Blogs from Cali, Colombia, South America
April 18th 2012
I had a nice surprise on my bus to Cali as the company I went with had wifi on the bus and also a TV at the back of each seat, there were a lot of movies to choose from as well as music....the only problem was that everything was in Spanish and with no subtitles so was a bit of a struggle to watch a film. I made it to Cali around 8am and got a taxi to my hostel. I thought this would be straight forward but it definitely wasn’t, I gave the driver a copy of the address and he seemed to know where it was. After around 20mins driving we were in a really dodgy looking area and I started wondering what type of place I would be staying in. He couldn’t ... read more
March 27th 2012
Day 164 Friday 23rd March Went to reception for our breakfast voucher it made the breakfast sound promising but in fact it was just an omelette and stale bread balls. In the breakfast room we met up with Rob and Stephanie who were one of the nice couples on the Galapagos tour and they gave us some handy info on some of the places they have travelled. We are both leaving town tomorrow us to Colombia and them to Banos so today we need to find info on buses. Scott and I walked to Cumanda Bus Terminal a short walk from our hotel only problem is when we got there it was in the process of being demolished. On the way back I remembered there was a travel agent nearby so we called in ... read more
January 11th 2012
Yamile and I escaped super last minute to Cali for NYE. It was Thursday night and she came over to see where we would be off to next. Since Cali is the Salsa Capital and hosts the Salsa Festival from Dec. 26 - 31st (stars attend and huge Salsa bands perform; ie Marc Anthony), we decided that this would be a necessary destination that very weekend. Since we knew everyone else and their mom would be on their way there or at least travelling to spend NYE with their family, we decided to phone the bus companies to be sure we had a chance. After many failed attempts, one company told us that there were two spots left on the 10pm bus that very night. It was just after 9pm and our chances looked slim at ... read more
January 4th 2012
A bloody mess. Picture 10 men torturing a bull for an hour. Tire the bull. Stab it. Tire the bull some more. Stab it again. Stab it deeper! When the matador "succeeds" in exhausting the bull he delivers one final blow. Aims his sword steady and thrusts it through the bulls back and into its heart. Sometimes the bull doesn't die right away, in which case a man shoves a dagger swiftly through the back of its neck and brains the bull. Men on horses drag the bull across the dirt and into a tunnel; streaks of blood cover the arena. More men with brooms sweep away the mess. Hard to see the beauty in this one. The night starts out well. A man sings a beautiful song. Everyone in the crowd lights a candle. A ... read more
January 2nd 2012
Cali is a massive city. Millions live here. Great place to be for New Years Eve. Celebrations. Parties. Dancing. Fireworks. Endless opportunities for happiness. It's 2 days prior to 2012. We have one of those crazy nights that go down in history; where the unexpectected becomes expected. No plans. We float around Cali going wherever time and space take us. At 2am we connect with Fernando; United States veteran who served in Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Iraq. He overhears us speaking English and starts talking to us. Awesome guy. Two hours later we are exchanging numbers and he is inviting us to spend New Years with his family. People talk so I think nothing of it. Fast forward 2 days. The big night. Fernando picks us up 20 minutes from his home. Driving through his neighborhood he ... read more
Extra entry: The food, people and other interesting tidbits
Published: October 7th 2011South America » Colombia » Cali
October 7th 2011
We are due to catch our flight to Peru in a few hours, but thought we should write a short entry on general life in Colombia. Food: Colombians enjoy their carbs, with fried eggs, rice and a platana (another fruit close family of the banana, smashed and deep fried) for breakfast. Lunch is the main meal, normally consisting of chicken or fish (or trout in the mountains), with pasta, rice and potatoes. Their salads are miserable - nothing more than lettuce, tomato and onion. Their fruits, however, need special mention. We have never seen so many wierd and wonderful fruits in one country before and tried them all out for our breakfast smoothies. They even have tomato fruits (a cross between a tomato and a raspberry)! Fresh fruit juice is available everywhere. People: Colombians are friendly ... read more
¡¡Recycling center and many bug bites later!
Published: July 24th 2011South America » Colombia » Cali
July 24th 2011
Oh! It´s been 10 days since I´ve left Chicago. Village visited: Palmira Nashira -(eco-village started by 48 women). Candeleria Project: It was amazing to visit Nashira, a village that was started by a group of women who wanted a sustainable eco-community that has a lot going for itself. So, our goal in visiting Nashira was to ask the community what they needed most, and they came to the conclusion that they wanted a recycling center; the communities here will pay the people for bringing in recyclables and they can make a decent amount. However, the center needed to be big enough that it would be worth it for a truck from the near larger city to come and collect the recyclables. So, there it is! Some pictures of us building the recycling center, it was finished ... read more
June 21st 2011
I'm heading to Cali, Colombia and was wondering if Pance River is safe to be alone. Also, how would one get there and return via bus? Or is taxi pretty affordable also? Thanx!... read more
March 20th 2011
I am planning on doing a trip in July to Colombia, and at some point will be travelling from there to Cuenca, Ecuador. I was planning on doing this by bus. Does anyone have any tips on acquiring a bus ride from there to Ecuador?... read more
