Gratitude

There's always lots to rattle on about, but I am also a big fan of lists.  So here's one (because I don't think I could find Day Planners and Thought Catchers round these parts, so I make my own).

Thanks to

• Dan for helping set me up electronically with through instructions
• Jaegs for the tablet loaner, has come in handy 
• The nice woman on the bus who saw me board with a big backpack and my hand full of bags.  She put my groceries by her feet and held my waterbottle for the entire ride.  Que cute.  
• All the people who have given me directions and suggestions: Alejandro on the plane from Florida, Alex in Quito...  These people have hooked me up with buses and pointed me in the right direction so many times, and I have been able to know my next step without having to pull a map out in public.  Gracias.  
• Zoila (the lady who lives downstair) who lent me her thermometer
• The lady who grills cheesy plantains, eres hermosa.  
• Sarah- fellow volunteer for making all her delicious desserts
• Henley- fellow volunteer for pointing out local sights, carrying the gas tanks up the stairs and being so easy to get along with 

I'm grateful for (in no particular order...) 

Free Zumba-esque classes, plantains (in any shape, form), free rides back to town, a seat on the bus, finding a connection bus instead of walking, having an umbrella, raincoat, toilet paper, fresh fruit, moto rides, the view from our roof, dinner by candlelight/twinklelight, sharing dinner with fellow volunteers, getting creative with massive amounts of zucchini, the roosters who will never let me miss the bus in the AM, LIFE (I thought I was going to die from feverish hallucinations last night), soo, I'm grateful my sister will be a nurse, that I have lots of health hookups back home, thanks Dr. Nott and Lynn for those malaria pills, I will enjoy my crazy dreams and stay away from the squitoes; Skype dates; movie nights; bachata music; rice water; caring people who nurse you back to health, country playlists (thanks Kate)

Puyo, Ecuador~ New Home

Lots to update on...  Made it to bus terminal in Puyo, got friendly pickup from project director Laura and her 16 month old daughter.  Made it to the volunteer house (there were four of us total at the time), this week we are back down to 3.  Another co coordinator, Henley, myself and an 18 year old volunteer.  He has Peace Corps experience in Costa Rica and Sarah can cook (and bake, more about that later).  I spent the week enjoying fresh fruits and veggies, waking at 5.30am, doing diagnostics at all our schools, learning new bus routes and hopping off the wrong ones, hitchhiking home (in pairs, more common than I thought, although some hitches actually function like unmarked taxis, so just make sure you know whether or not you'll be paying before you hop into someone's truck...), making dinners and spending time reading in hammocks.  Not sure why I feel tired if the school day ends around 12.30/1pm, but we have long bus rides that put us back home around 2 or 3pm.

I'm learning a lot about the achievement and resource gap between urban and public schools here.  The places where we work are all along jungle land, small one or two room school houses, my biggest school has about 40 kids, the smaller ones 16.  Some classes are going to function more like one on one tutoring sessions if you know what I mean so I'm trying to wrap my head around how to plan for all this.  Supposedly these kids are supposed to be getting at least 2 hours of English instruction a week, by law, but many local teachers are not TOEFEL certified, so that means volunteers (who have little or no teaching experience), become the replacements, or fulfill this requierement for about 40min once a week.  No wonder the diagnostics were abysmal.  I think I'm going in to this with the wrong mindset, and maybe part of that is prior education experience making me think that I can design this semester, improve my organization and planning skills and track their progress to the T...  Here is that really necessary, who am I to say the systems they already have in place are wrong, or inefficient, I really am not in the position to judge them at all.  Soo, after a two hour lesson planning session where we banged out some gold old fashioned INM, GP, IP, I'm trying to release all that and realize that I don't have control over the circumstances here.  There are first graders who have never been to school, and in the 4.5 hour school day, yeah, maybe I will have the school director who decides to take the kids down the hill on a nature walk and have them draw the view, wasting over an hour of precious instructional time.  Ahh, how could this be, I was screaming inside, no wonder they are so behind and start planting yucca at 12 instead of continuing on to the city schools in Puyo.  But, this is my chance to observe all these judgements that are passing through my head.  The pleathora of travel lit inside the house has given me a lot to reflect on, and I'm realizing I probably just need to be quiet.  Shh.

