Day No 81
Once awake in the morning we prepared ourselves and
went out. Our destination for the day was National park Cajas. Some people we
met before told us it is very nice and we tried to believe them. It was Sunday
morning, so street was pretty much empty. We managed to find a little woman
working there in the street and she told us to take a bus 19 that goes to the
bus terminal. But once we were in the bus stop another bus came, had Terrestre
[name of the terminal] on his side, so we took it. We were lucky, it took us to
the terminal and even told us that we are there, so we would not go too far
away.
Once in the terminal, just as always, everybody jumped
to us, asking where we are going and showed us the bus that leaves to Cajas and
it leaves `now`. So I only managed to go and buy just some roles before we got
in. some older guy sat next to me, very communicative. So he talked about where
he is going, what is he doing and asked me the very exact things. After 1.5
hours in the bus we came to the park, got off and got into the security office.
They explained us a little about the park, gave us a map, told us which route
we should take and that we want to come back before 2p.m. or we will end up
lost in a thick fog.
We started walking around the big lake. Once in the
middle of the road Manu decided to go back [the poor girl was still very sick]
and me and Nat went forward. It was a very nice walk that took us around 2.5
hours up and down, through forests and hills. We lost the way for a little bit,
but after some time we managed to get back on the pink trail, so the one we
used instead for a bit, we called `our` trail. It was fun. It was hard at times
with altitude and everything, but it was fun. We definitely enjoyed it.
We got back to the starting point, got a drink, had a
rest and then one of the workers there gave us a ride back to the city. Or so
we thought. He dropped us off at the till and told us that the bus should come
any minute now. We believed him. But not more than 5 minutes later a car came
buy, a pick-up type and asked us if we needed a ride. Sure we needed a ride. We
did not even have to hitchhike to get it. It was just one place inside the car,
so me and Nat rushed to the back. Man, that was one of the heck of the ride.
The guy was pretty crazy, he was going fast on a curvy road and we were almost
blown off with the wind, but it was a great feeling. For the first 10 or 15
minutes we could not stop laughing of the excitement and then we just enjoyed
it. He dropped us off where we tried to give him some money, but he refused it,
so we just went to the bus terminal and tried to decide where we are going
later and what we are doing and which direction we are choosing.
We had a bit of a different ideas in the terminal.
There were no direct buses to any of the places we were ready to approve. So it
was another discussion – should we take a day bus or a night bus, because we
can only go to Ambato and people told us it takes 7 hours. Finally we decided
that we can kill one day in Cuenca and take a night bus. We purchased that
tickets and got back to the hostel.
After a little rest in the hostel we went to look for
a place to eat and there was another `fun`. Sunday apparently is a day off in
Cuenca. Everything is closed. And when I say everything, I mean everything. All
of the restaurants, coffee places and other places where you can eat were
closed. We tried getting into `32 centimeters` fast-food kind of the place, but
they had vegetarian options only on the advertisement, so we kept on looking.
We ended up in another fast-food place where I got a little pathetic hamburger
and girls managed to find something that involved no meat.
Back in the hostel, we had an easy night. Some beer
and some movies. We watched `The Machinist`, since my German friends haven’t
seen this German movie before and `The holiday`, just to take the edge off
machinist. After the movies we went to sleep. The day was officially over.
Day No 82
We took our time in the morning. We slept as much as
we wanted, we packed sleepy and lazily, we had fast `banana milkshake`
breakfast, packed a snack, put our stuff at the `reception` and left. By the
way, if you come to Cuenca, you might wanna stay in this place `Turista del
Mundo`. It is in a good location, rooms are basic, but clean and good, they
have good common room, a kitchen, but on top of that – the owner lady is
unbelievably friendly and will make you smile no matter what. She was like this
`big mamma` the guys told about before and we experienced the exact same.
We went for a little walk along the river, ate our
snack, Manu made a little video for her sister and then it started to rain. So
girls settled for internet time and I settled for book reading. It was a long
rain and we had nothing else better to do, but to kill time.
Once the rain was over, we went to look for a place to
eat. We found this Brazilian place and got in. for 2.5 dollars we got a snack,
soup, small portion but tasty second dish and a tiny, but still dessert.
We still had some hours to kill so we ended up in a
little cozy bar with a beer and a snack. Snack turned out to be more filling
than our actual dinner, but what can you do, right? We stayed there, had some
life music, talked with a bartender and finally killed the time. We finally got
the cab, went to the bus terminal, waited for the bus, got on the bus and drove
off. We were supposed to come to Ambato at around 5a.m. Well, early, but what
can you do.
