

so the last two days have felt like a week, so much happened. and yet, i didnt really get any pictures, so i know that makes it less interesting to read. sorry.

i spent two days in the coffee region of colombia. i stayed in a sleepy little town at a beautiful little hostal. the plaza was busy in the evenings, and there were lots of hikes in the surrounding areas. somehow this town seems to have lost track of time. the little restaurants and pubs play records of latin polka music, and still have original retro furnishings. there are cars, but people ride horses as well. the men like to pass time by playing tejo. its a game, maybe comparable to horseshoes. they set up with lanes with mud box at the end and use gunpower as the target so when you hit it, a flare goes off.

also witnessed someone saving a life. its a strange feeling to recongise the fragility of life.

my last night there, we cooked dinner and ate together as a family. i love that feeling. it surprises me, but it makes me a little sad when i leave people. its hard to know someone for such a short amount of time and realize that you will probably never again. and after a while you'll probably even forget them. im glad to feel the remorse of leaving these people. to me it is a sign that i am learning to love.

a picture is worth a thousand words

someone once said a picture is worth a thousand words, but there are some things for which i have no pictures, so i will quickley write them down because the only recolection i may otherwise have is my bank withdrawls.

i went to volcan de totum. its a volcano just outside of cartagena, but instead of lava, it has this thick warm mud. so you climb it. take a mud bath. get totally covered from head to toe, and then at the bottom of the volcano is a lagoon where you can wash. i quite enjoyed it.

i also visited isla de rosaria for a weekend. its part of a national park to preserve the coral reef. the island is actually mostly coral itself. i did this snorkeling tour where you stay in a cabana and they take you out snorkeling in between each meal and once at night as well. it was beautiful. to me snorkeling sounds a little bit lame - but there is so much beauty and life just below the surface, it really is amazing. somehow it seemed even a little scary at first, im not sure why. maybe just because the sea is somehow still so foreign to me.

so im sitting in a bus terminal with a few hours to kill before i get on the bus, so i thought i'd just map out where ive been and where im going. i guess i just like maps.

1) Lima - where i begin and end. city of 6 million i think. very big, very dirty. nice parks and colonial buildings though.

2) Paracas - 5 hrs by bus. a small water front town right beside a national park where you can find many different types of birds. we didnt see many because we hiked in instead of taking a boat tour.

3) Cusco - 18 hrs by bus. different than i expected. coblestone streets. very cold, at a high altitude. jordan and i stayed with margarita for a few days and then hiked the inca trail through the andes.

4) Lima - 20 hrs by bus. we had to return to lima because they dont have roads going straight to where we needed.

5) Puerto Bermudez - i think this is near to Puerto Bermutez, but of course we could go direct we had to take a bus to La Merced - 8hr, and then a 4*4 for 12 more hrs. Very tranquilla place, not much going on. took a day treck into the jungle our guide had to use a machete.

6) Pulcalp - this was the 15 hr marathon of vehicles which all had problems. i actually think that pulcalpa is further south, but this is where we got on the first cargo ship.

7) Iquitos - 4 days and 4 nights by boat. the second cargo ship into colombia. 4 million people, i think, the largest jungle city with no road access.

8) Leticia - 1 1/2 more days by boat. most southern jungle city of colombia. very small. only spent one day there before flying to bogota.

9) Bogota - flew. leticia is too remote for other transport. bogota is big. population 9 million.

10) Cartagena - 22 hrs by bus. Colonial old city. this is where i took language school.

11) Santa Marta - 5 hr by bus. Smaller port town. nice beach. where and came a left for the trek.

so now i have till august 16 to make my way back to lima. ive got a lot of ground to cover, so wish me luck.

la cuidad perdida

The Lost City

ive just returned from 5 days in the jungles of colombia to the ancient ruins of the tyronian empire. i spent the last week bathing in natural pools, playing cards by candle light, sleeping in hammocks, and eating some of the bananas and advacadoes that fell along the path. mind you, there was a lot more to it than just that.
i did not get finish with out being eaten alive by the misquitos. the guide at the head of us killed four poisonous snakes along the way. we had to cross numorous rivers sometimes as deep as my waist. if i wasnt soaked by the sweat it was river water. the moment that we arrived at the last point a storm came in and it started pouring rain and thunder and lightning. it was actually a 6 day trek, but half of us decided to do it in 5 days, so we really had to push it. i feel good, but my muscles are not so happy.
we had a great group of people. 13 in total. although some of us our staying to travel on together i am a little sad to see us part ways. after our last day, a few of us got dropped off at a national park where we camped out on the beach, it was nice to relaxe at the end of the trip. however, we hadnt considered the fact that it included an extra two hours of walking, and the fact that the clothes and towels that we had with us were rank. but this is the type of climate where you could wear a bathing suit all day and all night, even in the rain and never get cold - so it was alright.

i feel like there are things that i have missed. i guess it is to be expected that there are things that will be lost. but i am glad for the opportunity to share some of my experiences with you.

mi casa es su casa

so it has been over a week and a half since i've spoken english with someone. i would've thought that i would've been dying for some conversation by now, but somehow, im okay with it.

i dont know if i could accurately describe the house that im staying at. its so far from normal. sometimes i feel like im on the set of a sitcom or something. everyone around me has such character and expression. i love it.
we have a very busy home. many visitors coming and going. i was introduced to many, but never properly explained to, who lived at our house. who was a friend or stranger. everynight, it would be getting later, and i would be expecting people to leave, some would, but some would say good night and head upstairs to bed. sonia, is the woman of the house, and she would cook a little, but her friend would be up early every morning washing my clothes and cooking my breakfast. eventually i gathered that sonia runs some sort of guest home you might call it. kids stay sometimes, and other colombians who are staying in town. one of her friend runs a salon out of one room a few days a week, and all these woman come and go with these awful tatooed eyebrows.
i do love living here, though. in the evenings different woman stop by and sit around and share the days happenings, sometimes sing an old song, and cook up some plantanos y queso. i dont know if im learning the culture, or the ways of an old lady; but either way, it suits me fine. for the time being at least. it humors me that we sit in red plastic lawn chairs and drink tinto from mis matched cups and saucers that were served to us on a plater by the maid. oh yes - and the woman who's up in the morning - carmen, is the employado domestica. right, i have a maid. she's so cute, she talks to herself, makes little jokes, and sings little songs all day while she goes about her chores. one man that's been staying at the house the last few days, albert, is a big black man who trys to help my spanish by yelling his limited english vocabulary, and explaining things i already understand with overexagerated hand gestures.

i have learned much these past two weeks. i have learned that you can still fog up the bathroom mirrors with a cold shower, i've learned that you can walk all the way in the shade if you dont mind crossing the street a lot. i've learned the art of not appearing lost. i've learned an old spanish love song. i've learned that sometimes its easiest just to smile and nod.