Hey everyone!
Just wanna wish you all in NZ a Happy 2008! I know as the countdown begins everybody will be full of excitement of what the new year will bring. I love you all and can´t wait to see you all in Feb!!! :)
This delicious photo was taken at the top of the Sugarloaf. Up here I saw a beautiful sun set with Copacabana beach stretching away in the distance. I am loving it here at my favorite city in South America!
Monday, 31 December 2007
HAPPY 2008
Saturday, 29 December 2007
It is a cold day in Rio!
NOT! Today was probably the hottest day in Rio too! As the temperature sore to 38 degrees... And the coconut (as shown) and other juice vendors were doing a brisk business.
But seeing this temperature reading cracks me up! I don´t know if it was deliberate due to the Pepsi advert above, or that it is broken (I believe the later!). As there are ad billboard with temperature meters such as these everywhere in Rio.
Friday, 28 December 2007
Havaianas
You know how these pair of jandals cost 25NZD and you can only get them at fashion stores like Amazon back home?
Guess what, in Brazil they cost between 7USD and 12USD, and you can buy them everywhere, even from local dairy and pharmacy's!
Apparently it is a bit of an institution here, and everybody wears it. From the mothers to the bums on the street. Very nice!
Update!!!
I have seen Havaianas for 3USD at a market street! So you can buy them from between 3USD and 12USD. Lovin it!!!
Guess what, in Brazil they cost between 7USD and 12USD, and you can buy them everywhere, even from local dairy and pharmacy's!
Apparently it is a bit of an institution here, and everybody wears it. From the mothers to the bums on the street. Very nice!
Update!!!
I have seen Havaianas for 3USD at a market street! So you can buy them from between 3USD and 12USD. Lovin it!!!
The most beautiful city in the world
Rio de Janeiro is the most beautiful city in the world and this is why:
The setting - Big bays, Bright blue ocean, kilometers of beautiful white sandy beach, hills with rocky tops and seems to bend at odd angles all over (and you can rock climb them!!!).
The people - The Brazilians invented thongs and the butt-lover bikini bottoms. The tan body, the beautiful face and the athletic body... Which leads me to...
The sports - Football yes... They have more World cup medals then anyone else, yes they have a world class Football stadium and yes they have a couple of heroes like Pele but for me, it is... 2 on 2 Beach volleyball! Yes where else are you going to find next to nothing costume (!!!) and model like players on the beach. Also, the men and women team are the reigning champs at this sport!
The buildings - Not quite Europe but a fine blend never less. The downtown area is full of majestic colonial buildings which has been left to age... It can do with a new lick of paint or the graffiti could be removed but it all gives it some kind of rustic charm.
The sports - Rock climbing (of course with so many beautiful rocks around!), cycling (nice and flat with a beautiful beach front - eat your heart out Mission Bay!), kite surfing, surfing, hang gliding and, the Brazilian capoeira (That is Eddy from Tekken in case you are wondering!), and not forgetting all that dancing which leads to...
The Music - Home of bossanova and the samba style drumming... It is also home of the biggest street party in the world - the Carnival in February!
I spent day 3, a beautiful cloudless day, wondering the streets of Rio, riding on my push bike, people watching, jumping in the clear blue ocean myself to cool down in the drenching 34 degrees heat, and then... at 7.45pm, watched the most amazing sun set over the big ocean on Ipanema beach, to a round of applause from the crowd around me. It was a wonderful feeling I tell you.
So I am in love with this city, and it´s citizens. I am here to see in the New Year, and plan to be wearing white in Copacabana beach alongside 2 million people. I cannot wait to see this!
The setting - Big bays, Bright blue ocean, kilometers of beautiful white sandy beach, hills with rocky tops and seems to bend at odd angles all over (and you can rock climb them!!!).
The people - The Brazilians invented thongs and the butt-lover bikini bottoms. The tan body, the beautiful face and the athletic body... Which leads me to...
The sports - Football yes... They have more World cup medals then anyone else, yes they have a world class Football stadium and yes they have a couple of heroes like Pele but for me, it is... 2 on 2 Beach volleyball! Yes where else are you going to find next to nothing costume (!!!) and model like players on the beach. Also, the men and women team are the reigning champs at this sport!
The buildings - Not quite Europe but a fine blend never less. The downtown area is full of majestic colonial buildings which has been left to age... It can do with a new lick of paint or the graffiti could be removed but it all gives it some kind of rustic charm.
The sports - Rock climbing (of course with so many beautiful rocks around!), cycling (nice and flat with a beautiful beach front - eat your heart out Mission Bay!), kite surfing, surfing, hang gliding and, the Brazilian capoeira (That is Eddy from Tekken in case you are wondering!), and not forgetting all that dancing which leads to...
The Music - Home of bossanova and the samba style drumming... It is also home of the biggest street party in the world - the Carnival in February!
I spent day 3, a beautiful cloudless day, wondering the streets of Rio, riding on my push bike, people watching, jumping in the clear blue ocean myself to cool down in the drenching 34 degrees heat, and then... at 7.45pm, watched the most amazing sun set over the big ocean on Ipanema beach, to a round of applause from the crowd around me. It was a wonderful feeling I tell you.
So I am in love with this city, and it´s citizens. I am here to see in the New Year, and plan to be wearing white in Copacabana beach alongside 2 million people. I cannot wait to see this!
Wednesday, 26 December 2007
Angel Falls Video
This is a short video clip I took of Angel Falls. I want to give you some idea of how powerful the fall is from where I stood. I was less then 100 metres away from the action. My group was bless to be able to see it on the day as it rain hard overnight, giving us the fall in all it´s finest. Though, I have been told during the rainy season the falls above gets as wide as 150 metres!!!
Sunday, 23 December 2007
Cruising down the Amazon river
I am currently in the middle of the Amazon river, at a town call Santarem. I am only stopping over here until this afternoon, when I will board another boat for Belem out on the coast.
The boat trip has been fantastic so far! The boat I board was call Ana Vitoria, it has 3 level, with the top being an open bar area. The boat itself is tiny, but it was full of passengers! Me and the Aussies was on the second floor, away from the engine room downstairs. We slept in the ``hammock class´´, otherwise known as Rede class, for the last 2 nights.