Day No 83
The bus ride was totally awful. Very curvy road and
very fast bus ride did not make any easier to sleep in the first row in the
bus. A TIP: do not take first seats in the bus. You have too much place and
then you keep on moving from one side to another. So after this `almost no
sleep` bus ride the driver dropped us off. In the middle of the street in the
middle of nowhere at 3.45a.m. We were not sure or better yet we had no idea
where we are and where to get another bus and which city exactly we were going.
It all cleared out fast enough when on our way to the
gas station and hopefully toilets another bus driver asked `Tena`? Tena was one
of the destinations we might have gone, so we said yes, got into the bus, paid
5$ and tried to sleep again. I managed, but my German girls did not do it that
well. In any case, at almost 9a.m. we came to Tena. We looked for the hostel in
our Lonely Planet’s and went for it. We got a room and my girls almost
instantly fell asleep. I, on the other hand, tried to find some information and
finish my book.
Once awake, we went for a walk and for lunch. I was
incredibly hungry, so incredibly angry as well. It’s a good thing Nat has the
same `problem`. Another bad thing was – all of the places were closed and once
I tried to find a market from the map and I found out that it disappeared,
still not sure where. Either way, we ended up in the place, finally got the
food, so hunger and anger went away and we went for a search of the tour
agency. We got into several places and finally chose the cheapest one that goes
deeper into the jungles. The only problem was that we had to leave that same
night and we were already checked in the hostel. Oh well, what the hell.
So we went to the shop, bought some vegetables and eggs,
went back to the hostel, made some dinner, had a beer, had some chill time and
when it was time, we went to the terminal.
Guides, as usual, told us to be there on time and were
late themselves. Welcome to South America. Another `surprise` - we had to pay
for the bus ticket. That pissed me off. It is the very beginning and I already
started not liking the services. Right before we got on the bus we tried to
find a toilet and there is another surprise – the public toilet was closed.
After a little run around the surrounding streets, we managed to find a nice
lady, who let us use the toilet in her bar and ran back to the bus. Once in the
bus – music on, chocolate on, finally – sleep on.
Day No 84
Early in the morning I was woken up, we got off the
bus, took our stuff and came to the lodge where we were supposed to sleep. We
got the beds and went for a fast sleep of 4 hours.
We woke up in the morning, had a breakfast and took a
boat and went for a 3 hours walk in the jungle. We saw some little insects, some
butterflies, some [a lot actually] plants and trees, some medical plants and
went back to the lodge. I got a friend there. Larva of the butterfly. We called
him Cloudy and he was walking with me for half of the way.
We had some lunch in the lodge, went to fish some
piranhas, but nobody managed to get any and went back again. Once back we had
some waiting and wondering around time, then dinner, then some beers and
finally we went to sleep.
This is a little short day explanation and in the day
after you will realize why. Short-term memory loss is not the best way to go in
the jungle, but these things happen sometimes.
Day No 85
We were supposed to get up and have breakfast at 7a.m.,
but that did not happen. We got breakfast not earlier than 8a.m. Well that is
something right? That pissed me off again. Once after breakfast we went to fish
some piranhas once again and hopefully to find some alligators on the sides of
the lake. Fishing was going a little better than the day before – I myself
managed to catch two tiny piranhas, but both escaped before I touched them. So
not sure if you count that as a successful fishing, but I definitely did.
After the fishing we went for another walk in the
jungles. Once again – a lot of insects and a lot of plants and trees. Although
right now it is still a little blurry like a dream.
Anyways, at some point we reached some lianas that you
are able to climb up a little and then swing on it as a Tarzan. Of course, I
wanted to try that. I mean – how not? There were several persons who tried that
before and some of them weight more than I do. So I tried it. One swing, then
another and before I know it lianas broke and I fell on the ground straight on
my back and on my head. There is comes all blurry. I remember picking up pieces
of my watch and someone trying to help me to do that. I knew I had to pick all
of them, because I cannot loose my watch. After that I managed to stand up, I
remember that part also and trying to catch my breath I just wanted to escape
from all of the people.