Octavalo, Ecuador

This is the biggest market in South America apparently.  I'm sorry.  I return without souvenirs family, just a pair of the typical black velvet shoes the ladies wear that I thought looked like some pretty casual black flats.    I ate a lot of mote, corn, with arvejas, peas, tostado, toasted kernels, some cheese, salt, hot sauce on top.  When I hopped on another bus with my little snack bag, I even asked another vendor for an extra squirt of hot sauce and she gave me a refill, even though I didn't buy from her originally.  Talk about generosity!  I came to Octavalo and it turned out it was party day, a huge street fair, beauty pagent, parade all happening that evening.  I met a Colombian girl who had come into town to hear her friends play Andean music (lots of zampona happening here) and she and I split a  taxi, wandered with me to find a hostel (cheaper than Colombian, about $5 a night) and wander until we found a good viewing spot for the parade.  We got squished a lot, then I lost her, but called it an early night.  Apparently, people stayed out dancing in the street until 2am.  I was pretty beat from bus rides so I was in bed before 10pm.  I ended up in a room with two Austrians who are WALKING all over the world.  They don't carry much, live simply eating lots of fruits and veggies they say, but just get their shoes resoled when needed.  Wow.  Mad props.  Tis amazing what you figure out that you don't really need when you commence life on the road.

Apparently Buddha said (somewhere along the line), Good people keep walking whatever happens...  in good fortune and in bad.  I would use quote marks if only I knew where to find them.  I think that my mini lesson is get over the fact that the nice girl who wanted to take pictures of the parade accidentally deleted all your fotos from Colombia.  Be grateful I still have a camera.  Be thankful to the people who took pictures in Guatape, Medellin, Cocora and Armenia, I have those and I have memories that will stick with me for some time.  Gotcha Buddha.  Be like Nemo.  Just keep swimming.

Couchsurfing in Armenia and Popayan

Ok, thought I'd try something new and venture into the Couchsurfing thing and I've had really good experiences.  Things don't always work out and you aren't always able to make connections with initial contacts, but I think it can be a  really good base for making people connections, finding friends in a new place and getting to know the country.  I really appreciated it, especially when I was traveling by myself and looking for some good company.  I went out dancing in Armenia on a Tuesday night (this means we picked all the songs they played), ate higado and kind of liked it, rode on a motorcycle with my huge backpacker bag, learned how to DRIVE the moto (and it was a manual might I add, only stalled out several times...  Don't worry mom, it was on dirt, not a main highway), explored the local market and wandered into art museums with a local university English teacher.  Sweet!  Thank you Frany and Pilar for awesome experiences.  Check out the fun times we had below, entire family, bro, cousin, other Argentinian Couchsurfer included...

Salento 8/27

Last night I took the bus from Guatape back to Medellin (2 hours), another bus to other terminal and then the 5 hour ride to Aremenia.  Beautiful landscapes, just weaving through mountains.  I was arriving pretty late and had planned to just find a spot to stay close by to the terminal but two Spanairds on the bus were also trying to get to Salento so we hopped in a taxi together.  At the last minute this strange Israeli guy came with us too and then the subject of terrorism came up, the taxi stalled out while the driver was struggling to get us up the hill and find the hostal in the dark.  Man, please, why are we going into politics with this dude?  Luckily, after asking directions from 3 different people we came across the hostal and I snatched up a room with three German girls.  The place, La Serrana, was clean, had free breakfast, coffee, wifi and spectacular views.

The next day I walked with the Spanish guys down the hill for a coffee farm tour.  I had done this in Costa Rica before, but perhaps that was the commercialized version.  This was the mom and pop business, without any big machines, they actually used a little hand-crank molino ( I had only seen these used for grinding up corn for tamales, etc).  We saw the plants, learned about the new cuts made every 8-10 years to help rejuvenate the plant (only has about 3 life cycles before the quality starts to go down), the banana plants used for shade, how to pick the right red bean, pop off the husk, dry them out, toast, grind and voila, hacer el cafe.  Truthfully, all the coffee I´ve had here in the land of Juan Valdez has been pretty, well, not so great.  Apparently the best stuff is exported which explains why Folgers tastes better than my tinto.

