I would like to think that my lack of keeping up regularly with the writing is indicative of the fact that I have been too busy having crazy fun to sit down and write. While there is some truth to that, the lack of posting must also be attributed to the fact that 2 weeks ago my phone died. Its funny how initially I was reluctant to create posts from my phone but I soon became so reliant on the ease of writing whenever I wanted to that I stopped dedicating the time to sit down at a computer to put my thoughts and experiences into written words. I've now taken a few technological steps backwards and am once again reliant on the antiquated benefits of a desktop computer that is not my own.
I last left off in Lima, Peru. Really not much to do there. I was happy for the Hospitality of the Jewish community to be able to spend Shabbat and Chag Shavuot there. It was in truth a little bit of a weird community but I was very happy to have the company of the few other travelers who were there as well for the same purpose that I was. I was once again plagued by a stomach virus for about a day and a half - interesting that the last time it happened was Pesach so I capped off Sfirat Haomer on each end with a tummy bug. Coincidence? I hope so.
From Lima I took a 24 hour excursion to relatively nearby Ica/Huacacina. There isn't anything to do there except brave the slopes of the very popular sand dunes. It's one of those things that is pretty hyped up and I was nervous that it would be a bit of a disappointment, especially making the 4 hour schlepp there in each direction. However, in truth it was a lot more fun than I expected it to be and I had a great time! There are these incredible humongous mounds of sand that just stretch on for ages and it is absolutely beautiful! I signed up for an excursion where a buggy takes you out to the dunes along with a sand board and a piece of candle for waxing it up. Normally the buggies are quite big seating around 10 people but I ended up in a smaller one with just two other passengers and the driver. Of course as chance would have it the other two people who randomly got assigned to my buggy were also Israeli. They poignantly pointed out as we were walking in the sand that it was like the Jews wandering the desert for 40 years. That was the closest experience that I could relate to that idea. The sand just kept going and going and it was so fine to the touch and somewhat heated in the sun's rays. The boarding was a lot of fun. I tried it standing up like a snowboard but it didn't have the same smoothness that a snowboard has and the edge kept getting caught in the sand. I also tried it sitting down on the board which was also pretty fun, requiring less balance and leg muscle control (none at all in fact) but that slide down left me with a blast of sand in the face. Going down on your tummy on the other hand was the most fun! Surprisingly it left me with no sand in the face and the speed at which you can slide down the steep slope was incredible and an absolute blast of fun! However, what was maybe the most fun aspect was traversing the dunes on the buggy - we flew, sometimes going almost horizontal on the side of the steep dunes and just speeding along with the wind in your hair and face and feeling like you are doing something impossible. Overall a great experience and one I am very happy that I did and didn't miss out on.
The broken phone business brought me to visit one of the local malls in Lima. It was huge and easily could have been an upscale mall in New York. All the fancy stores, clean and modern and the only difference was that everything was in Spanish and quoted in Peruvian Sole prices. I wasn't in the market for anything except at the time a new battery for my phone, hoping that might fix it. It was good that every single stand and store in the mall was out of batteries for the Samsung Galaxy SIII because in the end I made it to the Radio Shack where they tried a demo battery in my phone which didn't work and my battery in the demo phone which did work - leading us to the conclusion that it wasn't the battery that was the problem rather it was the phone. For last semester I wrote one of my final papers on the challenges that travelers face when they rely on technology when they travel. I now have a whole new perspective on what that means since I now realize exactly how reliant I was and the ease of communication and making plans that a phone provides ... and my technological footing has been ripped away. When I check into a place and they proudly tell me they have free Wifi and I have to simply smile and tell them that unfortunately I have no device with which to connect to that Wifi. In a previous time many places had complimentary computer use. Nowadays with the prevalence of Wifi, that is no longer a luxury provided in most places and it has been leaving me with the need of the even more antiquated ritual of finding Internet cafes. At least I can chalk this experience up to a kind of ethnographic research and a return to a simpler time (at least temporarily). Another good thing is that my sense of direction seems to be improving especially because I now walk around with a physical map instead of having the ability of accessing google maps on my phone when I am in a new location, or of taking a screenshot. Sharpening the brain skills, I am.
