Oaxaca ended up being a great city for eating. We cooked meals for $1 a person, ate 50c tacos, had an awesome BBQ Mexican style at the hostel and had great market grill comida. Glen managed to muster up a bit of energy to ride in the hills whilst I hung out with my UK mates Will and Max. After a few nights we headed down the most twisty road (had to knock myself out with antinausea tablets so I didn't vomit) via Magic Mushroom territory to the beachside village of Mozunte. We are all for peace and quiet but there was literally nothing to do except swim and get skin cancer so we headed West to Puerto Escondido.
We were lucky enough to catch the final of a Redbull surf comp: America Vs The World. America won (Fuck Yeah!) but we were in awe of the waves (apparently it's the Mexican Pipeline). Glen tells me the waves were a solid 10-12ft and we saw at least 4 boards snapped during the comp. Glen was happy to see Rob Machado surfing and I have no clue who else was there but Layne Beachley was a coach for the world team. We needed a bit of RnR so we treated ourselves to a hotel room with cable (the Tour had just started), new towels EVERY day and a pool. We ended up staying for 6 nights and I even went for a few runs. I'm still amazed how many good surfers there are who can handle such huge waves. The break was always packed and there were always a dozen magazine photographers taking pics.
After our little vacation we headed to Acapulco to see the cliff divers. Acapulco was very busy and a little rough (higher crime rate than Mex city) so after seeing the divers we bussed it to Taxco. Taxco is a cobbled streeted city perched on a hill and every 2nd shop sells silver. Its ever so cheap so heaps of retailers travel here to stock up and buy wholesale. We then headed to Mexico City which is a fantastic city.
It is very clean with heaps to do and a bit of a European vibe. We've wandered all around the parks and squares. Caught the metro (20c/ride) to fantastic museums, art galleries, markets and squares to see Mariachi Bands. Yesterday we went to an Alternative market with bands playing, heaps of stalls with goth, punk and skate gear and music. Definitly the coolest market we've been too. I've managed to give my credit card a workout on the bargain clothes in the Centro and we've also caught a film at the Cinema. We've really enjoyed Mexico City but are ready to leave for the UK.
Inspired by our mates Claire and Jo, on our last bus trip we tallied a few stats about our trip. So far we have stayed in 68 hostels/hotels and travelled on a bus for a total of 430 hours (=17 days). By the end of this trip we will have visited 16 countries! I feel tired thinking about it. We have loved Latin America and my highlights include San Blas (closest thing to paradise), Guatemala, Argentina (so many different highlights) and Colombia (unique experiences). Will hopefully write soon about UK and Thailand. As the Ward boys say...Shit on!
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Jamaican Me Crazy
We arrived in the very small city of Belize City to an undeniable Rastafarian influence. Everyone spoke English with a fantastic Jamaican accent and the hair was a frenzy of dreadlocks and corn rows. We hopped on a water taxi and sped out to the nearby island of Caye Caulker. The atmosphere here is so laid back. I was waiting for Glen under a tree with my 15kg backpack and a local walked by and said in a Jamaican accent "Lady...you in the shade". From anyone else this would sound prattish as you're just stating the obvious but in a rasta accent it sounds so damn cool. So I didn't mind being called sugar and people telling me they're "happy" because I undeniably LOVE a Jamaican accent!
The next day we headed out by yacht to the Sea Nature Reserve and immediatly we were swimming with 2m Nurse shaarks, sting rays and huge schnapper and Jacks plus plenty of other tropical marine life. The guide fed some of the rays so we got to pat them as well as the sharks who were like dogs wanting a cuddle. It just wasn't scary at all despite my fear of being the furthest person from the shore in case of a shark attack. We sailed to another spot called shark and ray alley where we swam with more sharks and rays of course, then sailed to one more spot where we were able to snorkel with the elusive Manatee which is about a 300kg animal thet looks like a fat seal with a dogs face. Definitely a once in a lifetime experience. It was curious of us and kept coming back for a nosey. We then set sail for home to the sound of reggae and with a few rum punches under the belt.
