ecuador in a rush…

Published by avner February 9th, 2008 in Ecuador. 0 Comments

day 26 - otavalo superbowl

i was overwhelmed, like many others by the otavalo market, but more so by the indigenous who sell there and work in otavalo. unlike the rest of the world the native people here are wealthy. they make a lot of money from the tourist trade from hotels, selling food, and of course the arts, crafts and clothes market, where every kind of poncho, hamocks, blankets, alpaca hats, lama sweaters, wall hangings, masks, jewelry, clothes and so much more can be found. they drive new cars and have a very high standard of living and yet it is nice to see they maintain their traditional dress and culture.

i spent a few hours walking around the market with hans and ian, as they were shopping..i still hate it. ian bought 6 ponchos as gifts at $8 EACH. CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP. hans got a hamock and i got a shirt..ok i fell into the tourist trap and shopped.

we walked around town and ended up at the local market where  we had a full luch for a $1 - a piece of meat on rice, salad, soup, and a juice. not bad. then after updateting the blog i ran around town looking for a place to watch the superbowl. i found a hotel with an empty cafateria and a cable tv. the 3 of us went there, hans went and got snacks for us and beers for them, and i had to explain football to them. at first they were not into it, but by the end of the game they were cheering and having fun.

day 27 - san ingnacio with the locals

ian and hans left for coca and the amazon basin. i went looking for a family we met in colombia at the church on the border laja. when we were there i met this otavalan family and talked to them. we ran into them a few times there and before we left the father invited us to visit them when we were in otavalo. so i took a bus to cotacachi about 20 minutes from otavalo. then i took a taxi to the community they live in called san ignacio. once there the taxi driver asked around for luis but no one seemed to know him, untill we read what luis wrote down after his name - the father of bees. then they pointed us to the house where he lives. he raises bees and sells honey hence father of bees. at the house his 13 year old daughter greeted me in surprise. sesaw is her name. she is so cute. her sister shayan 7years old and her siter in law martha were there too and after a fresh pineapple juice they took me on a walk into the valley below where they showed me tons of plants they use for medicine. it was great. when we got back luis was there and we had lunch. boy do they eat a lot. when 3 pieces of corn 4 potatoes, a pile of meat and an avocado is put on a plate for you it is too much food. but they eat it up. then luis, sesaw, martha, her husbend raul and i took a taxi to a near by park where there is a nice lake with 2 islands in it. many local tourists visit here and especially now when it is carnival. we walked around and then luis opened this fence and we walked up through the brush to a look out over the lake. of course this is not an official trail and then even better we scrambled down the hill to the lake via a made up trail, and all along luis keeps joking i think this is the end of the trail we have to climb back up..luckily we didn´t have to as i would have died. hard enough walking at this altitude let alone climb a high hill.

we cought a ride back and walked to their house for dinner..again too much food. his wfe elena was home after work. her mother - a cute 72 year old woman that lives a bit up the hill alone, and lives traditionaly cooking with fire not gas like luis, and walking barefoot ALL THE TIME. she brought over fresh eggs so we had that with the rice, potatoes, and corn. luis is into natural apiculture and went to a seminar and now sells raw honey and is really into it. so for a while i learned a lot about what he does and his dreams of a nature-tourist-health service. it was great. sesaw and shayan shared a bed and i got the other one. the family was watching the movie Bethoven, while i read a bit and then went to sleep.

day 28 - bees and stuff

luis left for work at 6…elena and sesaw after breakfast took me for a walk to see the source of the canal that runs through the valley. again it was a trail made up at points, through corn fields and such. luis got back early and elens went to work. he took me with martha to see his bees. they put on the protective suits, had the smoke thingy puffing and had their netted hats on. i stood far away and took pictures. then luis and i walked back to the water source and down to the electrical plant where we met his boss and his family from quito. we walked around and luis showed us this small cave from which this orange colored sulpher water comes out of. then we climbed back up to his house. he went to get a queen be so i can take a picture of it, and then sesaw, shayan, a friend and i walked into town for me to catch a bus.

it was a great experience and they were so nice, but i had to continue south..not enough time. i got a bus to quito at 2854 meters above see level. the city is all on hills and it is hard to walk around. i went to sleep early

day 29 - good bye quito

i did the tourist thing today. walked around the old town - it is considered one of the best in all of latin america and a unesco world heritage site - but hey…you see one church..another plaza..i took a taxi to the teleferiqo - a cable care that takes you up the mountain to 4100meters, 2.5km long. touristy? yup. great views? oh ya…i even got a glimps of cotapaxi - one of the famous volacanoes in ecuador. a quick look around and back down, a taxi to the Cappila de Hombre a museum for one of ecuadors most famous artis guayisill - very moving and powerful place - dedicated to the suffering of the poor of lating america, his paintings are harsh and the place is a homage to man. then onother taxi to the central market for food. this place is famous as it has been there for over 50 years serving politician, business people, and regular folks good food. i had sea bass over rice and ceviche.yummy.  then a quick bus ride back to the center, got my bags and cought a bus south to latacunga. nothing exciting about latacunga, just a place to sleep.

day 30 - to the mountains.

i got up early and took a bus to saqasili. it was the thursday market and wow- it was huge. tons of indigenous come down from the mountains to buy and sell everything. there are 4 different areas selling different items, and an animal market up the road. of course there are the artists and vendors from otavalo that are smart and come down here to sell. just a quick list of the animals for sale - cows, pigs, llamas, donkeys, sheep , goats, chickens, chicks, ducklings, guinepigs, rabbits, cats, puppies, geese..maybe a few more i forgot. but it is crazy, big, and fun.

i went back to latacunga, arranged a day pack, and took of for the 4 hour bus ride through the paramo - high andes to quilotoa. the views are amazing. mountains that are so steep and yet completely farmed. it is an amazing landscape of patchwork, small houses - some traditional grass houses- and steep gorges all around. quilotoa is a tiny speck of houses built just for the tourist who come up here to see this crater lake and to hike around. when i got off the bus there was another girl looking for a room. turns out she is from quito - a local and she negotiated a bed in a dorm for $5 instead of $8 which the 3 other tourists were paying. this included dinner, breakfast and as much cold and wind as you like.

we walked up to the rim to view the crater. an alkaline lake with no inflow or out in an extinct volcanoe. in the background on clear days you can see other volacanoes. it was very pretty. i was getting so cold i had to go back..i got under 3 wool blankets at 4pm and shivvered for 2 hours. i guess i had a fever of sorts. i did have a cold so hey… the other tourists were from NZ and canada. they were insane. they hiked down into the crater to jump into the freezing water, and hiked back up. impressive as i còuld not even hike 10 minutes up without thinking i would die..they did cut wood and start the stove in the cabin and that was great.. after dinner with the gang, i went up to the rim, and crisitina joined me..the night was completely clear and there were billions of stars, shooting stars and no noice exept the howling wind up there. it was amazing. it would have been better if she did not babble about the 3rd way, her wierd dreams and such. she was very nice, but also 22 and does not know much about life and herself. the warm cabin was so nice after that, and at least i wasnt cold all night.

day 31 - i woke up for the sunrise and went to the rim where pink clouds were forming over the volcanoes. it was magical. as i sat there covered in my blanket and taking pictures cristin showed up and decided to sit with me. it was nice to have the place for my self for a while. we went back fo breakfast, then hiked a bit around the rim…not too much. and i decided i wanted to walk to the next village som 14 km away but mostly down hill. of course guess who wanted to join me….oh well it was nice. she is a very nice girl and is local so i did get to learn alot about ecoudor through her eyes.

