Colombia Photos

OK, disclaimer: I don't know why all the text in this post is being so stubborn and refusing to just FUCKING HOMOGENIZE ALREADY.... but it's not. Sorry lads.

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So, after a collective total of around 2 months in the country, I walked away from Colombia with an overall favorable impression, and I'd happily second any recommendation to go there. However, unlike pretty much everybody else that has been there... I thought the country was nice- but not really anything more.

It was beautiful, fairly easy to travel around, had great nightlife, plus friendly (and good-looking) people. It was all there, but somehow lacked any real sense of adventure. I spent two months there and never felt like I had to think on my feet or WORK for anything. While most people would be delighted-- I was bored. That being said, it was a wonderful second-to-last country to travel to. All the pieces were there... I just had to sit back and let the (I'm trying not to use this word in the creepy way, but) pleasure come to me. Not thrilling/life-changing/etc... but a great low-stress way to wind-down from my trip and get used to a pretty much Westernized culture again.

One thing you CAN do in Colombia is just chill out, read books, party, dive, and do all those things that you'd do in Hawaii, just for cheaper... and so my two months passed in (maybe not the most earth-shattering, but nevertheless,) a very satisfying way. Below is a visual repast of good memories.

These lovely little guys are the wax palms found in the Zona Cafetera region of Colombia, near Salento. They get so incredibly big—I’m really pissed at myself for not taking a picture so you could SEE how big they get. They’re found at the tail end of a hike that is littered with amazing views and horse poop. The day we went, there was almost nobody else out in the park, and we sat amongst these freakish trees in a happy silence. Zona Cafetera, Colombia.

Here is a picture of Alejandro and ___?___, a pair of happy Colombians that picked me up on the Villa de Leyva – San Gil highway. A note about hitchhiking in Colombia: This will be the most difficult place you will ever try to hitch. Decades of civil war/narcotics trafficking/FARC kidnappings have scared people away from picking up strangers. Worse yet, the bus rates in this country are outrageous! We’re talking like, 30-40,000 COP (25 USD) for a 5 hour ride. FUCK THAT. This is a shitty bus in the developing world, not a spaceship to Jupiter! Anyway, hitching is difficult, but necessary if you intend to stay anywhere under 35 USD a day. Alejandro and his mate here were a sweet duo of electrical workers that stopped and saved me from hours of walking along a sun-baked road in the middle of nowhere. Cheers, guys! Villa de Leyva – San Gil highway, Colombia

I’m happy I DID make it to San Gil, however. I passed my time here caving, paragliding, Tejo-ing, and doing a little bit of this. Sunday mornings in Colombia, the locals get on their most neon-licious gear and break it down at a choreographed dance party in the town square. It’s a lot harder than it looks, but it's a lot more fun than it looks too (and yeah, I know it already looks like a lot of fun. Cube that.). San Gil, Colombia.

Here’s another photo of Richie and Rob, just in case I hadn’t posted enough already. These two were an amusing mix of charming and lewd, passing a lot of their time creating sexually explicit plays on ordinary Spanish verbs. Montamos! I spent a LOT of time with this pair... maybe more than was comfortable for any of us. (Waking up with a random Sam in your room? Not always a good thing). Anyway, here they are getting freaky at Sensations, the (only) club in Taganga. Get some! Taganga, Colombia.

I’m going to post my two photos of Punta Gallinas here because the avi I posted is showing up on the bottom and I don't know how to move it. Not that I couldn't move it if I wanted to, I just don't want to! So how d'ya like THAT? Anyway, Punta Gallinas. It was a real fucking struggle to get here. I thought I wouldn’t meet any other people, and that I’d have to find my way through completely unforgiving, feral desertscape all by myself for … what? For bragging rights that I actually made it out there? I wasn’t sure. I had heard that it was beautiful, but I #1- didn’t plan very well, and #2- pissed entirely too much time away in Taganga to do it properly. I AM, however, glad that I DID make it.. even if only for a couple of days. I met a smattering of other backpackers who helped it all come together for a decent price, and I tied up my loose Colombian ends with the following feast for the eyes. The best part? With the exception of my 4 mates, there was NOBODY else out here. Not any travelers, hardly more than a Wayuu or two, and with the exception of the occasional flock of flamingos, practically no wildlife. Not any stray dogs, bugs, not even the sound of wings flapping. Creepy, and yet so… beautiful. Punta Gallinas, La Guajira, Colombia.

I keep filming vertically, and I don’t know how to rotate it! Damn. Here’s a very anti-climactic video of me looking cool while I get ready to dive. I forgot what he told me to do with my right arm. I love diving. I love the silence underwater, I love the weightlessness, and I especially love how cool I look in the wetsuit and BCD. I think this was my 2nd day out in the ocean, and my 4th actual dive. Ok? OK! Taganga, Colombia.

Venezuela Photos

Coming Soon...!