We then headed to Mexico at the coastal town of Tulum where the beach is white powder and the sea is turquoise. Despite it being a bit of an American tourist destination, the beach wasn't packed and the atmosphere was very chilled out. We discovered great Mexican food and to this day we have only eaten real mexican. We choose our restaurants by the quality of the chairs (the crapper, the better food). We have no hesitation in eating "street meat" now as our stomachs are hardened veterans. After Tulum we caught another tourist packed ruin (no more thanks) and caught some mammoth bus rides to our current destination of San Cristobel De Los Casas. It reminds us a little of Antigua, however warmer and more political with a heap of propaganda on the Mexican Zapasta (liberation Army). The hostel here is great and the food is lovely and we're well rested after 3 nights so tomorrow we head to Oaxaco then the coast for some more surf. Love to all!
The next day we headed out by yacht to the Sea Nature Reserve and immediatly we were swimming with 2m Nurse shaarks, sting rays and huge schnapper and Jacks plus plenty of other tropical marine life. The guide fed some of the rays so we got to pat them as well as the sharks who were like dogs wanting a cuddle. It just wasn't scary at all despite my fear of being the furthest person from the shore in case of a shark attack. We sailed to another spot called shark and ray alley where we swam with more sharks and rays of course, then sailed to one more spot where we were able to snorkel with the elusive Manatee which is about a 300kg animal thet looks like a fat seal with a dogs face. Definitely a once in a lifetime experience. It was curious of us and kept coming back for a nosey. We then set sail for home to the sound of reggae and with a few rum punches under the belt.
We then headed to Mexico at the coastal town of Tulum where the beach is white powder and the sea is turquoise. Despite it being a bit of an American tourist destination, the beach wasn't packed and the atmosphere was very chilled out. We discovered great Mexican food and to this day we have only eaten real mexican. We choose our restaurants by the quality of the chairs (the crapper, the better food). We have no hesitation in eating "street meat" now as our stomachs are hardened veterans. After Tulum we caught another tourist packed ruin (no more thanks) and caught some mammoth bus rides to our current destination of San Cristobel De Los Casas. It reminds us a little of Antigua, however warmer and more political with a heap of propaganda on the Mexican Zapasta (liberation Army). The hostel here is great and the food is lovely and we're well rested after 3 nights so tomorrow we head to Oaxaco then the coast for some more surf. Love to all!
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Giddy up in Guatemala
So since San Juan (the highlight being the market for food), where I scored some nice waves just up the road at Madera, we made our way up to Guatemala. Now I´m not one to be too fussed on some of the most average places, but Managua, the Nicaraguan capital, takes the cake. Without doubt the least safe we have felt in our 5 months so far. Let me see. in a few words; bribes, poverty, dodgy characters. Lets just say we caught a very dodge taxi, got out, got in a good taxi, straight to the bus terminal to book a lovely 2.30am ticket for the next morning after handing over a bribe just because he told us what time they opened in the morning. Headed for the closest hotel, price not being an option, slept for all of 5 hrs to walk to the station for 1.30am, then proceeded on the bus for 16hrs to Guatemala city. See, its not always what its cracked up to be, but still, we aint complaining!
On arrival to Guatemala City we were extermely impressed by how well developed it is in contrast to poor neighbouring El Salvador and Nicaragua. This was only reinforced on arrival to nice, altough tourist Antigua. But who gives a damn when you get to climb an active, smoking, bubbling volcano, Volcano Pacuya. We were quick to book a ride there just out of Antigua and on arrival to the top, about a 1 hr walk, we were just blown away by how incredible the site was. We actually walked up the set lava from a previous eruption and stood as close to actual flowing lava as you could without getting incinerated! Gotta love this place, can you imagine doing that in Aus if there were such a thing? Dont think so.
