Blogs from Bogota, Colombia, South America - page 58

I guess most of you like me haven’t heard much good news from Colombia in a long time. If you ever hear anything on TV then its mostly related to Cocaine, the Medellin or Cali cartel, Colombia being the kidnapping capital of the world or the US trying to make another place better by starting a war. Well all good enough reasons to check it out (just kidding). The reason why I’m here is a friend of mine brought Colombia up when I asked him where to go in South America. He seemed to be quite taken by this country. Other people that I’ve met had never anything bad to say about Colombia and I hope I won’t be the first one. If you read the Rio entry then you know that I’m capable of ... read more

Hola folks...Time for another essay... hope you´re being inspired for some future travels in this part of the world...can´t tell you enough how great it is!! Cartagena Absolutely stunning city, like a film set almost, horse drawn carriages, thick-set city walls, multi coloured buildings. Restoring a city like this makes it a tourist destination and here was the Hilton, the cruise ships and the American hordes. The city was the main Spanish port for exporting gold and was once held siege to by Francis Drake. The pock-marks of cannon balls still mark the walls today. There’s no escaping the history and sense of timelessness that’s steeped in this place. If anyone has read Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Love in the Time of Cholera, then the sense of magic evoked here is still in place today. Beautiful as ... read more

...um aparte Para viajar, escrevo! Hoje resolvi escrever... escrever sobre uma viagem... escrever sobre uma minha viagem! Desde que saí de Portugal vivi inúmeras experiências. Vi e vivi muita coisa, muita coisa que nunca vou escrever porque não faria qualquer sentido. Agora, passado tanto tempo, quando escrevo, escrevo para recordar momentos que passei e sobre os quais nunca vou escrever pela razão supracitada. Escrevo também para partilhar com quem dá uma vista de olhos ao que escrevo. Faz-me sentir bem. Não deixa que me sinta sempre sozinho. Há mais de um ano que não falo português, à excepção de três ocasiões: - com um português emigrado em França que encontrei na Bolivia. O ‘Manel’; - as 2 vezes que vi o Rodrigo, um amigo que trabalha em Buenos Aires; - e a minha prima Joana que ... read more

THERe IS after all a direct bus to Bogota from Villa De Levya. Its huge although sans real air conditioning. We took it back for about $10.... Even though we got stopped and had our passports taken at a checkpoint (they gave them back) it was a really nice ride. Elizabeth and I got food to take on the bus. With our bad spanish, we got a corn cake, homemade sausages and little potatoes in a brown paper bag for $2.50US. Liz made a face at the guy for the high price and he gave her an extra corn cake. it was okay except for the serious lack of salsa. Okay, we spent our last hours (we literally had saturday evening and sunday morning left in bogota) hanging with Elizabeth´s friend Daniel and friends. We went ... read more

WOAAA!! Its not registering that i don´t have to go into work on monday. Oh....but i think it will hit me soon. I relax very easily. especially since on saturday, i´m getting aN HOUR message for only $20. OK. if i could figure out 3 things, travelling would be simplere 1. how to you get teh (at) symbol on these computers. 2. How do you not have a heart attack everytime you get in a car (already got into a fender bender...no worries though. the driver we hit just gave us a look and kept going). 3. how do you say you´re cute, can i take your picture, and then can you take me dancing. i know how to say the first part: se puesto tener uno photo y..... Bogota is maybe twice the size of ... read more