The Life Less Travelled

Drug dealer - Hopkins, Belize

2010-03-08T00:26:00.001Z

This is a pretty empty statement... almost everyone in Belize offers you ganja. If you can't score in Belize there is seriously something wrong with you.

I asked this guy if he knew where to find the local bakery. He said he didn't know - even though he was sitting right in front of the sign - and offered me marijuana instead. Ten minutes later I found him sitting on top of the basketball ring.

I will say this only once: drugs are bad!

Welcome to Guatemala

2010-03-01T07:15:00.002Z

This is my first memory of entering Guatemala - the butcher with the picture of the sad cow on its shop-front. The cow almost looks angry and possibly threatening, as if to say, "Bad things will happen to those who buy meat from this place."

Ice food - Guatamala

2010-02-26T00:41:00.003Z

1. Shred an enourmous block of ice and fill a cup with the shreds.
2. Pour toxic red chemicals all over it.
3. Add strawberries and condensed milk.
4. Eat.
5. Consult your doctor.

15-year-old dreadlocks - Belize City, Belize

2010-02-22T04:06:00.001Z

Playa de Carmen, Mexico

2010-02-08T22:18:00.002Z

This is where I have been for the last week.
Today I arrived in Tulum, a little south from there.

Teotihuacan, near Mexico City

2010-02-03T23:25:00.000Z

Pausa

2009-12-15T14:15:00.002Z

I'm tired.
I need a break.
I won't be writing for a while.
But thank you to everyone for following.
I hope you enjoy your journeys through this wonderful life.
Much peace, love and light to you all.
Ara

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Estoy cansado.
Necesito una pausa.
No escribiré por un tiempo.
Pero gracias a todos para siguiendo mi blog.
Espero que disfrutan tus viajes por esta vida maravillosa.
Mucha paz, amor y luz a todos.
Ara

Shaving with scissors

2009-12-11T10:21:00.002Z

My mother recently pointed out that I haven't posted any photos of myself for a while, so here's what I currently look like. I shaved about 2 days ago. Mind you, my definition of shaving has changed over the last 3 months. I now use a pair of scissors to cut my over-grown, facial hair. It does take quite some time to accomplish this, but considering I only do it about once a month it's not too bad.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Related Posts

- You have a beautiful car
- The Power of Aliens
- fifty fifty

Isla Fuerte, Colombia

2009-12-09T13:49:00.001Z

This is Isla Fuerte ("Strong Island"). It was the main reason why I passed through Monteria, Moñitos and Paso Nuevo. It is a small island with, once again, very few people and no foreigners. It is a fantastic island with dark sand beaches and a very inviting shoreline.

[Below] There are no cars on Isla Fuerte, hence no need for roads. Most of the "streets" are simply a passage of grass or dirt between wooden dwellings. It has a very relaxed atmosphere.

[Below] Did I mention the beaches? It's possible to camp on the beaches and there is also some cabins and accomodation, which I imagine is used by the Colombian tourists when they visit in the high season.

[Below] The church can be found on the main road.

[Below] The people are super friendly. The little boy on the left sat next to me on the speed-boat from Paso Nuevo. He was extremely curious about where I am from and my appearance that he was continually asking me questions - even if I didn't answer. His coastal accent was difficult to understand, but when I told him of my difficulties he found it strange that my native language could be anything other than Spanish. We sat without speaking for a few minutes, in which time he examined the hair on my leg - grabbing it, stretching it out and then letting it go.

[Below] This man was sitting on his front porch, lazing about - as is a common past-time in Colombia. I started speaking to him and asked him where I could find a place to have lunch. His wife, also on the porch, said that she would be very happy to cook something for me for a minimal fee (U$5). It was delicious.

[Below] There are leaves behind this boy because he is in a tree.

[Below] My communication with this old man was strictly restricted to head movements and hand signals.

[Below] An antique washing machine.