Ecuador Photos

Ecuador was a surprise. I thought that, for such a tiny country with so many visitors (particularly Americans), I would never get a moment alone. It would be touristy and overcrowded, the culture would be shot to shit, and every other business would be foreign run. It would be hell.

I rarely got a moment alone, there WERE a lot of other Americans, it was pretty touristy, the culture was lacking, and a lot of businesses were foreign owned.... but Ecuador still rocked my socks. That's really saying something. I was hell bent on disliking it, and almost every place I went, I met oodles of other travelers. This is not new ground, people. The thing is: Ecuador isn't really trying to be anything else. The foreigners you meet aren't overladen with "smug hardcore backpacker coolness" (minus one guy) and are actually very well traveled, the backpacker hotspots are mad, but rarely radiate out their lunacy. It's a lovely, lovely little compact slice of traveling heaven.

One of the best things about traveling in tropical environments are yummy little drinks like these. Sugar cane juice, unadulterated (minus a bit of lime juice), squeezed out fresh from the stalk itself, for less than 25 cents! Ohhh.. Baños, Ecuador.


It's odd how massively touristed towns like Canoa in Ecuador can still be without an ATM. Here were are, literally crossing oceans (or, a bay, anyway) to pull out money! This was the great little crew I rocked it with for a few days. Canoa, early morning breakfasts, and communal breakfasts wouldn't have been the same without these guys. On the boat ride to Bahía with Justin, Josie, Oscar, and Julie. Ecuador.

I'm not sure what to say about my birthday this year. I had a good time. All the ingredients were there, the foreign country, the parties, the funny Argentinians... and yet something was missing. Stupid civil uprisings- RUINING MY PLANS FOR QUITOFEST!! Nevertheless, I made the best of what I was given. Here's a picture of HolaOla! from where I was dancing on stage. How did I get up there? Montañita, Ecuador.

Even though working at Paseo de los Monos was one of the first things I did in Ecuador, I wanted to put the pictures last because it was the most important thing that happened to me in the country, and one of the last things that I found true pleasure in doing on my trip. Not that other things weren't great... but you have to really love something if you can smile while getting splattered with feces.

Here's a picture of either Lola or Lisa (I think it's Lola, although I can't see her face). She was one of only three Spider Monkeys in the park. The other was Lisa, who is a troublemaker, (or maybe it's both of them, and we just can't tell them apart), and the other was a male who had to stay locked up in the house until he desisted trying to kill all the other monkeys. This is why I love Spider Monkeys so much, and probably why my mate Will (from CIWY) decided to stay with the S.Monkeys even after getting offered the possibility of working with a Puma. I salute his decision. Everyone wanted, in Bolivia (2007), to work with the cats. If you really love animals, you wouldn't be picky about which ones you worked with. You'd make the commitment, and do the best you could in your position. Spider Monkeys are most loved because they give out the most love. I've never seen any other animal show the kind of affection these guys are capable of (even dogs!). Moreover, it had nothing to do with my sneaking bananas and pineapple to them through the windows of our cottage after-hours. I'm for seriously. Puyo, Ecuador.

Here's a photo of Oliver and Etza. Etza's really cute, but I'll write a note about Oliver here because if I got started on why Etza can't use her arms, well... then I'd be sad. Oliver was an interesting Frenchman who found his way to the park two days in a row. He particularly piqued my interest because of his unflagging enthusiasm for all things animal. I've met lots of people who love animals, but very, very few who like, REALLY love them. Moreover, almost everybody favors humans over animals (as if one life could be valued above another). Oliver went the other way-- HUMANS were the ones that should be put down. Animals had a moral code, animals didn't know cruelty for the sake of cruelty-- they only did cruel things for survival. It was humans who were capable of being mean for no reason. He had a point. He asked for my email address so I could send him this photo, but he never wrote. Shame... it's a bloody good shot. Puyo, Ecuador.

Here's a picture of Paola. Hahaha. Oh, mischiefmaker. Her mother, like all the other mothers of the monkeys in the park, was killed so that she could be taken and sold as a pet. The people who bought her for a ridiculous sum could handle about a month of having a FUCKING MONKEY live in their house before they gave up and gave her away to the park. As stupid as this story sounds, it's a lot more humane that Etza's (up top), who was shoved into a small, darkened cage for her first few months. It's really sickening. Anyway, since Paola's mom was killed, she's attached herself to one person with a real zeal for as long as they'll stay in the park. Then another. Then another. I was that person for a week or so-- here she is eating dinner with us after refusing to leave my head at the end of the day. She slept in my bed that night and came with me for my nighttime piss. We go way back, this one. Puyo, Ecuador.