Antigua itself was a welcome relief from poorer Nicaragua and the bus ride, loads of great food and cool markets amonst cobbled streets. And although touristy, it definitely maintains its charm, and is quite a site as it is towered over by some 3 very large, one active, volcanoes. I also had myself an incredible mtb ride on the outskirts in thick jungle, epic stuff.
3 days later we headed to one of the most beautiful places yet, Semuc Champey. On arrival after 8 hrs bussing we were unfortunate not to be able to find a room at the place we wanted, but booked for the next 2 nights at the top notch El Retiro, a series of palm thatched neat little huts in the green mountains overlooking a pretty river. This was definitely one of the best lodges yet, all super friendly, cool people and a restaurant with food to die for. Especially the roast tomato and white bean soup, of which we even scored the recipe for.
So the day after arriving we headed out on a day tour of Semuc. Started with a nifty little caving experince, all submergeed in water, some of it even had to be swum complete with shoes and a candle in one hand. Very cool little exploration, going about 300m in to reach a cascade which flowed into the cave. Following this we cruised down the river on tubes, walked back up and mustered up the courage to jump off a 10m bridge into the river below, then proceeded to the magical pools of Semuc Champey itself. These pools are like nothing I have seen before, a series of turquoise and limestone crystal clear pools derrived from a powerful rapid which passes under an overhang upstream. So picturesque and peaceful to swim in, really did feel like another little world. Definitely a highlight of the last 5 months. We also visited the bat cave in Lanquin nearby, and have incredible photos of literally thousands of bats exiting the cave at dusk.
After Semuc we headed to Flores to see Tikal, the great Mayan temples. Very impressive especially the size of the things, but was not too impressed with our 3.30am tour to see the sun rise over the city. Basically didnt happen, but you cant win em all i guess. But having said that, the ruins were no doubt amazing, and Tikal is only one of many. Some of the temples rise to up to around 150m, and the steps are incredibly steep. You dont really walk them, you climb them. Several tourists have even died coming down these things. We even saw a guy there flat on his back after falling from only 8 steps up, enough to get a serious belting.
Tomorrow sees us once again on the bus to Belize for some Carribean snorkling at Caye Caulker. I have only heard amazing things of this place, and we have held off a lot of snorkling for this place, so really looking forward to that. Then we look towards my most anticipated country, Mexico for our last month. Mmmm, Mexican food. Might even have to do a cooking class i reckon to add to all the top recipes we have jotted down during our travels.
Take care all, especially Adrian and Nhi with there new little tacker.
On arrival to Guatemala City we were extermely impressed by how well developed it is in contrast to poor neighbouring El Salvador and Nicaragua. This was only reinforced on arrival to nice, altough tourist Antigua. But who gives a damn when you get to climb an active, smoking, bubbling volcano, Volcano Pacuya. We were quick to book a ride there just out of Antigua and on arrival to the top, about a 1 hr walk, we were just blown away by how incredible the site was. We actually walked up the set lava from a previous eruption and stood as close to actual flowing lava as you could without getting incinerated! Gotta love this place, can you imagine doing that in Aus if there were such a thing? Dont think so.
Antigua itself was a welcome relief from poorer Nicaragua and the bus ride, loads of great food and cool markets amonst cobbled streets. And although touristy, it definitely maintains its charm, and is quite a site as it is towered over by some 3 very large, one active, volcanoes. I also had myself an incredible mtb ride on the outskirts in thick jungle, epic stuff.
3 days later we headed to one of the most beautiful places yet, Semuc Champey. On arrival after 8 hrs bussing we were unfortunate not to be able to find a room at the place we wanted, but booked for the next 2 nights at the top notch El Retiro, a series of palm thatched neat little huts in the green mountains overlooking a pretty river. This was definitely one of the best lodges yet, all super friendly, cool people and a restaurant with food to die for. Especially the roast tomato and white bean soup, of which we even scored the recipe for.