From Lima I flew to the north of Colombia to a place called Cartegena. Colombia has a major budget airline called Viva Colombia (even they compared themselves to Spirit Airways) where you have to pay for everything extra - even if you want to check in at the airport instead of checking in online and printing your own boarding pass. Of course that includes extra fees for checking baggage. And since I had a "connecting" flight in Bogota, the country's capital - which isn't really a connecting flight, rather two separate bookings - I had to pay for that fee for both legs of my trip. The first flight went well and I was meant to have about 2 hours from landing time to go through immigration (I was arriving in a new country so that was necessary), get my bag from baggage claim, go through customs, re-check in for the next flight and make it to the gate. I knew it would be a tight squeeze but should have been doable. As we touched down in Bogota I thought everything would be fine, but then for whatever reason we kind of just parked on the tarmac and waited. They didn't tell us anything and as each second ticked on I realized I had less and less time to make it through all my necessary steps. With about 45 minutes left until my "check in" time was meant to close we finally started to move. As we pulled up to the gate I squeezed my way to the front of the plane (I'm sorry, can I get through?!?! I Have a connecting flight in like half an hour!!"- People were actually amazing and pushed me through to the front!) and as soon as they opened the door to that plane I rushed out and bolted along the corridors of the airport - from what seemed like the further possible gate ever - and made it to immigration. There wasn't much of a line but I got even further delayed when the immigration officer for whatever reason found it weird that I was traveling alone and that I didn't know the exact name of a place where I would be staying in Cartegena. Had he never heard of a backpacker before? After he finally let me through, at which point most of the other passengers from my flight were caught up, I rushed to wait for the bags. It took a few minutes for the carousel to start moving and once it did, I waited with baited breath and hook for my bag. At this point I had about 20 minutes until check in would close and my heart was almost visibly jumping out of my body. I also had to pee but wouldn't dare let myself step away lest my bag come out. Of course it had to be that my bag was likely the last bag to leave the plane and when it finally came out with 5 minutes to closure, I ran like a chicken without a head through the airport with other passengers generously letting me cut the line at customs so that I could make it to my gate. When I finally got there, out of breath and sweating profusely, I inquired at the line if everyone was waiting for the same flight. About half the people there were also checking in to the same destination which finally finally calmed me down. There were two German young fellows also waiting in line who assured me that they were waiting for the same flight and that everything was OK. Their reassurance allowed me to breathe properly again and stop freaking out. I didn't realize at the time, but these guys would end up being by new best friends and hang out buddies both on the flight and in the new destination. I literally consider it a miracle that I made that flight successfully - even though it was almost accompanied with a heart attack - and I majorly thanked Gd.
Cartagena is a beautiful city with an incredible amount of charm. Like many places in Colombia it has a huge history with the drug cartel (a fact that is still referenced by the prevalence of drugs that is still found there.... Weed, cocaine... you can see and smell it (at least the weed) basically everywhere) although without the danger that once came along with it. The streets in the historical center are colorful and whimsical and of course lined with vendors trying to sell you local art or jewelry or food. Its a lovely place to walk around and it is surrounded on the outskirts by the Caribbean Sea which creates a visually interesting balance and also brings along with it a tremendous heat and humidity. But despite that it was a lovely place to visit.
I headed further East to Barranquilla. Its a residential area that actually reminds me a lot of Teaneck. There is not much to do there as a tourist but I went that way to spend Shabbat with the local Jewish community which was yet again another lovely experience. From there I continued along the coast to the popular SCUBA diving site, Taganga. Its a small sea side location with about 6,000 locals but hundreds of backpacker hostels and likely matched with its number of diving centers. Many people come to Taganga to do their diving course certification as it is one of the cheaper places in the world to do it. Seeing as I already had my certification, I just signed up for a fun dive excursion - and fun it was! Beautiful diving locations by the nearby Tyrona National Park reefs. I so missed diving as was really happy to get back to the magic of the underwater world. Colors, fish, plant life... all of it welcomed me back with the familiarity of an old friend and I was happy to reciprocate the pleasantries.
