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!