And what an experience! The whole floor was filled bumper to bumper with hammocks. I did not sleep too well on the first night as there were just too many hammocks, I was touching hammocks against 3 other hammocks! I am guessing the boat is full as most people are going home for Christmas.
Despite the number of people on board (I estimated 150) the boat was kept surprisingly clean. The staff swept the floor and clean the bathroom regularly. There was also unlimited drinking water and the meals was not too grubby tasting. Meal time is fantastic, the crew would bang on a pot, and everybody would rush downstairs to queue up for dinner. But the dining table is small, accommodating only 24 people at a time. So you could imagine the wait! But the crew are very efficient, clearing out the table as groups of 24 people finish. It all feels very boarding-school like due to the rush to eat as much as possible, in as little time as possible!
Cruising along the Amazon is not just for tourist here, the locals use the river as their major highway. In fact, the cities within the Amazon river are connected by boats only. So it is a great way to meet locals. I spent my time on board sleeping, hanging out with locals and other tourist, listen to my iPod or read. It is all very relaxing.
My favorite part of the trip is during sun set, sun rise and when docking at a local port. That is when all the action happens. Yesterday, I saw a bunch of Amazon river dolphins, playing near our boat whilst docked at a local port.
So, I still have another 2 days of down river to go. Am looking forward to getting back on, but this time I will be doing it alone as I say goodbye to Richard and Penny. They are off to a little ``beach´´ town call Alter do Chao.
Thursday, 20 December 2007
Brazil is $$$
I have made it into Brazil, after leaving Venezuela a day ago.
Coming into Brazil has been a bit of a shock, on the $$$ side of things. As this is the most expensive country in South America. And don't you know it!
I mean... my 13 hours night bus cost USD48! This compare to me paying around 1USD an hour on bus rides in Venezuela and 2USD an hour on bus rides in Colombia! Also, accommodation at my hostel cost 11USD a night. And that is in a 8 person dorm!
But I did expect this, so am prepare to bite the cost and carry on with me travels. :)
I am now in the city of Manaus, in the middle of the Amazon region. This city was once known as the Paris of the South America. Thanks to it's massive rubber boom in the late 1800's and early 1900's. So many massive and rich looking buildings were built. The highlight includes the Theater, the floating platform out on the docks and the market. However most of the other buildings are now in a sorry looking state. Something which can definitely be done about once more money pours in.
It is pretty surreal though, as at the river mouth there is a HUGE German ocean going cruise ship, which has entered the Amazon river and is now dock at Manaus's floating platform.
Tomorrow, I will be on a smaller cruise... a tiny boat, compare to the German cruise ship. And I will be making my way out of the Amazon river, out to the sea, to the big city of Belem. I am sleeping in "reed" class, meaning... I will be packing a hammock for the 4-5 days cruise.
Wednesday, 19 December 2007
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Merry Christmas folks!
This is that mad Aussie which I mention earlier under Puppetry of the Penis.
Yup I met Richard again, this time without his mates, on the climb up Mt Roraima. And yup, Rich needed a partner and that guy was yours truely for this scenic view!!! :b
Tuesday, 18 December 2007
Trekking up Roraima Tepui
I just spent 6 days trekking in National Park Canaima. My trek took me up to the top of Mount Roraima. A big fat and flat table top mountain otherwise known as Tepuis. Mount Roraima is the highest of the Tepuis in Venezuela, at 2810 metres.
This is my favorite trek in South America so far. The first 2 days took us through grassy plains, towards Roraima's base camp.
On the left you have Mount Kukenan, and on the right is Mount Roraima.
Mount Kukenan, as taken at sunrise on the right, is known as the evil twin. It has been told that back in the days, the native people here, known as Pemon, would rather climb up Kukenan and throw themselves off rather then falling to enemy hands. Nowadays there are no tours that heads up there as no native people would ever lead tourist up. I suspect the real reason is that it is much harder to climb then Mount Roraima!
And on day 3 we climb up the mountain. It was a slippery afair, but less scary then I thought. We cross the famous Tears Crossing, basically a series of waterfall which falls over us. And then, we reach the top after 4 hours of effort.
Up on top of Roraima it is all about rocks. Re-incarnated in various formations. All in very interesting shapes and sizes. There are also amazing crystal to be found at many areas on Roraima. These rocks you see are vary old, older then the Himalayas, the Alps and the Andes combined! The top is also pretty wet, therefore there are more plant life then I thought. Plus some insect and small animals.
The Roraima frogs are the most interesting. They are very tiny, about the size of my finger nail. They have a black body and a yellow belly underneath. These frogs do not hop like their cousins, instead they walk on all fours! Very trippy!
We did not have the best weather during the trek over the 6 days trek. At times our tents were flooded and we saw plenty of rain and fog.
So at times there was no view on top of the mountain at all! But I didn't mind, as running around and examining the rocks themselves was interesting enough.
We finally made our decent on day 5, and spent the next 2 days walking back out to civilization!
I had a pretty cool group too. From the left they are: Penny (Aus), Richard (Aus), Sarah (Eng), Barna (Hun), Fran (Eng), Camilla (Swe), Ryo (Jap) and yours truely!
We made our tour with Mystic tour, run by Roberto. And paid 770 Bolivars for the fantastic trek.
This is my favorite trek in South America so far. The first 2 days took us through grassy plains, towards Roraima's base camp.
On the left you have Mount Kukenan, and on the right is Mount Roraima.
Mount Kukenan, as taken at sunrise on the right, is known as the evil twin. It has been told that back in the days, the native people here, known as Pemon, would rather climb up Kukenan and throw themselves off rather then falling to enemy hands. Nowadays there are no tours that heads up there as no native people would ever lead tourist up. I suspect the real reason is that it is much harder to climb then Mount Roraima!
And on day 3 we climb up the mountain. It was a slippery afair, but less scary then I thought. We cross the famous Tears Crossing, basically a series of waterfall which falls over us. And then, we reach the top after 4 hours of effort.