on the way we stopped in a tradition grass house and met the woman who lives there. then we stopped at a school where the kids were out playing. we made tons of friend. i took tons of pictures. i played a catching game and almost died. it was awesome. we continued hiking for a few hours and it got dark and abou 6 km from Zumbahua we got on a back of a pick up. at the hostel i took a nap. when i woke the sun was out again, and i wanted to go for a walk. well, cristin was waiting and well we went for a walk. we walked through town through fields, to the river and to ths gorge that it carved out of the chak rock. we climbed down to the gorge crossed the river and climbed the other side and wlaked back to town. was a good walk.

after a bad fried chicked dineer we sat at the plaza watching a game of ecuadorian vollyball take place - and preperations for the market the next day were going on. i went to bed to warm up and read a bit. that night all night, people were working in the plaza getting ready for the market. trucks, busses, hammering, music, people, noise all night. not much sleep in a long time, but hey it is part of the fun right?

day 32 - market

again early morning of walking around the market taking pictures. again a few vendors from otavalo. it was a nice market with many locals in traditional clothes, tons of food, vegies and fruit, and a unique thing sheep..ok not unique but the fact that they were being slaughtered and hung and the meat was slod, the fur, the insides…all the blood. that was unique.. i wanted to leave early so i can catch a bud down the road to another village so we left back to latacunga where my bag was. we said goodbye and i was free again. i took the bus to ambato where i wanted to catch another to simiatug - a tiny town in the mountains i heard of. but there was no more buses, so i went to pelileo on way to banos and am here no, going to catch up on my sleep.

sorry for the bad writing, and short descriptions..it is too much to write andi am way to tired. so you will have to wait for the pictures and more stories later.

so much going on…

Published by avner February 3rd, 2008 in Colombia. 0 Comments

day 16 cont

i walked around this colonial town and was not impressed. it does have the biggest plaza in lating america but still, it is a tourist destination and not as pretty, friendly or charming as barachira or even tiny raquira..still i did find a good ice cream shop..yes i broke and got myself a double!! the rest ofe the afternoon and night i stayed in the hostel reading and watching bad tv!!yay what a day.

day 17 - market day

woke up early to catch the big market in town. i have a thing for markets so i had fun hanging around taking pictures of the activity for many hours. there is a shoe section, a food section, a fruit and veg section, an are just for potatoes and other household products all around. many locals wear ponchos and a variety of different kinds of hats, both men and woman. it is definitely a local market where people come get their supplies and goods. 1 or 2 other tourists. it was very nice.

at noon i took a bus back to Bogota about 5 hours. there i got on a bus 1/2 an hour later to popayan. i had only a short time to get food, snacks and clothes changed for the 15 hour bus ride. the bus was comfy but the music was loud. we took off at 5:30pm and everyone went to sleep. the music was on but they slept. i tried with eraplugs as well. at 11 at night we stop for dinner. at 11:30 we take off again and they put on a movie (shooter dubbed in spanish) till 2 in the morning, and then more music. i was on off sleep and with ear plugs did not hear too much, so when we arrived in popayan at 8:30 in the morning. the driver had to wake me up himself since i was passed out.

day 18 - popayan

i walked to the hostel in popayan in the old city. the dorm room that night had an irish kid who has the worst luck with his cameras and photos - keeps losing them..a german guy, an english guy and a wierd anti-social american from west virginia who just did not talk with us..oh well… i walked around town, walked up a hill for the views and saw this small sunday market. it is an ok place but after a few colonial towns you get tired of them.

day 19 - silvia

i took the bus to a town called silvia. it is a small town in the mountains that is a center for the guambino people. there are about 12,000 living small communities around silvia in the mountains and come down to town for supplies and for the tuesday market where they sell their goods. i got here on monday, and took a truck up the mountain to a community called campana. there i got near a school where all these young kids were on break. they all gathered around me as i was taking photos and it was awesome. they all wanted their photo taken and then see it…we had fun. then i handed out some stickers andmore kids showed up and we had a huge line of kids waiting for a sticker..i ran out before the end of the line..we went into the school and i met the teachers, director and more kids..many of them were the traditional dress. the woman were hand made skirts loomed on a back loom. it is black witha few white stripes horizontly on the bottom. also a blue shawl with pink edges, and a top hat which is a few different kinds. the older woman also have a lot of white beaded jewlery around their necks. the med wear blue fabrick around ther wasit as a sarrong, and a black pncho with pink horizontal strpes and a hat as well. i walked around the community in this amazing beautiful landscape with green fields, trees, rivers, and mountains all around. then i started walking back to silvia..a 2 hour walk through great scenery, communities and people watching.

i got back and got food in this tiny shack. the woman was preparing for the following market day but fed me witha locally raised trout in the smokey inside of this shack since it was technically closed. it was good. that night i froze. i had 4 woollen blankets and thermal shirt and still froze. ahhhh..

day 20 - market day silvia - i will make it short, photos will tell it better
a true indigenous market full of color, people, food, produce, animals and few tourists who come for the day from popayn - i saw 5 total. again i spent many many hours covering every inch of the place, talking to the locals and just having fun. the guambinos are shy from cameras but after meeting some i got a few good shots.

the rain came early and i went to bed early in the afernoon. i took 2 more blankets from another room. i put these under my sheets as i figured i am losing heat to the tiny thin hard mattress. i read for a long while had a fish dinner at the hostel and went back to bed. wow it was cold up there.

day 21 - milk truck and bumpy raod to tierradentro.

i woke up at 5:50am, walked to the corner to cath the bus to motoro. i got to the corner at 6:02 but apperantly if there was a 6:00am bus i missed..but i doubt there was one. a truck pulled up at 6:50 and the locals all got on saying it is the transport to motoro. well…it was the local milk truck on route to motoro collecting the fresh milk from houses and farms along the way and out of the way. standing room only among the big vats of milk. evert hundred feet the truck stops and eithere the kid in the back gets out and collects the milk, pores it into the vats, and tels the driver the amount, which is written on a paper that is left with the container for the farmer, or the family comes out and hands containers of the warm fresh milk to the kid. the warm rich smell of unpasturized milk flowing all over was very refreshing on teh very bumpy and long 2 hour ride (which was supposed to take 40 minutes). i got to motoro in a deperate need to pee, and eat..but as i was about to get a bite the but to tirradentro came by and i had to get on…wow…painful bumpy dirt road up to 3000meters where it finally stopped for breakfast.whew, what a relief. a good long pee, then a hot coffee, a soup and some cheese to stay warm as it was so cold and misty i was frozen. another few hours of jumping out of my seat i finnaly reached tierradentro. this is an amazingly beautiful area with big mountains, green valleys, many farms, and a reagion that was occupied by pre-colombian people, who left few clus to their culture. what they did find in this area were tombs. most were robbed but a few were intact and they found pottery, gold and intriquete paintings. the tombs are up on the mountains and some are a long hike away while others are closer. i walked to the first site with the most preserved paintings. it is a remarkable place. you decend via knee high stairs and the oval shaped cave has 2 ractangle columns in the middle with faces carved into the rocks all around and patterns of color painted on the walls and cieling. really remarkable. i hiked up the hill to another site and then to the road that led back to the tiny town, where there is a cool church witha tached roof. there i met the german and brit - hans and ian. they just got there on another bumby road. we all had dinner together that night. there were only 5 tourist here and the place is friendly cheap, and amazing. but hard to get to.