After wandering back to the hostel, I decided to give the Couchsurfing thing a try.  Some roommates had tried it in the past and I´ve been getting sick of the hostal lifestyle.  It can be fun, but it also feels like a continual party with backpackers, not a real look at the country or it´s people.  Another person was telling me about their good experience so i thought I´d give it a go.  The first place I landed was a place to drop my bags. a bar/resturant called the Speakeasy.  A Bostonian Brian greeted me at the door, and I met Dave and Dan (the Australiuan bros) who bought the property and have been cleaning it up, turning it into their business for the past year or so..  It was fun, although they were supposed to be celebrating someone´s birthday and going away party that night, a ton of peole ended up wandering thru so I was able to help out in the kitchen and waitress.  Good times.  Lots of interesting people to talk to, Dave made some awesome Thai curry soup and  my stuff stayed safe.  Thank you for good people in the world. 

Gutape 8´25

I ventured off with my travel partner Laura to the town of Guatape.  Cool little lake town, kinda felt like Atilan in Guate.  Really colorful houses that represent the trade of the person that works there (ex. one mgihtt have keys would be a locksmith, or corn a farmer, etc).  We threw our stuff down and made the trek to Penol, a massavie slab or ???  to climb the 659 steps to the top for a worthwhile view.  Actually, there were 740 steps because once you get to the top, there ar ethree more little gift shops that are crammed into a lighthouse strcuture and you can just continue to work your way up.

The next day we hiked to some waterfalls with a couple from London who were taking a break from the typical travel the world in a year thing.  They brought the two hostal dogs along who knew exactly how to get us up to the waterfall.  Sweet. 

I met a girl who has been living in this hostal and working there for 4 months.  She kayaks in the early AM, jumps in the lake for a dip, and then after doing 3 hours of tidying up around the hostal, goes for long bike rides and hikes by waterfalls.  This sounds like the life to me... 

Ipiales-Tulcan Border Crossing= Check! Mission Accomplished 8/31

Man, I was sweating bullets in the Ecuadorian Migration line, but I made it.  I got the friendly lady who was smiling at me while I was waiting, thank you Jesus!  That morning I went to an internet cafe to print off a backup itinerary, a flight back home from Quito to Newark to show my proof of return trip.  I thought I´d learn the second time around from the slight mishap in Atlantic City Airport.  I freaked out on the collectivo ride over, since the false trip I had printed off still went over the 90 day tourist visa.  Whoops.  Good thing they didn´t ask for that.  I left my hostal in Ipiales, (my Couchsurfing with the English teacher fell through), got on a blue collectivo that left me about 50 ft from the bridge and began my journey.  I spoke with some fellow Colombians (from Popoyan about 6 hours north of the border) who were visiting family.  They got the same feeling that I did- maybe it´s because the air is chillier up here in the Andes mountains, but the people are definitely not as warm and friendly as I had become accustomed to in Colombia.  When I asked someone for directions, the mother whispered to her daughter, ¨Tell her we´re not from here¨.  Geez.  At least in NY, I respect the lack of eye contact, I´m gonna keep walking, screw you, I don´t have time to give directions attitude, but here I was shocked.  Maybe this is teaching me something about myself.  Hmmm...  Anyway, the family took a picture with me at the border crossing, I got my Colombian exit stamp, walked over the bridge, got my Ecuadorian entry stamp and voila, must leave the country by Nov 28 2012.  We will see how this renewal visa process works...

In Ipiales my hostel people were pretty nice, they walked me to the corner and pointed out all the places where I could find my salchipapa (french fries-sausage mix) or fast food.  I opted for some elote, good old grill roasted corn on the cob.  I doused mine with aji preparado (they don´t do much spicy sauce here, but this one was spice with peanut butter, lots of mani up in the mountains).  I chatted up the lady and she even gave me a complimentary papa (potato).  Score one for the nina.  That night I buried myself under all the covers that were in the bedroom and left my two sweatshirts on.  The guy on the plane leaving Florida laughed at me when I had my scarf on, but I´m so grateful for all my layers now.