Up on top of Roraima it is all about rocks. Re-incarnated in various formations. All in very interesting shapes and sizes. There are also amazing crystal to be found at many areas on Roraima. These rocks you see are vary old, older then the Himalayas, the Alps and the Andes combined! The top is also pretty wet, therefore there are more plant life then I thought. Plus some insect and small animals.
The Roraima frogs are the most interesting. They are very tiny, about the size of my finger nail. They have a black body and a yellow belly underneath. These frogs do not hop like their cousins, instead they walk on all fours! Very trippy!
We did not have the best weather during the trek over the 6 days trek. At times our tents were flooded and we saw plenty of rain and fog.
So at times there was no view on top of the mountain at all! But I didn't mind, as running around and examining the rocks themselves was interesting enough.
We finally made our decent on day 5, and spent the next 2 days walking back out to civilization!
I had a pretty cool group too. From the left they are: Penny (Aus), Richard (Aus), Sarah (Eng), Barna (Hun), Fran (Eng), Camilla (Swe), Ryo (Jap) and yours truely!
We made our tour with Mystic tour, run by Roberto. And paid 770 Bolivars for the fantastic trek.
Monday, 17 December 2007
Maho and Masai
This is Maho and Masai. Two Japanese backpacker in my group out to the Angel Falls. Maho has been on the road for 1 1/2 years whilst Masai has been on the road for... 3 years!
Masai was cycling around South America when he bump into Maho in Ushuaia, Argentina 18 months ago. Together they travelled for 6 months and fell in love along the way. They are now engaged!
After a break of individual travels, they are back again travelling in Venezuela. After this, Maho plans to travel in Central America for another 6 months, whilst Masai has another monster 3 years of biking to be done. He plans to cycle through United States, Europe and Asia before returning home to Japan.
I tell you, Japanese travellers are some of the coolest and most hardcore of all travellers I meet along the way. They would travel into hot spots, without speaking the language, nor have a full grasp of English. I also respect them for their politeness and easy going nature.
Masai was cycling around South America when he bump into Maho in Ushuaia, Argentina 18 months ago. Together they travelled for 6 months and fell in love along the way. They are now engaged!
After a break of individual travels, they are back again travelling in Venezuela. After this, Maho plans to travel in Central America for another 6 months, whilst Masai has another monster 3 years of biking to be done. He plans to cycle through United States, Europe and Asia before returning home to Japan.
I tell you, Japanese travellers are some of the coolest and most hardcore of all travellers I meet along the way. They would travel into hot spots, without speaking the language, nor have a full grasp of English. I also respect them for their politeness and easy going nature.
Angel Falls
I spent 3 days out in Canaima, in South Eastern Venezuela. I flew to Canaima to view Salto Angel, otherwise known as Angel Falls. Name after Jimmy Angel, the discoverer of the famous fall. He discovered it on 16 November 1933.
Angel Fall is the highest waterfall in the world, at 979 metres there are no other waterfall that comes even close!
The day before we got there we receive a dose of heavy rain. Exactly what was needed for the big water experience. And so on the day we got there, it was mysty and cloudy. I love it though as seeing Angel Falls for the first time through the fog seem quite surreal!
But we ended up getting the best of both world as after noon the fog lift and the weather clear up brilliantly. However the fall was still too strong from the overnight rain so we weren't able to swim in the pool below the fall. The force of the water below created a wind draft that was strong enough to blow a baby off!
The trip out to Angel Falls is an adventure in itself too. We paid 850 Bolivars (170USD Black Market rate) for a "cheaper" tour. This meant that our group had to take a 2 hours car ride from Ciudad Bolivar to La Paragua. From there it was a 30 minutes plane ride on a 6 seater Cessna to Canaima.
And then in Canaima, it was a walk, followed by a 4 hours boat ride, and then another 1 hour trek to get close to the falls.
Along the way we got to view other water falls too, like this amazing El Sapo falls. The coolest thing about this big fall is that you can walk behind the fall, and see it fall in front of you like a curtain. The spray from these falls was awesome and the whole group was very wet when we eventually headed off.
The area around Angel Fall is also full of Tepuis. Otherwise known as the Table Mountains. These flat top mountains rises magnificiently over the surrounding countryside. They all seem to top off at about 2500 metres. The Tepuy that Angel Falls is on is the known as Auyan-tepui. It is also the biggest Tepuy in the world, measuring 700 square km.
For more information on this amazing fall check out Wiki!
The only poo poo from the trip out to the falls were that 5 out of 6 in the group had money stolen. We suspect it may have been the boat driver and his helper but we have no prove. However I only had 20,000 Bolivars stolen (about 4USD worth) but my friends had about 20-40USD stolen from them (all Black market rate of course!).
Still, it will not stop me from recommending the tour company that we went with or the tour guide that we had. The company was call Adrenaline and our guide was Gabriella.
Angel Fall is the highest waterfall in the world, at 979 metres there are no other waterfall that comes even close!
The day before we got there we receive a dose of heavy rain. Exactly what was needed for the big water experience. And so on the day we got there, it was mysty and cloudy. I love it though as seeing Angel Falls for the first time through the fog seem quite surreal!
But we ended up getting the best of both world as after noon the fog lift and the weather clear up brilliantly. However the fall was still too strong from the overnight rain so we weren't able to swim in the pool below the fall. The force of the water below created a wind draft that was strong enough to blow a baby off!
The trip out to Angel Falls is an adventure in itself too. We paid 850 Bolivars (170USD Black Market rate) for a "cheaper" tour. This meant that our group had to take a 2 hours car ride from Ciudad Bolivar to La Paragua. From there it was a 30 minutes plane ride on a 6 seater Cessna to Canaima.
And then in Canaima, it was a walk, followed by a 4 hours boat ride, and then another 1 hour trek to get close to the falls.
Along the way we got to view other water falls too, like this amazing El Sapo falls. The coolest thing about this big fall is that you can walk behind the fall, and see it fall in front of you like a curtain. The spray from these falls was awesome and the whole group was very wet when we eventually headed off.