day 22 - leg burning day

i hiked the other side of the valley starting at sunrise. oh my god. stright up the mountain for almost 2 hours. my legs were killing me. the views made it all worth while as you can see into other vallies mountain ranges, and other villages scattered around. i finally made it to the most remote site. the small tomb was different as it had no columns but did have salamander paintings in it and different pattern design. really cool. i rested up there for a while before continuing through cow trails, hermit farmer houses up in the middle of the mountain and down to the river and then up another hill and back down to the town. i was spent. 5 hours total. then i walked down towards the hostel a 25 min walk. i stopped by the river, to soak my feet. i sat on a rock in the middlle of the icy mountain water with no sound but the water, birds and insects and relaxed. then after a freezing ice cold shower i went to visit the museums near by (tiny but well made) and sat under a tree to read my book. that after noon i wlaked back to town and bought supplies. i met ian and hans there - they did the whole cercuit. we went to my hostel where i cooked an incredible pasta with vegies and cream..we ate so much food…ahhhh yummy. then passed out… great place. one of the best in colombia.

day 23 - busses

the three of us and this older irish hippy stoner cought a bus back to popayan in the early morning - same bumpy ride. then a bus to pasto - another 6 hours. we all got a dorm room , and went to eat. ian wanted to try the peruvian, ecuadorian, and souther colombian delicacy - guinne pig.so we did.it was interesting for sure. we all went to sleep early as it was a long bus day.

day 24 - taxi day

today i took 7 taxi rides and 2 bus rides. we all got a taxi to the bus station where we cought a taxi for the hour an a half ride through mountainous curvy roads to impales. there we took a taxi to a hotel where the irish was going to stay. we left our bags and took the taxi to the sanaterium de la laja a church built over a river in a gorge and it looks like a castle with huge buttress bridges and such. after walking aroung taking photos we took a taxi back to town, then a taxi to hotel to get bags then taxi to the border with ecuador. after the border we took a taxi to tulcan where we went to the cemetary to see the crazy amazing incredible sculptured bushes. hundreds of them cover the cemetary. people, animals, designs, arches, and inca figured all carved out of the big huge bushes. incredible site for sure. from there a local bus to the bus station and a 3 hour bus to otavalo where we got a room, and went out starving and stuffed oursselves on chinese food.

whew - i am tired..i did a lot. anyway i am in ecudor for 3 more weeks so stay tuned for more adventure. Colombia is great, safe, and so freindly i would definitely reccomend it.

medellin to bogota to barachira to raquira to villa de leyva - wow i was busy

Published by avner January 25th, 2008 in Colombia. 0 Comments

ok…day 9 cont

so last night we went out to the club area of medellin where hundreds of youg people hang out, drink beers on the street and socialize for a few hours before deciding which club to go to. we went with some locals and hostal guests to this club called blue. it was loud and crowded and was not even a club but a bar with loud music and no place to dance. well this morning we went exploring medellin.

 

the city is big. spread out in a valley with mountains all around. the center is really nice and pleasent. easy to get around with the only metro sytstem in colombia. the system has 2 main line running north-south, 2 short ones and 1 other that connect the 2 main lines. we took the metro to the stop of the cable car..this cable car takes you up the side of the mountain with 2 stops on the way. it is part of the metro system and one ticket gets you on it as well..like a transfer. it is clean safe and offers great views. at the top we visited the bibloteca espana - the spanish library a completly modern building amid the small poorer houses who occupy the hills around medellin. danial and david are awesome and we had a great time taking photos of all of us and goofing around. we met a few girls playing near the station and we started taking some pictures and they started acting for us and playing and were so cute..you will just have to wait for the photos.

before we can do anything else the boys had tyo get a snack and drinks….and a smoke. only then can we continue. david showed us his abilities jumping rope with one hand in his pocket the other smoking a cigarette..talented. medellin is famous for its open plazas, parks, open space design with a lot of public art. we hung out near a public space where there are water jets comming out of the ground and kids running in them..a lot of fun. then DANIEL reccomended the botanical gardens (he heard they were good) well he heard wrong..the palce was mostly under construction and a waste of time. we did go to the san pedro cemetary - i reccomended - and it was very interesting. many important people are buried there in interesting mosuleums..like ex-presidents, famous families and even an argentian singer who was moved here after 60 years as an honorary colombian. the poorer people have tombs in the wall, where they decorate them with personal effects and decorations important to the deceased.

we took the metro from there to the center where the museum and art of one of colombias most famous artists - Fernando botero. the plaza is filled with his work, from the famous gorda - fat woman to the big horses and other. we took some photos, walked around and then the kids needed a drink and a smoke…we did that at another plaza where boteros 2 bird statues are..one destroyed during the civil war and a new one next to it.  from there we walked to a park where people are encouraged to walk barefoot. there are fountains again for kids, pools with shallow water to soak in, a sand pit and a forest walk. guides are all around in safari uniforms encouraging people to try this. we sat there having lunch looking at people frolick in  the water.  we took the metro back to the hostel for a rest, blog update and a nap befor heading out again.

danial drove and we went back to the party area. similar to adams morgan but spread about a few streets and a park. we walked around looking for food. we finally found a great italian place that was cheap but really good. we stuffed ourselfs, ok i did they saved some of their food for the next day. back at the hotel the gang was going out. i decided to stay but then change my mind as it was the last night there and might as well see what it is like. we went back to the park and it was packed wiuth people. everyone was looking good and we went to another small club with spanish music, and a few people dancing salsa, marangue and rumba. it was very dead so we went out and 5 of us went to the famous mango´s. this place it huge. all decorated in western theme. the staff is in cowboy clothes, there are pictures, artifacts, decorations, all from the wild west. it is very very funny. the age range is from 20 something to people int ehir 60s all enjoying food, drinks and dancing. at some point the mango dancers go on and perform. there are a few bar stages and it is a mix of line dance and cyote ugly. entertaining for sure. we got back at 4:30am and i was beat..now i know why i dont do this back home..

day 10 - onto bogota

after a quick supermarket run to get snacks for the road we started on the road to bogota. david was in a hurry to get back even though it was saturday..he owns his own business and needed to get work done. while daniel and i wanted to see more along the way. we passed the turn for el penol - the sugerloaf of colombia - a big rock formation among small lakes and farm land. me an daniel wanted to stop and convinced david, soa  quick u-turn and a beautiful drive through the country side brought us to one of the lakes and daniel wanted to do a zip line from a hill over the lake so we walked around, climbed  to the top of the church and when they opened we were the first to go. in a harness and seats we were pulled up over tyhe lake where there were great views, thenb one at a time we went down. it was fun but notyhing amazing. not nearly as fast as the costa rica zipline. we got in the car and off again. after a few hours we stopped at rio claro. a small reserve along this clear river offering rafting, tubing, hiking, and a zip line. we hiked for about an hour along the river. it was a nice hike and great views of the clear river with a marble floor and nice colors.

back at the car david and daniel agreed no more stops…direct to bogota.. 5 hours later, and a clibm over anopther 3000 mewter pass we were in the 3rd highest capital after la paz and quito. and it was chilly. we stopped at daniels apartment..in a nice part of town then we went for dinner in the zona rosa. we had mexican food…yup borritos and cassadias.. we met some of their friends there and after a while danial and david took me to my hostel where i promptly crashed on the hardest bed in the world. it was so hard that there were lumps i had to fit in between since they did not move..

