Suicide Showers

This is what you struggle with if you want hot water....the electric shock is worth it after weeks of cold showers :-)

Condor park, Otavalo Ecuador

Amazing!

Just people like you and me

We're just people. The homeless are just as cold and hungry, hoping for left over crepes and waffles gelato.  The kids are cocky, still tethering between school or social priorities.  Wealthier people, dressed the part, are a bit fatter than the rest. Taxi cabbies still honk non stop, drive fast, and hold some of the best local knowledge around.  Supermarkets are busy and businessmen wear suits. Beautiful beaches are littered with beautiful bodies and the elderly are still afforded great courtesy.  They're just people!

So what's different? Context!

Is it the smog and diesel exhaust fumes that settle and engulf the pedestrians navigating the endless web of narrow alleys and streets? Or is it the constant awareness of deep holes unmarked on the sidewalks that would end a fun filled trip in a hurry?  It reminds me of guiding my horse around gopher holes, barbwire, and rattle snakes on Colby's Colorado ranch.  Maybe its the price put on air conditioned buses.  Surely the gas fumes locked into the cabin of the bus were deemed tolerable for it was refreshingly cool.  Maybe i was over reacting...but the girl with an open bottle of scented lotion pressed up against her nose confirmed the dangerous yet justified exposure to toxicity.  How about the wet floors with no caution sign.  Or the surprise from tipping on your meal, so much so that they don't say thank you.

The context and circumstance may be different but the people are the same.  That's pleasantly reassuring.

Reflection at a Bogota sandwich shop

Finished my breakfast special which included a cafe con leche all for under $3. Eggs, fresh baked roles, fruit and gronola with juice...The background jazz is a pleasant surprise, masking the obnoxious and seemingly culturally accepted hooking of car horns.  The soft rain brings new smells, city smells, and makes the footsteps of passerbys noticeable. The mist pouring over the surrounding mountain tops is accented by the lush greenery that surrounds a giant capital city.  This backdrop of booming Bogota is earily suitable and calming amongst the chaos and unsettled Colombian bustle.

I was just reminded of the police escort of the Colombian president...what a sight.  Dozens of motorcycle cops and blacked out suvs stopped the city.  my cab driver seemed to test the boundaries, constantly being slowed by the motorcycle cops as he chased the entourage closely.  We both had fun speeding through the empty streets as if we were following an active ambulance who had just cleared the way. 

Off to the artisan shops for some gifts for You!

Ease of transport!

These large mountainous cities put a precious price on transportation...and the locals will do just about anything for a free ride.  This kid was doing 40mph uphill hanging on the back of a diesel rig on a very curvy road. 

Unexpected highlight

I never would have believed it, though a close friend of mine said this would happen, but one of the most memorable things on my trip thus far has been on a 20 hour bus ride.  Alone, frozen from overnight ac exposure, and hungry, I unknowingly immersed myself into true Colombian culture.  It was about 8 am or 10 hours into the trip when i sat down for breakfast (our first stop) with a 13 yr old boy Traveling solo and a 30 yr old active Colombian military patron. 

I butchered Spanish with these two for the remaining trip.  With a dictionary in hand, i tried to engrain the importance of "suenos" or dreams to the boy.  That he could be anything he wanted, do it all, and he just needed to pursue his dreams relentlessly.  He was well  dressed, better spoken than most, and obviously a bright educated kid.  He was feeling sick from the mountainous voyage, so i gave him a dose of dramamine.  It worked well and was apparently worth a big hug from his mother after having arrived safely.  Such an appreciative culture.  Sebastian has lots of potential. I told him to keep that smile!

Pastor, the soldier, was actively teaching me Spanish, describing the local villages as we passed, and was so patient. He was very well educated, though i taught him a thing or two about cheap stays at hostel.  "es muy barrato" he said.  I laughed as he tried to download my electronic south American guide book for my ipad.

Stuck on a bus and now stuck in my mind, these two Colombians shared with me a true piece of culture and i respect them immensely for giving me their time.