Peru Photos

Peru was the first developing country I ever backpacked through and I think, even after all this time, that it's the country that affects me the most. Whenever I'm feeling awash with that elusive "Oh-My-God-I'm-Traveling" sensation, it's usually because I've seen or smelled something that reminded me of Cuzco or Huaraz. While it's not my favorite country, and might not even be in my top 3, there's no country that evokes the same kind of elation and (for lack of a less cheesy term) splendor on such a consistent basis as this one.

The picture above is a photo of a crazy mountain dog that walked us all the way from the base of the Laguna Churrup hike to nearly the snow line. Scaling a waterfall with hands is one thing, scaling them on four legs is another. He was rewarded handsomely with canned tuna. Laguna Churrup, Ancash, Peru.

I had to take this shot discreetly in Huaraz while waiting for my language school to open up after lunchtime break. I'm not sure what it is that makes me like this photo so much. Is it strange to find an 80-year old indigenous lady "adorable"? Huaraz, Peru.

This is Nisan, one of the many Israelis that I found to be such good travel mates on this trip. Every now and again you find someone you can really take the piss out of, who isn't afraid to rip the piss out of you as well. Nisan was one of those people. This crazed one actually flew to the other side of the country for 3 days for the sake of "not missing out" on a shitty, littered beach. I'd have a lot more stories if I traveled a little more like this guy. At Laguna Churrup, Ancash, Peru.

My last stop in Peru. Máncora was an amazing place, but there were just way... WAY too many mosquitoes. My first night, I covered my cheeks and forehead with bug spray, then burritoed my body in a sheet. I awoke several times in the night thinking that I had just inhaled a giant booger or something. I got up in the morning with 32 bites on my face and feet, 16 of which were on the bridge of my nose alone. Those "boogers" were actually mosquitoes biting around the perimeter of my lips. Gross. This is why it's worth it to carry a mozzie net, no matter how much space they take. Máncora, Peru.

Australia Photos

General thoughts on Australia:

1) It's much too much like the United States. Everyone speaks English, the food is roughly the same, and the distances are ENORMOUS.

2) Fruit picking is really a skill. You can't just rock up and expect to be good at it. You'll most likely suck at it, actually... and you won't get better until the contractors have already moved onto another fruit. You'll need at least one season of practice before you can start making any money at all... and that's assuming that they'll actually PAY you.

3) An American accent is actually kind of cool in the suburbs and lesser travelled areas. Never thought I'd live to see a place where my manner of speech was actually interesting to someone.

Australia was a nice stop on my trip. I got to refuel and get my bearings again. I got to make money again, and I got to see some of my old travel mates in their natural habitat. Anyway, I thought I'd just post some of my thoughts up top because in general, I didn't take very many pictures in this country, and most of the ones I DID take were on my drunken night out with Pops and Tom. Oz was a neat place to pause and regain appreciation for how lucky I am to be from a rich country, but I wasn't shocked and awed by much. It was as all rich countries are- clean, organized, and with far too many rules.

That being said, I'll start with this photo. One of the things that DID shock and awe me was the Sydney Opera House. I know it's cliche'd, but it's an incredible building. Absolutely stunning. When you look at it by itself, it looks as it does in the postcards, and you fail to grasp how.... ODD it is compared to the standard skyscrapers in the rest of town. It perches at the lip of the harbor, lit up and fucking humongous. I had to have taken about a hundred photos from every angle of the building. Really, really nice. Sydney, Australia.

So here's yet another picture of two of my favorite Israelis. Shiri and Shiran are going to probably occupy 30% or so of my ultimate travel photo album, just for the sheer TIME I've spent with them. Shiran and I first met in Honduras, then met up again in Guatemala, then carried on to El Salvador together. 3 months later, we brought the party to Israel, and about a year after that, Australia. We only hung for a day or so, but they gave me the travel budget 101 for Oz, and are a lot of the reason why I was able to save any money at all. Hats off to you two! Outside of Tribal Travel, Melbourne, Australia.

Speaking of people that contributed to my insanely strict budget- I really couldn't have done it without this one. Frase-book, I owe you! Here he is after I convinced him to cat-fish his moustache. He'd probably kill me if he knew I'd posted it online, but hey- it really deserved more than just 15 minutes in a darkened room in the back of his house. The catfish is in protest. It wanted to go out! Anyway, his kind brother, mother, father, dog, and silly cat made my initial landing and culture shock a lot easier. A million thanks, Frase! Sydney, Australia.

Strange how popular these are in Oz. "Pokies" is what people call them. In a country where free-pouring is illegal, all bar staff need to be RSA certified, and even the baristas need to take a day course before beginning work, the prevalence of these little machines is astonishing. I've never actually seen anybody on them though. Brisbane, Australia.

I'm not sure why I chose this picture above all the others, but I love Pops' expression. Hahaha! I can't remember what she was saying here, but I'm amused nonetheless. Thanks to Pops and Tom for the awesome time in Brisbane, and for all the CLOTHES that I got to continue on to South America with. Brisbane, Australia.