Isla Fuerte is off the beaten track but definitely worth a visit!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Related Posts

- Little monkeys of Colombia don't have rabies
- Paso Nuevo, Colombia
- Little witches in Colombia

Little monkeys of Colombia don't have rabies

2009-12-07T04:58:00.002Z

More from the Carribean coast of Colombia. This is Moñitos ("little monkeys") - a very small town where everyone knows each other and zooms around the dirt roads on motorbikes. My very good friend, Kevin, suggested I go there to discover a rarely visited part of Colombia.

There are no tourists in this place. In fact, there is only one other foreigner there: Frtiz, from Switzerland. Seeing that I was a foreigner, everyone kept telling me, "There´s a Swiss guy who lives here." I eventually met him on the street - it's a very small town - as he was the only person besides me who didn't look Colombian.

We approached each other and I said, "You must be Fritz, from Switzerland. You've been living here from 8 years and you have a little son."
"You must be the Australian photographer," he replied.
The people don't really do very much in Moñitos, as a result they gossip and talk about everyone else's business. They had all seen me with my camera and hence word got around that I was an Australian photographer. Small town phenomenon!

[Above and below] The main road

[Below] Everybody gets around on motorbike. I even saw an 11-year-old girl in school uniform driving her little brother home on the back of a motorbike. It looked a little strange as the bike was bigger than the both of them.

[Below] The continuation of the main road. Actually, there only are three roads in Moñitos.

[Below] Like in many small, South American towns, Moñitos has a number of street dogs. They are all very friendly but one came up to me and licked my knee while I was taking a photo. Usually this wouldn't bother me except that I had an open cut on my knee and rabies is easily transmissible through infected saliva. I popped into the hospital across the street from my hostal to ask for some advice from the doctor.

"There's no rabies here," he said. "But there is a lot of malaria."

I wasn't worried about malaria so I was happy.

[Below] The beach. The water was absolutely spectacular... in temperature rather than in color. But unfortunately a lot washes up onto the beach in the mornings. Here are some children scavenging for items of somewhat use or value. The people of Moñitos are very poor.

[Below] But they are so friendly!

[Below] Children enjoying simple pleasures

[Below] Chillin'

[Below] Like the speechless man in Paso Nuevo, this man also did not speak. Once again my impression was that it was due to a lack of education rather than physical inability.

[Below] This boy was constantly happy. Afterwards I sat down and chatted with him and his schoolfriends about life in the village.

(Apologies to the email subscribers who received this post incompleted a short while ago. I'm using a friend's tiny netbook computer with an even smaller keyboard, and I somehow managed to press Publish before I was even near ready.)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Relaed Posts

- Paso Nuevo, Colombia
- Little witches in Colombia
- Super Agui = Super Water?

Paso Nuevo, Colombia

2009-12-04T01:36:00.001Z

A few weeks ago I was on the northern coast of Colombia. I visited Monteria, Moñitos and Isla Fuerte. I will be on the road a lot over these next few days so I will take this opportunity to publish photos from this trip.

Here are some photos from a tiny, tiny town called Paso Nuevo. There were no boats to Isla Fuerte on the day I wanted to visit so I had to travel to this Paso Nuevo to find one instead. It is clearly the poorest town I have visited in Colombia. Many of the roads - which are all made of dirt - have huge piles of soil piled up in the middle of them in unfinished "road" works.

[Below] I don't remember seeing many cars there. Donkeys and motorbikes are the way to get around... and walking of course. It would only take a few minutes to cross the entire village on foot.

[Below] This "pool hall" was the fanciest thing in the village.

[Below] This man saw me walk by with my camera in my hand and silently urged me to take his picture. I soon found out he can't speak. His communication was a combination of hand signals and grunts. My impression was that his lack of verbal communication was due to a lack of education rather than any physical inability.

[Below] I chatted to quite a number of people in the village, including a couple of young guys who were lucky to have jobs. However they told me that the majority of people in Paso Nuevo are jobless and consequently have nothing to do. As a result, many of the people just sit around and watch the days pass; with doing nothing. These men were playing dominoes all day. They were playing dominoes when I arrived in town around 8am and they were still playing dominoes when I passed through on my return at around 5pm.

