Quito

I stayed in a nice hostel in the historic part of the city (a UNESCO World Heritage site), and the views from its rooftop terrace were incredible. I spent every breakfast and almost every night on this terrace, enjoying a fire and a couple (or three) beers before hitting the bars in another part of town.

Quito is so similar to San Francisco--the morning fog, the electric buses, the narrow streets that defy gravity, the crisp, cool air. But there´s something about Quito that made me feel more alien than I ever have during my travels. I couldn´t quite put my finger on it. Maybe it was the fact that there were so many people walking around in traditional costume--the women wear their hair in two long braids down their back, a bright, embroidered skirt and jacket, and a stiff white hat; the men wear felt hats and short trousers. Maybe it was the altitude---the city varies between 10,000 and 13,000 feet, and I was definitely huffing my way up hills. Maybe it was the Ecuadorean accent; after some time in Colombia I had gotten used to Colombian Spanish, and Ecuadorians certainly speak differently. Maybe it was all in my head...

Doesn`t this look like California street? Or is it just me?

The internet connection here is the slowest I´ve encountered so far and only lets me post one photo at one excruciating time. I left Quito after a couple days for Parque Nacional Cotopaxi for a glacier hike and a horseback ride through exquisite countryside. More tomorrow.

Finals days in Cartagena

It has been raining every day for the last two weeks, sometimes for six hours each day. When it rains, it pours, and the streets turn into little rivers.

I spent the morning on a self-guided tour--in the pouring rain!--of El Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas. It is billed as the strongest fortress ever built by the Spanish in any of their colonies, and sits on top of a hill overlooking the city. Later in the afternoon, the sun came out for a brief and glorious moments and I was able to take a few more pictures before the downpour started again.

The rain has altered my plan of following the Caribbean coast up to the Guajira Peninsula and heading down south to Barrichara. But I will definitely be back here. I have been so impressed by the beauty of the country and the Colombian people, who are some of the warmest, friendliest, and most welcoming people I have ever met. Traveling here is safe and easy, and there is just so much to see. A future trip is already in the works, this time with Daniel in tow.

Breakfasts in Colombia

In Bogota, I started out my days with a steaming cup of hot chocolate, bread, and a huge hunk of cheese. It was a perfect complement to the cold, dreary days. In Cartagena, my mornings start out with a refreshing glass of jugo de lulo---a small, hairy, orange-colored fruit that is indiginous to Colombia---and a couple pasteles filled with all sorts of goodies. I am addicted to pasteles de arequipe, Colombia´s version of dulce de leche, but the pasteles filled other fruit, like guayaba and manzanas, are incredible as well.

I am going to miss this.

(Belated) happy halloween from Colombia

This country knows how to party. The night began with a chiva---a brightly colored Colombian party bus very similar to those ubiquitous San Francisco cable cars that troll the city with drunken revelers hanging off the sides. The chiva rolled through the city of Santa Marta and neighboring outer barrios as bottles of aguardiente (a local moonshine that could power a truck), local rum, vodka, and god knows what else were passed around.

We ended up at a small, cramped club that looked like everyone was carrying concealed weapons. But it ended up being a perfect way to end the night---the music was a great mishmash of Latin hiphop and salsa, and the crowd inside was surging with the music. The club officially closed at 3am, but the party just poured out into the streets. The music and dancing went on, and men with styrofoam coolers around their necks sold beer to the revelers.

This is a country that enjoys the good things in life, and it shows.