Blogs from Colombia, South America - page 261

Here, in the Valley of the Statues, there are some hundreds of large rough-hewn stone figures of men, animals and gods, dating from roughly 3300 BC. Little is known of the culture which produced them, though traces of small circular bamboo straw-thatched houses have been found. There are about 20 archaeologic sites, with excellent opportunities for hiking. The Park which was declared a World heritage site in 1995, is about 2 and a half Km from San Agustin. The statues in the Park are in situ, though some have been set up on end and fenced in, those in the Bosque (a little wood) have been moved and rearranged, and linked by gravel footpaths. Of particular interest are the carved rocks in and around the stream at the “Fuente de Lavapatas” in the Park, where the ... read more

GAIA - Spiritual Workshop for internal healing This workshop has been prepared for you as a spiritual experience, encountering the most valuable of indigenous cultures of South America's Amazonian Foothills: The ceremonial Ayahuasca in an environment guided by the wisdom of indigenous, surrounded of one of the most beautiful and archaeological places representing south americas: The Archaeological Park of San Agustin. (Declared by Unesco world heritage, 1995) We invite you to enjoy this beautiful opportunity for seven (7) days of adventure, indigenous ceremonies, encouraging a meeting with the purity of Colombian indigenous cultures, and mainly a meeting with yourself, which we are confident will become an unforgettable trip, and a priceless experience. Day 1 Afternoon: Reception at the El Dorado Airport. Leave to the natural territory called Guasca (2 hours from Bogota) Nig... read more

So I’m home, overlooking Jesus once again.* Operation ‘Don’t Die in a Fiery Plane Crash’ was a success. Only in Latin America have I heard the passengers clap when the plane lands. The trip home was a mixture of awesomeness, best exemplified by having my arm around a black man while singing Dixieland Delight at Bob’s wedding and the not quite so awesome inability to score a QuikTrip hotdog prior to the wedding. Thanks to those who aided my poorly planned blundering by driving me places (mostly Madhu), lending me cell phones (mostly Matt), lending me a place to sleep (mostly Matt again), taking me shopping (Madhu and Kelly), taking me out to eat (Aunt Becky, Pops-twice, Kelly, etc.), giving me money (pops and grandpa), taking Steph to the airport (Matt and Ty- why two people ... read more

Cartagena After the beaches in Tayrona we took a shuttle to Cartagena on the 21st of September. Cartagena is an old city (founded in 1533) and is very beautiful and charming (at least, the historic town is). It was an important colonial port town in the good old pirate days of the Caribbean. Because of its importance and prosperity, it was constantly attacked by pirates (Sir John Hawkins and Sir Francis Drake, to name a few of the English sirs) , marauding bands of savages, etc. As a result of these many dramas, they surrounded the old town with fortress like walls, containing many buttresses and canons. The newer part of the city is very modern with tall skyscrapers and good infrastructure. Quite a striking contrast when standing on the old walls and looking to the ... read more

Mit dem Ableben der letzten Kackerlacken gehört meine Nörgelphase endgültig der Vergangenheit an. Außerdem macht mir die Arbeit hier in Popayán von Tag zu Tag mehr Spaß. Im Büro der Organisation, die quasi im Mittelpunkt meiner Magisterarbeit steht, hat man immer ein offenes Ohr für mich. Überhaupt gefällt mir die Arbeitsatmosphäre dort ausgesprochen gut. Es herrscht „Open-Door-Policy“. Jeder kommt in das Büro des anderen, wann immer er Lust hat, fragt, tratscht, macht Witze, usw. Und ich bin Mitten drin. Ich kann mich mit meinem Laptop in den großen Arbeitsraum setzten, ihn ans Internet anstöpseln (wenn es denn Internet hat, denn die Verbindungen sind hier leider nicht die zuverlässigsten), die Dokumente der Organisation lesen und immer wenn ich Fragen hab, einfach in den Raum reden. Irgendjemand antwortet dann immer. Meistens ist es Marcela. Sie arbeitet schon eine ... read more