I had a little trouble learning the rules of the game. The only thing I learned for sure is that one has to slam the dominoes as hard as possible on the wooden table in attempt to rupture the ear-drums of the other players. I believe it's the psychological element of the competition.

Paso Nuevo was a lovely town and I was really happy to be led through there on my voyage to Isla Fuerte. It is really small and extremely poor, but the people are very friendly, open and easy to talk to. And the only consequence of my visit was a night of diarrhea after eating a soggy, mystery-stick of cheese pastry.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Related Posts

- Little witches in Colombia
- Yanque and the Colca Valley
- Super Agui = Super Water?

South American Signs, Part 7: Fire safety on the metro

2009-11-29T08:05:00.000Z

Found in the Subte (the Subte-rrainean rail network of Buenos Aires):

[Above] This Man is an Emergency Ladder

[Above] This Man is a Fire Extinguisher

[Above] Fire Extinguisher on Ceiling

Hola Panama

2009-11-27T23:26:00.001Z

(I have very little time online so this will be a text-only update. )

The last few days have been quite rough. I knew the journey would not be easy so I travelled with 3 Argentinean friends who I kept bumping into as I passed through Colombia.

It took a combination of 2 buses (6 hours in total) and 3 hours of sitting couped-up in the back of a pick-up truck - driving through paramilitary territory - to get to Turbo, in the north of Colombia. We slept there the night and got up a 6am the next morning to get a lancha ("speed boat") to Capurgana - the island where one obtains an exit stamp from Colombia. From there it was another lancha to Puerto Obaldia - the island where one obtains the entrance stamp for Panama. The problem was that Puerto Obaldia is not used to foreigners and they therefore have almost no facility to process anyone not from Colombia or Panama. It also didn't help that immigration officer hated us for no apparent reason - though we later discovered that he hates everyone. Thank you Señor Vaz.

Furthermore, there were no boats leaving the island for about another 5 days. We were stuck there on this tiny, hot, humid, hell of an island - with absolutely nothing to do - for 2 days until I went around, talked to all the locals and met all the captains of boats and managed to organised a passage off the island to the next island - 1 hour away - where we had a better chance of getting a ride to mainland Panama... and even a flight!

We left at 5am the next morning and when we arrived at Mulaturpo (the next island) we had great luck and immediately connected with another lancha going to Carti - the first point of road access in Panama. The captain said it would be a 5-hour passage, however after 9 hours we were still going - squished shoulder-to-shoulder with splashing water continuously pummelling our faces. Unfortunately we didn't make it all the way to Carti and had to spend a night on a tiny island of natives - Carti Mulaturpo - where they gave us food and shelter completely free. We played with all the curious children (including albinos) and spoke with the elders about the changing and threatened culture and the departure of all the youth for the big city.It was truly an awesome experience.

This morning we were on a lancha for another 1.5 hours and then had a 3-hour jeep journey to finally arrive in Panama City. We had great difficulty finding a place to stay and finished in the apartment of a Mexican girl who offered her lounge room for $6 a night. We met her as she was selling pastels on the street.

I will probably continue with these guys further north for a little longer. The current plan is to leave Panama City on Sunday and head to Costa Rica.

South America... DONE!

2009-11-23T14:36:00.000Z

I've finally leaving South America!

And it only took 445 days, which is:
- 63.5 weeks
- 14.5 months
- 1.2 years

And there was still a lot that I missed on this enormous continent.

Below is a map with all the places I did manage to visit. Please feel free to zoom-in and have a play around with the map to get a more detailed idea.

In a few hours I will head towards Turbo to get a ride on a merchant's boat across to Panama. There are no roads between Colombia and Panama, so a boat or a flight is the only way to cross. The merchant boat is the cheapest option, thought it may take anywhere between a few hours and a few days to get across.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Related Posts

- Beginning a South American adventure
- Statistics
- Adventures

Images from Quito, Ecuador

2009-11-21T03:46:00.002Z

I had heard some negative things about Quito - that it was dangerous, over-populated and dirty. As a result I made a decision not to go. But the universe forced me that way and actually I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed my time there. Here are some photos from the 4 days I spent there.

