Playing Catch Up

Happy (late) New Year,

While I realize it’s the middle of the month already, I’ve been steadily on the go and my blog has suffered. My apologies. I am here to fix that now with what will probably be the longest blog ever, in history….okay, maybe just the history of my blog, but still, long!



I spent my New Year by subjecting myself to what can only be described as self inflicted torture! I spent five days hiking to and from the Lost City in the mountains of Columbia. The essential outline of the trip is this:

Day One: Climb over a mountain

Day Two: Climb over a mountain

Day Three: Climb over a mountain, scale a cliff, cross a river several times and then climb 2000 ancient stairs to finally reach the Lost City (Yay)

Day Four: Climb down those stairs, back across that cliff and back over that mountain.

Day Five: Day One and Two combined!



It was physically exhausting, but one of the most amazing things I’ve ever done! Being in the middle of the mountains in that city and seeing the work that the ancient Columbians put into this place without the benefit of mules, guides and direction like we had was eye opening. Our group of 9 was led by Miguel, a 23 year old Columbian who has spent his life showing tourists his country’s heritage. His mother and father were our additional cooks, porters and guides. Truly a family affair.



We rang in the New Year with Champagne and Rum that was (carefully) schlepped the whole way with spectacular views of the city and jungle. Being true to the diverse nature of our group, we had several New Year toasts, following the various time zones of all the Nations represented by our group. The following morning during our official tour of the city, we were all surprised when one of the men in our group proposed to his longtime girlfriend. It was a touching moment that we were all privileged to witness. We couldn’t have been happier for them.

We unfortunately had a bad surprise as well. During the last day of our trip, one of our fellow trekkers slipped off a rock during a river crossing and broke his ankle. He was carried over the final mountain at impressive speed in a hammock strung up on a bamboo pole by several guides and porters. He has since has surgery to repair all the ripped tendons and had 4 screws placed in his leg. We all visited him once we got back to Santa Marta and he was in amazing spirits. He is a friend we will all be happy to have for the rest of our lives. Here’s to a quick recovery!



After recovering on the beach for a day or two in Santa Marta, I said goodbye to my friends and headed off to Bogota. What a change to be in a hectic city again after the tranquility of the remote jungle. After getting over the startling temperature change (an almost 20 degree drop), I soaked up the culture of the bustling city. I visited both the Gold Museum and the Botero Museum and was impressed with both.

The Gold Museum did not fail to deliver on its name with an amazing collection of local gold artifacts from a variety of time periods. While it included other precious metals and a variety of artifacts, the gold is definitely the star.



The Botero Museum features work by Fernando Botero, a treasured Columbian artist. His work is best described as fat. People, animals and even inanimate objects are all a rotund version of their proper selves. He uses all sorts of mediums to bring this unique vision to the world. The museum also features works by other artists such as Picasso, Monet and Dali to name a few. A good way to spend a couple of hours and free to boot!



From Bogota, I headed off the Ecuador. I decided to stay with the big city vibe and head for Guayaquil. It’s a hectic place and its main drag, 9 de Octubre, feels a little like walking down 5th Avenue in New York City...almost. The city has an amazing waterfront promenade called Malecon 2000 that covers 2.5 kms of the river. It has something for everyone. I spent a lazy afternoon eating lunch by a pond feeding ducks and coy fish and then headed down to the full shopping mall on the other end.



At one end of the promenade are the historic neighborhoods of Las Penas and Cerro Santa Ana, which are both located on the upward slope of a small hill overlooking the whole city. The buildings and walkways have all been refurbished and repaved to offer a casual walking experience similar to that of any small European village. There is a never ending, winding flight of stairs weaves through the entire place and culminates at the top of the hill with a lighthouse and a church. The stairs are numbered as well, so you know when you’ve taken your last step up the 444 stairs. The view from the top is beautiful and the walk down is twice pleasant as the climb!