day 11 - bogota

i joined the throng of people going up to moserate. a church on top of a nearby mountain. every sunday hundreds of people go up for mass, for a picknick or pilgimage. i waited in line for about 45 minute to get a ride on the cable car. once at the top yopu could barely move do to all the people, but hte view of all of bogota is imressive. bogota is huge, sprawled, poluted at parts, slums at others, very wealthy at others and all around insane. 7 million people live in this mix and you can see all of their city from up here. i walked around meeting people being invited to sit and drink with a few…people are all around eating, pickiniking and just hanging around..the thing to do on a sunday. i got down on the train and walked back towards my hostel. i stopped for shawarma at a place decorated with israeli flags and posters. it turns out this area i was in has many jewish ressidents and the hostel i was in even dedicated to israelis and jews although i was the only one.. they have mezuzas on the doors, a kosher resturaunt and signe in hebrew everywhere..very funny. it was the only place they had a room when we got there late at night..so be it. after a short nap, daniel and his friend juliana picked me up and we went for dessert..boy do i feel spoiled, what kind of backpacker goes out in bogota on a sunday afternoon for CREME BURLE con LIMON with some locals, pretending to be the in crowd..it was amazing. interestingly enough the dessert was in a place called wok known for its asian cusine..goto love this place.

we met david and some of his freinds afterwards for some coffee and beer (well i had a coffee and it was good) i think i like coffee now. we hung around and played the dice game…i might add that i won 3 time in a row..i guess i am a great bullshitter as that is the point of the game. me and david and his freinds walked around a bit and then daniel picked me up and took me back to the hostel. great people.

day 12 bogota

danial and juliana picked me up this morning for a tour in bogota. first we had to have the Starbucks of colombia - Juan Valdez. almost every corner has a branch and boy it is good..coffee adict here!!! we wlaked through the botero musuem with a collection of fine art from around the world, a coin exhibit describing the development of the colombian peso from pre-colombian through spanish to now, and of course the botero paintings, sculptures and such. also there was a section of the gold museum that was brought here while the original is being remodeled. amazing pieces of pre-colombian art in gold. very cool. well what do you do after a museum visit?? yes another Juan Valdez…then we walked around a bit, went to daniiels house to copy photos, and out again with more of his friends. he was catching up with a friend so i went to a nearby coffee house..no more coffee…i had a lemonade :)   i sat there and read a book i took from the hostal…AMAZING… called Five people you meet in heaven…i couldn´t stop. after a few hours i rejoined daniel and a few of his friends and as they were chatting i was reading…we had a good time - david showed up and we played another round of dice. i finished the book that night in the hostal…wow.

day 12 bogota to barichara

took the local bus to the main bus terminal..now i feel like a backpacker again…the crowded bus took 35 minutes to get there but for 50cents hey you can´t ask for too much. Today i learned the great lesson - you get what you pay for. after window shopping for busses i found the cheapest one to sanjil some 6 hours by most accounts. well even though i asked many times and was told this was a direct bus with few stops boy did they lie….it took the long way through small towns, many stops, loud music, many people, and the best of all…a fire… yes as we passed this town people on the street werte pointing and yelling and for some reason looking at me and yelling. the bus stopped i grabed my bag and got off the bus before any of the old, women, babies or other..brave i know..but no one moved until they realized the tire under where i was sitting was on fire..then all of them got off. so..how do you put outr a fire in colombia? a man with a fire extinguisher was near by but did he use it? no..why would he waste it when the assistant on the bus can run to the nearby store and come out with a 2 liter pepsi bottle and spay it unter the tire. much more effective. well after a full bottle the ok to get back on was given..no onbe hesitated..well i did. but we get back on and not 20 yards later again people are yelling, and again i jump off the bus first followed by everyone else, and this time the assistant gets a 2 liter bottle of Coke…should of thought of that earlier..everyone knows coke is better then pepsi…apperently that did the trick for a few miles till we stopped near a water fountain by the side of the road and a few buckets later we were off again. crazy!!! well to top it all off at one point after a lunch break and 7 hours already gone, the bus died completely. we waited for another and finally after 9 hours i got to sanjil. on the way i sat next to this guy who spoke passable english. turns out he visited the states 3 times for a total of 2 years. he just got back a month ago. well, as it turns out he was deported the first time, and kept going back illegaly through mexico. he told me how the cayote told them to get naked, put clothes in a bag and swim the rio grande. well now i know how it is done…from sanjil i took a samll van to the nearby town of barichara. i got my room and went walking around to takle pictures of this pretty small colonial town in the dark as it is all lit up. i met a couple from bogota and we had dinner together. there are no foriegners here but many colombian  tourists. i went back to the posada and of course the door to my room wont open. the owner comes and trys and can´t get it, and so he brings a small saw blade and breaks into the window where his gransone climbs through to open the door. boy i was tired.

day 13 barachira - guane - barichara

woke up with the sun and walked around to take photos of this lovely little hilly town. it is a friendly pretty town and i had a great time walking around. cobbled streets, colorful doors, whitewashed houses..a real quiant place. from the town there is a view of a deep valley below and mountain thereafter. after my morning stroll i had a potatoe thing for breakfast. it had potatoe, egg, a vegtible perhaps, and other stuff wraped togeth into a ball and fried. yummy. then i hiked along the camino real..the royal trail..a stone trail leading to a nearby pueblo. tiny town guane. the hike was pleasant although a bit hot. guane is a speck, but a pretty speck. i hung around for a bit and got a ride back to barichara with what else another colombian couple on vaction..this time though from medellin. after a nap during the mid day heat, i went out again for sunset..met an irish girl who apperantly was being taken around by family of a friend she went to school with in italy. the girl is from bogata and has arranged family and friends to take this irish girl around. she does not know where or what she is doing but is being led by the hand all around..

day 15 - raquilla

woke up before sunrise and walked around town again. it really is a peacful place. cought the 7am bus to san jil where i walked to park ilgeneral a big park along the river with tons of trees, paths and flowers. i was by myself there as it was not open yet and i convinced the gaurd to let me in. there are thousands of trees covered in this amazing moss like plant that hangs down from them. i walked around and wanted to take a picture of the river so held a tree and stepped down on loose soil..well the tree was sharper then i thought and i cut the tip of my finger..lesson learned!!!i covered them with stickers as that is all i had..so i had a dolphin and a shark on my fingers. i got back to the bus station and again made a bad choice in transport. 2 buses were leaving for tunja. one big the other a collectivo. both said they are direct. both same price. both leaving immediately. well i thought the small one would be faster and well i was wrong. it stopped along the way quite a few times and 15 minutes before tunja it stopped for 30 minutes for lunch..ahhhhh. anyway in tunja i took a van - nice one to tres esquinas where i cought a small collectivo into raquira. this tiny place is famnous for its pottery. there are many many stores selling everything and anything for tourists. again all colombian tourist not one foriegner. the houses are brightly painted and the people are friendly. many of the older locals wear ponchos, and hats, and i sat with one older woman in her traditional dress and talked a bit. well the photos i got were great the woman 92 years old was great but the fucking mosquitoes ate me alive and all my legs are covered in nasy bites.ahhhhhhh i went to sleep early as i was again..surprise tired…