Standing there I was trying to realize where I am and
what am I doing here. It was not that easy and it freaked me out completely
[guys told me I repeated the same phrase several times about freaking out, but
honestly – I do not remember all of that]. I was standing there and thinking:
`ok, so I am here with Manu and Nat. Ok… We are in the Ecuador. Yeah, that’s
right, we are in Ecuador. We are in the jungle.. Yes.. We booked a tour of 3
days and nights and this is the second
day. Yes, it is the second day. Now.. who are all these people? We took a tour,
and there were other people, yes.. Those are just all of the rest people from
the group`. Trying to remember such an easy kind of the things was really scary
to me, since I never experienced that before. Manu is a nurse, so I asked her
almost immediately if I passed out when I fell. She told me no and we both knew
that was a good sign. Still, a memory loss can be a serious kind of the thing.
Once we started walking memories came back to life.
The previous day is still a little blurry, but I am just not good remembering
the every single tree I am walking around. It was good though to understand
that I am not dreaming and that I actually haven’t lost my mind. not yet at
least. We kept on walking. I talked to Manu about what should actually freak me
out, I know some things about concussion, but I was sure she knows more. So we
talked that if I start having stronger headache, vomiting and more serious
memory loss – I would be in a rush to get to the hospital before some worse
effects on me would take action.
What surprised me the most I guess is that our guide
did not even ask me if I was okey. I mean, I do not need someone walking around
and constantly taking care of me, but he is the guide and he is actually
responsible for me. If I get mentally retarded on his watch, that would be a
big trouble for him. Still, he could not give a shit [if you excuse my
vocabulary]. All the rest of people kept on asking me from time to time if I
was ok, and he ignored me completely. If I had any positive feelings towards
him, they all faded away.
So finally we got back to the place for lunch. We had
kind of a lot of time on our hands after that, so most of the people went to
sleep. Most, meaning except for me and Manu. I was afraid of falling asleep and
not waking up and Manu was afraid of the same thing. So when I started to drift
off to sleep, I started walking around. We went for a walk. It started raining
on the way, of course, so we hid ourselves in the shop and waited for a guy to
come and sell us something. That took ages and millions of laughs, I knew I can
excuse myself that I am laughing like an idiot because of my `recent head
injury`, but what was Manu’s excuse – I have no idea. But we had a lot of fun
there.
Once back in the place and when the rain went away, we
all went to look for some more alligators. This time we were more lucky. We saw
3-4 [depends how good you are in spotting them in the night] alligators, a lot
of tiny nice red looking frogs and finally went back to the lodge. After dinner
I decided to go to sleep [I still had a headache which was completely normal]
even though I was a little afraid of sleeping. Manu, though, told me I should
wake her up immediately if I start feeling worse and I could only hope that
won’t be necessary.
Day No 86
The day was supposed to start at 6a.m. and we were
supposed to go and see birds since the very beginning without any breakfast. I
woke up at 6a.m. but I was sure that is not going to happen. One girl went to wake
the guides up [sure, you are a guide and you sleep even if you are supposed to
get the whole group together for the activity] and they told her that it is
raining, so we will most probably start at 7a.m.
I went back to sleep. At 7a.m. I woke up again, but I
thought there is no way we are starting now and just stayed in bet. I was
right. It was almost 8a.m. when we started moving out to the boat again. We
spent almost two hours of watching the birds and monkeys in the jungle. It was
interesting, a little boring and all I could think about was – that is a good
picture. That would be a good picture. I had no opportunities to make those
views in the pictures, because my camera was most probably sold already to some
other traveler around Cuzco. Oh well.
Once back from the `trip`, we had a nice pancakes kind
of breakfast, which was really great, had some rest [there is a lot of waiting
and resting in the jungle] and went for the museum. The museum was very small
and not very special, but some lady explained it all about the old tribes of
the jungles, their way of living, they instruments and tools and other things.
Once back into the lodge we had some lunch and settled
for some more waiting – this time for the making chocolate thing. We were
supposed to start at 4.30, but I probably don’t even need to mention that did
not happen. At 5.10 our guide came to me, said `oh, it’s already this late` and
still did nothing. So at around one hour later than it was supposed to be, we
started making the chocolate. It was an interesting experiencing, I have to
say. And not as hard as I could have thought, also. First of all you take cocoa
beans and heat them in the pan, no oil, no nothing. Then you peel the shells of
them [or whatever you call that thing in English], then you triturate them
three times until you get a pasta of chocolate. Then you take that pasta, add
sugar, add milk, heat it up in the pan and swirl it until it’s one solid mass.
And vuola – you have chocolate already. We ate it with some cookies, I helped myself
to a lot of it [of course] and once the bus was there, we went for Coca.
