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A waterfall in the Parque Archelogico
thats archelogical park to you simpletons. So after a 7 or so hour bus journey to the Ecuadorian border town of Tulcan, we exit the bus, get our exit stamp and walk across the Colombian border hassle free. It actually felt pretty odd just walking from one country to the next, but to tell you the truth bearing in mind it was Colombia that was the last thing on our minds, we were just hoping to get across without getting shot or cavity searched. The one slightly un-nerving moment came as we were queing to get our passports checked. On the windows next to us were reward posters for the death or capture of FARC members and some of the faces were already crossed out! What a friendly country. (FARC is a left wing Guerilla terrorist group, that for a long time has been opposing the government, mix that up with the right wing Paramilitary groups, and shoot boy we got ourselves something of a party!)
Undeterred we pressed on to our first stop, which was to be San Augustin, that was until we realised that there was no direct road there. So at around 10am we got the bus to Pobayan instead. Now as you
would expect from a continent this size, we have done a fair amount of travelling around via long distance buses. It's fair to say that the roads in Colombia aren't quite as well maintained as elsewhere in South America. This soon became evident as we spent the next 9 hours literally being thrown up and down on bumpy, gravelly at times, muddy at others roads...if you can call them that. Muddy pothole dirt track would probably be more apt. In fairness to Colombia, it has been one of the less visited countries here for some time due to guerillas and kidnappings etc, so they aren't fortunate enough to have had the tourist trade that the other countries have. A point which im glad to say they are slowly turning around, with the majority of the country and the government now trying to take a sterner approach to FARC and the paramilitary. The other plus side to the roads, are that the views are absolutely stunning, we basically spend the whole journey winding along mountainous valley roads, looking at lush green jungles, very impressive.
Not much to say about Pobayan, we arrived late and left early the next morning as
Rio Magdelena....
the most important river in Colombia, as seen by the most importnat person in Colombia. (and possibly the mopst modest too) we still had a 6 hour journey to San Augustin to go. This road was even worse! To give you an idea just how bad, the distance between Pobayan and San Augustin is 120kms....6 hours people!!! The bus turns off just before San Augustin, so we continue to the small town via the back of a jeep, whereby suspiciously a local hostel booker also happens to be riding into town. What are the odds that she would have a captive market such as us, with nowhere to go and be sat on the same jeep as us?! (I think im getting cynical in my old age you know!) As it happens it turned out to be ok, the hostel was pretty cool if like the rest of the town a little on the quiet side, then I suppose after the trappings of the Secret Garden that was definitely a good thing!
The reason for coming to San Augustin, is that it is an excellent place to visit the mysterious carvings that line the 'Valley of the Statues'. These tombs and statues date back to around 3300BC and little is known about the civilization responsible for them. So with this
Tombs!
Well what did you think they were.....worm holes!! in mind we head out the following day on a jeep tour to visit the several archelogical sites and also a couple of waterfalls. I am definitely at fault here, but I have become a wee bit complacent when it comes to getting enthused about tombs, statues, etc. The reason is, i've seen so many over the last 8 months, including better examples that I now find it tricky to get too excited about them. (im sure had I not previously seen any, then I would have been a bit more
interested!) We then drive 24kms to the Salto del Bordones, an important waterfall in the area. This ride is even bumpier than the buses, with Chris and I sat right in the back of the jeep getting our heads slammed into the ceiling every time we drive over a bump! Our guide is a small girl probably about 11 years old, who amusingly jumps onto the side of the jeep en-route to the waterfall, before she explains how big it is and why it's so important. (I couldnt understand very much of what she was saying, but it was pretty cool none the less!)
The next day we
Moody Statue!
Bet if I swapped the AC/DC t-shirt you wouldn't even notice!! check out a few more statues and book up a coach cama (a coach with beds...get in!!) for the 10 hour journey to Bogota in the morning. When 7am in the morning comes, you can imagine our disappointment, when the lady at the coach company tells us there is no coach cama today (its broke down) and so we will have to get a normal semi cama instead. You can imagine our disappointment when instead of the semi cama coach (like we use on school trips back home) we have a small tin pot crappy little bus akin to what we have already been riding around Colombia in! The trip is made all the better, when a kid sat right next to me, pukes in a carrier bag and then holds onto it for the next couple of hours, whilst im sat there praying that he wont drop it!
We finally arrive into Bogota and check into a hotel. (well we needed some luxury around us after that journey!) The following morning its bye bye buses as we head to the northern Caribbean coast of Colombia, or Cartegena (pronounced Cartahena)to be more exact. Straight away you can see the
Our guide gets a lift!
As you do, no room inside the car so she jumped on the step next to the driver and clung on! differences between the southern more andean style towns and the northern ones. There is a much more laidback vibe in the air and Cartegena is a wonderfully vibrant city, bustling with an explosion of colours everywhere you look. Its also about 35 degrees with the humidity, so pretty damn hot. A quick walk around the city and you can see the mixture between the colonial Spanish era and the colourful Caribbean influences.
There isn't much here to do in the way of excursions, so we just spend the next couple of days exploring the relatively small city on foot. We also hooked up with Scottish Dave (we met him in the Secret Garden) for our time there, which made for a couple of amusing nights out. A little tip for those of you, when in 35 degree climates, do not eat the worlds hottest chilli con carne. Dave knocked it up and bouyed on by Chris and I telling him to put all the chillis in it, we spent the next 30 minutes eating a spoonful and then probably sweating 10!! Im not kidding, I had a serious case of the fat man sweats....I even had to eat it
with a towel around my neck!! Good thing we were able to wash it down witha couple of quiet Daz Gasses!! So anyhoo we went around a few bars, including one really cool, non western salsa bar where all they seemed to serve was whisky (well in for a penny in for a pound eh!) and didnt get back in until 5am for two nights running. Nothing quite like a spot of rest and relaxation eh gang!
Next stop is the 5 hour journey further North to Santa Marta.
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