A Nomad…no more..

 

 

 15 months have gone by. It seems only a few months ago I was sitting in a different place writing the blog on the night before I left for the long trip. The nervousness, the excitement, the tears.. all the emotions rolled into one.

You know many of us may have consider a trip like this., Most of us, think about it anyway. Those who take actions are usually fresh from graduation who strapped on their backpack and off they go with their round-the-world ticket. The youthful right of passage.

For me, this trip was timed more to midlife crisis than graduation. It signalled a significant change of my life. Although I quit my well-paid job and decided on romping around the world, I didn’t think i was searching for anything or the need to find myself. Oddly enough, I accomplished a lot during this time. Even now its hard to list all the things that went on during the 15 manhunt’s but I have learnt about the world and my place in it. And also the true meaning of time..  

My trip took me to South Africa -Mozambique - Namibia – Botswana – Zimbabwe- Tanzania – Uganda -
(Ethiopia Airport, another long story)- Dubai – Syria – Jordan – Israel – Spain – Morocco – Mauritania - Senegal – Mali – Burkina Faso – paris – Holland – Italy – SF and Las Vegas - Belize – Guatemala – Nicaragua – Panama – Argentina - Antarctica – Chile – Bolivia – Ecuador – colombia - NYC.

 

At first, it was a tad overwhelming, the entire world spread out in front of me, every river, mountains and exotic spots to explore. Total freedom is intense and intoxicating but giving in to it wasn’t easy – for me at least. it took me a while before I finally adapted to days on the bach doing nothing and on some days the most difficult decision is what I should have for dinner.

Of course, it wasn’t without its problems.
I was mugged, pickpocket and snatched in 3 different cities. Days of struggling with maps and decisions as simple as turning right or left, where to rest my weary body and what to eat. Or when I spent the coldest christmas in the highlands of Guatemala with insufficient warm clothes and huddled in my bed with layers of my summer wear, gloves and socks and my hat. Falling flat on my face In El Chalten that left me bed-ridden for 2 days with a cracked lip and swollen nose which left me feeling so lonely. Swapping away a dozen flies from my exposed surface area (which is a lot) in the african heat of Mauritania and with the paranoia of Malaria. All these experiences left a deep mark within me.

In the beginning I have always depend on my iPodfor the long bus rides but after my charger broke and I was too stingy to buy a new one, I’ve come to relay on my favourite hobby of reading. I realise that I can be contented when I am alone. I don’t need to surround myself with people, music or sound just to feel less lonely. I am happy with my own company! This is indeed a discovery!

Bit by bit, i unwound and learnt to immerse in the now and revel in the beautiful experiences. . Not all at once but in wonderful spurts – there were elephants, lions cheetahs by uncountable numbers across Africa. My 6 gruelling hours trekking in Uganda for gorillas. The endless stretch of Nambi desert which is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. 12 days cruise to Antarctica where penguins, sea lions and the whales makes me feels as if I am watching National Geographic. Boat to Galapagos. Hike to Machu Picchu and my heart stopping moment when I set eyes on it, and the magical south-west region of Bolivia that took my breath away. Boabab trees fascinates me too.

Its been 2 weeks since I got home, the trip is starting to fade and it seems more like a fantasy. I am suffering from a major case of post travel depression and I felt as if my wings have been clipped off. Occasionally, random images pop into my mind – eating with the Africans in their traditional communal way. Sleeping in total darkness under a sky of stars on the roof of the mud-house in Mali.  Playing the refugee hide and seek game in Cuba! Sunset in Timbuktu! The awe upon seeing my first lion next to the vehicle! Yes , I might have dropped out of the rat race 15 months ago but I realise there are no adverse consequence. Worse come to worse, i can always pick up the pieces and join the other rats, chasing around for some cheese.15 months away has taught me much about sanctity of time, a precious commodity that we shouldn’t take for granted – a year can go by, day in, day out, barely a blink and yet it can instead be filled to the brim if we let it. I can only advice that we do whatever we considered doing, be it write a book, quite the job and travel, go back to studies, change a job… put it off again and again and soon it might seem impossible.

I have fulfilled something big,something I wanted to do before I die, what’s next? I don’t know but for sure I know I will have no regrets should my life ends tomorrow.

Day 436, 437, 438, 439- The nearest thing to Heaven in New York City

 

After a few days in Washington DC, we took the MVP bus to New York City, the last stop for my Round the World trip. I have been counting down the days for the last weeks and lately time seem to be flying by quickly than before.
I think I made the right decision to have DM come meet up for the last leg of the trip . Our conversation flows freely day after dayand he never fail to make me laugh with that odd sense of humour. For the first time in my life, I realise that I didn’t complain about not having “ME” time even though we are spending every single waking minute together. I can count with one hand how many times we have been apart from each other.

We will have one day on our own before the rest of the gang will arrived on Friday for a African reunion. The gang comprises of Gayle from Canada, Pete from DC and jaco from South Africa, all whom I met while travelling in Africa.

For this one night, we decided to stay in Hotel Penn, located on 5th avenue just opposite Madison Square Garden. it is a perfect location located in the heart of action.
I guess a city girl will always be a city girl. The lights, the tall buildings and the buzz in the air just makes my heart thumps with excitement. When we arrived in NYC, we were both full of excitement which goes hand in hand with visiting such a massive city and as it turned out we weren’t disappointed.

I thought it will be sufficient with the 4 days we have allocated for NYC but now i know that we could have spent a month in the city and maybe barely scratched the surface.