[Above] Oliver's eye. He's a Swiss guy I met in Quito who had strange pigmentation in both of his eyes. This photo has nothing to do with Quito but I like it, haha.

[Below] A church dome as seen from Plaza San Francisco.

[Above and below] Ecuador is so named due to the French who undertook many studies with regards to the equator. The whole country was actually called Quito before, whereas now only the capital of Ecuador keeps this name - the place where the French boats landed.

Many tourists to Quito visit the Mitad del Mundo ("The Half of the World") where they pose on the line separating the northern and southern hemispeheres, which the French were studying. Most of these people then laboriously pose in front of the towering globe for a nice photo they can then upload on Facebook.

[Below] A little girl on a bus.

[Above and below] Iglesia La Compañía de Jesús - another one of Quito's beautiful churches. After travelling so long my enthusiasm for churches is almost non-existent, but Quito really impressed me. Almost the entire inside of this church is gold-plated with 24-carrot gold. It was built by indigenous people in a baroque style.

Like the other churches and the museums in Quito, a guide was included in the $1-2 entrance fee. Santiago, the guide, said that we were not allowed to touch the thin layer of gold which plated the wood, so I asked whether I was allowed to lick it. He said he would turn a blind eye while I did so. Mmm... yummy!

[Below] Random street

[Below] Random terrace

[Below] Random wall

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Related Posts

- Life around La Merced
- Holy architecture
- Iguanas in Ecuador

Is it safe to travel to Colombia?

2009-11-18T07:59:00.001Z

I've been in Colombia for around two weeks now and I am happy to say it is one of my favorite countries in South America. However, unfortunately the department of foreign affairs of many countries is actively discouraging travel to this beautiful country, stating that it is dangerous.

Here are extracts from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs website:

We advise you to exercise a high degree of caution in Colombia because of the high threat of terrorism and criminal activity. Terrorist, insurgent and paramilitary groups are active throughout Colombia and there is a high risk of kidnapping, including of foreigners.
Government buildings, public transport, and commercial and entertainment centres are potential targets for terrorist attacks. Places frequented by foreigners could also be targeted.
Colombia has one of the highest rates of kidnapping in the world. Foreigners, including children, have been kidnapped and murdered.
Pay close attention to your personal security at all times and monitor the media for information about possible new safety or security risks.

Advice for Colombia overall: High degree of caution.
Advice for the cities of Cali and Popayan (to which I have already been): Reconsider your need to travel.

But after being here for over 2 weeks I can confirm that there is little to fear. I feel much safer here than I have in many other cities and countries. I am particularly surprised as to how many police and military there are on the streets. In Bogota there were at least a pair of police-officers on every street corner in the centre. Incredible!

For example, while I was in town the other day an incident (of which I don't know the details) took place nearby. Suddenly I saw police numerous running towards the suspicious man from every direction, as if he was a magnet. I didn't get a good look at the suspect because he was being escorted away by 11 police officers!

Furthermore, bag searches are a regularity everywhere: official buildings, public buildings, random searches on the street, which include a thorough frisking for guns, knives or anything else suspicious. Even I have been approached by police on the street for a random bag search - but I probably look more suspicious than real criminals at the moment.

Of course there are some dangers, but that is no different to any other country. Just don't be so foolish to wonder into the slums and dark, deserted streets at night... they belong to the thieves, criminals and drug-dealers. And don't go wondering deep into the jungle... it belongs to the guerrillas and the paramilitary. Nevertheless, I feel extremely safe here.

Furthermore, Colombia is more developed and organised than many South American countries, with: good roads; eduction regarding littering and water wastage; recycling; and best of all, when you are driving through the countryside, the mountains are actually green - unlike the brown, cindered appearance of uncontrolled burning and land-clearing.

Anyone who has been to Colombia knows that it is an fantastic place. The tourism slogan for Colombia is: El riesgo es que te quieras quedar ("The risk is that you will want to stay"). I think the slogan is very accurate .

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Related Posts

- Police in Peru
- The mysterious fruits of Colombia
- Having fun with Colombian fruit

Little witches in Colombia

2009-11-14T16:05:00.001Z

While I was in Cali (Colombia) I went to San Cipriano for a couple of days. It's a sleepy village deep in the forest where the majority (if not all) of the inhabitants are of African descent.