Once I made it acros, caught another minibus to Tulcan terminal, from the terminal another supposedly 3 hour bus to Octavalo, which was more like 4.5 hours (lots of checkpoints where they search bags below bus).  Phew.  Adios Colombia, it´s been real, but I´m ready to stop living out of my backpack now.  

Moving on to Medellin 8/22

Another travel lesson learned- when you can, book a flight!  I avoided the 14 hour bus trek and got a cheaper flight, about $34 USD to Medellin.  I flew out with a girl who I met in my hostal and was happy to have some company arriving in a new city.  We found two Swiss girls backpacking and split a cab to the hostal, which was actually quite far from the airport.  The airplane ride, albeit short, was nejoyable.  An episode of Modern Family, complimentary coffee and juice box, reclining seats (US airlines need to take a lesson in how to service their customers and show a little hospitalirty...).  Even though it was domestic flight, I was able to check a bag AND take a carry-on for no extra charge.  I even brought water through security and kept my shoes on through the whole process.  TSA agents eat your heart out!

I´m welcoming Medellin´s cooler climate and happy to escape to humid cover that I experienced in Cartagena.  There is an excellent view of the city from where I´m staying.  Day one_ Metro system, wide cars, on time, clear maps, no unplesant odors, well lit...  This city has bike lanes, a free botanical garden, (with free yoga classes which we enjoyed!), and a barefoot park where they encourage you to enjoy the sand.  I guess that´s the temporary escape for city folk who need a brief respite from the concrete jungle.  What is not to love?  I think I´ll stay longer.  Saw the mariposario (butterfly garden) - twas pretty amazing to watch these creatures suck the sugar out of a fermenting watermelon. Considering the Pablo Escobar tour, although I hear that you can ask his brother questions at the end of it, but the guys remains pretty vague, so perhaps not worth it...  Enjoyed my papaya picnic in the park and making food for myself in the ample hostal kitchens.  In other news, met a couple from Dallas who sold their apartment and were taking their 7 year old around South America.  The husband can work from his computer, so they are taking 6 months to travel as a family.  How cool is that?  Plus, they knew where the Valley was.  Ahh, that made me feel at home.

Cartagena Part 2- 8/21-8/23

Back in the city I was able to meet up with former coordinators of Arajuno Road Project in Ecuador who gave me some great tips for what to expect, where to go, how to manage volunteers, etc.  Did some good people watching in the park and kept things pretty low key.

I should also mention, I looked for Liga de Mujeres Desplazadas (the displaced women´s community) I researched in college.  Found an old address on a website that hadn´t been updated in ages.  An older man at a bike repair shop knew who I was talking about but mentioned they had moved years ago.  Hey, at least I tried...

I did find a new cultural center, only 8 months old started by some young artists.  They had photos and art posted, a book exchange and different afro dance classes, yoga, acro yoga and a young Argentinian couple providing a taller.  I went for the last two days I was in Cartagena and super glad I had made this discovery and was able to move a bit, find a new community.  They had rope swings, threw us up into headstands and made me want to join the circus.  We´ll have to see about that.

I also splurged and went on an official tour of the Volcan Totumo, a mud volcano located about an hour outside the city.  We climbed up a ladder in our bathing suits, entered at the top and found that I could not control my buyoancy due to the funky density properties.  It was an unreal sensation, floating, not being able to push my legs down or really submerge myself, or having someone´s leg fly up in the air unexpectedly.  There are several locals who offer massages, photo ops (Israeli girl I met on the bus has some pics, maybe I´ll get to see them eventually), and afterwards women who take your hand once you reach the lakeshore, and give you a rapid rub down with a bucket.  For 3,000pesos, I think she got most of the dirt out of my ears.  This felt like the thermal pools we found in Ojo Caliente, New Mexico- apparently these are supposed to have good properties for clarifying your skin as well.  We will have to see.