On the first day, we had a trip up to the empire state building and a cruise around the island that goes by Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge.

Empire State Building, A New York Landmark that soars above te heart of Manhattan. Located on the 86th floor, 105o feet above the city’s bustling streets, the observatory offers panoramic views from an open air promenade. Each year over 3.5million people are whisked top where Cary grant waited in vain for Deborah kerr in an “Affair to Remember” and while Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan had their fateful meeting in Sleepless in Seattle.

Absolutely romantic..till you get there, that is from Eiffel Tower romance.
 I realised that the Empire State Building was more reel than real. The entire commercial set up round and inside borders on cheesy.

From ticketing to security checks too endless queues of visitors intercepted by a compulsory photo session for all with the building as a backdrop.

We laughed and think that kissing on the top of Empire State building is too much of a cliche.. but what the heck… we are here!

 

 

In the evening, we went for a typical food -  yes at Planet Hollywood !What else come close to local food like Burgers and steak!

The gang arrived  the following day and we hang out with DM and his friend Henry from NYC whom he met when travelling in Mongolia.  The Gang of Travellers.
We mostly go separate ways for day sightseeing and meeting in the night for dinner and drinks around Soho and greenwich Village.. with the day ending only at 4am.
We visited museums, shop at the mega stores, went crazy tasting the different vareities of M&M ( I am hooked on to peanut butter M&M) and went for musicals. so much to do in NYC that time pass us by..

Too soon, the day arrived.. Everyone has to go back to their own world with Pete leaving in the middle of the night for his bus back to Washington and then straight to work, Gayle to Canada on an early flight while DM and I had some time alone before we go back to our respective countries.

Good Byes are difficult… especially on a Long term trip when one is in a constant set of goodbyes. Here are a group of random people I’ve met during the trip and seeing them for the 2nd time and another whom I have spent much time with.

We went to the airport together as his flights leaves 3 hours after mine.. We were quiet, lost in our own thoughts. I remember the little spanish quote book – “No Te Olvidare ”  he bought me a few weeks back and had it hidden under my pillow.

How can I forget? All those wonderful memories we had are not something that my scattered brain will forget anytime soon!

Between us, we talked about it - how a twist of fate can bring 2 person together. He doing his 12 months trip whereas me decided to extend my trip to 15 months. From there, as I was busy in Africa he was tripping around asia.. when I was crossing to his city, Paris.. he was busing from Malaysia to Singapore. Finally because of my loss of passport in Argentina, it caused delays and move my trip to PAtagonia by a good 3 weeks.. and that’s how we met.. In Antarctica.

Holiday romance are amazing at that time and no matter how hard one tries to keep a distance and not get too attached, it’s always hard. Imagine spending 24 hours with a someone ,m you can become so used to being with them , awful when its time to go our separate ways and to say good-byes. But i guess if its meant to be then its meant to be.

having just spent an amazing time in New York its hard to imagine going home.It feels like a tone has been set… bleak with a capital B

Must… Be… Strong.

As I gain a little distance and perspective from my year away, one thing is becoming clear. I’ve changed. Many of the things I let consume me before now seems trivial and my vision of my future has changed. Above all right now, I want to preserve my new perspective and avoid being sucked back into a complicated over-scheduled life..

Let’s see how is that going to work out down the road.

Mi Pasado fue triste
mi futuro no lo se
Mi presente es que te quiero
y nunca te olvidare

Day 431,432 – Good Bye South America – Bogota, Colombia

 It’s the final Good Bye!

 

 

 After 2 days of beach lazing and diving in Taganga, its time to pack my bags for the last few times and head to Bogota! I will be spending only one night there before I will leave South America for good.

On the 16hours bus ride, I cant help but feel a tinge of sadness that this is my last bus ride in South America  even though I have clocked about 2500hours since I started my trip 15 months ago! It will be the last time I see the tiny villages that dot the bus journey, people jumping to buses selling food and drinks, the last time I will be peering excitedly out of the window as i arrive at my destination and the last time of such beautiful mountainous landscapes

Upon arriving at Bogota bus terminal, I took a taxi to the airport as I wanted to confirm my Miami flight and also to keep my luggage at the airport as I have an early flight at 730am and my plan is to crash in the airport for the night.(Unfortunately, the best airport to sleep in is Singapore and not Bogota) Something that I don’t normally do, but gut feeling is telling me something and I want to be very sure I catch the flight espcially since I am meeting DM in Miami.

I spend the day exploring Bogota city and visiting The Museo del Oro in SantaFé de Bogotaá, Colombia, offers a splendid presentation of more than 33,000 items of gold and emeralds and other precious materials crafted in pre-Hispanic times.

 

The Gold Museum, part of the Bank of the Republic of Colombia, preserves and protects this fabulous cultural legacy. The most important museum of its kind anywhere, Museo del Oro showcases the work of ancient people who believed gold is the materialization of the life-giving energy from Father Sun.

The night in the airport was as torture.. the bench was hard.. the air con was too cold.. i finally drift to sleep at about 2am after being online with flatmate for an hour or so. I woke up and 4am to get ready to check in 3 hours before my flight is due as i understand the flight is full and there is tight security involved and then I can have a nice breakfast and a juan Valdez coffee to start the day..

Of course everything went awry.. from being the 2nd person in the queue to the last person to board the plane. Although i had the itinerary but the ticket was not issued and they refused me check in because of some instructions on my RTW ticket profile where I am not allowed to “change” my plans..

