I didn't know what to expect when crossing the border between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China. Aside from a lack of English on the signs, it seemed surprisingly normal. Adam and I managed to find a room, and get our first taste of authentic Chinese cuisine thanks to a local connection, my mom's friend's son and his Chinese wife.
A Colombiana recently asked me what I would be doing my last four weeks in Medellin.
I replied that I would be doing exactly what I have been doing.
I've been living my life the way I've wanted for the last 19 months. Why should I stop now?
It has been two months since I last shared what's going on over at Medellin Living, so here is a new batch of my favorite posts and experiences:
If you like what you see, please subscribe.
Even though I'll be returning to the States next month, I'm already trying to line up a few contributors.
Fresh perspectives on one of my favorite cities in the world.
I'm preparing to introduce Holly from Idaho - a dancer for 20 years, and base-jumper extraordinaire, who will be touching down July 28.
Back in 2007, I calculated the carbon offset for driving my German car around Virginia, and then made a donation toward renewable energy production. I have played around with the idea of doing the same for all the flights of my trip around the world too. And that's where Tripbase.com enters the picture. They've developed a quick, new Flight Carbon Emissions Calculator to help travelers account for their carbon footprints in our increasingly green-conscious society.
To test it out, I used my cross-Atlantic flight from Madrid, Spain to Bogota, Colombia. I simply entered my flight class (Long Haul - Economy), departure and destination cities, and clicked "calculate." According to the calculator, the approximate CO2 emissions I'm responsible for as a result of that flight are 0.647 tonnes. The methodology used for the calculator is cited at the bottom of the widget.
While this gives me a feel for how much carbon dioxide I'm tied to for the flight, I wish the calculator could go a step further and somehow monetize it so I would have a basis for donations.
I've added the free Tripbase Flight Carbon Emissions Calculator to my right sidebar. Be sure to give it a test drive and gain a little awareness about your carbon footprint on the world. For the green bloggers out there, you can download the widget at Tripbase.
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This post was written by Dave, and brought to you by Tripbase.
I might not have made the side trip to Macau from Hong Kong if it weren't for Adam. We set off to the former Portugese city for a a few days of high-stakes gambling in the Las Vegas of the East.
This post is for the readers of my blog who also maintain one of their own.
I recently requested another travel blogger add a link to my site on his.
I first learned about this person's blog from the comments he left on mine as I was traveling last year.
The response was "no" because I didn't comment on his blog in return.
I fully understand his perspective, yet it has caused me to reflect on the way I tried to balance my travels with running this blog.
I realize there are a lot of other bloggers who have proactively added a link to my site from theirs.
I am very appreciative. Hopefully, they're still reading.
In advance of my trip, I spent much of my free time on the internet learning about blogging, asking and answering questions in the Bootsnall forums, reading other people's travel blogs, commenting on them, and generally making connections within the online travel community.
When it came time to leave home, I switched gears, focusing solely on relaying my travel experiences in writing, photos, and videos.
My #1 online priority was providing daily updates for people to read.
If I had to guess, I probably spent an average of 1.5 hours per day on the internet, usually in a cafe where I was paying by the minute, often seated uncomfortably, and subject to a slower-than-ideal connection or small monitor.
The main reason I read other people's travel blogs before my trip was to stay motivated and entertained while I waited for my turn.
So, once I was off having daily adventures of my own, the last thing I wanted to do was sit in an internet cafe reading about other people's adventures.
As a result of this conscious decision to limit my blogging experience to the boundaries of Go Backpacking, I did not read other people's blogs, even the ones I considered my favorites.
And if I wasn't reading them, I wasn't in a position to leave comments on them.
I insulated myself from other blogs for the sole purpose of maximizing my travel experience.
Blogging became an integral part of that experience, but I had to draw the line somewhere.
I fell into a routine that did not involve making design updates.
I rarely added a new unpaid link, and turned down many requests from other people, with the response that I was limiting my blogroll to people I met along my trip.
In reality, it was more about not having a links page on the blog, and thus not wanting to fill up my sidebar with unfamiliar sites.