[Below] It's a 2-3 hour bus journey from Cali. After getting off the bus you walk down the hill to the railways tracks where you can take a brujita (which literally translates to "little witch") to the town of San Cipriano. The ride should cost between 2,000-3,000 Colombian pesos (US$1-1.50) maximum. Be aware that there will be men waiting for naive foreigners to arrive on the bus from Cali so they can trick them to pay 8,000-10,000 COP.

[Below] A brujita is more or less a motorbike running on the railway track. Only the back wheel makes contact with the track while the rest of the bike and all the passengers - and their belongings - are placed on the wooden platform to which it is attached. That one wheel is securely attached to the rail with bearings but, as there is only one track, if there is another brujita coming the other way, one of the two needs to unload all passengers and most of the cargo to remove the motorbike-platform contraption off the rails permitting the other brujita to pass. Of course some arguments ensue over who should be the one to unload and give way.

[Below] Kids of San Cipriano

[Below] This was the first time I used my mosquito net in South America. I didn't really need to use it but I had it with me and I didn't want to have a restless night's sleep with the high-pitched frequency of the occasional mosquitoes buzzing immediately in my ear.

[Below] An intense stare, from across the table at breakfast.

[Below] The beautiful, crystalline waters of the lake. I was there with two friends and together we were the only foreigners in the town. Unfortunately this meant we didn't learn about a wonderful activity that is on offer in San Cipriano - visitors hire the enormous, rubber-tubing of truck tires, walk 30 minutes up-river and float down the river rapids on the tire, watching the beautiful, green forest pass by in a blur.

[Below] "Mummy, mummy... Look at the gringoes!"

[Below] Simple housing

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Related Posts

- One fine day back in Guaramiranga
- Yanque and the Colca Valley
- Super Agui = Super Water?

Life around La Merced

2009-11-11T09:11:00.000Z

La Merced is a church in the centre of Quito - the capital city of Ecuador. I went there without expecting anything in particular but instead I found a hive of life buzzing all around it. Here are a few images of what I saw.

[Above and below] Friar Carlo was very kind. The church wasn't open for visitors at the time I passed by but he happily invited me in.

[Below] This young boy was playing the saintly goal-keeper as his older brother was attempting to score against the high wall of the church.

[Below] These shoe-shine boys were sitting on the steps of the plaza in front of the church. I did eventually get them to smile.

[Below] Shoes of a shoe-shine.

[Below] The weathered hand of a young boy forced to shine shoes to survival.

[Below] A lovely lady waiting for the doors of Iglesia San Francisco to open so she could continue volunteering with its renovation. She invited me to several church services.

[Below] The view from the steps of San Francisco Church.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Related Posts

- Holy architecture
- Iguanas in Ecuador
- Chiropractic in Ecuador

Halloween in Colombia

2009-11-08T13:17:00.002Z

On Halloween 2009 I found myself in Cali, Colombia. Stefy, my wonderful host, had organised that we attend the Couchsurfing Halloween party... where a costume was obligatory.

I had never dressed up for Halloween before - except for that one time when I was about 14-years-old when I dressed-up in a bed sheet and called it a "toga." Even I thought that was lame.

Strangely, the idea of dressing up as a mummy came to me in a dream. So I went and bought 3 meters of cheap cloth; tore it up into strips; painted my face (n.b. lots of fun) and wrapped myself up.

This was the result. Most people were quite impressed. Actually, I was surprised that it turned out the way that I had imagined it.

However the horror and scary connotations of Halloween do not really apply here. The women mostly dressed up glamorously; perhaps with wigs or a traditional dress, but definitely nothing ghoulish or evil. The men did had costumes - e.g. rock-stars, doctors, and more wigs - but on the whole, Halloween in Colombia was more like a fancy-dress party.