Oh, how I pray at that time.. i cant miss this flight as it would means that I would miss my connecting flight to Washington and secondly, it would also means that I would not be able to meet DM, whom I have arrange to meet at the Miami airport so that we can catch the same flight to Washington. The thought fills me with dread…

After numerous calls to the customer service in the Lima office, I finally got my go-ahead at 745 am, after the check in counters were already closed.. I ran like i have never before and still have to go through a thorough bag search at the entrance of the plane..

A good nap and breakfast on the flight and soon I was in Miami. Really happy to see DM again as the last 4 days seems too long..

Bogota Airport for the night – FOC
Airport bus to town – 1200 pesos (S$0.75)

Suggested hostel -
villa Candelaria Hostel
Carerra 3 #15-97
www.candelaria@hotmail.com

http://www.sleepinginairports.net/

Day 424,425,426,427,428 – Cartegana, Colombia

 

 

 

Part of the wall surrounding the old town

Cartagena is UNESCO World Heritage site steeped in history, Spanish fortifications and beautiful Caribbean vies. Besides the setting for the movie, Romancing the Stone, I know little about it and so excited to find out.

DM and I arrived in Cartagena’s bus terminal in the late morning, once again, a 16hours overnight bus. We took the a 40minutes local bus taking us into the centro where we head to Gestamani, the equivalent of Khosan road in Bangkok. We search for a few hostels before settling for Hostel Marlin, which is not blatantly oozing with the typical backpacker scene that we have come to become so familiar with but desperately try to avoid. It is only later that we found out this is the israeli hangout as it appears on their Israel gringo web page.

Like Mompos, Cartagena is hot hot hot during daylight hours and i think in order to accomplish any sightseeing its best to do it before 10am or after 4pm. Unfortunately, both of us rarely venture out of our room before noon as we are getting lazy at our last leg of South America and also the heat just makes you want to stay in the conditioner room all day long..
I found Cartagena to be very safe and the locals I’ve met have been friendly and helpful. Fresh produce vendors roam the city and we can find carts of of papaya, limon, strawberries, pineapple and lots of mango everywhere, all day long. Other vendors walk the town selling cafecitos from thermal flasks, which is a shot of coffee at about 400COP (S$0.35)

In the warm evening breeze, we see families hanging outside their homes or pathways as the children play. Police are also apparent in the popular tourist spots making sure that the city stays in line.

Our dinner for the 2nd night..Pineapple, melon, mango, pear, papaya, Something known as “Elephant mucus” and a bottle of Aguardiente -
Colombians; favourite drink since the 16th century

Our first day adventure was to walk the city’s old walls and the old town within the walls. The fortified wall of Cartagena is in excellent condition and stretches more or less unbroken for most parts around the old town- although some sections dont seem to be accessible to public. Walking the wall is a good way to get away from the crowds as there are hardly any locals who seem to go up in it, escept for the lovers when night falls and the warm evening breeze starts..extremely romantic.. I am thinking it’s possible that it might even beat Paris!

For the night, we search around for a local affordable place for dinner in the old town but all we got were many pizza and pasta restarants and a open offer to cocaine!

“hey, want some cocaine?” the man on the street asked us casually as if selling us BBQ chirozo we had earlier

“hmm, no, no” we walked on.. but he was persistent and he followed us.

“come on.. you are in colombia. Have to try the coke” ( I guess Colombia is really attracting tourism of the wrong kind again)

Huh? Like we have to sample the Argentian steak in Argentina or capirihnas in Brazil? Coming from Singapore and having tried my first joint during this trip, I am not going to upgrade to cocaine that quickly. As for David who doesnt even smoke, it is slim chance that we would give drugs a shot here.

We shake our head and reject him once more but he was vey nice about it. In fact, I thought he there was a certain degree of integrity in the way he did his business because upon closer inspection at the both of us, he asked if we had tried cocaine before and when the answer was NO, he continued to tell us
” ahhh, never try before… ok, ok, better not…too dangerous”

I wonder if that means its the really good stuff or is it the bad stuff??

Anyway, our quest for food continues and we settle for beef asada in a nearby small restarant but fighting with my tough-as-leather beef in the stifling heat of the confine restaurant, perspiration dripping down the back of my legs takes away any romance left in me. Rushing through dinner and I just cant wait to get back for a shower and my precious air con room.

The 2nd day, we head off on foot to see the big Spanish fortress, Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas, majestically stands guard on a hillside overlooking the city and harbour.

This impressive structure is the biggest fortification built by the Spanish in the new world. we opt to explore without a guide and had a great time , especially the maze of tunnels.

cartagena feels like 2 destinations – The historic center is a romantic step back in time: narrow cobblestones, pretty colonial houses painted in all shades of blue, red, burnt orange with hanging bougainvillea balconies. There are lots of beautiful wood used in the construction but many beams and walls shown signs of long neglected. It is lined with colorful boutiques, shops and restaurants hotel,s cathedral and romantic horse drawn carriage.
Outside the old city walls lies a modern developed city with large, international hotels and all-inclusive resorts, and high-rise offices and apartment buildings.

During colonial times Cartagena had an infamous reputation as a center for the slave trade. Since the Spanish King had forbidden to enslave the native population of the colony, thousands of black slaves have been shipped from Africa and were branded and sold in this place. And those were the luckier ones, because a lot of them died during the transport.The place got its name „Plaza de los Coches“ (Coach Square) because this has been the spot where horse drawn coaches had waited for customers. And even today you can find these vehicles that serve nowadays as a tourist attraction

These arcades once housed the Customs House. All businessmen visiting and leaving through the gate had to pay taxes here. So it’s not surprising that Cartagena was a rich city .