I think this was a mistake. To correct course, I created a new Links page when I updated my theme a few months ago after settling in Medellin.
Now that my travels are wrapping up with this transition period in Colombia, I am trying to be more proactive about giving back to other bloggers - both the new ones getting ready for upcoming trips and the more established ones who've shown me such support the last two and a half years.
I'm reading my favorite blogs again and adding new ones every week.
I'm become more social again, taking the time to comment on others' blogs and answer questions in the Bootsnall forums. In an effort to share what I've learned, I began the Developing a Successful Travel Blog series.
And if I can get my butt in gear, I'm planning to do some guest blogging.
These are some of the ways I plan to "pay it forward" for the support I received while traveling.
Regards from Medellin on a cool and rainy night, as I type to Bob Marley's Legend in an apartment that is about to be mine alone for the next three weeks.
Dave
I've been aware of Tim Ferriss' bestseller, The 4-Hour Workweek, since it hit the shelves in 2007 because his whole philosophy is so well suited to bloggers, especially us travel bloggers.
As a result, it received a lot of online publicity. I knew the basic premise but didn't sit down to start reading it until this past weekend.
While I've only read the first three chapters, it is reassuring to see how he has developed a structure and lexicon for something I was already doing.
Not that what I was doing was groundbreaking. Plenty of people before me had quit their jobs to travel the world.
But it is certainly far from the norm, especially in the United States. It can only be a good thing for such a radical book to reach bestseller status.
Here are a few key concepts he lays out in Chapter 2 which have paralleled my thought process and experience regarding life since 2002.
Interest and energy are cyclical:
Alternating periods of activity and and rest is necessary to survive, let alone thrive. Capacity, interest, and mental endurance all wax and wane. Plan accordingly.
The New Rich aim to distribute "mini-retirements" throughout life instead of hoarding the recovery and enjoyment for the fool's gold of retirement.
By working only when you are most effective, life is both more productive and more enjoyable.
Going through a layoff in 2002 was a blessing in disguise.
It gave me the time to reassess my values and nerve to think I could liberate myself from debt, save more than I spend, and travel around the world.
Sometimes I still have to pinch myself that I've done all that already, and a whole lot more!
The timing is never right:
For all the most important things, the timing always sucks.
Waiting for a good time to quit your job?
The stars will never align and the traffic lights of life will never be all green at the same time.
The universe doesn't conspire against you, but it doesn't go out of its way to line up all the pins either.
Conditions are never perfect. "Someday" is a disease that will take yoru dreams to the grave with you.
Pro and con lists are just as bad.
If it's important to you and you want to do it "eventually," just do it and correct course along the way.
I recently received an e-mail from an American reader over on my Medellin Living blog.
The person was questioning whether to use a recent layoff as an opportunity to travel and work in Costa Rica or Colombia.
The crux of the concern was tied to a lack of money to take on such an adventure.
But the beautiful thing about backpacking and budget travel and being up for the challenge of carving out a new existence in a country with a lower standard of living than the USA (or Europe, or Australia, etc.) is that it doesn't cost a lot. Really.
And what you stand to gain as a person is far more rewarding than you'll probably be able to imagine.
Retirement as worst-case-scenario insurance:
It should be viewed as nothing more than a hedge against the absolute worst-case scenario: in this case becoming physically incapable of working and needing a reservoir of capital to survive.
He goes on to say that this attitude doesn't mean you shouldn't financially plan for retirement.
Instead of contributing less to my 401k as I earned more money, I contributed more.
I didn't want to shortchange my long term situation for my short term trip abroad.
This definitely delayed my departure, but the end result would've been the same, writing to you 18 months later from South America!
I'm looking forward to continuing with The 4-Hour Workweek over the next week or so, and I'll be sure to share any additional observations that strike close to home.
***
PS - As far as I'm concerned, reading e-books will never replace the experience of holding a paper book in one's hands (something I truly began to appreciate while reading books abroad last year), yet the reality in Colombia dictates I read them.