The area around Angel Fall is also full of Tepuis. Otherwise known as the Table Mountains. These flat top mountains rises magnificiently over the surrounding countryside. They all seem to top off at about 2500 metres. The Tepuy that Angel Falls is on is the known as Auyan-tepui. It is also the biggest Tepuy in the world, measuring 700 square km.
For more information on this amazing fall check out Wiki!
The only poo poo from the trip out to the falls were that 5 out of 6 in the group had money stolen. We suspect it may have been the boat driver and his helper but we have no prove. However I only had 20,000 Bolivars stolen (about 4USD worth) but my friends had about 20-40USD stolen from them (all Black market rate of course!).
Still, it will not stop me from recommending the tour company that we went with or the tour guide that we had. The company was call Adrenaline and our guide was Gabriella.
Wednesday, 12 December 2007
Seph and Ben
This dude on the left is Seph, an American from San Diego. I met him in Ciudad Bolivar and together we headed into Santa Elena. He is an editor by trade and is in Venezuela to write about the country for the Rough Guide (a travel guide in direct competition to my bible).
I used to think this would be one of the coolest job to have, since you get paid to travel. But after hearing Seph's experience I am not so sure anymore! He is on a tight schedule therefore is doing a lot of night bus travels. He spends his days interviewing numerous people, agencies, guesthouse owners, restaurants etc etc for prices, tours, dates and what-nots.
Basically not something I would want since it would cut into my siesta time! :)
Tuesday, 11 December 2007
Petrol vs Water
Did you know, a litre of 91 Octane purchased in Venezuela cost only 70 Bolivars?
Which amounts to 30 cents on the offical exchange rate or about 12 cents on the black market rate.
A litre of bottled water here cost 2,500 Bolivars. Which amounts to 1.10 USD on the offical exchange rate or 50 cents on the black market rate.
Either way, with rising petrol prices around the globe here PETROL IS WORTH NOTHING!!!!!!
Friday, 7 December 2007
Los Llanos Caiman
This is a Los Llanos Caiman all! Don't the baby look cute? :)
There live in plentiful numbers in the Los Llanos region. They look like crocodiles from a distance. But up close you can tell the difference in it's pertrube snout (nose) and it's wider and shorter jaw. Caimans are very shy creatures, and would dive into the nearest waterway when approach by human. They feed on fish primarily, but would not hessitate to take a chunk off your leg if it feels threatened. ;)
Tony and his assistant Michael caught this big Caiman for us to have a close up look. This baby was pretty tranquil, and we were allowed to touch and grab hold of it for our Kodak moment.
If you look closely though you will notice that Tony has wrapped it's mouth shut tight with another piece of rope just in case! A rope has also been lasso around it's neck, and was used by Michael to subdue the animal at the beginning.
Los Llanos and my wildlife safari tour!
I had a brilliant 4 days out in Los Llanos, on a wildlife safari tour.
Los Llanos is located in the South Western part of Venezuela. It is a vast tropical grassland, and many parts of it stay flooded during the rainy season. Therefore it supports a rich collection of wildlife. There are giant rats call Capybaras, big snakes like the Annaconda, river dolphins, pirahnas, and a whole lot of different bird spieces.
Our tour took us through different mode of transport. We did tours on horseback, van, boat and we also went out for a night safari by foot. We also did different activities on the tour like pirahna fishing and tubbing down a river. My favorite activity was pirahna fishing. I mean, they were SO easy to catch! I caught like 5 pirahnas within 45 minutes.
The pirahnas are fierce creatures allright! They spot very sharp teeth, and over on the right you can see the result of their frenzy attack. Kerrin caught this fish 5 minutes ago, chucked it back into the water as bait and within 5 seconds, half it's flesh has been bitten off. Crazy shit!
We gutted our fish and got it ready for dinner. It was deep fried with salf and it was delicious!
And here is Tony Martin, my guide with his catch of the day. A mighty Anaconda. It was amazing to see him work as he was amazingly fast with his hands. You need it to catch this creature by the neck, and to hold it still to stop it from biting.
I was happy to see the giant snake caught, and to hold onto one as I haven't played with them since my snake keeping duty in Bolivia. The Anaconda skin is smooth and beautiful to touch. It has scary eyes from up close though as it is all hazy with no pupils showing.
And here you have another spectacular sunset at Los Llanos.
We did a lot of the overland tour on top of the roof of our van. The view from above over the plain are superb, with lots of birdlife seen.
Our guide Tony was pretty good. He definately knows what he is doing and is very knowledgable about the animals. But he is also impatient and a little ego-tistic. But the last day bought him back down to earth, as he cut himself bad on our little white-water adventure. After falling out of his tube and smacking head first into a rock down the rapids. That requires 10 stiches and you can see the big bandage over his left eye on the top photo!
Wednesday, 5 December 2007
Rahhhhhhhh I am still ALIVE!
Yes, just came out of Los Llanos, the low lands of Venezuela on a 4 days safari tour. I saw lots of animals, lots of birds, did a few exciting things and generally had a great time, and will blog about the trip soon! :)
Am right now about to step on a 13 hours night bus across Venezuela out to Ciudad Bolivar. Get ready to hit the freezer!
Am right now about to step on a 13 hours night bus across Venezuela out to Ciudad Bolivar. Get ready to hit the freezer!
Saturday, 1 December 2007
Jake Meyer
I must make a special mention of this person here. His name is Jake Meyer and he has set the record as the youngest person to have climb all 7 continent's highest peaks.
Starting at 15 he started off by climbing Mt Kilimanjaro, and finished his 7 summits expedition at Mt McKinley in Alaska, at a tender age of 21!
He is now 23, and is traveling in Northern South America to you summit a few peaks. I just can't believe how young he is and that he is on holiday just to climb more peaks!
For more information on his achievements visit his website http://www.jakemeyer.co.uk/
Puppetry of the Penis
I met these Mad Aussies from Melbourne at the Guesthouse in Merida, and foolishly decided to follow them up the mountain to see Pico Bolivar. As this is their favorite past time, posing naked where-ever they go. Including this in front of Venezuela's highest peak.