I guess I now know what I'll look like if I ever enter a state of un-dead.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Related Posts

- Having fun with Colombian fruit
- Home “Sweat” Home
- Beware of the Chilean Monster

How to confront & build rapport with an iguana

2009-11-06T05:23:00.000Z

I came face to face with many iguanas while I was in Ecuador... literally. But I managed to learn a simple 3-step procedure to become the best of friends with them - except for that one iguana who was just a jerk.

[Above] Step 1 - Establish eye contact

[Above] Step 2 - Find a common interest or something to talk about, e.g. architecture.

[Above] Step 3 - Mention that their new butt looks wonderful.

[N.b. Like many lizards, iguanas can "drop" their tails. Should a predator grab hold of the iguana’s tail, the detached piece thrashes and wriggles to distract the predator while the iguana runs to safety.]

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Related Posts

- Iguanas in Ecuador
- Horrid beasts and mutations from the Galapagos Islands
- More oddities from Galapagos

The sea lions of Galápagos

2009-11-04T07:29:00.001Z

My best experience on the Galapagos Islands was swimming with four baby sea lions off the coast on the island of Rabida. They swam with my group for about 100 metres along the coast: swimming up to my face and pausing there while they examined my features; they swam between us; over me, under me and alongside me. It was actually one of the best moments in all my travels. They are such wonderful animals.

[Below] The babies are extremely curious and come right up to you as you stand on the beach. But it's very important not to touch them - our guide said that the slightest touch will attach your smell to them, which if the mother smells, she will abandon her baby which will consequently die.

[Above and Below] At the fisherman’s market there is a always a gathering of animals hoping for an easy feed. Usually pelicans, herons, noddys, the odd blue-footed booby and, finally, one or two sea lions. The sea lions, being the cutest, usually get the best feed.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Related Posts

- Sea lions on drugs
- Horrid beasts and mutations from the Galapagos Islands
- More oddities from Galapagos

Sea lions on drugs

2009-11-02T11:08:00.000Z

[Pleased be advised: the following images may be shocking and disturbing to some people. Parental guidance IS recommended.]

While I was on the Galapagos Islands I witnessed, first-hand, the problem with cocaine addiction. Many sea lions have taken a liking to the drug and are snorting lines of coke on the beach - in plain view of all their peers and all the tourists.

Don't let this happen to you. Say NO to drugs!

[Below] Before

[Below] The hit

[Below] After

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Related Posts

- Horrid beasts and mutations from the Galapagos Islands
- More oddities from Galapagos
- Willy Wonka - Drug Baron

The mysterious fruits of Colombia

2009-10-30T12:58:00.003Z

I'm still so excited after my visit to that wonderful supermarket across the street from my host's apartment in Cali. Arelis, the supervisor, guided us around and explained the names and uses of all these mysterious delectables. Names such as: guanabana, pipilanga, ñame, caimo, feijoa, papayuela, higos, remolacha, pitaya and mamey. Of course I forgot everything she told us so if you have any idea what you're looking at, please, indulge me. :)

[Below] Numerous pulps. Simple add water or milk for a delicious juice. Yum!!!

[Below] Welcome to the Lemon family

[Below] These I know... mangoes.

[Below] As we were playing with these - smelling them, shaking them for a rattle and licking them - a woman passing-by explained that they can be used to make sugar, but in Colombia they are used in salads.

[Below] Spiky yellow fruit. It tasted like juicy rubber. Delicious!

[Below] Baby Watermelons

[Below] Frozen raspberries. They were sweet and crunchy. How can you go wrong with that combination?

[Below] I think this is called... Yelloooooow!!!

[Below] Greeeeeeen!!!

[Below] Canon-ball fruit

[Below] Spiky green football. It looks like it doesn't want to be eaten. Why fight it?

[Below] Tomatoes crossed with pears? Tomato pears?

[Below] Miscellaneous green fruits.

[Below] I thought these were mandarins, but after seeing so many strange variations I'm not sure anymore.

[Below] Green brain fruit. Good for the memory.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Related Posts

- Having fun with Colombian fruit
- Learn Spanish through Fruit
- The road to Colombia

Having fun with Colombian fruit

2009-10-28T06:48:00.000Z

I had the most marvellous day on Monday. Across the street from where I am staying there is the most wonderful, fresh fruit supermarket. It is an explosion of color in the form of the strangest fruits that I have ever seen.

