Estado Natural Ecolodge Cartagena

... you float in the mud. Now, the mud is like cake batter and it is hard to move in it however you cannot sink in it. Your legs will float up and you have to get people to push your legs down just so you can somewhat stand up. Everyone that did it said it was the weirdest thing they have done. I agree!!! After you get out, you back down a long staircase and head down to a lake. The lake is where you wash off. This is the interesting part. A woman takes you into the water and washes you ...

... what we thought it was worth. You could hardly argue with this kind looking 76 year old. Well for the next three hours that’s exactly what we did, even though we had had a long journey, and Jody’s stomach was rumbling with hunger. Well he certainly knew his stuff, as you would expect. After Jody’s endless comments about his stomach had finally given "Captain” (his name) enough hints, he took us to a place serving “Menu de Dia ...

... had no electricity, no running bathroom, and only hammocks so this place could have been considered the Peace Corps for some. I actually enjoyed the laid back nature of the place and the interesting people who were spending weeks at this remote hostel. A few French artists in particular made me wish I had taken French instead of Portuguese for instance.
I am about to take a 16 hour bus south to Medellin. I think I have enough sleeping pills to knock me out but we will see what happens.

... br>
Top gobbles: Patagonian barbeque lamb in Puerto Natales, tasty as, and with Kerrygold butter for the bread and everything!; tuna steak in Sirena restaurant, Mancora - probably the best munch I got in South America; fillet mignon in Casa de Felipe, Taganga - so good I had it four times!

Top spots: Montanita, Ecuador - a gnarly little beach town with tremendous cocktails; Arequipa, Peru - a lovely town, cheap as anything and fun as ...

I am back in Caragena... do you remember my entry from last year? Well, I can not believe how much has changed in a few short months!!! There are new hostels on every street and cyber cafes on the corners... a sure sign that tourism is booming here in Colombia. I can NOT believe how different some of the streets look. Wow! I am sort of `stuck` here in Cartagena for a few days ...

... proclaiming 2008 as having the lowest homicide rate in 14 years. Others said there were 42 fewer homicides in 2008, 42 lives saved...ergo the life jacket I guess. In my wanderings, and just being as sensible as I would be in any city, I never had a moment that I felt unsafe. There are lots more pictures that I didn't weave into the text, so be sure to check out the thumbnails.

... both over for an alleged infraction (boo!). It's the same routine as previously used by the police in Puno...point to a book with a picture of a traffic sign and a number and then get you to cough up the printed amount.


Fortunately this time we come prepared and have the team STUNT WALLET to hand. To those unfamiliar with this item, it's a device used predominantly by travelers going into very dodgy places and works as follows. If you get held up at gunpoint / knifepoint by some ...

... contains over 100 pieces of Botero's own work, including his painting, drawings and sculptures, plus about a 100 works by European artists such as Picasso, Chagall, Dali, Renoir, Matisse and Monet. It does not really seem right to assimilate Bogota as a part of Colombia as it is very different from the rest. I also went out in the Zona rosa, which is nothing else than chain restaurants, boutique hotels, luxury shops and fancy places for tourists ...

... Very cosmopolitan, nothing like the altiplano in Bolivia or Peru. No indigenous people. I do love the hostel, so very, very nice, and wonderful people working here. A shock to the system, a real city! Although Medillin and Cali are "real" also. I walked the town, as usual. Got as far as the ship terminal, where the cruise lines come into port. Come to find out later, this is where my ...

... home....it takes a lot to get a "wow" outta me nowadays!

I had some good nights in Cartagena - I met Garreth (GWIZ from the Thorntree for those of you following) and the entire Tupiza group.....again. This is about the fourth time I've run into them since meeting them in southern Bolivia!

Bought another flight:

Bogotá - Mexico City May 31
Mexico City - Guatemala City May 31