david oliver
June 14th, 2011 I start my 14 month journey in South America.daveolivertravels
[countup=20110614 dave's South American Odyssey]
I live in one of the greatest cities on Earth, Las Vegas, Nevada.
I love to travel and experience new and interesting things.
I also am a photographer. An old school, traditional photographer as in I only shoot film. It is a pain in the behind to carry when you travel, but well worth it. I process and print all of my own black and white photographs. Because of the fact I shoot film I won't be able to post any good photos while I travel. I will have my iPhone 4 with me to take some pics and the occasional video though.
Travel Blog Posts
April 11th 2012
So I finally tamed the Amazon river from one of the starting tributaries to the end at the Atlantic Ocean. I hopped on her back like she was a bull at the National Finals Rodeo and I rode her for the full 8 seconds (by BTW, did you know that some of the best bull riders come from Brazil? Who would've thought??). Well since I didn't have to navigate the ship, plan the route, etc maybe it was more like riding a horse along a trail. Come to think of it, maybe it was closer to riding a merry-go-round, but that doesn't sound as exciting now does it? I finished the boat ride a few weeks ago and am now traveling south down the coast of Brazil. I will have more details on the trip down ... read more
A Little Jungle Love: Following in the Footsteps of Francisco de Orellana
Published: February 15th 2012South America » Ecuador » North » Quito » Historical CenterFebruary 14th 2012
So here I am in Quito, Ecuador. In less then 3 hours I will be on a night bus to Coca, Ecuador, officially known as Francisco de Orellana. It is a small oil town named after the Spanish explorer who first conquered the Amazon River. Francisco de Orellana started his journey in Quito and then traveled east overland to the Coca River then to the Napo River before reaching the Amazon River, which he rode all the way through Brazil to the Atlantic Ocean. I will be taking pretty much the same path except for the fact when I reach the Atlantic Ocean I will be making a right turn, or I mean I will be heading south while Orellana headed north. Coca is off the "Gringo trail." Travelers do go there but usually fly in ... read more
January 23rd 2012
So here I am almost just past the halfway point in my travels. I am behind in blog posts but not in stories to tell. Maybe one day I will catch up, who knows. So 7 months in and I have been to only 3 countries. At the beginning of my trip I imagined I would have covered a lot more territory at this point . But I guess I have always been the slow steady type. If you were to ask me what would I have changed up to this point in my trip I say nothing. I spent almost six months in Colombia, never thought I would have been there for so long. Four of those months at Manos Amigas and Let's Go Volunteer working with the kids, which so far is the highlight ... read more
6 Month Anniversary; Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World)
Published: January 9th 2012South America » Ecuador » North » Quito » Historical Center
January 8th 2012
So it's been almost over 2 months since I last made a blog entry and I just know that everyone is asking themselves "Where is Dave Oliver now and what has he been up to?" Well wonder no more my faithful 5 readers, here is the scoop. Since you last heard from me, I did the unthinkable. That's right Dave has finally left Colombia. On December 14th, six months to the day I left Las Vegas, I entered Ecuador. So what started out as a tour of all South America so far has resulted in myself going to only 3 countries counting the 2 weeks I spent in Venezuela. Also my birthday passed and I got another year older, but probably not another year wiser. But I couldn't care less about my birthday or any holiday ... read more
Another Day in Colombia, Another Protest
Published: November 5th 2011South America » Colombia » Bogota
November 4th 2011
"It's time 4 new direction It's time 4 jazz 2 die 4th day of November We need a purple high." Prince, All The Critics Love U In New York This is a delayed post from early September. And any chance I have to throw in a Prince lyric, I'm gonna do it. So my second day back in Bogotá and I'm hanging out with this guy Nick from Portland, Oregon. We are walking by Simon Bolivar Plaza and see everything blocked off with a stage set up in the middle and someone giving a speech with a small crowd watching. Simon Bolivar Plaza also houses the Colombian Presidential Palace at one end and the Congress building at another end so there is always a National Police presence in the area but it was heaver that day ... read more
October 24th 2011
Can you name any Colombian food? I'm putting my money that you can't. Probably outside of Miami, Florida you would be hard pressed to even find a Colombian restaurant. And I would guess that the people only go for the atmosphere, and to reminisce about home because Colombian food is uneventful. In Colombia the almuerzo al dia (lunch of the day) is a good value and will fill you up. But I'm guessing like Indian food it isn't as cheap in the States to eat, the difference being that Indian food is worth paying for, the exception being the vegetarian food. If I have to pay American prices for a meal I wants me some meats. One of the best parts of eating in a Colombian restaurant is the fresh homemade ají, a sauce made from ... read more
October 23rd 2011
Sorry for the delay in blog posts, but maybe one day I will catch up with all of my old half written posts just waiting to be blogged. maybe. I am now back in Colombia, I'll have to give details on my Venezuela trip later. But first I stopped back home in Las Vegas. I didn't even get a chance to see anyone, I just went to my 3 favorite places in Vegas, won some money and decided to come back to South America. Here are some photos from home. ... read more
September 25th 2011
So I made it to Venezuela. And I only got stopped and searched once. Border towns are usually crap towns, or an armpit of a place, think Tijuana. Cúcuta Colombia is supposed to be particularly seedy and bad according to guide books and online reviews. As a result I stayed in Pamplona which was a nice little town. So then I headed to Cúcuta and onwards to Venezuela. On the bus ride into Cúcuta I saw some nice areas and it didn't seem any seedier than any other place I have been to. One I arrived at the bus station in Cúcuta a guy asks where I am going and offers me a ride to directly to San Cristóbal, stopping at the DAS (Departamento Administrativo de Seguridad, Colombian immigration) office to get my exit stamp, then ... read more
September 12th 2011
I am backed up on blog entries, but I have a few in the pipeline. So here I sit in Pamplona, Colombia. It is a small town (45,000 people) near the border of Venezuela, about 2 hours from the actual border town of Cúcuta which is described in guidebooks as "a hot, muggy, filthy, crime-ridden city; its most well known attraction is the notoriously dodgy bus station. A town better known for contraband than its sights, though you may need to stop here if you're crossing the border." This means that I finally decided to cross over to Chávezland after going back and forth with the idea. Many people have bad things to say about Venezuela so 2 things compelled me to go for it. Guide books don't often have good things to say about it ... read more
September 1st 2011
I am not on that phenomenon The Book of Faces. Why, well I think that name says it all. Why would I want a book of faces? I mean unless it is from Helmut Newton or Herb Ritts I would pass on a book of faces. Plus it is also known as the social network. Now if there was a antisocial network I would be sooo there. Hey what can I say, those that know me know I am an antisocial person. I had a look at some volunteers Facebook friends and they seem to average 400 friends. 400, that's a lot. I did see that the average person has about 150 friends which is still a lot for me. Reminds me of a line from Prince's song My Computer. "I can count my friends with ... read more
Tot: 0.1s; Tpl: 0.008s; cc: 11; qc: 93; dbt: 0.0608s; 1; s:notus w:www (50.28.61.183); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.8mb
