You´re Going Where??

This was the general reaction I got when I told people I was going to Colombia. ¨Kidnapping is the national sport¨, ¨I don´t have enough money for bail if you get kidnapped Christina.¨, ¨Are you sure you want to go there?!¨ were a few of these comments. My dad specifically sent me an email with a State Department warning saying - DO NOT GO TO COLOMBIA CHRISTINA. But I heard nothing but excellent reviews from my fellow backpackers and besides, since when do I listen to what my Dad tells me anyway? :) I was greeted with nothing but kindness from the Colombians which sadly, I know isn´t always the case in the US. I was completely blown away by Colombia and while it was the country I spent the least amount of time in, it was by far my favorite. You feel like a visitor instead of a tourist. You can´t buy a postcard in most of the cities and people are constantly asking you why you are there, as if they are surprised themselves. There is real character in the cities and the landscape is gorgeous. The tourist boom is just starting there because of increased security and while the FARC is still active in Colombia, you just have to be smart and realize where it is you can and cannot go. Hool, Jules and I boarded our flight from Quito and arrived in Cartagena. The balmy air was a welcome change from the chilly weather of Quito. The next day we hit the beach where we were whistled and hooted at on every corner. I will miss this flattery back home in the States. Of course it is a joke, because the Colombian women are gorgeous!

Cartagena is the most touristy city in Colombia but it still has an old, authentic feel to it. Walking down the streets you see beautiful old buildings of every color, men pushing carts of plantains, tailors working at old metal sewing machines, and lots of fresh fruit & smoothies stands. We took advantage of these whenever we could!


The ladies enjoying some smoothies. We met

up with my friend Sophie while in Cartagena.

A night out in the Old Towne.

The gate to the Old Towne in

Cartagena.

Met back up with my buddies Emma & Andy

who are always a good time!

More fruit! The Julies enjoying fresh fruit salad

on the beach from a friendly Colombian woman.

The girls at the Castillo de San Felipe a fort

built by the Spanish in the 1600s.

We love Colombia!

Exploring the tunnels underneath the fort.

The streets of Cartagena.

A Colombian church.

Old Towne Cartagena.

Last day in town.

Cartagena is a beautiful city full of life and character and we spent 2 great days there. Next stop was the small fishing village of Taganga to relax on the beach.

*This was my experience while in Colombia. I realize that the current conflict between Equador & Venezuela makes the situation more dangerous and I am lucky that I got to visit when I did.

Welcome To The Jungle

Ok, so this is probably the most cliche title in the world for this blog entry but I am using it because even though I don't even like the classic Guns & Roses tune, it kept running through my head while deep in the jungle of Equador. The Secret Garden, where I was working, has a jungle trek that was highly recommended by lots of the guests so once I was done work, Jules, Julie, Duncan (Scottish), Tom (English), Tristan (Dutch), Demetrius (Greek) and I headed to Tena to spend 4 days in the jungle. There were also 2 girls from a local paper writing a review of the trip, Hannah and Kathleen who came along. So all of us will have our 5 minutes of fame when the article publishes.

We arrived in Tena and were greeted by our guide Rene, who treated us to a lunch of chicken feet soup and steak with rice both of which I ate! For all those who know about my pickiness, especially concerning meat, I know you are proud! After getting fitted for our rubber wellies we all jumped in a pick-up truck and headed to the entrance to the jungle. After a 30 min hike, we arrived at the campsite and instantly were bombarded with adorable Equadorian children. They all wanted us to take their photos and then instantly wanted to see this pics. They could have done this for hours.


We hail from the white tribe. This was our
cabana where we slept.


They couldn't get enough of the photos.


Me and the cute Equadorian kids.

Demetrius was more interested in his ciggys!

That night, the Shaman who is basically the local medicine man in the jungle, held a ceremony with the local children to welcome us. It was pretty cute. All the kids got dressed up and bounced around and then of course we joined in. They were all so welcoming and kind to us.


Getting jiggy in the jungle.


The children welcoming us.

The Shaman then went on to explain the way a Shaman becomes one which involves years of sobreity, celebacy and concentration. He learned the trade from his father and was very proud to tell us that he helped his wife give birth with some natural medicine that he prescribed.


This ritual was done to cleanse me
of any bad spirits which are believed

be the cause of many sicknesses

Tom and Duncan chillin in our cabana.


