Sometimes spring follows summer

Paradise led to Panama city, a boiling hot inferno chock full of shopping, canals and people. I shopped, avoided the canal, tried to visit the old city by getting on a bus marked Panama Viejo (Old Panama) - ended up in completely the wrong area, then walked back to town.

and then the following:

10pm taxi to airport
2am flight to Lauderdale
5:55am stupid questions from US customs
6:10am pulled aside for luggage check
6:25am escape from luggage check
6:45am board plane to Boston
10am arrive Boston
10:30am ask tourist information for information (completely incorrect - called Hilton Hotel for correct info - thanks Hiltons)
11am visit ICA in Boston (Contemporary Art Gallery) - cool exhibits, photography prohibited
12pm check email at Boston's courthouse - awesome!
1:30pm go to catch bus to Salem at subway - customer service tells me there's no bus, go to other subway.
1:45pm get to other subway - visit two customer service areas - both tell me there's no service to Salem
2:10pm miss bus to Salem
3pm meet to lovely ladies waiting for the bus to Salem, they sympathize about stupid transit people - bus clearly stops at both subways that I was told it didn't, and as an added bonus - also stops at the airport!
5pm get to Salem
5:03pm see sign for witches museum - yes, it's that Salem!
6pm meet ride to Montreal

24 hours later - ask some Hasids what time Seder starts - they reply not before 8:20, but as I learned the less orthodox actually get hungry earlier
3 hours later - ring doorbell
30 seconds later...

A brief trip to paradise

Last you heard I was in Bocas Del Toro, Panama - a place with heaploads of angry people - the government is selling off lots of land to foreigners, causing prices to rise, lives to be disrupted, and people to be generally unhappy. From chatting with people, it looks like only 2-3 years ago cars were a rarity on the main island - i.e. one every half hour - while there's still no gridlock, it's easy to see the the way of life is changing for all the locals. The ambience is therefore not excellent, as everyone is annoyed that you're there, or trying to make a fast buck. Ah well.

From there I headed to San Blas - a territory governed by the Kuna - an Indigenous group that gained autonomy in the early 20th century. The territory includes the San Blas Islands (my destination) - a group of approximately 365 islands, most of which are super-tiny and filled with palm trees, white sand and the occasional shell. They're surrounded by the clearest water one could possibly imagine. In other words - paradise.

Off and on the beaten track

My last week in Colombia was jam-packed with an adventure into the unknown - it all started Sunday at 7am. My first stop was in a little pueblo called Guatape - most notable for being within walking distance of ¨The Rock¨. (I had my backpack repaired here by Dona Flor)

Then a quick stop in Sante Fe de Antioquia - a charming town where I stayed indoors due to enormous amounts of rain.

Then a quick 8 hour bus ride to Turbo - a Caribbean port town near Panama, followed by an 8am boat ride to Capurgana (see video below). This experience was the most painful of my entire voyage. (thus far anyhow)

Capurgana is a super lovely beach town with no cars (or motorbikes for that matter). Sadly, I had only 2 days in this wonderful place. Whilst there, I took a quick hike across the border to a beach in Panama. Interestingly, the beach I went to is actually in the Darien National Park. So.... I´ve now officially been to the Darien. Too Cool!

After the one hour flight to Panama City, I spent a short three hours (!!!) going through customs. (10 people) I thought that this sucked, but imagine the Colombians who must go through this every time they take the route. Incredibly frustrating.

And now, I´m in Bocas del Toro, Panama in a town with seemingly more gringos than Panamanians. Seeing as the beaches are completely mind-blowing, I´ll somehow manage to suffer through it.

Political Note: Terrorists, drug smugglers and arms shipments do not travel by official means. There is a group of Islands in Panama that are self governed - the drugs arms and terrorists would probably choose this option.

2008: a backpack odyssey

The final night parade in Popayan was spectacular - the same delightful Jesuseses but without the crowds. (great for reminiscing about Jesus's journey on the cross)

Then, on to San Augustin - the site of some wierd funerary statues. (note photograph)

And now I'm in Medellin - a place where it may be possible to dance on Pablo Escobar's grave. But more importantly, it's the place where my backpack began its odyssey and I learned some valuable lessons in keeping a smile going. (note photograph again)

Lesson 1: There is no smell worse than a backpack soiled with fish juice - except maybe Bundaegi. (Korea's national hiking food)

Lesson 2: There is no pain more severe than picking up your freshly laundered backpack, only to discover that it still smells of fish - except maybe childbirth. (everyone wish Loni well)

Lesson 3: There is nothing worse than discovering that your backpack has been taken apart, and the straps sewn on backwards - except maybe death. (this is not my wisdom, but what the cleaner told me in order to put things into perspective)

So, my request is for everyone to pray to Baby Jesus for him to use his Baby Jesus Powers for me to find a place for me to re-repair my backpack. (Please do not pray to Ninja Fighting Jesus)

[Side note: whilst writing this, someone climbed the walls of the hostel and stole the VCR and DVD player. The police were here within about 2 minutes - now that's service!]