day 16 - raquilla - villa de leyva

i  walked a bit around town in the morning and then started to walk towards the convent of candelaria about 8 km away. as i was hiking up the dirt road i decided to get a ride and hitched one with a guy who is working on the road - litterally - he works for the company that is building this road. he took me within a few km of the convent. the countryside is pretty although much deforestation in these parts. i got a tour of the convent. the oldest in colombia 440 years old. they have a small museum with very very old artifacts and some funny stuff they collected over the years like an apple eII computer.. i cought a ride back to raquira with i suppose a priest and 2 other guys. as we left the convent he said a prayer and the other 2 responded. this lasted 3-4 minutes. AMEN…to not having to walk a few hours up hill…

back in raquira i cought a bus to villa de leyba where i am now….so i will end it here and update in a few…

cartagena and beyond…

Published by avner January 18th, 2008 in Colombia. 0 Comments

day 4: today was fun…i got out of the crowded center and took a small bout to Boca Chica, an island within the big bay so it is a fast to get to but a different world.  rebeca, the singer from my dorm room, came with me. we took the local taxi boat and were charged more then the locals of course but thats the way it works here. we got to the castillo - fort on boca chica. and were confronted by a few people trying to sell us stuff but after being declined they left us alone. we walked around the small fort and then into town. we sat under a huge tree in the tiny tiny town center where all the older people were just sitting around in the shade. we just hung out there for a while and went to find some food.

the people on the island are really nice and friendly. most are fishermen and it is a relaxed quite place with no cars and a few motorbikes but it is so much quieter and relaxed then cartagena. we met a few people and families as we walked around and stopped at this house to ask about food and they said they cook there so we ate and hung out with tha family. we had a great fried fish with plantains and a small salad. i got some great photos of the kids and we all had a good time.

then we asked about the tunnles that are on the island and the kid that was living there said he will take us. he was short and very cute and looked 12 but was really 15. quite and reserved very polite and really tried hard to be a good guide. he took us up to another fort on the hill with great views of the bay and town. from there we entered the underground passageways that were built to transfer goods, soldiers, and other war materials while defending cartagena. carlo out guide told us some history and guided us into the lighted tunnles. the went down a long long way and apperantly go from this fort on the hill all the way under the town to the other fort. we walked a while and at some points it got dark completely and we used my camera light and carlo´s little point light to get by. all the whilr there are bats flying away from us and at one point when the light were out they flew right next to us and rebeca jumped yelled and we got a good luagh although it was creepy.

we got out of there and walked down through town to the small beach where we met some drunk colombians on vacation. we went for a swim and then hung out with this guy his girl friend and his cousin. they were drinking some strong stuff and it made for funny conversations. the guy was trying to ask rebeca if she liked him and that he can handle a few woman at once and so on..very entertaining. it got better when she said he is not here type and after prodding she pointed to this young guy on the beach and it turned out he was the bout operator on our trip back. we all got on the boat and they tried to get the poor embarrased guy to hook up with rebeca. it was a blast.

Day 5 - cartagena to taganga

i left cartagena this morning for taganga. the bus station is out of town and the local bus to get there took 40 minutes. then it was another 5 hours on a bus showing van dam and bloodsport movies in spanish of course. luckily it was not blasting too loud. i switched to a mini bus in Santa marta and got a tour of santa marta before it got to taganga 15 minutes away.

so over a hill and a few miles away you leave busy santa marta city for the tiny town of taganga on a horsehoe bay with a beautiful beach and millions of tourist. many are colombians as it is a holiday but many many gringos. this place has been a popular backpackers place for many many years and there are amny hostels catering to us. unfortunately it also breeds a somewhat greedy attidute with higher prices and bad service.

the first night i stayed in a nice place but ended not great. i was waching a movie - sicko - a must see, and at 11 at night the kid told the people waching the movie he is closing the place. so we left and at 3 in the morning after not sleeping due to loud music i got up to find him and friends drinking and partying where we were kicked out of..needless to say i did not stay there the next day…

but anyway…i went to the beach for the sunset and it was great. the place is crawling with israelis…i had only met one so far but here is where they congregate. there is an israeli hostal, a resturant serving shakshuka and signs in hebrew, and they wlak in packs on the beach and in town. hallarious. apperantly i met an israeli in my hostel that told me it is known they come here and get a villa somewhere nearby, have maids and cooks, and have drug parties…go figure.

day 6 - taganga..

i wlaked today over a hill or two to get to another beach trying to get away froim the crowds. the first beach i reached is play granda with shacks along the beach trying to get you to eat there, tons of people, vendors on the beach, in short not my scene. so the next beach was a small fishermens beach with locals fishing. i hung around a bit, took some pictures and went a bit further to a small tiny cove where there was one shack selling stuff with a few tables and not too many people. i sat there read my book, swam and chilled. on the beach there is a guy offering scuba dives. YES on the beach 4 yellow tanks with regulators waiting customers dumb enought o go. no training needed. amazing. anyone can put it on and go with this guy…hmmm cheap why not..crazy.

towards the early afternoon small boats began to arrive bringing in more and more people that i had to leave. on the way back i bought a fresh cought fish from the fishermen i met, stopped and bought an onion, a whole garlic and a tomatoe. at the hostal i fried this up , put the fish on top and let it cook. yummy. a whole fish and the dinner cost $1.30

it was time to leave though…

day 7 - tyrona national park…

i left for santa marta early, found a hostal to leave my backpack, got mony exchanged and bought food and water at the supermarket. all this to prepare for tyrona. all i heard since i got here was tyorna this tyrona that so i decided to see what the fuss was about. i even met a guy from New zealand (and they have nice beaches) who claimed it was the best beaches he ever saw…wow i had to go. so on a local bus to tyrona on which this german girl from cartagena that i met was on as well. we get there and i hitch a ride into the park on a bus full of colombian guerilla fighters…..ok just checking if you are paying attention, they were college students. from the poiint we got dropped off it is a 2 hour walk to the last developed beach wherre you can stay. we started  walking when we met 2 colombian guys who were on the way to the same place so we all walked together.  i will spare you all the details of the walk but i will say this, we had fun. daniel reminds me of my brother and we got along great, and david is a mellow great guy and we all just hit it off.

the walk is great, through forest and along the beach.  Cabo is really beautiful. two coves with blue waters with the jungle creeping close to it from the mountains behind. but to say it was the most amazing one….hmmm not likely. too many people and too developed to even qualify to compete with fiji, bahamas, and others. but it was very nice to hang out on the beach for a while. me and daniel walked to the next beach - a nudist one - very nice views….of the ocean from there….and in the afternoon we got our hamocks. we were on this small hill right on the water and it was incredible. you will have to wait for the pics. the lower area was so full of people it was nice to be away from that.
we palyed dice, and cards and just hung out for a long time. at night the wind blows like crazy and everyone was freezing in the hammocks…not too bad but the wind was gusting 40-50 mph.

day 8 - tyrona

i got up witht the sun and tried to get some nice pics although it was a bit cloudy. the guys went to the beach and i went hiking up to pueblito - a small tyorona indian community that was occupied from 450-1670 ad. the hike climbs up the mountain on a trail of rocks, boulders and trees. it was great. amazing views. i met a few cool people on the wlak including marco a cute italian kid, a nice colombian couple from bogota and a german couple and a swiss couple with their small babies on their backs.. the pueblito is small and not much remains but it was a very nice hike and worth it. the second i got down though i jumped into the cold ocean and sat on the beach, then i went snorkeling a bit with daniels gear.. it was a rough day at the office. the bad news is that someone must of picked up my sun glasses as i was in the water and once again like every trip i lost my glasses….