[Below] The first thing that caught my eye was the enormous pumpkins.. ready for Halloween. Yay!

[Below] Of course I asked before I went around with my excited, trigger-happy finger twitching on my camera - I have learned my lesson from so many other countries, where the security guards approach and accost. The beautifully friendly Colombian people welcomed me into their store, gave Stefi (my host) and I their blessings and welcomed me back whenever I like.

After about 20 minutes of pouncing around like a schoolboy in a chocolate factory, Arelis (the supervisor) approached and led me around the store explaining the uses of all the strange fruits which I had never seen before. And she kindly gave us numerous fruits to try for the first time.

[Below] Among those that we tried we these tiny oranges. I asked, "Who has the patience to peel these things?"
"You don't," replied Arelis, taking one and popping it in directly in her mouth.
I followed suit and was shocked to discover that it tasted exactly as an unpeeled orange would taste: horrible! I spent the next ten minutes rushing all around the store finding free samples to quash the lingering taste in my mouth.

The tiny oranges appear big in the following photo but only because Stefi was holding them close to the camera. In actually fact the largest was no more than 2.5cm in diameter.

[Below] One of the fruits that I did recognise... Grenadines.

[Below] More free samples. I don't know what it was, but it was a white and viscous drink. Hmm... now that I think about it I don't want to know.

[Below] Okay, so it wasn't just me who didn't know what the heck you're supposed to do with these fruits. Some of them actually had instructions. "Meet Rábano Blanco."

[Below] Delicious oranges. They had to re-stock the sample plate after we finished with it.

[Below] I have no idea what this was. All I know is that it was big, brown and could be used as a weapon.

[Below] Something from the banana family, but not bananas.

[Below] And just in case you didn't realise how big those pumpkins were... they were bigger than my head!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Related Posts

- Learn Spanish through Fruit
- The road to Colombia
- Tarabuco Market, Bolivia

The road to Colombia

2009-10-26T04:22:00.007Z

[Above] Sitting on the back of a bus in Popayan with my hosts.

I finally made it to Colombia - my last stop before Central America. Though the journey wasn't easy.

First I had to wake up at 3.45am to get a taxi to the bus station for the 5a.m. bus leaving Quito. It was a 6-hour journey to Tulcan - the border town on the Ecuadorian side of the border - from where I rode in the back of a pick-up truck to Rumichaca (the border). From Rumichaca it was a mini-van to Ipiales - the border town on the Colombian side - where I took another bus to Popayan, my first destination in Colombia. Unfortunately the bus broke down 3 hours from Popayan and I had to wait for another to arrive.

After about half an hour the bus driver flagged down a shared taxi to take me and a few others the rest of the way. Once in Popayan I took another taxi to meet my host in town, and then another to go to her house.

So the tally is:
4 taxis
2 buses
1 mini-van
1 pick-up truck

Started the journey at 4a.m.
Finished the Journey at 10p.m.
Total time: 18 hours

[Above] I became friends with some of the passengers on the very first bus. When we disembarked at Tulcan we all realised that we were going the same way and so we travelled as a group of 12 thereafter. It was pretty great... they organised everything for me. I just sat around and enjoyed the ride. They even negotiated the bus fare for me and checked my bills when I exchanged money on the border - to ensure they weren't fake. It really felt like a big family and we had a lot of laughs together.

[Above] This is Jimmy. He's Colombian but he has been living and working in Buenos Aires. To save money he travels back to Colombia by bus rather than flying. He said it costs about US$250 one-way and takes 9 days of continuous travel. NINE!!! I don't think I'll ever complain about a long, bus ride again.

[Above and below] Some scenes from Popayan. It's very hot during the day but it usually rains in the afternoons, hence the cloudy, grey skies.

[Below] My very first Colombian coffee. Yes, it was delicious. Don't I look happy?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Related Posts

- Diarrhoea and Bolivian bus accidents-
- Rio de Janeiro
- Holy architecture