Parque Tyrona 8/18-8/20

After a 5 hour bus ride to Santa Marta and listening to a computer engineer from Turkey talk about his year long travels, (this is a guy that decided to hike Patagonia by  himself without ever going camping before).  We´re talking 127 Hours situation waiting to happen...  Anyway, awesome stories, met an Aussie, who Katie would be happy to know had red hair and said ´heaps´ a lot.  Purchase food to make aguacate-queso sandwiches and had my jar of peanut butter, so I knew I´d be able to survive in the jungle with the only food option being expensive fish dishes.  Lugged my nalgene and new foldable water bladder (thanks mom!) the hour walk into the jungle, made it to the first beach Arrecifes and scored a $6 hammock.

Spent the days wandering thru the selva and exploring other small beaches.  Coarse sand, warm water, many warnings about all the people who had drown in an idealic setting.  Serriously, this place looks like a honey moon postcard.  Too bad I wasn´t on my honey moon.  I got a lot of reading done and managed to stay dry for the most part despite the deluges that camp down in the nighttime. I felt bad for those camping who needed to seek out higher ground. There are people who actually pay mules to bring down all their baggage for them. The scene looks like a Woodstock campground after awhile, a splattering of colored tents, clothes lines strung with vibrant colored bathing suits, people snacking on fruit.  Twas fun.  Met a lot of Colombians on holiday.  Got an offer to visit folks in Cali and almost took some one up on the offer to ride down to the Santander Valley on motorcycle.  They had extra space but desfortunadamente, I had left my larger backpack in a hostal in Cartagena and just brought a small drawstring backpack with me.  Darn.  It was fortunate though that I was able to leave my 33kg pack back in the city though, otherwise I don´t think I would´ve made it all the way to my final destination.

Hiked back out of the park on Monday, caught the micro from parking lot to entrance, caught collectivo from Tyrona to Santa Marta and then hopped on the back of a motorcycle (because the old lady on the corner told me this was way faster than the bus and also safe) in order to beeline to the bus terminal.  Caught my bus back to Cartagena.  Done.  Enough transport for one day.  Return back to find all spaces full in Casa Viena, time to head to Media Luna (or as I have now figured out, party central).  I left with a new Chilean friend and mysterious red bites all over my legs.  I should really review these places before I committ to sleeping in a room the reeks of heavy BO and where the music is not shut off until after 12pm.  You know you are old and the hostal is dangerous when there is a pool-bar area in the center.  Note to self...

Cartagena, Colombia 8-15-12

Wednesday August 15th.  I left the Atlantic City Airport with official backpacker gear (thanks to Kate Binns) and found out some important stuff the hard way.  Lesson ·1- You need to have this thing called a return ticket to actually leave the country.  Honestly, I don´t think Colombia would´ve minded that much if I          bussed my way around South America, but apparently the American Embassy does have a problem with this, and Spirit Airlines have found a way to make it profitable.  I knew that cheap ticket was too good to be true.  $127 later, I have a one way ticket from Medellin to Ft. Lauderdale leaving sometime in September that no one will loose.  What did Poppop say, never break a deal over $5?  I could´ve tried to print out a bus itinerary perhaps, but at 5;30am with one cup of coffee in my system, how do you make such a decision?  You hand over the plastic, shrug off another pricey mistake, swear it´ll be the last one (hey, at least I´m not missing my flight as I have in past experiences) and hop in the security line.  Phew.  10 min out of the car and first crisis averted, or dealt with at least.

Plane from Florida-Cartagena, sit next to Alejandro, originally from Bogota and gives me the scoop on Miami strip and Colombian cities.  He gives me my first 20,000 pesos for the cab ride downtown since there was not an available money exchange when I arrived in the airport.  Things to do PRE ARRIVAL.  What happened to my checklist?  I get the green light in Colombian security line, hop in the cab, see coastline and colonial city of Cartagena.

First days there are spent wandering the Old City, historic center, officially changing my moolah and drinking several cups of extremely small ´tinto´(cafe), to get up to my daily, half a pot caffeine level.