Aside from these main tourist stops, there is the requisite Central Park and accompanying Cathedral. The smaller Park Bolivar however, had much more interesting patrons! There were fish and turtles in the small pond and around 50 lizards of varying sizes! At first I thought they were contained to the small fenced in area surrounding the pond, but then I spotted a couple lounging of the grass behind a bench. And then I saw a couple at the base of a tree. And then I saw one climb up a tree. And that’s when I looked up. Each branch of the tree was weighed down with several large lizards like a scene out of a Hitchcock movie. While I’m typically not too squeamish about animals of any kind, this sent a shiver up my spine! Realizing that there were several trees in the park probably teeming with giant Komodo Dragons (overactive imagination), I quickly fled…



All the way to Lima, Peru! I only spent a couple of days in Lima as a travel point for the rest of Peru, but saw a few things in yet another bustling Metropolis. I saw the parks and churches, walked the main tourist strips and got a nice view of the beach. The coolest thing I checked out however was the Huaca Pucllana, which is a crumbling Pyramid in the center of town. The ruin is pre Incan and the people who built it can be claimed by the city of Lima only. They are working to restore much of the mud-brick structure that has been destroyed by human interference. The actual underlying structure has held up well however as it was built in such a way to stand up to earthquakes. A good little tour with a English speaking guide was only 3 bucks and we even got to pet a llama (named Paco).



I also tried to go on a tandem paragliding trip, but got rained out twice. Boo. Oh well, maybe the next time I make it Lima.

My last destination (at least for this post) was Nazca. A small city that lies in the middle of the desert. Famed for the massive lines and geoglyphs that cover the desert, it easy to see that tourism is the main money making venture as soon as you step off the bus. A dozen guys are immediately on you trying to sell you a flight over the lines. I, however, booked mine in advance. Finally a chance to use my aerial setting on my camera.



From the small local airport, dozens upon dozens of flights leave all day to head over the open desert. We were in a small 4 person plane and while I have no real fear of flying, even that was a bit much for me at first. Once the pictures started showing up though, I was pleasantly distracted. There are 14 very clear pictures that are amazing and several other shapes and partial pictures to see. My favorite was either the monkey, with the crazy spiral tail or the baby condor. It baffles the mind to think how these shapes were made so big and so perfect with no real indication that they were visible from above as we were lucky enough to see them. They’re still trying to figure it out…



Well that’s all for now. *catches breath* I am headed off to Cuzco next and am trying to work myself up to eating Guinea Pig; apparently it’s a local delicacy.

Aynsley out!

Happy Holidays

Hello all,

I hope everyone had a good Christmas and is gearing up for a great New Year. I've had quite a few weeks packed with awesome adventures and have managed to make my way down to Columbia. I'm going to be adding a bit more detail into my posts (as per my father's request, Hi Dad!) and probably some more pictures as well.



After Nicuragua, I headed down to Costa Rica on a 10 hour bus ride. My first stop was Monteverde, which is a gorgeous little town north of San Jose, nestled in the rainforest. I spent a few days exploring the jungle and seeing some amazing animals. My favorite being a sloth, who contrary to his name, was moving quickly along a telephone wire. Consequently, I got a blurry night photo.



I then spent a day walking on a series of suspended bridges and then speeding down some ziplines! It was an adrenaline rush to fly through the canopy of the jungle. I even managed to down the tarazan swing (video below) and the superman zipline, which is a no hands, facedown run! Scary, but fun.

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I headed down to San Jose for a few days before I left for Panama City and just did a little exploring around the city. There were lots of beautiful parks and neat old buildings. I even managed to catch the tail end of the Santa Claus parade. Salsa dancing Santa Claus is hilarious.



I flew straight on the Panama City seeing as the next available bus was the 24th of December and I had plans to meet people in Columbia on the 22nd! Panama is very modern in comparison to many of the other Central American cities I visited. The skyline is dominated by skyscrapers and most the the facilites were similar to any North American city.



