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January 04, 1980 - 11:08 AMTo round up, Colombia was; Bogota-Medellin-Pereira-Palmira/Cali-Bogota Accommodation was mostly very opulent and grand featuring obligatory maids. It�s been like stepping back in time. I guess Colombia is pretty conservative in a colonial sort of way, at least for the wealthy of course. Black people are seriously looked down upon which is odd for a country which is practically all mixed several times. M hooked us up with friends and familly who were wonderfully hospitable and kind, and in some cases mad. The vast majority of colombians must be really quite poor but we managed to gloss over that by having fun and seeing nice things. Medellin was most notable for it�s Club Mango, which was sexed up latino style with an underlying cowboy (cowgirl) theme. The bathrooms featured horse�s heads dribbling the tap water. But the city was nice too- a more tropical feel from Bogota and slightly warmer. The drive out of Medellin with some of maria�s friends was sublime. You just can�t describe floating high on a ridge between two giant lush valleys. I think we had only one or two near misses. It seems not strange to be rocketing around a tight mountain road and suddenly faced with an oncoming lorry overtaking in your lane. Pereira had access to rich rainforest like the gorgeous thermal spas surrounded by waterfalls- secluded, beautiful and only 10 pounds. Then the coffee theme park was fun too. A certain young man named Andreas found it amusing to keep us out until 9am one night (I at least was not in the mood at all), including visiting a whore house of underage girls, which is possibly the same one that was closed down a week later. Andreas is perhaps the epitome of a spoiled, unwanted child expressing something through immaturity. Yet sort of fun. Is that too harsh? Palmira was a sort of anticlimax but still nice to see a new place. I did get an absolute crash course in salsa and merengue which was worth doing. Food- banana, banana, banana. And corn. All fried. But really rather nice and I definitely appreciate the use of coriander in one sancocho recipe. I think I need a mcdonalds now. Maybe I will get that guinea pig now I�m in Peru. So I left M in Bogota and messed up as soon as I got to Peru. If the end of Colombia was framed with a mild splattering of diarrhoea, then the start of Lima was marred with being scared shitless. I unwisely took a taxi outside the airport by a driver who convinced me i needed a motel before my 6am connection. He wouldn�t give me a straight price, made out that he was an airport official, demanded that I go to a cash machine (he wanted Soles not dollars). At that point, he pressed 1900 for me, so I was sure I was being ripped off, although I didn�t actually know the exchange rate. That was declined. I later got 750 from another machine, not wanting to put up resistance and be stranded in Lima without luggauge. So that was 120 pounds lost, and I was in a hotel whose receptionist was decidedly in on the deal, until M wonderfully intervened long distance and made her arrange a new, authentic taxi. How to be an idiotic tourist part 1. Stay tuned for more! It�s funny that colombia�s dangerous reputation probably scares off tourists and hence makes it safer from opportunists. It feels much more dangerous now being on my own in Peru and having lost my guide! There was also a little feeling of being special in Colombia, as a very rare pale face. So anyway, in Cusco now (for Machu Picchu and the sacred incan valleys). It�s nice on first appearances but I must go out and have a look now. To round up, Colombia was; Bogota-Medellin-Pereira-Palmira/Cali-Bogota Accommodation was mostly very opulent and grand featuring obligatory maids. It�s been like stepping back in time. I guess Colombia is pretty conservative in a colonial sort of way, at least for the wealthy of course. Black people are seriously looked down upon which is odd for a country which is practically all mixed several times. M hooked us up with friends and familly who were wonderfully hospitable and kind, and in some cases mad. The vast majority of colombians must be really quite poor but we managed to gloss over that by having fun and seeing nice things. Medellin was most notable for it�s Club Mango, which was sexed up latino style with an underlying cowboy (cowgirl) theme. The bathrooms featured horse�s heads dribbling the tap water. But the city was nice too- a more tropical feel from Bogota and slightly warmer. The drive out of Medellin with some of maria�s friends was sublime. You just can�t describe floating high on a ridge between two giant lush valleys. I think we had only one or two near misses. It seems not strange to be rocketing around a tight mountain road and suddenly faced with an oncoming lorry overtaking in your lane. Pereira had access to rich rainforest like the gorgeous thermal spas surrounded by waterfalls- secluded, beautiful and only 10 pounds. Then the coffee theme park was fun too. A certain young man named Andreas found it amusing to keep us out until 9am one night (I at least was not in the mood at all), including visiting a whore house of underage girls, which is possibly the same one that was closed down a week later. Andreas is perhaps the epitome of a spoiled, unwanted child expressing something through immaturity. Yet sort of fun. Is that too harsh? Palmira was a sort of anticlimax but still nice to see a new place. I did get an absolute crash course in salsa and merengue which was worth doing. Food- banana, banana, banana. And corn. All fried. But really rather nice and I definitely appreciate the use of coriander in one sancocho recipe. I think I need a mcdonalds now. Maybe I will get that guinea pig now I�m in Peru. So I left M in Bogota and messed up as soon as I got to Peru. If the end of Colombia was framed with a mild splattering of diarrhoea, then the start of Lima was marred with being scared shitless. I unwisely took a taxi outside the airport by a driver who convinced me i needed a motel before my 6am connection. He wouldn�t give me a straight price, made out that he was an airport official, demanded that I go to a cash machine (he wanted Soles not dollars). At that point, he pressed 1900 for me, so I was sure I was being ripped off, although I didn�t actually know the exchange rate. That was declined. I later got 750 from another machine, not wanting to put up resistance and be stranded in Lima without luggauge. So that was 120 pounds lost, and I was in a hotel whose receptionist was decidedly in on the deal, until M wonderfully intervened long distance and made her arrange a new, authentic taxi. How to be an idiotic tourist part 1. Stay tuned for more! It�s funny that colombia�s dangerous reputation probably scares off tourists and hence makes it safer from opportunists. It feels much more dangerous now being on my own in Peru and having lost my guide! There was also a little feeling of being special in Colombia, as a very rare pale face. So anyway, in Cusco now (for Machu Picchu and the sacred incan valleys). It�s nice on first appearances but I must go out and have a look now. |