The Customs Plaza in front of the Customs House is one of the largest and prettiest squares in Cartagena. In the middle of the square you’ll find the Statue of Christopher Colombus that has been erected in 1892.

Time flies.. and it is hard to believe its been 3 weeks since DM flew to Guayaquil to meet me for the Galapagos cruise. He was suppose to leave tonight on a overnight bus to Bogota to catch a flight to Panama but decided to splurge on a flight instead so that he has another day in CArtagena. As our bags were already packed since we were not sure of the plans in the morning, we decided to move to a different hostel that we saw while we were strolling around the area. It is just a left turn from our street but what a difference it is, much quieter and mostly local residential. Even better, there is a pool…a small waist-deep pool…yahooo, simple pleasures of life..

Here we met Ludwin, working on a sailboat where they regularly sail across to Panama. The way between panama and Colombia is either boat or plane. This is becauseof a large area of swampland and rainforest called Darien Gap. it is the missing link in a road network running all the way from Alaska to Argentina. In fact the missing link is only less than 150km long.

That gave another idea to DM who begin contemplating to forgo his flight and maybe sail to Panama with me, if I can get my RTW ticket re-route and fly out from Panama instead.. After some hassles and phone call, we found out its not do’able as i was already in Panama before and couldn’t head back in that direction..

I felt the difference on the day he left.. ok, it not like what you are thinking. Yes of course, I have gotten attached to his company considering that we were spending 99% of our waking hours together. (which is very rare for me as I have always needed some me time) but also that being a lone female on the streets, i attracted flirty comments and wolf whistles through out the day. Geez, I have forgotten how it was like..”que linda” “mi amor” ..some bolder ones “sexy’ “baby”…hmmm, sexual harressment latino style!

Did i mentioned how cute the colombian men are?

Colombia is in no way as dangerous as its reputation would suggest and I can’t say enough about how friendly everyone’s been since we got here
It is one of the few favourite destinations in South America.

Hotel Casa Mara (with pool)- 50000pesos ofr double
Getsemani calle de Espiritu Santo No 29-139
casamaracartagena @hotmail.com

** can make arrangements for sailoat to Panama

Day 420,421,422 – Medellin, Colombia

nThe Orange Brick city – Medellin

The biggest orange brick church in the World

Medellin is set in a valley surrounded by beautiful lush green mountains and the bus ride there was really spectacular with deep valleys and endless green mountains and fields full of tropical flora (although we did get held up for an hour or so because of a truck collision on the narrow mountain road)
There are plenty to do and see in the vibrant city if Medellin, once the shadowy and violent domain of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. the locals known as Paisas have been working to change the image of Medellin’s past and to open up their city to visitors from over the world interested in learning about their colombian culture, history, music and most importantly the warmth of the people. This I would soon experience when we stay with DM’s friends, Pablo and Santiago.

We were picked up  by the 2 brothers when we got off from our bus at the Pablado area. I was given a brief of the city’s layout: The rich area in the South and the poorer zones in the North and the historic center in the Center, of course!When touring the city, remember that calles run from East to west and Carerras from North to South.

Typical dish – Bandejas Paisa
Rice, blood sausage, pork sausage, big piece of chicharron (pork-lard), beans, Platino (fried banana), avocado and a basket of arepas)

Over the next few days visit, Pablo brought us around the his neighbourhood and the old town to check out the sights. I have to say that it is not the image i had in mind of Colombia. There are many high rise buildings, modern architecture, many Juan Valdez coffee joints (equivalent to Starbucks) and Zona Rosa, the area that host so many bars and restaurants, very much like our Holland Village back in Singapore. During my visit, I had the chance to see the “Best”, the “biggest in the world” and the “One and only” sights in Medellin. This nationalistic pride in their country and city is quite over powering and it does makes me ashame that I am not even as proud of Singapore which has so much and has come such a long way.

Not only that, the brothers whose family are in the restaurants business, ensure that I had the opportunity to try lots of different tropical fruits and juices of Colombia, typical food such as Bandejas Paisa, Arepas and even the coconut rice of the North.

As DM was in Medellin just last month, he was also able to act as a temporary guide when the brothers are busy at work as they are in the midst of revamping their healthy food business. DM and I also took of the cable cars that run into=to the hills. Medellin is the only Colombian city to have a metro and to make it even more extreme, the city build cable cars in order for the locals to reach the poor barrios in the hills.

The ride offers a safe and sound way to view the poorer districts of the city which climbs into the mountainsides. The higher and farther we went, the steeper the staircase and streets became. Based on some reading i’ve done, i am riding over a part of the city where Pablo Escobar use to recruit his assassins. The metro cost about 1500COP (S$0.75) per trip including the cable car if it is used. In fact, we didnt get off the cable car but make a complete round trip for that price.

The barrio hanging off the mountain sides. The 3 Brown buildings are the first public library built in the barrio for the poorer neighbourhood

In a sign of just how undeveloped the tourism industry remains in this country, you won´t find a restaurant at the cable car terminus, nor even a souvenir stand. I had lots of difficulty just to buy a bottle of water as the heat is ridiculously hot for a city known for its “Eternal Spring” 
I imagine it won´t be long before an industrious Colombian decides to take advantage of the tourists riding the system for the scenic views of the city.