From the left we got Penny, Richard, Ben and Merrrrrv. Way to go Aussies! :b
Climbing Venezuela's Highest Peak
This is Venezuela's highest mountain, Pico Bolivar, at 5,007 metres.
Getting there to take the following photo was no mean feat. I had to dorn on my winter woolies, shades, hiking boots and the rest. Climb on board the world's highest cable car system, and made my way up.
The cable car starts from Merida at an altitude of 1,640 metres, before winding it's way up in 4 stages, to the dizzying height of 4,765 metres!
From there, I tried climbing the rest of the way up, before being stopped by this silly sign along with it's yellow tape, intended to put wanna-be's like me off.
Well they succeeded. I could not go on. I was too tired, too out of breath, too under equipped and lack the stupid thing they call a permit to reach the summit of Venezuela's highest peak! *sniff sniff*
Thursday, 29 November 2007
Wednesday, 28 November 2007
Venezuela and it's corrupt police
Hi all,
I just want to let you know that I have entered Venezuela safely. But not without problems.
I got up at 5.30am this morning, and caught the 6am bus out of Bucaramanga. The journey to the border was uneventful. I arrive at the border at 12pm, but then getting out of Colombian immigration was a 2 1/2 hours wait. It took forever, so I was glad to have eaten lunch beforehand.
I finally made it into the Venezuela border at 3.30pm, I was running behind time already, as I had another 8 1/2 hours bus rides (and needing to change bus midway) ahead of me.
Everything was fine, until my van got pulled over at the police check point leaving town. The police picked on me as soon as I came out. Demanding my backpacks to be x-rayed and searched. The fact that my backpacks was x-rayed at the border didn't seem to satisfy them. The police woman that scrutinize my passport was very rude, but as I later discover, at least honest. Because afterwards, her and a young male colleague went through my backpack and daypack. They were very thorough, pulling out every bit of item from both packs. All my clothes were search, my books opened, my toilet bag, medical bag, pill box, pencil case was scrutinized.
I notice only my items were all pulled out, and thrown on the counter like junk. Where-as the locals only had their bags quickly look through.
Then I notice the young police man was eye-ing my iPod, asking me what it was, and then pulling it out to play with it on two occasion. At first I thought it was curiosity and a touch of childishness (boyz toyz and all!), but then...
The lady finished with her search and left my contents in a mess, and I had the task of putting everything back. I was feeling pretty angry at the way my possession were thrown out, not in any order, nor were there any help given in putting them back. Never had I seen such rudeness or carelessness.
So I pack everything away in my backpack, whilst eye-ing the young policeman wearily, as he was *still* looking through my now thoroughly searched daypack.
He then told me I had to be body search. I started to panic, as I remember the owner of the guesthouse I stayed at in San Gil telling me that they are after money. I said "No no no", but he said this is standard procedure. I didn't have a choice anyway so I was taken into a private room.
Inside the room, he first told me to hand all my possessions in my pants over. So there goes my wallet. But afterwards he wanted me to drop my pants for the money belt that he knew was there. I resisted of course! But he would not hear of it. He then went through the contents, and started pulling out my USDs (US Dollars). I was really shitting myself then.
I know there are no official rules in which foreigners are not allow to bring USDs into the country. But I also know the official exchange rate for 1 USD = 2060 Venezuelan Bolivians, whilst in the black market un-official rate is up to 6000 Bolivians. Almost 3 times as much!
So I started demanding my money back. In fact, I pulled the dollars out of his hands, and place them back into my money belt, whilst talking rapidly and loudly to him about this being my first day in Venezuela, that NZ has no problems with Venezuela, that the USDs are for my travels in all of South America, and that my friends had warn me about policemen taking people's money away. Of course I don't think he understood half of what I was trying to say, I was panic-ing and speaking Spanglish. He was trying to get me to pay him off, whilst trying to hush me with his finger to his lips. He kept gesturing towards the money and speaking rapidly in Spanish but I could not understand him. Maybe not speaking too much Spanish may have helped me in this sticky situation.
As after putting my clothes back on, and storing my money belt away I basically took my chance and walked out the room. I pretended to check to see if my van was still waiting outside. He told me to wait, and spoke to whom I thought was his senior officer, he was whispering to the guy as if saying "This guy is loaded with USDs!" and what seem to me to be like working out a bargain between them to get my money. I look on pleadingly. The senior officer - God bless him, must have said something like "Let him go.", as the next moment he was nodding towards me. I took that as a sign and fled to the van with my backpack and daypack.
I am still shaking from this whole experience which only happened 3 hours ago, and cannot stop rewinding in my head what could have had happen. Never in any of my previous travels have I encountered such corrupted police. And I am praying that I do not meet any more such people.
I just want to let you know that I have entered Venezuela safely. But not without problems.
I got up at 5.30am this morning, and caught the 6am bus out of Bucaramanga. The journey to the border was uneventful. I arrive at the border at 12pm, but then getting out of Colombian immigration was a 2 1/2 hours wait. It took forever, so I was glad to have eaten lunch beforehand.
I finally made it into the Venezuela border at 3.30pm, I was running behind time already, as I had another 8 1/2 hours bus rides (and needing to change bus midway) ahead of me.
Everything was fine, until my van got pulled over at the police check point leaving town. The police picked on me as soon as I came out. Demanding my backpacks to be x-rayed and searched. The fact that my backpacks was x-rayed at the border didn't seem to satisfy them. The police woman that scrutinize my passport was very rude, but as I later discover, at least honest. Because afterwards, her and a young male colleague went through my backpack and daypack. They were very thorough, pulling out every bit of item from both packs. All my clothes were search, my books opened, my toilet bag, medical bag, pill box, pencil case was scrutinized.
I notice only my items were all pulled out, and thrown on the counter like junk. Where-as the locals only had their bags quickly look through.
Then I notice the young police man was eye-ing my iPod, asking me what it was, and then pulling it out to play with it on two occasion. At first I thought it was curiosity and a touch of childishness (boyz toyz and all!), but then...
The lady finished with her search and left my contents in a mess, and I had the task of putting everything back. I was feeling pretty angry at the way my possession were thrown out, not in any order, nor were there any help given in putting them back. Never had I seen such rudeness or carelessness.