So the day after arriving we headed out on a day tour of Semuc. Started with a nifty little caving experince, all submergeed in water, some of it even had to be swum complete with shoes and a candle in one hand. Very cool little exploration, going about 300m in to reach a cascade which flowed into the cave. Following this we cruised down the river on tubes, walked back up and mustered up the courage to jump off a 10m bridge into the river below, then proceeded to the magical pools of Semuc Champey itself. These pools are like nothing I have seen before, a series of turquoise and limestone crystal clear pools derrived from a powerful rapid which passes under an overhang upstream. So picturesque and peaceful to swim in, really did feel like another little world. Definitely a highlight of the last 5 months. We also visited the bat cave in Lanquin nearby, and have incredible photos of literally thousands of bats exiting the cave at dusk.
After Semuc we headed to Flores to see Tikal, the great Mayan temples. Very impressive especially the size of the things, but was not too impressed with our 3.30am tour to see the sun rise over the city. Basically didnt happen, but you cant win em all i guess. But having said that, the ruins were no doubt amazing, and Tikal is only one of many. Some of the temples rise to up to around 150m, and the steps are incredibly steep. You dont really walk them, you climb them. Several tourists have even died coming down these things. We even saw a guy there flat on his back after falling from only 8 steps up, enough to get a serious belting.
Tomorrow sees us once again on the bus to Belize for some Carribean snorkling at Caye Caulker. I have only heard amazing things of this place, and we have held off a lot of snorkling for this place, so really looking forward to that. Then we look towards my most anticipated country, Mexico for our last month. Mmmm, Mexican food. Might even have to do a cooking class i reckon to add to all the top recipes we have jotted down during our travels.
Take care all, especially Adrian and Nhi with there new little tacker.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Costa Rica Baby
After visiting the Panama Canal we headed to the seaside town of Santa Catalina with our mates Kate and Crum. The boys had good intentions to surf but a little down time got the better of them. Next we did a mammoth road trip over 2 days to Costa Ricas capital San Jose. We stuffed up the exchange rate for the first couple of hours so can definitely vouch for the fact that Costa Rica is $$$!
After one night of sushi, wine and cable TV we headed to the Pacific Coast town of Montazuma (or Montafumar due to some good conditions for growing and smoking pot). We trekked to a waterfall, got scared out of the jungle by a load roar which later turned out to be howler monkeys, explored the jungle meets beach and paid a visit to Santa Teresa 1 hr away where Glen had an uneventful surf and I lazed on the beach and watched monkeys play in the trees. It was a great 3 days but off we went again...
We caught our bus-ferry-bus to our next stop of Montaverde which is in the hills of Costa Rica. We walked 3 hours of trails in Cloud Forest in search of animals but with our lack of guide all we found was 100's of beautiful hummingbirds at the artificial feeders. It was a lovely forest though and I'm sure you've seen that great photo of the elusive "white whale" found in the jungle.
Next we headed to Volcan Arenal via van-boat-van. We signed up for an amazing 7hr tour with the local philosopher Noel. We took a 90min walk through jungle where we saw Toucans, the ass end of a sloth, howler monkeys, spiders and apparently the eyelash of a snake??? Yeah I dont get it either. After that we headed to the volcano at dusk to see rocks and lava spewing (well tumbling) out with a fantastic glow. Great for photos...however we had a battery incident so we headed to the nearby hot springs/spa centre for some much needed destressing.
We are now in Nicaragua (after a 5am bus) on the Pacific coast in San Juan del Sur. We hope to head to a beach camp tomorrow then Ometepe then speed through Honduras to Guatamala and Belize. Best wishes to Nhi and Adrian who are hopefully now proud parents. Glen thinks Adju (Adrian Jnr) is a great name!
After one night of sushi, wine and cable TV we headed to the Pacific Coast town of Montazuma (or Montafumar due to some good conditions for growing and smoking pot). We trekked to a waterfall, got scared out of the jungle by a load roar which later turned out to be howler monkeys, explored the jungle meets beach and paid a visit to Santa Teresa 1 hr away where Glen had an uneventful surf and I lazed on the beach and watched monkeys play in the trees. It was a great 3 days but off we went again...