For the 3 days we stayed in Medellin, I also realised that Pablo is right when he said that Medellin boast the most beautiful women in Colombia. Many of them are very European looking and being more affluent, their style and make-up helps to smarten their looks. Unfortunately, it might be also true that Colombia tourism is attracting a wrong kind of tourists, men who are there mainly to find an exotic girlfriend(be it gorgeous or not) or for the sex trade as you can easily find many websites where you can find models to be “a-week-girlfriend”

Guess Thailand is seeing tough competition now!

After 3 full days in Medellin, its time to bid farewell to the Angel family and head to our next destination. We have heard about Mompos, a little village which is very “pretty” and although we are running out of time especially for DM who has his flight to Panama – Miami on the 12th June, we still decided to go ahead with this long long journey.

An overnight 16 hours bus to Magangue - 20mins Boat ride to Bodega - 40minutes ride to Mompos!

I am ready to take a break from the big city!

Day 417,418,419 – Manizales, Colombia

What’s the aroma?

No trip to colombia would be complete without visiting and trying their most famous exports.. ahem, I mean Legal export. I arrived in the mountain city of Manizales in La Zona Cafetera, the coffee zone expecting to spend a night but end up being 3 nights as being Sunday, most of the shops are close, including the coffee plantation and the tourist information office.

The town centre of Manizales city

We take in the city at our slow pace checking out the cathedral and once again climbed to the tower mirador at 106meters, making it the highest church tower in Colombia. The cathedral is built in neo-Gothic style and constructed in 1928 – 1939 and in it has many colourful stained glass windows.

With nothing else much to do , besides eating (which I have been doing a lot) we check with some locals where is the nearest movie theatre. After getting directions along the way, we found the bus stop and a 20minutes bus ride took us to Cable Plaza Shopping Mall, an old cable car station used to for transporting coffee in those days. It is obviously a middle class area from beautiful houses and apartments lined the street.

I was quite impressed with the modern shopping mall, not sprawling like our Takashimaya but still big enough to create a buzz. It has plenty of full glass windows, showcasing the beautiful  mountainous views surrounding the city.  Mmm, how gorgeous. Even better, was the famous Mimos ice cream place that DM has told me about. We opt for a huge ice cream cone coated with chocolate and nuts for about 3200 Colombian pesos (S$3).. sinful but oh-so-goooood before continuing for “Angels and Demons”

With our wide brim straw hats to save us from the vicious sun!

On the third day, we made our own way to the town of Chinchina for a tour of a coffee estate (finca) where I’ll get to learn the entire process of how my favourite drink is make.  We had walked about 1km uphill to the hacienda  Guayabal from the highway where the bus dropped us off and were welcome by a very tempting pool and the senorita. After putting on our hats and spraying with mosquitos repellent, we start our spanish tour. She explained everything to us from the planting , the growing, the picking and finally the roasting. I am ashamed to say that being a coffee drinker, I knew so little about coffee and in fact has always presumed that coffee beans are originally black in colour! Gosh… just for information, depending on the grading, the colours of the beans range from beige do greenish grey tone

“Before” and “After” coffee beans

Unfortunately for Colombia ,due to this year’s bad weather (too wet). the coffee harvest is not as good as before and thus exports are down. Te guide also explained how the campesinos who work on the farm make 300pesos (about S$0.20) for each kilogram of beans they collect. On average, they collect about 100 kilograms a day, working over 11 hours per day which means they earn about S$20 per day. Very similar to the Central America, when they get paid, they spend all their money in the local bars getting borracho (meaning drunks or you had a drop too much). that’s why both in Andes and Salamina were full of drunk farmers when you pass through on a weekend. In guatemala, the first time I saw someone sprawled on the middle of the road in broad daylight, I was very concern and also very upset that she was ill and no one was stopping to help. Later i learnt, it was just another drunk and people are used to it and dont pay too any attention to them 

 

 

We finished the tour with a nice coffee brew, and unexpected, a nice cold fruit ice cream.

 

Tomorrow, we will be leaving for Medellin where we will be hosted by DM’s friends, 2 Colombian brothers whom he met during his Asia leg of his trip! Hmm, I heard that their family owns 2 typical food restaurants and I can wait to sample some colombian staples!
Hotel -Los Cabellos (near the new terminal) – 40 000 Pesos (S$35)
Hacienda Guayabal tour – 20 000 Pesos
Mimos ice cream cone – 3200Pesos
Sunday Movie ticket – 10 000 Pesos

Day 413, 414 – Quito, Ecuador

Upon arriving in Quito, we went in search for a hotel-hostel in the Old town. Unfortunately, the hotels mentioned in lonely planet were either closed-down or under renovation or running full. It is not easy struggling up hill on those cobblestones in the busy crowd.. I am hungry, tired from the bus journey and ready to crash on to the first bed available. I tried to keep my frustration in check even though that’s the last thing I want to do. After walking around for an hour plus with that getting-heavier -by -the minute backpack and getting some recommendation from the locals, we found a hotel for about USD30 Per night.

Quito is a nice city which does not reflect the Ecuador’s extreme poverty. We did not see the very poor or the city’s slum areas like in some other South American countries. however, one of the significant aspects of Quito is the level of crime, in particular robberies, and travellers are warned accordingly. i have heard numerous stories of scams and the “shit-scam” from a handful of travellers who had experienced it themselves.
for those who are not aware of the shit-scam, it works this way. Someone will smear shit on your backpack and a kind soul will come over and tell you about it. As he helps you to clean up and rid the bag of the smell, someone else will be helping to relief you of your possessions!