we had dinner at the resturant where i met yaka and tina from slovenia. they were really cool and we sat and talked for a long time. it is amazing what you learn while traveling. how many of you know much about slovenia…very interesting.

a good day in my book…

day 9 - back to cartagena

daniel, david and i walked back out got into daniels car and drove to cartagena. daniel drives like the rest of colombians namely insane.. they satyed in a nicer hostel in private rooms, tv, ac, private bathroom, whilr the poor gringo slept in a dorm room with 4 other poor forigners. daniel makes $62,000 a year working for a french oil company as  a mechanical engineer, while david has his own mechanical engineering buisiness.

we walked around the old town and i really felt like a tourist with them. very ironic. they go eat in the old city in a place they also have back in bogota, good crepe place, and good ice cream..then go to the juan valdez and get coffee, and then they sit in the most tourisy plaza drinking beers and hanging out..so not what i ould do but fun to see and hang out with them. we went back to their hostal and played some dice, they continued palying and drinking vodka with other foriegners while this one went and crashed..

day 10 - cartagena - medellin

I AM ALIVE!!!! holy shit. this was one of the scariest rides in my life and i had my share. we drove for 11hours over  a 3000meter pass in the dark, in the rain, with forg, construction, one way lanes and insane drivers, trucks and hair pin turns….all i can say is i was glad to get out of the car alive. daniel has a collection of hard rock, alternative rock, spanish rock, and german rock on his ipod and we all got very familiar with the songs..it was good. they are so nice and generous and we are having a great time.

we are staying in a hotel and it is a really nice one. we got here starving and ordered a pizza. then the people here convined us to go out to the bar/club area and we wnet and after an hour we took a taxi back to sleep.

day 11 - medellin

we got our first look at the city in day time and it is very nice. we walked around and saw some sights…i will update soon since i am really tired now….till next time..

cartagena cont..

Published by avner January 11th, 2008 in Colombia. 1 Comment

day 2 in Cartagena….more of the same.. For breakfast i got 5 small fresh rolls with cheese, and fresh squeezed OJ, yummy. then continued to walk around the old town for hours. Cartagena is a big city with a very modern part that looks like miami…big building on the beach on a jutting piece of land surrounded by water, fancy hotels and rich people. then there is the walled old city that is also divided to a richer artea and poorer area but all within the walls and a lot of restored old buildings, churches, museums, cafes, hotels and such. then there is the other side of town with the sprawling low houses of the less well off.

during my exploring i saw a group in front of a church and decided to check it out. i got in and there was a classical music festival going on. i met the american assistant of the director and it turns out that cartagena is known for its Harps. they are used all over the world. so the director of this festival who organized events all over the world, knows the people who own the harp making business and together brought the festival here last year and it is an annual event lasting 2 weeks. it was nice taking a break from the heat and listening to a quartet in the church, but i only stayed for the first part…

so, the old town is similar to other colonial towns like colonia in uruguay, or trinidad in cuba, or granada in nicaragua. it is bigger then most and has the original wall around it, but it lacks the intimicy and character of the others. even though trinidad is vey touristy it has a feel that is hard to explain. that feeling is missing here. it is beautiful, and lively and interesting, but something unexplainable is lacking..

it might have something to do with the hard rock cafe blaring U2, Pink Floyd, and Pual simon into the plaza where tourist are carted around on horse drawn carridges, or the United Colors of Beneton store, or the huge fancy hotels…who knows.
after a nice needed siesta i went out at night to the old city where the music festival was still going on. tons of people walking around enjoying the breezy cooler night. the clasical music in front of this old church with hundreds of people was fun. I walked around the corner and there were drummers and dancers performing on the street. amazing. boy can they shake their bodied in the most insane ways. this area of colombia is inhabited by a black population that was brought from africa and they have a bit of their culture still preserved like the traditional dancing. it was incredible.

my dormroomies are all very nice. two german girls, a montana girl, a canadian girl an ausi and a guy from the chech republic. The ausi is in his early 50´s and has been going around the worl overland (only boat travel)…a crazy story of working on corgo boats for 8 months at a time. he has been at it for almost 10 years and is almost done. then he wants to go around the antartic by boat. interesting people.

day 3

I woke up late…it is hard to wake up. i took a local bus to a small town 7 km away calle la baquilla. the bus goes through the village and on to the beach where for about a mile or two people errected shade structures with tables and hammoks offering food and such. i walked along the beach, it is a bit dirty and not many people. i reached the end of the beach where there is a river seperating the village. locals take small canoes across to the northern part of the village. that is the only way there and they carry everything they got in cartagena with them…a washing machine, a tv, bikes..etc. the more surprising thing was that on the end of the beach was a roped off area with 2 tourist busses and a buch of tourist who were getting in canoes (all with matching life jackets) and go into the mangroves for a tour. also the same dancers from the night before were there performing for them. kids lined the rope begging…and the group had their own private security. it was a strange sight for sure. i hung around for a while and decided not to go across or do a canoe trip. i got on the next bus and went back to the old city for more wandering.

after dinner (i actually cooked some pasta) i walked into the old town with some of the people from the dorm room. it was nice. we saw more dancers and drumming and again you had to be amazed at their ability to move!!

still trying to plan where to next…easy to get stuck here. i heard from many people that they love colombia the most and get stuck here. i dont have the time to do that since there is much more to see but who knows i might not get to see all of ecuador this trip…

Cartagena and its hot!

Published by avner January 8th, 2008 in Colombia. 1 Comment

after a 4.5 hour flight to panama, a layover of 5 hours (in which i passed out on the chairs), and another 40 minute flight i arrived in cartagena, colombia. I steped out of the airport to sun and warmth cought a taxi to the old center of town and looked for a room. after 2 full places i found a room. not much to write about but it has a bed so i am happy. tomorrow i will probably try and find a different place, although here i got my own room for the price of a dorm bed in the popular backpacker places. so it´s either alone in a crummy room or dormotory in a nice place for more..

i put on shorts and went exploring some of the old city. the place is packed with tourist from all over the world and colombia. tons of people and action. the old city is walled in with fortresses around it. the spanish did not like the pirates ramsacking their town! it is an impressive labyrinth of old streets, colonial buildings, balconies and color. horse drawn carriges ply the streets with tourist in tow, adding to the old feel of the place.

i took some pictures and justs wandered around geting a feel for the place. it feels safe for most part, not the brazil feel from last year. peopl are freindly and there is tourist police all over.

for dinner i got a fixed meal for $2.5 which included a drink, soup (with meet, yucca and a bone), a whole fish fried with rice, beans and fried plantains. pretty good stuff.

i walked around a bit more to see the old plazas it up at night, the huge christmas tree still lit and just scoping potential pics.

i am crashing early to get an early start tomorrow at the old walled city. until next time..

I’m off…..

Published by avner January 7th, 2008 in Colombia. 0 Comments

a few hours to go and i will be on the plane to Colombia via Panama. I will keep you posted on my adventures.