This Week in God Week

On today, Good Friday, I felt it wise to reflect on the state of global Messianisim.

No, not really. Instead, here's a brief review of my week.

Monday - took a day trip from Cali (Colombia's salsa capital) to San Cipriano - a small town that can be reached on foot, or by the remarkable moto-tren. This was my main reason for going to San Cipriano - and it was well worth it! -- a couple videos are up on youtube.

Then, Tuesday morning I headed to Silvia - as every Tuesday, the town hosts an indigenous market. I wasn't thrilled with the market, but the town was lovely, and on one part of my walk, I smelled the sweetest air ever. (It must be noted that 5 minutes later it was foul as foul can be)

Wednesday morning brought me to Popayan - where I am now, for (apparently) the world's second largest Easter celebration (after Sevilla, Spain). Daytime atmosphere is fantastic - evening atmosphere is soporific - and late night atmosphere is where you truly get close to Jesus - at a salsa bar.

Zoo Logic

I'm currently in Cali, Colombia, one of the world's foremost plastic surgery destinations - as evidenced by the thousands of silicone enhanced breasts that are simply everywhere. (Not to mention less evident surgeries).

Yesterday I went to the Zoologico, and as recommended, compared myself to a monkey. Clearly the monkey has slightly more hair, and I wear glasses. I have no doubt that there are subtler differences too.

It was strange being in a zoo after recently seeing some of the animals in the wild... On the plus side, I saw a few animals that were too reticent to come out when I was in their hood. On the negative side, as amazing as zoos are, it's not the same sort of experience.

This is also the first time in my life I've seen a complete Sunday shut-down - the only way I found an internet cafe was to accidently stumble upon the city bus terminal. It's wierd seeing a metropolis turn into a ghost town overnight.

Political note: Whilst in Bogota, I could have had my hair cut by the president's barber, but for some strange reason I didn't - yet another reason to always go for the gold.

A slice

Sometimes travelling gets difficult - so much so that it's possible to imagine jumping on a plane and returning to snow-filled Canada. In a way, this is even a good thing, because it makes you realize (even if you already knew it), that just like Dorothy said - ˝there's no place like home˝.

Anyhow, common sense has prevailed, and I'll stay on the road. But, just for y'all to know - it's not always easy!

My hosts in Bogota are a delightful Slovenian couple I met on the Ciudad Perdida trek. They've taught me a lot about Slovenia - for example, it's not in Eastern Europe, but in Central Europe; it has only 2 million citizens, and it's capital is very hard to spell. Also, they've requested that I reinforce that Colombia is an amazing place, generally safe and that they still like Slovenia better. In fact, they've just convinced me it would be amazing to visit one day!

Getting high in Colombia

I'm currently in San Gil, Santander, Colombia - an eco-adventure tourism town, that seems quite lovely. After a long bus ride last night, I decided to keep going (at 1 in the morning!) and continue on til here... Then, bright and early a decision to go for my first paragliding trip - quite an interesting experience - definitely cool, but not the adrenaline rush I was expecting - a couple of really cool videos are now up on youtube, so take a look.

And.. another tidbit on the military situation.

Apparently the Military (good guys) and the paramilitary (bad guys) have never been in an armed conflict. The paramilitary have been responsible for lots of ethnic cleansing - removing undesirables like homeless people and homosexuals.

The FARC (Guerrilas) apparently control about 30% of the drug trade - or a guesstimated $1 million per day, and the paramilitary the other 70%. CASH, CASH, CASH.

Lost and Found

I just finished a trek to Colombia´s famous lost city - called - Ciudad Perdida (Lots of new photos and videos). The ruins were stunning and the trek was relatively easy and uneventful - aside from fleas and ticks.

Notes of interest... The military pays low end soldiers $33 per month - this is to pay for essentials like soap, toothpaste, etc. The soldiers we met were constantly asking for cigarettes, because they couldn´t afford the $1 or so per pack they cost.

There are 3 main armed forces in Colombia
1) Army
2) Guerillas
3) Paramilitary (Professional soldiers for hire)

None of them get along.

Questions and answers

So, before coming to Colombia, I was urged not to talk politics with anyone, as the FARC is always listening...

So I waited a couple days before asking someone about the FARC - he absolutely refused to say anything, or comment on why he wouldn´t say anything. This is almost more telling than an actual conversation -- so anyhow, it´s serious business.

I asked about safety in the area, and was told that it was very safe, because the army has a base nearby and can have a plane in the air in 3 minutes -- interesting.