Over the course of the next 2 days, we explore the centre of the Old town (Cuidad Viego). According to my guide book, there are over 30 churches in the Old town and we spend the day looking inside some of them, but we definitely didn’t cover all of them! The most memorable were la compania de Jesus, where the inside of the church were made mostly of gold and the Basillica del Voto nacional which had great views of the entire city from the top of the tower. A little nerve-racking for me as I climb up the skinny ladders attached to the outside of the tower.

The real equator

Of course a visit to Mitad del Mundo is almost required when one visit Quito- There are actually 2 places which claim to be the equator. the first at the town of pinchincha was determined by the first french explorers who came to came to ecuador and the second is 200 meters away which has been determined by a modern GPS-

The first Equator monument was nothing really outstanding except that it is full of shops and empty restaurants. We took the obligatory photos and head to the Museo where the real equator is and some experiments take place. it is indeed worthwhile tour and our guide was great. She demonstrate and proof the urban myth – leaves in a basin full of water spinning clockwise or anticockwise depending which part of the hemisphere the sink is at and yet they will sink straight down when sitting right on the equator line!

After more experiments and also gaining an insight to the indigenous forest tribe and how they  shrink the head of their enemies so that they can wear it around their neck, i left the museo totally fascinated.

Tomorrow, Dm and i will be waking up early and making our way to the border where we will soon cross into Colombia.. a “short” 15 hours away.

Day 409,410,411,412 – Galapagoes islands, Ecuador

Birds running away from the waves

We arrived to Baltra island via flight and a ferry-bus transfer bringing us to Puerto Ayora.
we went to Bahia Tortuga , which is an hour away from the center of Puerto Ayora. It is a beautiful white sand beach  where there is a protected swimming lagoon behind and also charles darwin research centre where the largest tortoises are kept. They can weight up to 200kg and have shells as long as 3 feet.

 A Galápagos tortoise named “Harriet” died at Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo at what was believed to be 175 years old. Charles Darwin collected Harriet and two other toprtoises on his 1835 scientific research voyage to the Galápagos Islands. Darwin estimated, according to the size of her shell, that she was about 5 years old.

Something interesting under the skirt?

Our Cruise starts on friday at noon but we were transported to our  boat,Princess of Galapagos for lunch and to meet with our cruise members and guide. We had 2 danish surfer dudes,one british couple and a tour group of 8 Germans. After lunch, instead of setting sail, we were send back to Puerto Ayora to visit private ranch where it cost USD3 to visit the tortoises that are roaming around and also to the lava tubes,where these underground tunnels runs  for about 1km or so. After that, we had some free time before been herd back to the boat for dinner. We finally set sail in the middle of the night as I was jolt awake by the motion of the sea.. not the most pleasant feeling especially when we are holed up in a tiny cabin, or should i say the tiniest cabin I´ve ever slept in since I started the trip. Basically, one of us need to be either in the bed or toilet in order for the other person to maneuver around

 

Over the next few days, we visited a few islands, North Syemour, Chinese Hat, Santa Fe island and San cristobal.
Here , we had the chance to observe the land iguanas, marine iguanas and Santa fe Iguanas.They may not have the sea lions’ big brown eyes, but the world’s only sea going lizard has a definite charm of his own! Its that tight-lip smile

Getting territorial and they guard their zone with a ring of white poop. Guess it is understandable when you have so many people watch you hatch an egg

 

Protecting the newly hatched chick with their webbed feetwe all love Boobies… I mean blue web boobies

Magnificient male frigatebirds.

 There were also many cute sea lions, blue footed boobies and frigate birds. We were able to have a good view of several male frigate birds with their inflated red pouch, used to attract the females. Its a shame that we have missed the mating season of the blue web boobies as i heard that do a cute dance showing of their blue webs to the female counterparts. Well, guys, now you know if you want to attract that gorgeous chick in the club, you better know your moves.
The sea lions pups are also fearless and one came close to  to check out his foot!

For me the best part of the cruise was when we had the chance to snorkel with the penguins and swim with the sea lions. The penguins are really curious and come up so close, almost eye to eye.. one curious fellow even give me a nip on the arm, causing me to yelp and distracted by another cute penguin in front of me. The sea lions under the water are so adorable. They would launched themselves at us in a barrel roll, like a torpedo and then  soar away.

Luckily in this instance, curiousity is not going to kill

overall, I love the nature and learnt so much about the animals found on the Galapagoes Islands but the boat cruise is really not the most comfortable ride. The islands were great but it was really a painful experience on this small boat that rolls and bobs on the high waves. (and it is not even wet season yet) Many of us got sicksick but there is nowhere to run as hiding in the tiny cabin makes us felt even worse.

During the nights after the boat has anchored in location, we usually escaped from the cabin and make a beeline for the deck, enjoying the sea breeze under the clear sky filled with twinkling stars.. gorgeous!

For the price of USD500, we really had only 2 days of sailing and visiting the islands and on top of that, still have to fork out USD15 for a minimum 4 days snorkel equipment rental ( we have only 2 days to get wet so how can 4 days rental be the minimum?). Our guide was not enthusiastic and in fact we only see him make an appearance during our landings.. he delivers what he has to do and that is it..

Me and DM were glad that the cruise is over and on the last day, we disembark and continue to the airport for the afternoon flight to Quito. We are glad we’ll be getting a bigger room and toilet after 4 days.