On to Rio

Published by avner February 25th, 2007 in Brazil and Rio de Janiero. 1 Comment

day 42

i lounged around a bit and finally got the energy to walk around and take photos. it really is a pretty town with elaborate architecture, old churches with detailed carvings and colorful doors and windows - to add to my collection. on the way back to the hostel i went to every ATM in town and could not get any money. this was a major problem since i had so little left and not enough to go to the next town i wanted to visit. i decided to try and exchange the $40 i have left in travelers checks at the big hotel in town, but before i got there i went into the banks again and tried again the atm´s. finally one worked and i went celebrating with a burger. on the way to the hostel i stopped at the bus station to get info on the next palce - trinidates - but there was no one there….

day 43. - leave it to fate

got to the bus station at 8:00 and ofcourse the bus left at 7:30 and the next one was not until 6:00pm. after asking a few people i got info on local bus to ouro blanco, where i can connect to another town where there i can catch something to Trinidates. well as things tend to happen when you leave things to chance/fate, there is no bus and you end up going to another small town where there is a bus but only in 3 hours, so you end up on a nother bus to another town hoping for a connection and then you get there and realize it will be very late by the time you get to the place you want and it might not be worth it for a day, so you get on a bus to Rio de Jeneiro instead and 4.5 hours later you are welcomed by Christ himself to this crazy beautiful place called Rio.

i got a taxi to the hostel in Impenema and I have to admit that it was exciting to drive here. just the fact that this place is so famous and recocnizable all over the world and here i am is pretty amazing. i had the dorm room to myself and i should have taken advanage of it and sleapt all day since it was the last quiet night i had.

day 44,

today i walked along the beach of impenema - i saw many girls but not THE girl from impenema. it is amazing hot and the beach is beautiful. tons of people and the scene is just pure fun. from there i cought a taxi - which are killing my wallet but with all the gear i rather do this that risk walking or busses - to this park. it is at the base of Christ and has an old mcolonial mantion converted to an art school. very pretty. i walked around and it is very different then the city. all forested with a stream and pools and and the old trails and a watch tower, and a cave converted to a washing station all dot the area. i ended the visit with a light lunch at the schools cafe, very Rio posh like. From there i decided to visit Christ and pay my respect - or just take some photos. He stand on top of Corcodova at 710 meters above the city. i took a taxi there and it was going to wait for me and then take me to the hostel. i ended up staying up there for 3 hours until dark - with a lot of other tourists. the views of Rio are amazing from there. Copocabana, the sugerloaf, maracana stadium, the favelas, downtown, impenema - all are spread below. i met an israeli guy with his brazilian-israeli girlfriend. she lives in rio but lived in israel where she still has family. they shared the cab with me on the way back. i got dinner at a buffett place that you pay by the kilo - so i did not get too much food… he  he.

well the people in my dorm room went out partying and came back drunk and loud and horny. so once again i have the luck of being in a room where a couple is having sex on a bunk bed next to mine, while the other couple are jus half naked laying there. in the morning they are still in in that passed out position and naked for the room to see, and nothing like light, noise or anything else bothers their sleep - which i did not have.

day 45

since i didn´t sleep anyway i got up early and got to the sugerloaf before 8 when it opens. this is the other famous landmark along with Christ. this is the famous mountain with the cable cars that was in james bond and is in every Rio picture. it was great since there were 4 other tourists thare at that time and we had the mountain to ourselves with incredible views. then an hour later the tour groups started to arrive in droves. the first and the biggest was a huge group of israelis. i got on the next cable car down. 

i went and got tickets to the parade of champions. it is the last event of Carnaval. the best 6 teams parade one last time in the Sombodromo - the mile long street stadium built just for Carnaval. the tickets are not chep $95 but it was worth it. before that though i took the ferry across the bay to the city of Nitoroi, where there is a really cool museum that its main atytraction is the building itself. it is spaceship looking with bright red ramps leading into it. the circular building is covered in angled windows looking out over the beach and rio in the background. pretty nice. you take your shoes off and sit next to the windows just looking out and enjoying the soccer games on the beach, the view of rio, kids jumping into the ocean from rocks and boats sailing in the polluted waters. it was very pleasant. i took the van back to impenema and tried to rest a bit before the crazy night of Carnaval.

Again it is a thing words can´t describe or the brain really remember. the 6 teams were incredible. they march for an hour singing the same 2 minute song over and over again. there are huge floats, costumes, dancers, special effects, and elaborate dressed samba dancers - o.k. only their feathers are decorated the rest is pretty much not!! i was lucky to make friends with a few breazilian couples who staked out the front rail and gaurded it physically and passionately from anyone trying to stand there. they let me take a picture and i just stood there making nice and they eventually let me stay at the rail all night while kicking anyone who tried to get there away. it really is amazing how 8 hours went by so quickly and at 5 in the morning i stood in line for a cab - i stood for 50 minutes before realizing that it is the official taxi company of the carnaval and the prices are fixed. 55rieal instead of the 20 by metered taxi. so i got out of line went to the street and got a cab. this german guy was in line with me and we shared the cab who charged only 30. i got back at 6:30am and tried to sleep but good luck in the sex room, 2 of them only got back in the morning and were making noice, turning on the lights, and so on…i hate this place!! but the parade was incredible!!! i took thousands of photos of every detail possible and still didn´t cover it. Kate would go crazy with all the unreal costumes here. the parades are all themed and thousands of people in each school are split into groups that all where the same outfit and from above it is amazing patterns. anyway many more details to tell but i need to save a few for back home.

day 46

not much sleep again. i booked a tour to the semi final match between to local groups at the biggest stadium in the world - maracana. it was incredible amazing and really crazy. i will tell detaits next time as i am super tired.

i will be home soon….so this might be the last post!!!

Last days of Carnaval

Published by avner February 21st, 2007 in Brazil. 5 Comments

day 40 cont 

so i was shooting around pelourinho and was planning to go back to the apt. before dark and then maybe go out one more time before leaving. well, that didn´t happen. i was taking a picture of this older woman and a guy came by put his arm around her and asked me toi takew their picture. he was saying this is the real bahia, the old condemble woman. well then he asked if i want to take photos from the top of the parked truck next to us..ahhh duh….so as it turned out he is a drummer in a band and i got to be on the truck for 4-5 hours going through the streets with millions of people dancing all around. it was incredible. the different percpective of seeing the crowded streets from above, the people in the windows, the camarote (paid stands) where the truck stops and plays music. it was great. unreal. what luck. speaking of luck this guy on the truck saved my life…ok a bit exagerating but saved my head. i was taking pictures towards the back of the truck when he came and pulled me down a second before my head would have been dented by a light post…wow.

we went all the way to Campo grande - where we were the night before. there the route ended and we got off the truck. it was a mad house. i wanted to get a taxi as fast as possible since it was sketchy walking around with the camera bag. as i got off the truck i noticed two guys making a u-turn looking at me. i stared them down and walked off. then i stood next to a wall to get my barring and see where to get a taxi, when i felt something on my bag. i looked down and a girl next to me had a razor blade in her hand and tried to cut the bag. i grabed her hand and called the police that were near by. while i was doing that a few guys were yelling at me to let her go. i had to decide whether they were going to take a chance and do something close to the police or not, and i decided not to risk it and let the girl go, the police went after her but it was too late as she dissapeared in the crowd. then the police were called to the other side of this truck and i followed. there they cought a guy who got in a fight and started clubbing him. there was a woman all bloody and her friend with a bloody nose. it is a crazy insane place. i went directly to the taxi satnd and was not able to get. i ended up taking a bus, and then walking in the area i knew and it was safe. but it was a crazy night for sure.

i packed and just waited for a whie before taking the slowest taxi in the world. they driver was tired and i was sure would fall asleep and kept going so slow. i had to keep telling him to speed up and wake up. at the aiorport i tried to sleep on the seats and woke up as i saw people boarding at my gate. i went in and the guy motioned to wait..that it was not my flight. so 15 minutes before departure i was sure my flight was delayed. for some reason i got up and looked at the monitor and of course the gate changed and it was final call for my flight. lucky me…

day 41.

i got to belo horizante in the morning, got the bus to the central bus station and took a very scenic ride up the mountains to an old colonial mining town named ouro preto. this is a student town and it was the last day of carnaval. it is a pretty town set on a very hilly area with steep cobblestone streets, tons of churches and no new buildings at all. i am a bit under the weather so after a while of taking photos i cam back to the hostel - which sits on the hill and has great views of the town. i did go get dinner but had no energy to participate in any of the parades or music. just worn out.