Once in Coca, we booked the tickets to Quito, went
out, tried to find a place to eat, but since we were maybe 11 people, it was
impossible. I ended up leaving everyone and with Manu we went to buy some
rolls. When the bus came, we entered and I was going to fall asleep. But that
did not happen so easy. We went so some parking lot, which I thought was
another bus terminal, but that was a police station. So we had to get off the
bus, they checked our identifications and passports and after some waiting let
us back to the bus. Then I fell asleep and I thought that the day was over. But
no, at some point at night, no idea when exactly, I was woken up by a policeman
who told me to get off the bus. Once again, the police check on the road. Being
as deep in a sleep as I was, I got off the bus feeling half-drunk, but at least
the check did not last forever. Once they checked our passports, we were
allowed to get back to the bus and back to the sleep.
Day No 87
We got to the southern bus terminal of Quito at some
point early in the morning. We goodbyed all of the Argentinians and others who
were with us on that bus and went for the local bus that had to take us to the
center. The terminal is far away, you can take a cab, but that would cost about
10$, while the bus cost us 0.25$ each. We got in, the bus was only half full,
so it was ok. But after some time, since all of the people were heading to the
center to work probably, we got packed and most probably hated by most of the
people, since we all had big back-packs on our backs.
It took us about 30-40 minutes to get to the plaza we
had a hostel in. The only problem was – that hostel did not exist anymore. Or
it changed the location. Or something. I have no idea, but it was clear that it
is not there. So, we went to another one. They claimed on the door, that beds
are from 4$, and two guys we met on their way out told us they are paying 9$
for a twin room. Once we entered the hostel [hotel to be exact] the guy at the
reception told us it cost 7$ each, but if we want, he will be so kind and make
it 18$ for the room. Yeah, nice, especially when we saw those other people
paying much less than that.
So we went out, looking for another hostel. Not even 2
minutes later some drunk homeless and clearly crazy guy started `helping` me.
The last thing at that early morning I needed his help. So I ignored him, but
he kept on walking next to me insistently and showing me a way to some hostel.
I would have ignored him, but girls saw a sign of the hostel there, so we went
in. of course, guy wanted some coins from us, but I wasn’t ready to pay for
him. And, I did not have any coins to begin with. Yet, I felt a little bad for
not giving him anything.
Once in hostel we settled the price, but we had to
wait for the room to get ready. We went to the panaderia [bakery], bought some
breakfast stuff and went back into the hostel. In the kitchen we met a blond
Turkish guy [yes, Turkish and blond] and two Americans. We had breakfast, we
talked a little, we waited for the room. At some point I left the girls in the
hostel and went outside. I needed a tourist information and a shop where I
could hopefully repair my camera. Yes, just as lucky as I am, I managed to get
one camera stolen, another camera broken.
Tourist information was useful, but very scary on some level with his speed
of speaking, so I only got some information I needed, but that was enough. Then
I went around, looking for a place to fix my camera. After some time and
effort, I managed to find it. Too bad, after looking at it, guy estimated 70$
of cost and 3 days of keeping the camera. I cannot possibly give away such an
amount of money. It is already old camera, half broken in any case and now
this. I guess Colombia part of my trip is going to be with no pictures. Oh
well.
I got back to the hostel and the girls were still
chilling. After some time I decided to go and do some sightseeing. The old city
center in Quito is not big, so it is easy to walk around it fairly fast. Me and
Manu, we went out. We walked around the main plaza, saw some demonstration on
bikes for women rights, went to the basilica of the city. It cost 2$ to enter
so we decided against it. But it was a big, huge in fact, church with some guys
playing different instruments next to it. Some sort of rehearsal probably. Since
there was nothing much to see around it anymore we decided to go to the art
gallery. And that was a great choice.
We got in, learned that it is for free and they had four
expositions at that time. One was from Japan before/after Tsunami, one
installation, one something I did not completely get and one from some girl
named `once upon a time`. The first one we saw was the Japanese part and it was
good. But once we went to that `once upon a time`, we were left almost
speechless. It was amazing. The author is Lorena Cordero [you can google her if
you get interested] and she is brilliant. The pictures we have seen were from
fairy tales and movies and .. well, it is kind of impossible to explain what
and how she did those pictures, but they were really awesome. The installations
and the last piece of the exposition was nothing compared to it.
They also had a `kiddie` part, where you could draw
your own man and make your own comic. It was brilliant. We had a lot of fun
there. But once we were done, we left it and got back to the hostel. We found
Nat and Turkish blond guy still there, having beers and talking. So we joined.