Day 407,408 – Guayaquil, Ecuador

My 25 hours bus ride started yesterday from Lima which took me to Tumbes, the border town of Peru and from there I’d continued to Guayaquil, Ecuador. Vicky sent me to the bus terminal and as we said our goodbyes, she starts wiping tears away… ahhhh.. dont cry, being a cry baby myself , it makes me teary eye too and i cant handle other people’s tears very well.

I have often marvel at how friendships can be formed and how people quickly bond with one another. During the last 2 weeks, I realised that we are very alike in many ways, we share similar hopes and dreams and although I have become cynical and realistic in comparison to the girl from long time ago, Vicky still strives hard to make it come true. I wish the best for her and hope that she finds happiness soon.

I arrived in Tumbes, the dodgy hole, as referred to by Vicky. The border between Ecuador and Peru is pretty well known for problems and scams.

 I was surrounded by taxi drivers the moment i stepped off the bus and man try to sell me their services by scaring me by proclaiming how dangerous the city is.  With 30mins before my  12pm bus leaves for Guayaquil, i rushed off to get lunch and to the internet cafe as I am expected to email DM where I will be staying when I arrive in Guayaquil later today! 
DM is someone i met a few  months ago during my antarctica Cruise who unexpectedly wrote to me and ask if we want to meet up earlier than the planned date of end of june since coincidentally both our trips end on the same day!

on my 6 hours bus to Guayqauil, i spend some time chatting with a colombian guy but many times I feign sleep… nothing personal but i just needed some time to think about stuff.

“if you want me to come to ecuador, I will be there” these words from DM keep running though my head.
I admit I am a little nervous and in fact wonder if i made the right decision. I dont want to give the wrong idea because somehow his sentence seems to have a underlying meaning. Although we did have many interesting conversations during our Antarctica cruise, I dont feel that we were sexually or physically attracted to each other. Maybe I am wrong.. I am not sure as now I start to see in my mind the time we spent together. How we both always end up chatting together even though it started with a group that gathers in the lounge after dinner. How we always are the last 2 to leave after everyone else has gone to bed; How we had those comfortable silences when we just hang out for 2 days in Ushuaia. How we join a party mingle around and somehow we will end up having our own private conversations at the side. How reluctant I was to leave because I was going to miss the conversations.
Hmm ..still I dont think it was any attraction then
Besides he has just arrive in Nicaragua on the day I gave him the reply and he has only 2 days and probably quite a few stops before  getting here.
I guess its too late to change my mind now as he will be arriving either this evening or tomorrow from Nicaragua.

.Upon arrival, I settled in after a clean shower and dinner by a street resturant. The knock on my door came about midnight when i was about to fall asleep.. there he is! kinda weird seeing him again since we part ways 2 months ago and suppose to meet in the 3rd week of June in NYC. We catch up on news abt our travels and make plans for tomorrow to search for a travel agent for our galapagos trip. Its good to see him again and I remember how comfortable I was being with him!

The next day, we search around and finally settled for a budget 4D/3N cruise in Princess Galapagos through Galasam Tours leaving on Friday. we spend the day checking out Guayaquil before leaving for Galapagos , the greatest treasure of Ecuador. Discovered by accident when a spanish ship making the Panama-Peru run was blown off course in1535. This group of 13 alrge and many small islands first became known when Charles Darwin based his groundbreaking book on the theory of evolution, The Origins of Species, on flora and fauna of the islands

 

 

Iguanas in the central park in Guayaquil

Hotel Sander – USD10.30

 

Day 398,399,400,401,202,403, 404,405,406 – Lima, Peru

Finally after  23 hours of travelling, I arrived at Lima and settled into my hostel at about 4pm, a quick shower and a quick note to Victoria whom I met in Arequipa. i went out to check out the Plaza de Armas of Lima.

Vicky came by to the hostel in the evening and the first place she bought me to was Barrio chino. I understand that Limas has the biggest chinese population in south America and that explains the huge bustling chinese area full of chifas. I ordered my Ee-meen while Vicky had Lomo Saltado (thats not chinese) and angostina (fried prawn balls) Once again, Peru rear its ugly head. First the waiter told us that we can’t have a small place of angostina even though it’s in the menu.. and then when we got the bill, we realised that I was charged for a big plate of noodles , double the original price. the chinese lady boss came over… and after asking is she speaks mandarin (of course she does), I start to speak haltingly in Mandarin..its been a long time:)
Accordingly to the boss, the waiter found out we can order a small plate of angostino but he didn’t bother coming over to tell us as we have already agreed to the big plate.. and then the kitchen made the mistake of giving me the big plate of noodles instead of the small. What pissed us off was all these mistakes were found out before so why no nothing was done to rectified it and i was just present with the bill presuming I will pay? (if all these are truly just mistakes) She claimed that if we don’t want to pay then she will have to dock the waiter´s pay. Although I felt bad about it as 9soles (S$4.50) is no small amount here but this time I feel that I have to make my stand. Sorry pal, a lesson learnt is good for you – customers´s needs should come first.

After that, we went for walk around the historic center – to Plaza de armas, Plaza San Martin where single men dotted the Plaza. It seems that gay prostitution exists discretely here and not a good place to be in the night!
We finished the evening at 11pm as Vicky is nervous being in this area. ( I can obviously tell by the way she clutch her handbag to her chest the entire night!)
We made arrangements to meet tomorrow if I don’t end up going to Roberto’s house for Mother’s day celebration as we had some problem trying to get in touch with each other.