We caught our bus-ferry-bus to our next stop of Montaverde which is in the hills of Costa Rica. We walked 3 hours of trails in Cloud Forest in search of animals but with our lack of guide all we found was 100's of beautiful hummingbirds at the artificial feeders. It was a lovely forest though and I'm sure you've seen that great photo of the elusive "white whale" found in the jungle.
Next we headed to Volcan Arenal via van-boat-van. We signed up for an amazing 7hr tour with the local philosopher Noel. We took a 90min walk through jungle where we saw Toucans, the ass end of a sloth, howler monkeys, spiders and apparently the eyelash of a snake??? Yeah I dont get it either. After that we headed to the volcano at dusk to see rocks and lava spewing (well tumbling) out with a fantastic glow. Great for photos...however we had a battery incident so we headed to the nearby hot springs/spa centre for some much needed destressing.
We are now in Nicaragua (after a 5am bus) on the Pacific coast in San Juan del Sur. We hope to head to a beach camp tomorrow then Ometepe then speed through Honduras to Guatamala and Belize. Best wishes to Nhi and Adrian who are hopefully now proud parents. Glen thinks Adju (Adrian Jnr) is a great name!
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Seeya Later Crocodile
We set off for Tayrona National Park from Taganga and trekked 45mins through jungle to the coast. We arrived in Arrecifes and walked for about 30mins along the coast to a spot called El Cabo that had postcard like palm trees hanging over pristine sandy white beaches. We hired a tent and spent a few days snorkelling, exploring the beaches and deserted lagoons and opening coconuts. Very relaxing and uncrowded.
We then set off for Cartegena, a port city surrounded by spanish fortress walls. We went to a 15m high mud volcano that we climbed up and jumped in. When in, we were coated with mud and massaged by locals and I felt like a little kid. You could stand upright without sinking as the mud was so dense. After you go to the lagoon and you're washed off by local women just like your mum used to do when you were a kid.
After 4 nights of exploring the beautiful old town of Cartegena, we felt the urge to keep moving so we headed to the yacht club to see if we could get an earlier yacht. We met 5 aussies (2 from Perth and 3 from QLD) who needed 2 more people for a 7 day charter through the San Blas Archipelago. The yacht was 44 ft, Captain Fredrico was a great guy, we got along well with our new friends and the price was right so we set sail the next day.
The first leg of the trip was a 40hr sail to the coast just off the Darian Gap which connects Colombia to Panama. We arrived the second morning after catching a shark trawling (plus a couple of lost bites) to a group of white sandy islands full of palm trees and surrounded by coral reef great for snorkelling. I'm definitely a fan of life on a yacht. I ate the best food since the start of our travelling (thanks to the great shopping by our new mates), I showered by jumping off the back of the yacht into the Carribean sea, we fished for our meals, had bonfires on the beach with the local Kuna people, snorkelled for exercise and opened coconuts for a drink!
We had the holiday that most people dream of and never have. I found my favourite place in the whole world (so far). An island in a group of 2 about 50m x 50m that was covered in palms with agapanthus type flowers as ground cover. It was surrounded by coral and it took about 45mins to snorkel around the entire island checking out the tropical fish. We had a great bonfire around a little table we made from driftwood after we'd had our cookup on the yacht (moored 50m away).
San Blas is definitely the highlight of my trip so far although I was suprised by the lack of fish in the Carribean due to severe overfishing. We only caught 5 or 6 by trawling lines whilst on the move. The yachtie culture is strong in this area with a heap of interesting people to meet ( a young couple with a kid who'd planned on 1 yr sailing which has turned into 9!) and great food (delicious giant crabs). Stay tuned for upcoming photos!
We're now in Panama City and just went for a visit to the Panama Canal. Heading out for a long lost curry tonight then heading up to Costa Rica. Ciao
We then set off for Cartegena, a port city surrounded by spanish fortress walls. We went to a 15m high mud volcano that we climbed up and jumped in. When in, we were coated with mud and massaged by locals and I felt like a little kid. You could stand upright without sinking as the mud was so dense. After you go to the lagoon and you're washed off by local women just like your mum used to do when you were a kid.