We had some combined dinner with potatoes surprise, which was really good. Some
more talking, some more laughing and we went to sleep. It’s been a long day.
Day No 88
As always, I woke up pretty early and went out of my
room, so I don’t wake up girls. And I waited for them to wake up, since I
wanted to go to the market and they wanted to join me there too. After some
time I just got bored of waiting, so I woke them up, we got ready and we went
to the market. It was a Sunday market in the park and they had all of the same
stuff as everywhere. I am not very big fan of shopping or markets, but this one
I had to enter – I needed some things for myself and for presents, so I figured
it was a good deal.
After that we took a bus that goes to some little
terminal of Quito. There we waited with a lot of locals for another bus that
went to the `Mitad del Mundo` which could be better known as 00 line, or
equator. There my wish to stand on a line came true. Honestly – there is
nothing much there to see or to do. It is insanely touristy and very busy,
especially on the weekends. So after some jumping from one side of the line to
another and making some pictures, we settled for some life music and beer. Some
strange locals joined us, but since I was kind of sick from the day before, I
had no interest in finding new friends whatsoever.
We left the place before they closed for the day, so
we don’t have to get packed in the buses like sardines in the tin can. We got
back to the hostel, had some dinner, had some conversations, I had a lot of hot
tea to help my throat ache and finally went to bed. I wanted to climb the
volcano the day after, so I needed my sleep.
Day No 89
Once again, I was the first one to wake up in the
room. Since I still had a little time before I needed to get to the telerifico,
that took you up to the trail to volcano, I started checking how to do that.
Too bad that I also checked the weather forecasts and those did not look
promising. I went outside, looked at a grey thick sky that soon turned into the
rain and had to change my mind. Volcano was not happening, not today at least.
I checked forecasts for the later days and they were just all the same – storms
and rains for at least a week. Bye bye volcano, I really wanted to do you, but
maybe that will have to wait for my another time in Ecuador.
Instead, since it was raining and there was nothing
much more to see in the center under the roof, I started applying for jobs back
in Denmark. Yeah, that brought me to the reality.
We all more or less spent the whole day in. reading a
book, applying for jobs, having a light lunch and things like that. In the
evening we had this huge dinner with home made tomato soup, goulash of some
sort, several salads and so on. I once again ended my day with a cup of tea to
help my throat which was going worse and worse and went to bed.
Day No 90
Early in the morning I checked weather forecast once
again. Still not good chances to go to volcano. And I wasn’t about to wait a
week or so in Quito just for that. I simply had no time. So instead I decided
to go to Colombia with the girls. We woke up early in the morning and decided
we would leave at 7a.m.
We were almost ready on time, but then it started.
Manu needed and ATM and there were only ATMs in the shops that are close
around. Then Turkish blond guy decided he will join us, but first he needed to
go to his friends to another hostel to give them some money. Then this.. Then
that. Before I knew it, we left a little after 9a.m.
We got into the bus, that took us to the small
terminal. From there we took another bus, that took us to the bigger terminal.
We bought the tickets to Tulcan, the city really close to the border and spent
there 5 hours. We had 3 movies, all with John Cena [probably they got a
discount on buying similar movies with the same actor] and once we were at the
terminal, we got off.
It was an awful place, full of drunken psychos and
crazy persistent `friends`. I wanted to get out as soon as possible, but of
course, does anything ever happen how I want? Turkish blond dude needed to
check internet, since his friends was supposed to send him money through
Western Union to Ecuador. Sure, that is really very smart to go to the border
and then check if you need to go back and wait for the transfer.
Finally we took a cab that took us to the border.
There we got stamped with no troubles at all and here we were, welcome to
Colombia. Once in Colombia, we took another cab, went to Ipiales, which is a
close city to the border and bought the tickets to Cali. It was supposed to be
11 hours buy bus, so we bought the overnight one. Well, in any case, it was
already 5p.m. so we had to do the over night thing.
While waiting for the bus, we bought some snacks for
the road, talked a little and went to the bus. Before I could fall asleep
nicely and peacefully we were stopped by a police check. They took all females
out of the bus, did a full body check, checked our passports and checked
somebody’s strangely looking package. It seemed like a lot of money in it, or
so people told me, but since package got back to the bus, I guess it was
something ordinary. Maybe people just have so much money in here, who knows.
Another police check came at some point later that
same night and finally, I was able to sleep, for at least a little bit.