The next day started out with a thick fog, not atypical in Lima. Due to the time difference here and Singapore, I head out early to find an internet to call home to mum before the day ends back home. It was difficult as being Sunday many shops are close. I guess mum is really happy that I will be home soon! I can tell..!
Later , I met Vicky and she brought me to El Huecom, THE HOLE!
El Hueco on Abancay and El Mercado Central are huge markets located in the center of Lima You can find good bargains both inside the shops and on the sidewalks outside of the shops.

Being located in a fairly unpleasant area of central Lima, things are cheap and there are some great bargains to be had. The latest blockbuster movie on DVD, while costing about 5 soles in most of Lima (which I thought was cheap) is bought for only 1.50Soles here – in fact, this is where everyone’s favourite pirate DVD sellers come to get their own supply of DVDs. It looks way ghetto but I love it.
There are “holes” for shoes, bags, computers, clothes.. everything!

                    Roberto, Jose and me at the Circuito Magico de Agua

After that we met with Roberto and his boyfriend, Jose and we went for local food Anticuchos de carazon.. Skewered heart of the cow topped with tiny pieces of intestines and what nots…mooooo! It smells good and doesn’t taste bad, fleshy and chewy! Later, dessert was arroz con leche (rice with milk)

Finally, we took a taxi and head to Circuito Magico del Agua.This park used to be abandoned, but the major decided to build a Fountain Park there. This newly revamped park is now a pride of Lima’s citizens. It has 13 beautiful fountains with playing water, colored light and laser rays which dance according to the rhythm of the music. (4soles)

There is fountain where you can stand in the midst of it when the water stops momentarily.. Be prepared to get a little wet.

Monday – I spend the day visiting some Museos de La nacion and Iqusition Museo before my first attempt to take the public bus to Mireflores to meet with Vicky. Well, I thought it was dangerous crossing the roads but I think its worse ont the buses. I’ve lost count of the close shave when we nearly crashed.
The bus system is made up of privately owned buses, ranging from extra-large, Alger, medium and small vans. Several bus owners get together and agree to run the same routes then they compete mercilessly for those routes. This means that they are in constant rush to reach the major corners before their competitors – contributing to the chaotic traffic, which among other things include not stopping at intersections but by honking the horns loudly as you zoom through the lights. Bus stops are a lost concepts here in Peru and when you see the signs “paradaero – the crowd can strode for 3 meters or more.

You can get on/off the bus anywhere (if there is no policeman) and they stopped very often in the mid-lane so be careful when getting off the bus.
For a tourist, it would be nearly impossible t figure out which buses are going where. Each bus have someone hanging out the side constantly yelling out his destinations and convincing you that you should ride his bus even if its the wrong way

My first attempt was during peak hours after work – not a good idea. It was jammed packed with people and I was also paranoid about my bag and constantly look down to check there are nobody’s hands are trying to sneak its way in there. the bus swerves and brakes…. I hang on so tight that my fingers hurts when I got off the bus one hour later.
What a different Miraflores is compared to the Historico Central Lima… One look and you know its the high end tourist area.. there is even starbucks over here and wifi are plentiful with lots of artesansias shops and “Ripleys” the major shopping mall. we alked around a little bit and continue to Lacomar, overlooking the sea at Miraflores. It is also a popular high end area where it has a range of chic shops, restaurants, cafes and plenty of fast food joints and night spots. we had dinner at Prados chicken and a huge piece of cake before making our way home. It was around midnight when my bus stopped near my hostel and I realised how sinister the deserted streets can be…

Over the next few days, I take the local buses everywhere I go and with instructions from Vicky, I managed to even get to her house in the suburbs. Much time was spent with Vicky who brought me everywhere the locals go to. In the district of Gamarra located in La Victoria on Prolongacion Gamarra, you can find almost everything..especially clothes at very good prices. It is a mayorista or wholesale area and goes on for blocks.The typical set up with streets fill with shops and people standing on the streets selling various items of clothing. You know the scenes in movies where crowds of people are in markets and everyone is bargaining like crazy, well, this is it! A place where only locals comes to buy anything, no gringo prices where and everything is dirt cheap. Vicky bought me a gift.. a nice black blouse with some bling bling, very suitable for clubbing when I get home and pretty good quality too at the price of 10soles (divide that by 2 for the price in Singapore dollars).

How am I ever going to shop again when I get back to Singapore?

We spend the whole day shopping and I think we barely cover 50% of the place. When we came out in the late afternoon, I was shocked by the number of people on the street.. and this is just another normal day

Too quickly, the 10days in Lima flew by and its time to leave…
I was shocked when I bought my sunday bus ticket to realise  the date is 17th May – I hardly keep track of dates nowadays and to me, there are only Mondays to Sundays but have no idea what date and what month.  I am flying out from Colombia on the 10th June…3 weeks and 2 countries more…. pheeewww. 

Also, someone I met 2 months ago, who is now in Costa Rica is thinking of flying back to South America so that we can meet up. I have mixed feelings about this… On one hand,I am looking forward to that as I enjoyed his company tremendously and obviously there was underlying chemistry even though we are such an unlikely pair-up, even as pals. On the other hand, because he is making adjustments to his travel plans and spending money to fly here to meet up, somehow it give me added pressure. Having travel for so long on my own, I have mixed feelings being with some one for over too long period of time.

Hostel san francisco – 14soles per night.