I did visit the canal, however forgot to charge my camera batteries, so have no pictures to back up my claim! I will say this though, it's big. I plan on finding an overhead view via google image search and passing it off as my own. No one will ever know.....

I finally made it to Columbia, on a 45 mintue flight, and would have been greeted with a welcome sign and my friends in Santa hats, if only they's taken the right bus! I did appreciated the effort though! We spent a day in the beautiful city of Cartegena before we headed off to Taganga for Christmas. The city of Cartegena spares no expense when it comes to Christmas decorations and the city comes alive with lights in the evening! The views from the old fortress walls that surround the city are breathtaking.



Four hours north of Cartegena is the little fishing village of Taganga, where we would spend our Christmas. Not much to say really, except there was plenty of sand, sun and good friends! We spent Christmas eve sitting on the beach with a bottle of beer and a sunset!



We didn't do much aside from cook an amazing Christmas feast; steak, mash potatos and fried veggies and do a little snorkling between tanning on the beach. I'm no longer fish belly white! Although I am still jealous of the bronze brits, who are darker than most of locals now.

After a few days of relaxation, we headed over to Tayrona National Park to check out the amazing beaches that line the coast. What they fail to mention however, is that to get to these beaches, you have to trek two hours throught the jungle to get there! I'm still debating whether it was worth it...



As a result of the strenuous activity, today had been spent doing nothing but laying in a hammock. A much needed day considering we are headed out on a Lost City trek tomorrow, which consists of 6 days of walking (mostly uphill I'm told) through the jungle. We are going to ring in the new year sitting on the steps of temple that is thousands of years old! I'm excited for that, dreading the hike! I'm sure I'll live.

I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year!

Cameras Rule!

As they say, you don't know what you got 'til it's gone. This was very true in the case of my stolen camera. It's an odd experience to be a tourist minus one. So I finally made it to the city and now I have a brand spanking new camera which takes amazing photos (many of which y'all are about to see!)



I loved my time in Antigua more than I can possibly say. I got to experience the beautiful city and take in all the amazing sights (see above), get to know a few of the locals and most importantly I've made some really amazing friends. Many of whom I get to see again really soon! But it is good to be on the road again and seeing even more of these amazing countries.

Here's a quick run down of the highlights of the past week or so. Climbing the Pacaya Volcano, which was an exhausting, but ultimately satisfying experience. The video doesn't even begin to explain what it's like standing next to flowing lava!



Being asked to by a drunken man to father his 10 children also rates high on the list. I wasn't even offended because I was too busy being impressed by his perfect English!

We also attended a festival in Cuidad Vieja which is called to Day of the Devil. You can imagine what it's about! It does all culminate with the burning of a giant devil though, so the good guys win in the end. The city was on full display with carnival rides, tons of street food, live music and even fireworks. The best ride was the children's Ferris Wheel which was powered by hand! Craziness.



I'm currently enjoying the lovely town of Granada, Nicaragua. It's colorful, lively and has some amazing views of the lake.



I hope everyone is doing well where they are and getting ready for the holiday season. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Ciao.

And I´m back

Hello all,

I´m sorry for taking so long to post again, but here´s a little info about what´s been happening. First off I got both my passport and credit card, so I´m free to travel again as I was before. Unfortunately, my friend´s foot turned out to be broken, so we´ve been sticking in Antigua for awhile to let her rest and to wait for her passport. This has allowed me to take some spanish lessons and they have been amazing. I´m not very good yet, but with a little practice I´ll be fluent in no time! We´ve also experienced two small earthquakes since we´ve been here. It´s a very surreal experience to have the ground move beneath your feet. Fortuantely they were small, which is fairly common here I´m told, so no damage or anything.

I´ve also made some Christmas plans. A group of people here at our hostel are all traveling south at the same time, so we are going to meet up and spend the holidays together. They´re an amazing group of people, so I should have a great time. As is the norm for my trip so far, I´m going to be surround by Brits!