Day No 91
I woke up in the morning almost at the time we had to
get off the bus. So we took our stuff, it was still early morning, around 8a.m.
and started wondering around the terminal. I made up my mind to stay in Cali
for at least a little bit, but all the rest were rushing for the Caribbean. So
instead of staying, they decided to take another bus and go to Medellin, a city
that is closer to Cartagena and all the rest that are on the coast. I had to
wait for the exchange place to get open, since I had no Colombian pesos and
someone in the local city bus would have not liked if I gave 20$ bill for a
short ride.
Once I exchanged my money and had some breakfast we
separated with the girls hoping to meet up again somewhere on the coast. Well,
place is not that big, so we probably end up meeting up before we separate for
our flights back to Europe.
I went to look for a bus to take me to the hostel that
was recommended to me as the best and the oldest hostel in Cali. I tried one
bus. He told me to go to the other side. I went to the other side and asked for
the bus. He told me to go out of the terminal and take the bus there. Already
frustrated, I went out and not just asked any bus, I asked the bus that had
`Calle 21` on the side of it, since that was the street I needed. He told me to
go to the other side `otro lado`. That was already the two words combination I
was close to hating. I got so angry with questioning and getting nowhere
closer, that I decided I don’t need this. I asked one lady the direction for
the street I needed and went there. 2 kilometers my map said and I was hoping
it was not lying. Or if lying, then that it is only shorter.
I walked there, in Cali, hot, so damn hot city with my
backpack and looking for the street I needed. I was lucky, I found the street.
But not the hostel. In the place where is was supposed to be according to my
map there was nothing. Not even a building. Well, just my luck. The good part
was that there was another hostel close enough, so I went looking for that one.
Some `good Samaritan` stopped me to help. I told him what I was looking for and
of course the guy showed me to the opposite direction. Good thing I had my
strong mind about the thing, so I did not follow his direction. What is it with
these people? If you don’t know the way, don’t tell me you know. You just
mislead me and I end up angry, tired and frustrated.
Anyways, I managed to find the hostel, got it,
registered myself and took a long very much deserved shower. I spent little
time on internet, trying to figure out what to do in the city, met an unbelievable
combination – Australian, working in Bahrain as a queen’s chef. How’s that for
you?
Once I was already done with the internet, I took a
little walk. I took my lonely planet little tiny map with me, so I could find a
tourist information and get a decent one. The city center is around 15 minutes
away from my hostel and I found it with no big troubles at all. I walked the
little streets and some squares and once I came to the tourist information I
was pleasantly `surprised`. There was a policeman working there. Well, ok, no
judgment. But he only gave me information about what I can eat and drink and
dance in the city. And once I asked for the actual map of the city, he told me
sorry, he does not have one. Oh well, just my luck, right? So I walked a little
more around, but seeing more and more policemen all around somehow I stopped
feeling safe. I also had 100 EUR with me and I was hoping to find an exchange
place, I did not want to loose it for someone who decides to rob me. I was in
Colombia after all.
Do I need even to mention that exchange place did not
exist where the police guy from tourist information showed me? And I could not
find any other and I was a little too paranoid to ask someone for the
directions because you never know who you will end up asking about it.
I got back to the hostel. And after some `chill` time
me, Argentinian couple, Australian with a crazy job a German guy from my room
and an older guy from the hostel went out for dinner. We had a great tasting
pizza and some beer. In another place, we had an awfully expensive beer that
was way out of my budget, so I only had one and little one and finally got back
to the hostel. Some more little conversation with Australian about her next
destination and maybe my possible visit to Bahrain and I went to sleep.
Day No 92
The other day in the same Cali was already my time to
escape from it. But only in the evening, so I had the whole day for myself in
there. So I woke up in the morning and checked my e-mail. Then a girl from the
reception came to me with a phone. Somebody was calling me. That was strange. I
picked up the phone and here was this guy from couchsurfing that I sent a
message before. He said he has nothing to do, so we can meet and see the city. Well,
why not, right?
He came to pick me up with a car and we drove to the
statue of the Jesus on the hill where you can enjoy the panoramic view of Cali.
I was surprised how big the city actually is. We stayed there for a bit, then
had a little drive through the city and came to the green part of it. We walked
along the river a little bit, fed a lot of mosquitos and those nasty sunflies,
who for some reason like me a lot. But once after he had to go back to work, so
he dropped me off where I could take a bus back to my hostel and I was left
alone.