CARNAVAL - land of piss and beer

Published by avner February 19th, 2007 in Brazil. 2 Comments

day 36 cont

so after a short plane ride i landed in Salvador, Bahia - the capital of the African culture in Brazil - Capoeira - Condemble - and CARNAVAL.

i took the local bus to Barra - the area where i am staying. the traffic is incredible. huge parts of teh city are completely closed for carnaval so that all transport is hectic. it took 1.5 hours to get there. i found the apartment with a few people there. it is a nice area close to the beach. the apartment is on the 7th floor, there is a gaurd at the entrance and we have a maid - which considering the animals that live here is a good thing. there is Paulo the brazilian from london who organized the place and everyone follows him arround asking for advice. then there are 2 brits, 4 ausies, a canadian girl, a serbian who is living in the states for many years,  and myself. in the other apartment that paulo got are the irish. they all get together at our place, drink all day - including drinking card games which are fun to watch, smoke pot, a few of them snort coke and they all smoke cigarettes…disgusting. luckily i have my own room so i can get away from it.

we have a sandwitch maker at the palce so i went to the supermarket and bought stuff for dinner - grilled cheese heaven. unfortunately people here decided that whatever is in the fridge is public and the water i bought was gone in a day, as well as the cokes and cheese. so i just started using everyones elses food as well..

day 37

i went to the palorhino today. it is a section of town that is a unesco world heritage site. there are tons of tourists and police and it seems very safe. people scared me not to walk with my cameras so i didn´t bring all the gear, but there was no problem here at all. today was the first official day of carnaval and people were still decorating the area. there are tons of churches, old buildings and historical sites, mixed in with boutiques, cafes, internet places and street vendors, performers, woman in condemble dresses and beggers. definitely very touristy but still very interesting.

i took the famous Salvador elevator that takes you down from the ciudad alta to the ciudad baxia. it basically transports thousands of people every day up and down between the two areas for 0.05 centavos or 0.025 cents. there is a market down below where you can buy any kind of touristy stuff, eat the local acaraje - turns out i had one in olinda not knowing what it was, get your hair braided or watch capoeira shows. i cought the bus back o Barra rested a bit at the apartment and then we went out to the streets.

there are no words to describre the scene. a madhouse of millions of people not exagerating dancing, drinking and partyining in the streets, while huge trucks carry bands on top blaring music. it is an insane crazy crowded, scary, invigorating experience. i basically stayed in one area and watched the truckes and their blocos (blocked off areas in fron and behind the truck wiht people who paid to buy the shirt that goes with that bloco. they all wear it and that is the only way to get in a bloco. they are not cheap. an average one goes for 250-300 dollars.) i met 2 brazilian guys who came to carnaval here for the first time and hung out with them, it was fun. it was raining hard and everyone is wet and dancing and getting completely filthy from piss, beer, and stuff in the streets - loveley. again no words can explain the scene so you will have to wait for the pictures.

day 38.

well…same of the same - wake up late, eat grilled cheese, walk around, see the fools get drunk and play funny card games, then we all went to a free bloco where everyone is allowed. crazy fun energy. at times it is so crowded you can´t move at all. the heat and sweat and beer all mixes together. pickpocketers all over the place try to feel your pants and take anything they can. fights break out, police get there in seconds and if they catch anyone they are screwed. they go to prison for the week of the carnaval regardless if they are guilty or not. the police do not play around. they carry huge sticks and wack people if they are caught stealing or fighting. also they are like moses and the jews parting the red sea..when they walk in line everyone moves out of their way even though you think there is no where to go people make room and get out of the way quick, since if you don´t you are pushe out of the way by them. we were dancing and having fun in the free bloco with really good music for many hours. the route goes about 6 km in 5-6 hours..crazy. there are 5000 israelis here as well. they can create their own bloco. they are in groups anyway so why not just get a rope around them and walk together. it was funny. i bailed out before the end and went to the apartment.

day 39

today i slept in a lot. in the afternoon most of the people in the house bought shirts to go to this famous bloco with a very popular singer. they all paid 260 dollars and there was no way i was doing that. it was during daylight so i took my cameras and walked into the bloco and started taking pictures. i was stopped a few times by security and each time i convinced them to let me stay. a little side note - the structure of a bloco:

a few hundred to a thousand people holding the rope around teh trucks. these people for most part are poor and get to participate this way. a lot of them look down right like street people but yet they are there dancing having fun. then there are line supervisors. these guys are responsible for about 20 rope holders, making sure they keep the line closed and tight. then there are the front, sides and back security. big guys who go an protect the bloco and the trucks. then there are a few higher supervisors who are in charge of the lower one. it is super organized even though it is a mad house all around. so back to the story..one of the line supervisors told me to leave and i convinced him with some poor spanish and english to let me stay. he was so nice that when others trieed to kick me out he convinced them for me and i stayed in. then one of the higher supervisors came and told me to leave but again this guy tried to help. i was told to wait and then the supervisor took me to the truck where this guy spoke very little english. basically they all were saying that without a media pass or a shirt i can´t be in there - duhh…after ten minutes or so i was asked to leave but i told the supervisor that i will only take a few more photos and then leave and he agreed. so i ended up walking with the bloco for 2.5 hours for free, and then went back to the apartment when it was starting to get dark.  then after a few hours of rest i went out again witha  few of the people. we were walking in front of a bloco so you can still hear the music and there is more room. the sides of the streets are insane and unpassable. at one point this girl that was hanging out with one of the guys went to get some food. so we waited at the corner. 2 of the guys went to see where she was and we were 3 left. we were standing by the side of the street as the bloco was getting closer. it was not a good place to be. a lot of sketchy people around there - looking to pickpocket us. and we are just standing waiting. i told the guys we need to move and by the time we did we were overrun with the bloco and the thousands of people. people pushing shoving, trying to take your watch, feel your pockets, not a good place at all. we pushed our way out of there to the front of the bloco. one guy got his watch stolen. it was dumb and we all knew it. even though i had nothing on me..no pockets and no problem, it was a bad feeling. later we learned that the girl decided to go back to her hotel and we waited for nothing…anyway another experience.

day 40

again i slept in. today we all went to an apartment of this brazilian who lives on another circuit. we were in barra-olinda circuit and he was about 25 minute walk at the Campo grande circuit. we hung out there and it was o.k. the cool thing is that there are special blocos that have a certain outfit but i did not get to see them walk by only as individuals. like condemble bloco, and a only guys bloco where they all have these head covers, skirts and beads.

we got back to the apartment, and a few went out to a buffet dinner. i satyed in watching stupid movies on tv. and went to sleep early. now..some might say are you crazy it is carnaval and you are watching tv? well, 3 days of music, crowds, dancing, and lack of sleep got to me. also after a while the music repeats itself and it is a bit booring.

day 41.

today i am back in the polirhino to see some more traditional carnaval. then tonight i will sya goodbye to Salvador and fly to Bello |Horizonte and the small colonial towns around there…

one more week and i am home…

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