The plans for this weekend are hopefully a climb up the Pacaya Volcano, but I need to buy a camera first.

I hope all is well with everyone and feel free to leave comments to let me know how you´re all doing. I love getting news from back home.

Adios Amigos.

Hello all,

As many of you already know, I had some bad luck in Guatemala. My friend and I were robbed of our passports, money, cameras, iPods and more. We're both okay, just a little shaken up. We gave chase to our bandits, barefoot into the jungle, but unfortunately couldn't catch them. We've spent the last couple of days cancelling credit cards, making our way to our respective Embassies to sort out our passports and just generally trying to make sense of the craziness in the moment.
The positive part of the whole situation are the people we have met that have offered their support and assistance. An American Army medic, a fellow traveller willing to translate and even the women assisting me at the Embassy.
Mostly I want to say thank you for the love I've received from my family and friends. All the e-mails and wall posts with offers of love, concern (and even money!) have lifted my spirits and made me realize how lucky I really am.
I will continue my journey and my blogging and not let the actions of two people dictate how I spend my time.
Thank you all again! Keeping sending me messages!

Finally Some Sun!

Caye Caulker has already provided us with more nice days than Mexico and we've taken full advantage. Our first day here on the island was spent just lounging in the sun and laying in the hammocks provided by our hostel. It's an idyllic setting for not doing much...



The following day we all headed out on a snorkeling tour on a sail boat. It was amazing. We saw fish, turtles, rays, small sharks and a whole lot more. We were also provided food for the trip which included ceviche. Yum.



The next day, we went kayaking around the two small islands that make up Caye Caulker. It was relaxing except crossing the split (the space between the two islands) where the current is a little strong. We finished out evening dancing at the Reggae bar. Norwegians sure can party hard!

Perhaps my favorite thing about the island is the relaxed pace everyone has. There are no cars (only Golf Carts and bikes), all the roads are sand and most businesses are only open for a half day at best. I haven't had shoes on in 3 days and I haven't missed them at all! Even our lobster supper takes about and hour to get from Fran's open air grill on the beach and nobody really cares. Just more time to relax and socialize.

I'll definitely miss both the island and the Norwegian girls who I've come to love!

*The connection here sucks, so I'll post more photos later today

Rain Rain, Go Away...

Hello from Tulum,

As I'm sure some of you know, we are in the midst of Hurricane Ida. We haven't had much wind, but more rain than I've seen in a thousand years. (Bonus points if you can identify what song that last sentence is from) Despite the rain, I've been determined to see all that I can, and am willing to get wet to do it. My new friend Phillip from Germany, the hot Argentinian guy and myself went to the ruins on the beach and they were spectacular. They are located right on a cliff, overlooking the ocean.



They are smaller then the ones at Chichen Itza, but have a different vibe and are very cool. Of course it rained and we tried to hide in a stone walkway, but eventually gave up and just walked in the rain.



As a result of being wet and in air conditioning constantly, I have a wicked head cold...of course the cheap Mexican Rum doesn't help either. In my defence however, there's not much to do in Mexico when it's raining! The only really nice side effect of the rain is that I've gotten to know all the people at the hostel quite well because we usually eat dinner together and then spend the soggy night playing cards and such. I've met Americans, Canadians, French Canadians, Norwegians, Dutch, Germans, Belgians, Argentines, British, Welsh and a whole lot more. It's really awesome!

Today, a couple of British girls and I went to Akumel, just north of Tulum, and swam with the sea turtles. It was spectacular. They are only meters away from you grazing on the ocean floor and they are huge. We had a nice morning without rain and I of course managed to get burned in the 10 minutes of sunshine today! Oh, and I also saw a manta ray.



Tomorrow I'm off to Belize with a couple of girls and who know what adventures await. Love to all my friends and family!