I went to some shopping mall, found a place to
exchange money and got on the bus. Do I even need to mention that did not go
all that well? The bus was right, but it was driving on the other side of the
main road, so I could not find a street I needed. I went way out of the center
until I realized it was too far already. So I got out, got into another bus
that went to the center, got out somewhere closer and started looking for the
place. I had luck – I found it, thanks to the Colombian way of marking the
streets with numbers.
There we stayed with a young German guy, waited for
the time to pass and then took a cab, got into the terminal, bought tickets to
Medellin, got into the bus and hit the road. The day was officially over.
Day No 93
We got into Medellin and it still was a little dark
outside. Since German guy was going to some hostel, and I looked at it too, I decided
to join him. It’s cheaper to take the cab this way and it was too early to
think too much about which hostel to enter.
We got in, checked in and we escorted to our beds. After
a little nap I got out, tried to find a map in the hostel and that did not
happen, so I ended up going to the center. I walked around the center, I went
to this park with a lot of fat people in it [statues, not actual people], had
some lunch in the park on the bench and still could not get to the tourist
information office. I found one before that was closed and another one that had
no maps to provide. I kept on looking. At the end I already knew the whole center
and still had no map in my hands.
I got back to the hostel at some point in the evening
and then it started raining. Ok, so no more going to the supermarket for
dinner. Well, I wasn’t planning on going out that night and going to sleep
early, so I figured that would be ok.
I met people there, some very nice people, some of
them left that same night, some stayed
in for some more time in Medellin. We talked, we laughed and everybody was
thinking about going out. At the end I joined them. It just seemed right. So we
got the cab, got into some nightclub which was not good. We spent most of our
time outside it just talking. After a little while we left the place, got into
some park where somebody went to look for another club and we just stayed
there. We met some more people in the park, talked to them, at we end we went
to the nightclub with them. It was better, but almost empty, but we did dance a
little.
After that we had a little walk, got separated from
almost everyone somehow and early in the morning, although it was still dark
outside, I went back to my bed.
Day No 94
I woke up in the morning and everyone in my room were
still sleeping. I went out and it was raining. So I settled for the waiting of
the rain to pass. That wasn’t likely to happen. At the end, tired of just
waiting, I went out to figure out what else can be done in the city.
I decided to take a ride in metro and than a metro
combined cable car. There is nothing much up where I was going, but it had a
little park there and the cable car ride is worth seeing, because you get to
see the panoramic view of the place. It was nice. It gave me a little walk, but
once I got to the `mirador` I saw a lot of fog and clouds and nothing more. Yes,
it was a bad day to go there, since all you can see is white stuff. Well, at
least I did something for the day, since most people were just recovering from
the night out.
Once back in the hostel, I had some dinner and then
just hung around, talked to people. There were some games going on, some
drinking games as well. Then, at some point, some girl came to us to tell the
news. Some guys were outside the hostel, just next to the gates, smoking and
someone came to them with a gun and asked [well, `asked`] for their money. They
gave what they had, because you don’t want drop dead there, but it was a little
shocking, since the area is considered to be safe. Well, I guess that means –
welcome to Colombia.
Once nice got late enough, almost all of the hostel
went out. I stayed in. I wanted to go to the rock the next day and I am not
that big fan of `let’s pay 12EUR for the entry of the club and just try to
dance to a thing they call music`. We stayed with one Chilean guy, talking
about a lot of different and interesting things. But once 2 o’clock hit my
watch, I went to sleep. I needed my rest.
Day No 95
I woke up in the morning, half of the beds were still
cold in my room. I packed my stuff, checked out and went to the terminal. There
I bought a ticket to Guatape and went to see the rock. The ride was 2 hours and
cost 12ooo which is a lot, but at least it dropped me off at the bottom of that
rock.
Once there I got a lot of new `friends` offering me
horse taxi, motor taxi, tuk-tuk taxi, anything I could ever want. I said I was
walking up the hill and they tried to be understanding, but they said it is
very far so I do want to take some transportation. I wanted to tell them some
not nice things, but decided against it. I just told them I will try it
anyways.
Far meant no more than 20 minutes easy hill climbing
on the paved road. Yeah, far. And then up there were several miradors and that
huge rock. Okey, so the rock is really huge, but when you look at it, it’s just
a rock. The views from it or from the miradors were much more exciting. A place
surrounded by forests and trees and lakes and endless rivers. Very beautiful. I
spend half of the day there, just enjoying it all.