It´s wierd, because on the surface, so far the country seems like one of the safest I´ve visited - but scratch a little, and of course there´s a war in the background, and police corruption that sounds worse than Brasil.

Anyhow, this sounds a little sketchy, but at the same time, it seems like the country is remarkably stable and safe.

The wild, wild west

My visit to the Brasilian Pantanal was really cool - it is indeed an amazing spot for seeing wildlife.

Saw monkeys, caimans, giant rodents, a family of otters, coatis, endless birds and surely a bunch more I`m forgetting. Also went pirhana fishing - an experience sure to bring out the sharp teeth in anyone.

This afternoon, I`ll catch a Bolivian train to Santa Cruz, hang around if the weather is good, then catch a plane to somewhere in Colombia!

New Photos
New Videos

Sleeping with the fishes

I´m currently in Bonito, a Brasilian town renowned for it´s eco-activities. Yesterday saw me floating down a river looking at fishees. They were pretty.

Now, some interesting facts:

*Many, many Brasilians can´t swim - yet they all go to the beach/swimming place.

*Brasilian bikinis are tiny - yet they´d NEVER go topless. (Much as a North American or European would NEVER wear a Brasilian bikini)

*It´s okay to wander around in this tiny bikini (or speedo), but NEVER in your underwear. (i.e. there´s even a sign in the hostel specifically prohibiting people from walking around naked OR in their underwear.)

I´ve seen the future...

And it´s in the past!

Recently, I visited Brasilia, a city designed in 1956 by the country´s pre-eminent architect, Oscar Niemeyer (and a few others). Since then, many new buildings have been constructed, but they all have his distinctive 1950´s future style.

I visited many sites during my 10 hour visit, including the national congress - a building that is seemingly unchanged since it was originally built and decorated - i.e. even the chairs are 100% vintage!

This visit was conducted between an 11 hour bus ride and a 23 hour bus ride.

The shower I took upon my arrival in Campo Grande was simply spectacular!

Meat, meat, meat and more meat

Wow.

Last night I had the ultimate Brasilian experience - a visit to a churrascaria, followed by a soccer game.

A churrascaria is a Brasilian BBQ restaurant where you don´t actually order anything. You just set your table card to green and the waiters keep bringing meat. Then, they bring more meat. Then, they bring more meat. Then, they bring more meat.

Then you set your table card to red.

Then they bring dessert.

Then, you hope your next meal is a long way off.

A trip to Black Gold

Today I visited a town called Ouro Preto with Guy and Geli (my hosts in Belo Horizonte). It´s a colonial town that was the centre of Brasilian gold mining in the 18th century.

The man responsible for many of the religious sculptures in the region carved most of his work after losing his hands and legs. The political correctness and kindness of the times granted him the caring nickname of Aleijadinho. For those of you who don´t speak Portuguese, this means Little Cripple.

Afterwards, we went grocery shopping, and purchased the wolverine of pineapples.

Rio de Janeiro

So, I zipped in and out of Rio.

While there, I took taxis, buses and the metro. Nobody got shot, mugged, stabbed or even intimidated. The worst thing I saw was a fellow gringo overpaying for a bag of popcorn at a soccer game. I kinda wish I hadn´t heard so many negative things about Rio, as I would have felt more relaxed.

Whilst there, I went to visit a spaceship museum with a crappy exhibit, went to the top of sugarloaf mountain (absolutely stupendous views), wandered around and went to a futchball game. -- The game was really cool - interestingly, when two enemy teams play, it´s possible that when enemy fans meet outside the stadium, one of them can be killed -- brings soccer hooligans to a new level.


VIDEO: Just after Flamengo (Rio´s most popular team) scored a goal.

Portrait of a family

I spent the first three weeks of January living with Rene and his awesome family in a small town called Ubatuba, Sao Paulo State. The experience has been one of the highlights of my trip, and as a result, I´m currently staying with some of his cousins in Belo Horizonte that I met in Ubatuba.

Family life was quite simple, but a few things stuck out.

Firstly, they thought our eating habits were crazy, and we definitely thought theirs were! Since going to Rio, I discovered that many of those eating habits are 100% typical Brazilian.

Secondly, the family unit is really close - I got the distinct feeling that it´s common for family members to move into one another´s houses - not sure if this is for convenience, economic necessity or a desire to experience life in a different city - or a combination of all three. Also, much like the Mediterranean folks - kids stay at home for a looong time - and their parents are happy about it!

The entire family was (and still is!) super welcoming, which is of course wonderful - but even more so because for the first few days communication was quite a challenge - I wonder how many of us would welcome a stranger (that we couldn´t talk to) into our houses.

If you'd like a closer look at family life, take a look at this short movie.