¨Colombia: The only danger is that you won´t want to leave.¨ I saw this slogan in a commercial for the country when I was back in Peru, but I didn´t realize how true it was. Fellow travelers confirmed its appeal and quelled the fear that had been instilled in me by basically everyone back home due to stereotypes. In the short time that I have been here I have fallen in love with this beautiful country and its people. In fact, since I have less than two months left of my journey (I want to be back in Juneau by Folk Fest) it´s possible I may spend the rest of my time exploring Colombia. It´s huge, and with all kinds of different climates and things to see I could definitely keep myself busy.
I crossed the border last Wednesday after saying goodbye to Angela, with whom I had met up with again to travel together to Otavalo and Cotopaxi. In Otavalo we met up with a family who supplies sweaters for an import store I worked at for quite a few summers in Juneau, Invisible World. Lucila, an absolutely gorgeous lady and the boss of the whole business, was super hospitable even though I showed up unexpectedly with only a letter from Stuart (my former boss) as introduction. She invited us into her house for dinner and walked us around town and was generally one of the nicest people I´ve ever met. Her son was also great, and took me to see various waterfalls and a lake in the crater of a volcano (which has bubbles coming up from the bottom because the volcano is still active). The Saturday market in Otavalo is the best in Ecuador and Angela and I had a great time scoping everything out. There are so many artisans around it´s ridiculous.
A few days later we found ourselves at a reserve an hour from Cotopaxi, one of the highest active volcanoes in the world (19,347 ft. / 5,897 m). Although we didn´t attempt to summit, simply being in its presence was impressive. One of the guys working at the reserve had tried to summit the week before but got cerebral edema 100 meters from the top and had to turn around. Someday I´d like to climb it but at this juncture I just used the two days we were there to hike and lay around in a hammock reading. It was great to only use candles and a fire at night instead of electricity, a theme I´ve continued to enjoy while staying in my current bamboo hut in a rustic hostel / organic farm in San Augustin, Colombia. I find that I enjoy the simple life.
Crossing the border took me all of about ten minutes. I got my passport stamped in Ecuador, walked across a bridge, got my passport stamped in Colombia. There was no questions asked, no looking in my bags, no nothing - very anticlimactic. The biggest difference I´ve noticed so far is the presence of young men in army fatigues with semi-automatics - but they´re there for protection. Everyone I´ve talked to says that the latest president has done a good job of stamping out FARC and that the country is the safest its been in years. There is a lot of poverty, which I´ve confronted in every country, but at least it is safer.
On Valentine´s day evening I participated in a spontaneous dance party at my hostel which consisted of myself, a bunch of Argentinian travelers, the fifty-something hippie dueña of my hostel and some Colombians. For the past week I´ve been speaking nothing but Spanish which is refreshing after speaking English in most hostels. The previous two days myself and two Argentinian girls visited a bunch of places together, including the archaeological park which is on the World Heritage List of UNESCO and has sculptures from indigenous cultures which flourished between 6th century B.C and 12th A.D.
Oh man - I could go on and on about all kinds of stuff that I´ve been thinking and experiencing, especially in regards to human kindness. In Quito, the night before she was to get on the plane, Angela left her backpack in a taxi which contained her passport, camera, ipod and money. Unbelievably, the driver tracked down the hostel in which we were staying based on an old receipt he found inside and returned everything four hours later. In my travels I constantly meet people who amaze me with their friendliness, philosophies and non-materialistic way of life. Everyday I am thankful for what I have and what I have experienced.
Alright, I´m heading out of this rainy but charming pueblo mañana. Next stop? Bogotá.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
3 comments:
Lo's...
Very well written and insightful; I can see you movin' along. I also have a strong emphathy for teh human kindness (and.. generosity).. I remember being on hitch-hiking expeditions, assorted ones both in US and Europe, and a good many people, initially total strangers, showing warmth, telling secrets,... I remember a trucker hauling 10K chicks in Arkansas, we rode on for hours into sunset, and as I finally hopped down, he said"Man... I haven't talked so much (meaning personally) in years" And generous, I remember an Australian named Lucky waking me at Gatwick, having previously met him in London, and asked did I want to go to dinner? he'd buy...
Robert
Lauren:
I have continued to enjoy your blog. Your insights and your ability to share intimate thoughts and experiences make it very "real" and interesting. It brings back pleasant memories of some of my travel experiences (and makes me want ot dust off the backpack).
I fell in love with Colombia at the age of 16, and unfortunately have not been back since that one idyllic summer. You inspire me to make a return visit. I look forward to reading and seeing more about your experiences there.
Marc
Nice post. The San Agustín Archaeological Park is located in Huila. Double SelfThis statue represents the guardians as well as the warrior which were engraved on the stone.El Partero who represents the male mid wife, El Obispo which means the bishop. La Fuente de Lavapatas is the most pretentious art work.
Post a Comment