Once I was done with that place, I had to get back, so
I don’t miss my bus out of Medellin. I walked down, hailed a bus and after
couple of hours with some eatable stuff in my hands I was back in the hostel. There
I spent most of my time talking to Chileans and this cute nice Swiss guy, just
laughing, making fun of people [not in a mean way], talking and preparing to
leave.
Once we had to leave, we were 5 of us taking the same
night bus. We goodbyed the others and took cabs and went to the terminal. In the
terminal some people went to eat, some went to do nothing, some stayed with the
things. Once in the bus, that was very comfortable and cozy, we had a movie
going on. I was feeling optimistic, but it was soon killed by a movie. It was
one of the most stupid movies you could ever watch. Like stupid soap opera,
just a movie. Oh my.. I went to sleep. Or I tried at least anyways, since two
guys just next to my seat were talking so loud that even the drivers might have
heard them.
Day No 96
Early in the morning we had a police check, then
another movie and then, at around 11.30 in the morning we got welcomed in
Cartagena. Three of us had already hostels sorted out, but since we were five
there was a big dilemma how to go to the center. Two cabs, but who is going in
which one and all the rest of the stuff you always face when you travel in a
group. I knew it was going to be a mess and after a night in a bus I just did
not need that, so I told them all to go in one cab and I will take a bus. I had
no idea where I will stay, so for me it seemed like a reasonable plan. They agreed.
I say goodbye to them and went for the bus.
The bus dropped me off in the different place than I have
hoped, but still on a map, so I was satisfied. I came to Casa Viena hostel, got
a bed and had some rest. After that I went out for a walk.
Now Cartagena is a place you want to see. The old town
especially. And you want to have camera with you. It is really very beautiful. You
do not even need a map to walk there, since every single street in it is like a
piece of a little art. Of course, there will be no pictures for me, since no
more cameras are left, but if you are thinking about going to Colombia –
Cartagena is definitely a place to be and to stay. At least a little bit. Just to
walk along those narrow little somewhat romantic and idyllic streets.
This was exactly what I did for the whole day. Just walking
around, going on the wall for the sunset and coming back to the hostel. Here I met
some people, had dinner and had an easy night. No partying, no nothing. Just an
enjoyment of the things I just seen and experienced.
I have to say, I may have found the perfect place for
me to be. Hot, but not too hot, windy that makes it less hot, beautiful and
somehow familiar. I don’t know. I think I could live in Cartagena. Maybe.
Day No 97
I decided to stay in Cartagena a little longer. There
is not much to do here, but it’s still nice. So nice that I just did not want
to leave too early. I went to my already favourite bakery, bought some rolls
for the road, went again to the city center, walked around another part of
little nice streets, read a book in the park, walked a little more. It was the
real vacation that, not when it comes to think of it – I probably needed after
all that rushing and travelling and everything.
After a city center I decided to see those incredible
Caribbean beaches for myself. It is located around 2-3 kilometers away from the
center, but it is a peace of cake when you go for a walk. And this is exactly
what I did. I was walking along the beach, keeping my feet in the water and
being completely in my head. Here an Argentinian guy asked me if I was ok and
talked a little bit to me. He was incredibly nice and sweet, but I just wanted
to be on my own. I know it may be not so nice, but I really, just wanted to enjoy
my time being with myself.
I sat down in the beach on the rocks [just so all
those people who try to sell you stuff] would not bother me and read a book. And
here all of the `excitement` came. Some guy fished a big fish there. If you are
animals friendly – skip this part. The fish was still alive, a lot of people
came to see what is happening and the guy kept on punching that fish with a
little wooden stick that there is no way you could kill that fish with no pain
[stop telling me fish is cold blooded and feels no pain]. I could not look, so I
looked away. But there were a lot of people around watching the scene. One of
the guys, who is selling stuff there, came to talk to me. We talked a little
bit, somehow he liked me. He asked if I don’t want a black boyfriend from Caribbean.
I told him I was married, and my husband would not accept that. After some time
he made a little necklace to me as a present and let me read my book. But he
told me not to forget that this was present from `negrito Miguel` in Cartagena.
On my way to the center I met this English/Danish
couple, then some Swedish guys and went to the wall for another sunset. Once the
sun set, it started being chilly and very windy, so I went back to the hostel,
had some very nice conversation with a Swiss guy in my room, had some dinner,
talked to some more people and finally went to bed. No partying for me in this
part of the world. I just don’t feel like it. Well, maybe a beer another night.
I think I deserve it.