So I pack everything away in my backpack, whilst eye-ing the young policeman wearily, as he was *still* looking through my now thoroughly searched daypack.
He then told me I had to be body search. I started to panic, as I remember the owner of the guesthouse I stayed at in San Gil telling me that they are after money. I said "No no no", but he said this is standard procedure. I didn't have a choice anyway so I was taken into a private room.
Inside the room, he first told me to hand all my possessions in my pants over. So there goes my wallet. But afterwards he wanted me to drop my pants for the money belt that he knew was there. I resisted of course! But he would not hear of it. He then went through the contents, and started pulling out my USDs (US Dollars). I was really shitting myself then.
I know there are no official rules in which foreigners are not allow to bring USDs into the country. But I also know the official exchange rate for 1 USD = 2060 Venezuelan Bolivians, whilst in the black market un-official rate is up to 6000 Bolivians. Almost 3 times as much!
So I started demanding my money back. In fact, I pulled the dollars out of his hands, and place them back into my money belt, whilst talking rapidly and loudly to him about this being my first day in Venezuela, that NZ has no problems with Venezuela, that the USDs are for my travels in all of South America, and that my friends had warn me about policemen taking people's money away. Of course I don't think he understood half of what I was trying to say, I was panic-ing and speaking Spanglish. He was trying to get me to pay him off, whilst trying to hush me with his finger to his lips. He kept gesturing towards the money and speaking rapidly in Spanish but I could not understand him. Maybe not speaking too much Spanish may have helped me in this sticky situation.
As after putting my clothes back on, and storing my money belt away I basically took my chance and walked out the room. I pretended to check to see if my van was still waiting outside. He told me to wait, and spoke to whom I thought was his senior officer, he was whispering to the guy as if saying "This guy is loaded with USDs!" and what seem to me to be like working out a bargain between them to get my money. I look on pleadingly. The senior officer - God bless him, must have said something like "Let him go.", as the next moment he was nodding towards me. I took that as a sign and fled to the van with my backpack and daypack.
I am still shaking from this whole experience which only happened 3 hours ago, and cannot stop rewinding in my head what could have had happen. Never in any of my previous travels have I encountered such corrupted police. And I am praying that I do not meet any more such people.
Colombia Most Wanted
This is the to 3 most wanted Colombians. The photo was taken at the DAS immigration office on my way out of Colombia.
$5,000,000,000 pesos = 2.5 million USD
Here is more! Notice how some has their face crossed off with MUERTO written? Yup that's right they got him.
These guys all looks to be part of the paramilitary here in Colombia.
Speaking of paramilitary. Here is an interesting news article on the Guardian website, with regards to a 29 years old Dutch woman name Eillen, whom have been fighting on FARC's side since 2001. Recently her diary was recovered by Government soldiers, and within it she tells of her life with the communist rebels.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/colombia/story/0,,2216994,00.html
$5,000,000,000 pesos = 2.5 million USD
Here is more! Notice how some has their face crossed off with MUERTO written? Yup that's right they got him.
These guys all looks to be part of the paramilitary here in Colombia.
Speaking of paramilitary. Here is an interesting news article on the Guardian website, with regards to a 29 years old Dutch woman name Eillen, whom have been fighting on FARC's side since 2001. Recently her diary was recovered by Government soldiers, and within it she tells of her life with the communist rebels.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/colombia/story/0,,2216994,00.html
Crossing the border into Venezuela
Made it into Venezuela... This photo was taken before encountering the shit head corrupt policemen. :o)
Tuesday, 27 November 2007
San Gil, Bucaramanga and beyond!
I have been visiting the self proclaim adventure capital of Colombia; San Gil, near the border with Venezuela.
I came here to absail down this huge 180 metres waterfall! It look big too when we got there! However we found out that only one section is possible to absail. That section is 80 metres long so it still look huge, dangerous and exciting!
Well, going down has never been a problem for me, so me and another kiwi (Andy Gale from Hamiltron!), work our way down the face of the waterfall, into the thick of it all. It was exciting stuff allright! The rock was slippery and I was reduce to jumping down it McGyver style. :)
Here are the photos! The one above is of Andy going over. The one on the left is the 80 metre section that we went down. If you zoom in to the photo you will be able to see the ropes we used to absail.
Today I am in Bucaramanga, basically my last stop in Colombia, before heading into Venezuela.
Colombia has set the bench mark for me in terms of my favorite country in this continent. The people, the landscape and the adventures have been all top stuff. The only low point would be in their culinary!
I came here to absail down this huge 180 metres waterfall! It look big too when we got there! However we found out that only one section is possible to absail. That section is 80 metres long so it still look huge, dangerous and exciting!
Well, going down has never been a problem for me, so me and another kiwi (Andy Gale from Hamiltron!), work our way down the face of the waterfall, into the thick of it all. It was exciting stuff allright! The rock was slippery and I was reduce to jumping down it McGyver style. :)
Here are the photos! The one above is of Andy going over. The one on the left is the 80 metre section that we went down. If you zoom in to the photo you will be able to see the ropes we used to absail.
Today I am in Bucaramanga, basically my last stop in Colombia, before heading into Venezuela.
Colombia has set the bench mark for me in terms of my favorite country in this continent. The people, the landscape and the adventures have been all top stuff. The only low point would be in their culinary!
Sunday, 25 November 2007
Taganga
I love Taganga. Stayed here for a few nights, in between my trek into Ciudad Perdida.
This is a small fishing on the Caribbean coast with a great backpacker atmosphere. There are no 5 star hotels out here, just a beach with a bunch of restaurant selling cheap seafood.
I spent my time snorkling off the coast, eating great seafood (snapper and prawns!) and just chilling on a hammock.
This is a small fishing on the Caribbean coast with a great backpacker atmosphere. There are no 5 star hotels out here, just a beach with a bunch of restaurant selling cheap seafood.
I spent my time snorkling off the coast, eating great seafood (snapper and prawns!) and just chilling on a hammock.
Thursday, 22 November 2007
The People
And here are photos of the people including the group at the Lost City trek.