I also made it by bus and foot to Tyrona National Park to spend the night and visit the beaches. On the way there, Even though I ventured out on my own (something else I am proud of - taking the local local transportation and somehow communicating my intentions and destination without really speaking Spanish) on the last leg of the bus ride I met another solo traveler from Mexico and we ended up spending the next two days together. He used to be a flight attendant and his hysterical stories and spicy personality proved to be a fun travel companion. The hike to get to the Sleeping locations was not particularly difficult but because of the heat and humidity, it was very tiring and very very sweaty. You have to learn quickly to just submit yourself to the situation and not try to make it better. Acceptance is the first step to a better situation. We found a local lodge that rented a hammock to sleep in for the night. Lots of mosquitoes and pretty hot, but it did the trick. Also, right away as we checked in we met another traveler who when he asked me where I'm from told me that his twin brother is studying at a yeshiva in Gush Etziyon... small world! And we Jews are everywhere! The 3 of us as well as two other girls who were there ended up spending the whole night and most of the next day together. It was a lot of fun. We sat out on the beach at night, playing games under the tremendous light from the shining moon! It was so bright that we were able to take clear pictures without a flash! The beaches in Tyrona are stunning with white sand and crisp blue-green water. A very good reward for the walking part in the heat.
I went back from that area to Cartagena for the day as I had booked a cheap flight from there to further south, Cali. I spent the day again with my German friends which was a lovely reunion. I had one rather unpleasant experience. As we walked back very late at night from one of the guys places to my hostel, we were stopped - twice actually in the span of 3 minutes - by the police. They searched us for drugs and went through everything that we had on us. It wasn't until the next day when I was heading to the airport that I realized that one of these "law-enforcing" men stole a 50,000 Peso note from my wallet. Its not a tremendous amount of money - about the equivalent of $25 - but it was an incredible violation and left me crying and shaken. I've chosen to let the positive experiences Ive had in Colombia - thankfully which I have had many - overshadow that little blip.
This weekend I spent in Cali - another big city with not much to do as a tourist but there is a Jewish community here as well that opened up its arms to me. Another little perk is that in this area where the community is there are no hostels and my parents very generously insisted on sponsoring my stay at a hotel. I've felt like a queen these past 2 nights and like Ive been living in luxury, Its not the fanciest of hotels but what an upgrade from hostels! Last night I went to the gym and I remembered what it was like to be a regular person. I ran 5K - something I haven't done in ages - and I did it with ease and a smile on my face!
Something Ive learned about Colombia (which could be true of other places in South America but I have hard facts on this one) is that home help is super inexpensive. I was told that here in Cali the going fee for 8 hours of home help per day is about $15 usd. Its about the same for live-in help as well when you also provide room and board. That is incredibly cheap! I spoke with a woman in Barranquilla who in a sense attributed her happy marriage to the cheap labor. She and her husband don't ever have to discuss who does the chores and there is a tension avoided from the fact that her help can cook meat for her husband while she is opposed to doing so as a vegetarian. There isn't a laziness there as she is an incredibly productive woman who doesn't watch TV and doesn't have a smart phone and is very mindful of how she uses her time, but appreciates the luxury and peacefulness of the home that is facilitated by the inexpensive home help. I wonder if it is just the affluent Jewish community that takes advantage of these services or if anyone who isn't living in poverty in Colombia can use it to their advantage.
Now that this megillah is done, I am moving on to my next destination - the Coffee Zone - to try and squeeze what I can from what is left of this trip. I fly back to New Jersey in a little over a week and one week after that Ill be back in Israel. One more weekend in South America. Three months isn't a crazy long amount of time but it sure feels significant as it comes to an end. I want to make the most of what is left but I'll be ready to come home when the time comes. Until then, I'm going to enjoy me some of the worlds best coffee :)