My bed in the cabana.

The next day, the Shaman took us on a tour of his front yard which to the blind eye would look like nothing more than a lot of green plants, but it was amazing all the useful things that lay in his front yard.


Harvesting yuca, a staple vegetable
in Equadorian cuisine.


Cocoa plant, which we later roasted to make
chocolate. The outside of the bean is tasty!


The Shaman shaved this long reed
down to the fibrous center and the
end product is used to make rope,

belts, etc.

There were also some very large grasshoppers.

After our little tour of the yard, we pulled on our boots, grabbed our gear and headed into the thick of the jungle. Being in the jungle with the Shaman and his sons was an eye opening experience. He showed us many types of plants which were used for everyday things that we just go to the drugstore and buy without a second thought. There was a tree which excreted a glue-like substance, fruits which were used to make whistles to communicate, palms which produce palm hearts, cinnamon, lemongrass, yuca and many other things. He also showed us how the natives set up traps to kill animals for meat. The range of knowledge that the Shaman possessed (along with his machete skills!) were quite impressive.

Getting friendly with some jungle flora!

Javier got kissy faced too.

After we got a bit further into the jungle, it was time to really play the part. The guides transformed us into true Amazonian tribesman (and women). :) We wove headbands out of palm leaves and were given headdresses and painted with tribal symbols so we would really fit in. It was really fun and got everyone in a playful mood.

We used these palms to weave our

headbands.

Hard at work!

Hannah and I. Hannah was writing the story on

the trip for a local Quito newspaper.

Jules and I pre war paint.

The crew.

Undergoing my transformation.

Our jungle face paint.

Eating lemon flavored ants. It´s a jungle thing,

you wouldn´t understand.


An interesting tree...

Duncan & I mucking about.


Giving the old boots a rest.

Our hike ended in a cave where we spent the
night sleeping in hammocks.

Some of us had a hard time in the jungle...


The girls loved my alarm clock
with all the different rings.

Craft time!


Jules and I hiking out of the jungle.


By the last day, it was pouring down rain on
our way to the animal refuge. I think we were
a little sick of the jungle by this time.


Monkeys hanging out at the animal refuge.

The jungle trip in Tena was one of the highlights of my trip. It was so much fun and really made you realize how many people rely on it for survival. I am currently in Colombia but this post has worn me out! So I will post more pics later. I am currently in San Gil and headed to Bogota tomorrow to meet up with our friend David that we met in Buenos Aires. Should be fun!

Middle Of The World

One of the tourist stops on the gringo trail in South America is most certainly Mitad del Mundo or the equator line just outside of Quito. I had spent an entire month in Quito and still hadn´t gone so Jules 1 & 2, my friends Duncan and Jago and I went for a day of touristy fun. When Charles-Marie de la Condamine and his French explorers determined the exact point of the equator, they were actually about 250 meters off. The real equator lies 250 metres to the north of the monument at a small museum called Museo Inti-San. We visited both but it really wasn´t worth going to the large monument especially since it´s ultra touristy and not the real one! Didn´t stop me from taking a cheesy photo though!


Touristy shot #1 on the fake equator.

So we headed to the site of the real equator which was this cute little outdoor museum which not only had the real equator but we had a tour guide who educated us on the lifestyle and customs of the Quicha people. We also got to do all kinds of fun tricks on the equator line.


The REAL Equator - suckas!




Pondering our place in the world...


Touristy shot #2. Hoolia, Jules, Duncan, Jago
and I at the middle of the world.

Our guide did a lot of experiments with us which really made you realize that you truly are standing on the center of the earth. First she filled a sink with a bucket underneath with water. While on the northern hemisphere the water swirls counter-clockwise, on the southern hemisphere it swirls clockwise and sure enough directly on the line it shot straight down. She put a leaf in the water so you could really see the way the water moved. Pretty cool. The other experiment was to hold your arms up on either side of the equator and she tried pulling them down. It was much harder to resist while standing on the equator. Apparently, while standing on the equator there is much less gravitational force which is why it is easier to pull your arms down.


Duncan trying to fight the force.


Walking the line!

It was a fun day and one of those touristy things you just have to do if you are in Equador. That night I celebrated the last night of work with the Secret Garden crew and headed out the next day for a 4 day trip into the jungle!