After 4 nights of exploring the beautiful old town of Cartegena, we felt the urge to keep moving so we headed to the yacht club to see if we could get an earlier yacht. We met 5 aussies (2 from Perth and 3 from QLD) who needed 2 more people for a 7 day charter through the San Blas Archipelago. The yacht was 44 ft, Captain Fredrico was a great guy, we got along well with our new friends and the price was right so we set sail the next day.
The first leg of the trip was a 40hr sail to the coast just off the Darian Gap which connects Colombia to Panama. We arrived the second morning after catching a shark trawling (plus a couple of lost bites) to a group of white sandy islands full of palm trees and surrounded by coral reef great for snorkelling. I'm definitely a fan of life on a yacht. I ate the best food since the start of our travelling (thanks to the great shopping by our new mates), I showered by jumping off the back of the yacht into the Carribean sea, we fished for our meals, had bonfires on the beach with the local Kuna people, snorkelled for exercise and opened coconuts for a drink!
We had the holiday that most people dream of and never have. I found my favourite place in the whole world (so far). An island in a group of 2 about 50m x 50m that was covered in palms with agapanthus type flowers as ground cover. It was surrounded by coral and it took about 45mins to snorkel around the entire island checking out the tropical fish. We had a great bonfire around a little table we made from driftwood after we'd had our cookup on the yacht (moored 50m away).
San Blas is definitely the highlight of my trip so far although I was suprised by the lack of fish in the Carribean due to severe overfishing. We only caught 5 or 6 by trawling lines whilst on the move. The yachtie culture is strong in this area with a heap of interesting people to meet ( a young couple with a kid who'd planned on 1 yr sailing which has turned into 9!) and great food (delicious giant crabs). Stay tuned for upcoming photos!
We're now in Panama City and just went for a visit to the Panama Canal. Heading out for a long lost curry tonight then heading up to Costa Rica. Ciao
Saturday, May 12, 2007
C-C-C-Carribean
Villa Leyva was beautiful. A very spanish like village with cobbled streets, horse drawn carts, church bells tolling, great food and crafts and friendly people. We went on a country side hike to a fossil museum (Glens choice. I'm an avid disliker of Dinosaurs) and saw some fantastic houses which may or may not be owned by drug lords. We then took a bus to San Gil which is apparently the "adventure capital" of Colombia but to Glen's dismay there was not a bike to be found. It was a bit of a let down but did have a beautiful park and we discovered Panzerottis (pizzas folded in half).
We then headed to Bucuramanga and discovered an overnight bus to Santa Marta which we gladly booked ourselves onto after asking if it was dangerous...
Us: Is it peligroso?
Signorina: No, why do you ask?
Us: Its just that all our guidebooks tell us not to travel at night.
Signorina: Pffff.
So after checking out the nearby village of Giron, much like Villa Leyva, we got on the freezing aircon bus and explored SantaMarta for a day.
Santa Marta is just a busy seaside city that smells alot like fish. We stayed for a night and headed to the fishing village of Tagonga where we stayed last night in a beautiful hostel with a great view of the Carribean and a 30sec walk into the ocean that's the temp of tepid water. Yesterday we caught a boat to some fabulous snorkelling and saw 1000's of multicoloured tropical fish and coral of all shapes and sizes. This together with freshly caught fish for lunch and about 5 mango smoothies in 24 hours has really set us up for a beachside life for a couple of weeks.
We may head to Arrecifes today or tomorrow for more snorkelling and beach/jungle camping and then meander down the coast to catch our yacht to Panama.
Happy Mother's Day to our Mum's. We love you!
We then headed to Bucuramanga and discovered an overnight bus to Santa Marta which we gladly booked ourselves onto after asking if it was dangerous...
Us: Is it peligroso?
Signorina: No, why do you ask?