Here is a Koguis mum, at 15 year old with her son.
Here are two Koguis boys, no older then 12 and 14, having a fag during a break up on the trek. They told me they started smoking at a tender age of 11.
From the left is Missile our cook, Eduardo our English speaking guide and the younger Eduardo Spanish speaking guide possing with their Galil rifles...
This is our brilliant guide Eduardo, with his mum and dad. We stayed at his house on the first night of the trek. Eduardo is strong as an ox and nimble as a deer during our trek. He helped carried Christine's backpack when she was too tired, and knows the trail, the animals, the plant life like a native. During the trek he picked out sugarcane, mandarin, oranges, choclate growing along the path and cut it up for us. Eduardo is only 19 years old, but has been guiding for 3 years and was a cook for 5 years before that. His dad is 52 and his mum is only 49. He also has 5 brothers and 2 sisters.
Here is a Koguis mum, at 15 year old with her son.
Here is a Koguis girl showing off her colourful necklace.
To tell the difference between the girls and the boys is that the boys all carry a knapsack, whilst the girls all wear pretty necklaces.
To tell the difference between the girls and the boys is that the boys all carry a knapsack, whilst the girls all wear pretty necklaces.
Here are two Koguis boys, no older then 12 and 14, having a fag during a break up on the trek. They told me they started smoking at a tender age of 11.
Wh00p Wh00p! Yeah mate, I would have look so much better possing if it wasn't for them German style socks and sandles. But I did the whole bloody trek in sandles! They were PERFECT for the numerous muddy and wet trails. That is, until the last day when we had to slug through avalanches. My poor Tevas just couldn't handle them.
Anyway.... RAH RAH!!!
From the left is Missile our cook, Eduardo our English speaking guide and the younger Eduardo Spanish speaking guide possing with their Galil rifles...
RAH RAH!!!
Here is my group on the trek having breakfast. From the right we have Matt (Walsh), Olga (Polish), Karen (Walsh), Christine (Canadian), Jordan (Canadian), yours truely and Sef (Denish).
This is our brilliant guide Eduardo, with his mum and dad. We stayed at his house on the first night of the trek. Eduardo is strong as an ox and nimble as a deer during our trek. He helped carried Christine's backpack when she was too tired, and knows the trail, the animals, the plant life like a native. During the trek he picked out sugarcane, mandarin, oranges, choclate growing along the path and cut it up for us. Eduardo is only 19 years old, but has been guiding for 3 years and was a cook for 5 years before that. His dad is 52 and his mum is only 49. He also has 5 brothers and 2 sisters.
Ciudad Perdida
I just spent an exhausting 5 days trekking in the Sierra Nevada region, out to visit Ciudad Perdida, also known as the Lost City.
We had a great group of people with mixed nationality: Poland, Denmark, Canada, Walse and NZ. :) We also had 2 guides and 1 cook from the tour operator Sierra Tour.
The condition of the trek was wet, muddy and slippery. This is the rainy season we are trekking in so every afternoon except for the last day we experience a torrential downpour. And on our very first trekking day half the group ended up having their contents entirely soaked through. I took a great picture of Matt, the Walsh, with his Lonelyplanet Phrasebook and Colombian Pesos on the table, attempting to dry them out. But basically the unlucky ones were trekking in their wet clothes for most of the time.
There were also numerous river crossing, and some the water came up to our waist. Being in a hurry I manage to trip and fall into the rushing water, taking my guide Eduardo with me. Therefore I am greatful to have double line all my clothes in two bin bags, and had everything else like camera and torch light wrapped in plastic bags.
However the rain did more damage then we anticipated, as we had to return the way we came in, and on the last day we must have passed at least 30 avalanches, completely blocking our way out. It was through much cussing and groaning that we eventually got out to a point where motorbikes can cross, to return us to civilization!
So was it all worth it in the end? The answer is yes! The Lost City is pretty well situated, at the banks of the river, up the hill, and overlooking a lush green valley, with Tulcans seen flying above.
We eventually reach it on the third day of our trek, after enduring endless mosquitos and sandflies, torrential rains and muds, we climb the 1200 stone stairs all the way up to see the "city" of a long lost civilization (wiped out by the invading Spanish of course). With the fog flowing in and out of Ciudad Perdida it did remind me a little of Machu Picchu, as it has that same mystic air to it. But the difference is the complete lack of tourist.
The following day we hiked around the ruins, seeing the remains of these stone structures, and tools used by the civilization then. The city was believe to have been founded in 800 AD, and may have contain up to 8,000 inhabitants. We also saw a Helicopter landing on the main terrace, carrying 3 American tourist whom paid 3000USD for the privilage.
In 2003 eight backpackers were kidnapped from here by the Paramilitary ELN and held for 90 days. They were luckily released unharm, but it put people off doing this trek for a number of years. Today there are 40 millitery personal located in the Lost City to protect tourist from visiting it.
We had a great group of people with mixed nationality: Poland, Denmark, Canada, Walse and NZ. :) We also had 2 guides and 1 cook from the tour operator Sierra Tour.
The condition of the trek was wet, muddy and slippery. This is the rainy season we are trekking in so every afternoon except for the last day we experience a torrential downpour. And on our very first trekking day half the group ended up having their contents entirely soaked through. I took a great picture of Matt, the Walsh, with his Lonelyplanet Phrasebook and Colombian Pesos on the table, attempting to dry them out. But basically the unlucky ones were trekking in their wet clothes for most of the time.
There were also numerous river crossing, and some the water came up to our waist. Being in a hurry I manage to trip and fall into the rushing water, taking my guide Eduardo with me. Therefore I am greatful to have double line all my clothes in two bin bags, and had everything else like camera and torch light wrapped in plastic bags.
However the rain did more damage then we anticipated, as we had to return the way we came in, and on the last day we must have passed at least 30 avalanches, completely blocking our way out. It was through much cussing and groaning that we eventually got out to a point where motorbikes can cross, to return us to civilization!
So was it all worth it in the end? The answer is yes! The Lost City is pretty well situated, at the banks of the river, up the hill, and overlooking a lush green valley, with Tulcans seen flying above.