Us: Its just that all our guidebooks tell us not to travel at night.
Signorina: Pffff.
So after checking out the nearby village of Giron, much like Villa Leyva, we got on the freezing aircon bus and explored SantaMarta for a day.
Santa Marta is just a busy seaside city that smells alot like fish. We stayed for a night and headed to the fishing village of Tagonga where we stayed last night in a beautiful hostel with a great view of the Carribean and a 30sec walk into the ocean that's the temp of tepid water. Yesterday we caught a boat to some fabulous snorkelling and saw 1000's of multicoloured tropical fish and coral of all shapes and sizes. This together with freshly caught fish for lunch and about 5 mango smoothies in 24 hours has really set us up for a beachside life for a couple of weeks.
We may head to Arrecifes today or tomorrow for more snorkelling and beach/jungle camping and then meander down the coast to catch our yacht to Panama.
Happy Mother's Day to our Mum's. We love you!
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Locombia
San Augustin was a very quaint town among rolling green hills. We stayed in the most luxurious accomodation yet at Hacienda Anacerina ($25/night) . Our room was huge and had the most comfortable bed yet with a great shower and a fantastic balcony with 2 hammocks, table and chairs. The room looked out onto 2 inactive volcanoes and hills of banana trees, coffee farms and cows. Bliss. We also got great food there so all in all we ended up saving a bit of money.
We met an english speaking local called Carlos who gave us a good price for our Horse riding tour to various statues and tombs around San Augustin (no more statues!!). He told us that his hobby is to go to farms and dig for tombs so he can sell the ceramics he finds to collectors...hmmm...
The horses were lovely and we tried every single fruit and vegetable Carlos found on the way. Coffee beans were probably my fave (really sweet). We managed to get the horses up to a pretty fast pace at the end and Glen really enjoyed it. Such a natural.
Carlos then offered us his "special tour" for a cheap price so off we went at 4 in the arvo with 2 other Aussie girls to a farmers house to watch the making of Cocaine. The house was clean and humble and the owner said he'd previously worked in an industrial sized cocaine factory in the Amazon for 25 years. We took a heap of photos and the chemicals that go into it are heavy duty. It should be videoed and used to educate kids about drugs! It was definitley one of the highlights of the trip. Not something you get to do everyday!
We then headed off to Bogota and it was such a contrast. Busy, polluted, noisy. Alot of beggars and drunkards whilst down the road there were the richest people, houses, cars and shops I'd ever seen. A few streets I walked down I turned back as I got that pelligroso (danger) feeling in the pit of my stomach. We've now hightailed it to Villa Leiva 3 hours north of Bogota which is a picture perfect cobble stoned village. Ciao amigos.
We met an english speaking local called Carlos who gave us a good price for our Horse riding tour to various statues and tombs around San Augustin (no more statues!!). He told us that his hobby is to go to farms and dig for tombs so he can sell the ceramics he finds to collectors...hmmm...
The horses were lovely and we tried every single fruit and vegetable Carlos found on the way. Coffee beans were probably my fave (really sweet). We managed to get the horses up to a pretty fast pace at the end and Glen really enjoyed it. Such a natural.
Carlos then offered us his "special tour" for a cheap price so off we went at 4 in the arvo with 2 other Aussie girls to a farmers house to watch the making of Cocaine. The house was clean and humble and the owner said he'd previously worked in an industrial sized cocaine factory in the Amazon for 25 years. We took a heap of photos and the chemicals that go into it are heavy duty. It should be videoed and used to educate kids about drugs! It was definitley one of the highlights of the trip. Not something you get to do everyday!
We then headed off to Bogota and it was such a contrast. Busy, polluted, noisy. Alot of beggars and drunkards whilst down the road there were the richest people, houses, cars and shops I'd ever seen. A few streets I walked down I turned back as I got that pelligroso (danger) feeling in the pit of my stomach. We've now hightailed it to Villa Leiva 3 hours north of Bogota which is a picture perfect cobble stoned village. Ciao amigos.
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