We eventually reach it on the third day of our trek, after enduring endless mosquitos and sandflies, torrential rains and muds, we climb the 1200 stone stairs all the way up to see the "city" of a long lost civilization (wiped out by the invading Spanish of course). With the fog flowing in and out of Ciudad Perdida it did remind me a little of Machu Picchu, as it has that same mystic air to it. But the difference is the complete lack of tourist.
The following day we hiked around the ruins, seeing the remains of these stone structures, and tools used by the civilization then. The city was believe to have been founded in 800 AD, and may have contain up to 8,000 inhabitants. We also saw a Helicopter landing on the main terrace, carrying 3 American tourist whom paid 3000USD for the privilage.
In 2003 eight backpackers were kidnapped from here by the Paramilitary ELN and held for 90 days. They were luckily released unharm, but it put people off doing this trek for a number of years. Today there are 40 millitery personal located in the Lost City to protect tourist from visiting it.
Thursday, 15 November 2007
Did you know...?
That the very popular TV series and Emmy award winner "Ugly Betty", is originally from Colombia? Yes! The series here is known as "Yo Soy Betty, La Fea" (I am Betty, The Ugly One).
Also, the very beautiful singer Shakira, is also from Colombia.
I loooove Colombia! :o)
Also, the very beautiful singer Shakira, is also from Colombia.
I loooove Colombia! :o)
Wednesday, 14 November 2007
Mud Volcano of Totumo
Eeek! Covered from head to toes in muddy slimy goo. It was great fun!
Today, I headed out to the mud volcano of Totumo. About 40km from Cartegena. It was an interesting day trip as the photo shows. Once there, the group I was in don on our togs, climb the steps up the 20 metre cone, and step into this slimy gooey mud. The sensation is wonderful! I felt like a kid again, playing with mud, rubbing it all over myself, making it burp and fart around me.
The coolest thing about this stuff is that it is simply un-sinkable! I was litrally lying down on the mud, dozing off in the mid afternoon heat. Other folks around me were getting a nice full body mud massage by the locals.
After the experience, we climb back down the ladder and were lead to a pond, to be wash down by the local ladies. They did a very good job with cleaning me and my togs (off!).
But now as I type this, I am picking at my ears to find more black goo stuck to my finger nails!
Today, I headed out to the mud volcano of Totumo. About 40km from Cartegena. It was an interesting day trip as the photo shows. Once there, the group I was in don on our togs, climb the steps up the 20 metre cone, and step into this slimy gooey mud. The sensation is wonderful! I felt like a kid again, playing with mud, rubbing it all over myself, making it burp and fart around me.
The coolest thing about this stuff is that it is simply un-sinkable! I was litrally lying down on the mud, dozing off in the mid afternoon heat. Other folks around me were getting a nice full body mud massage by the locals.
After the experience, we climb back down the ladder and were lead to a pond, to be wash down by the local ladies. They did a very good job with cleaning me and my togs (off!).
But now as I type this, I am picking at my ears to find more black goo stuck to my finger nails!
Tuesday, 13 November 2007
I made it to the Carribean coast!
I made it!!! Starting from Chile, I have travelled by bus, boat and 4WD all the way from Chile, the southern most country in South America, to Cartagena, up here in the Carribean coast. It has taken just over 4 months, and from here I plan to cross over to Venezuela, before heading South to Argentina to complete my travels. :)
Cartagena
I am in Cartagena now! This picture doesn't really reflect the city, but to remind people that in South America there are many poor and homeless people.
This city is probably the most famous city in all of Colombia. It is famous because it is one of the few cities left in the world with an intact wall to protect the city. It was built way back in Colonial times (1600's) the Spanish was force to build this defence after repeated attack by pirates off shore. The city is famous then as a trading post, and was a key departure point for Spanish loot of the region.
So within the wall city, most streets retains their colonial charm, with beautiful churches, monastries and other beautiful buildings. It certainly is the prettiest Colonial city I have visited in my trip so far!
This city is probably the most famous city in all of Colombia. It is famous because it is one of the few cities left in the world with an intact wall to protect the city. It was built way back in Colonial times (1600's) the Spanish was force to build this defence after repeated attack by pirates off shore. The city is famous then as a trading post, and was a key departure point for Spanish loot of the region.
So within the wall city, most streets retains their colonial charm, with beautiful churches, monastries and other beautiful buildings. It certainly is the prettiest Colonial city I have visited in my trip so far!
Botero statue
This is a piss take on Botero, the most famous artist in Colombia. Found at Cartegena's Independence festival this weekend.
And this here is the real Botero statue!
Frenando Botero as you may have notice is famous for his work with regards to fat-ness. This is seen in his museum in Medellin and Bogota. His art work includes sculptures and paintings. It is very interesting to see how he potray all his subjects, from dogs, fruit plates to people, in a "fat" form.
For more information on Botero and hiswork, check out Wikipedia and Museum Syndicate.
And this here is the real Botero statue!
Frenando Botero as you may have notice is famous for his work with regards to fat-ness. This is seen in his museum in Medellin and Bogota. His art work includes sculptures and paintings. It is very interesting to see how he potray all his subjects, from dogs, fruit plates to people, in a "fat" form.
For more information on Botero and hiswork, check out Wikipedia and Museum Syndicate.
Friday, 9 November 2007
Colombian toilet
Why aren't there toilet seat covers in Colombia and the rest of South America? Is it because everybody carries their own due to hygine purposes? Or that they are afraid that customers might steal it???
Other questions I have:
Why do drivers turn on their hazard light signals whilst driving in the rain?
Why do women get butt implants? Is it to make them hang out more?
Why do people use their mobile like a walkie talkie? That they would first listen to the conversation, and then remove the phone from their ears, place it by their mouth and speak into it.
Other questions I have:
Why do drivers turn on their hazard light signals whilst driving in the rain?
Why do women get butt implants? Is it to make them hang out more?
Why do people use their mobile like a walkie talkie? That they would first listen to the conversation, and then remove the phone from their ears, place it by their mouth and speak into it.
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