Someone really needs to open an English bookstore in this country!
Ian, the couchsurfing host for my 4-night stay in Singapore, took good care of me. He was especially helpful in introducing me to the wonderful foods available in his country. Therefore, for this Friday's flashback, it makes sense that I pick a post that highlights eating crab at the same restaurant as Anthony Bourdain, and then getting my first taste of the stinkiest fruit on Earth, durian.
The summer travel season officially kicked off this past weekend in the United States, which means despite the world's economic troubles, people are heading for the beach or about to take those long desired vacations. According to my January poll of readers, an impressive 77% intend to travel internationally for fun this year. Whether you are ready to hit the road, or still looking for ideas, Travelgrove wants to provide objective travel information to make your life a little easier.
Travelgrove's purpose is to help consumers compare the costs of flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises and vacation packages from a single website. At the same time, it features the best deals on offer by a variety of travel companies.
The search process is as simple as it gets. When inputting the criteria for flights, be sure to check the available boxes at the bottom allowing you to compare results from sites such as Priceline and Kayak. For example, when I searched for cheap flights from New York City to Rio de Janeiro for a week's getaway from June 18-29, the lowest cost returned was $534 on American Airlines. Cheap indeed! Plus, I saved time and the potential concern that the price might be less if I had just checked one more site before I made a commitment to buy.
Of course the ability to save time and money is a big seller when it comes to researching your next trip, however Travelgrove is trying to go a step further by offering World Travel Guides to help you get a feel for your next potential destination. Full of detailed demographic information on all the countries you'd want to visit, they also feature more reader-friendly write-ups of cities to give you a feel for where you might be headed. Underneath the guides are relevant travel deals for the same location. Spending time on the Rio de Janeiro guide, eying those deals, proved tempting.
In addition to the search functions and travel guides, Travelgrove has also set up a new Travel Community to allow for the exchange of information and to help answer user questions.
Easy to navigate, and attractive in design, Travelgrove's aim to make the traveling public's lives a little simpler is a reason in itself to give them a try.
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This review was written by Dave, and brought to you by Travelgrove. All opinions are my own.
Cameron (aka Cam), a thirty-something Australian yoga instructor I first met in Kathmandu, is probably the most accomplished hiker/trekker I've ever encountered. He spent a few months on a 2,650-mile solo journey through the Pacific Crest Trail which runs from Mexico to Canada, and when I saw his Lonely Planet guide to the Himalaya, he had his eye on more than a few treks which were highlighted in yellow.
As I previously shared, after we parted in eastern India, he spent time in northern India, Pakistan, Iran and Morocco before returning home. I just received an update that he is about to embark on a grand new journey, one that has pangs of envy reverberating through me.
He's flying to London to begin a classic overland adventure to the Bearing Sea (east coast of Russia). While he informed me that a trekking blog was in the works, he's not one to stay tied to a computer on his travels, so I have no blog address to share. Instead, I offer a few of his photos from Pakistan. Hopefully he's not a copyright nut! :)
Over a year later, I still think back to my week on the little tropical Indonesian island of Gili Trawangan often. I've managed to keep in touch with Jessica, who is back working in London, and Linus, who is learning to fly helicopters in Hawaii. Come Waste Your Time With Me is a post recounting my last full day on the island, named after "Waste," the wonderfully laid back Phish song.
A question I am asked from time to time is whether I am thinking about or planning another big trip. While it seems far too soon to contemplate such a decision, the thought has crossed my mind. After all, I have learned a lot of lessons in the last 17 months and it would be fun to put them to use in the future.
If I were to take another long term trip abroad, it would be an overland route, such as one of those written about by Paul Theroux. Maybe Anchorage, Alaska through Latin America to the southern tip of Argentina (or better yet, Antarctica!). Lisbon, Portugal eastward via Russia and the Siberian Railway to Tokyo. And I was previously tempted to spend a month or two traveling up eastern Africa from Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe to Nairobi, Kenya.
One takeaway from my trip around the world which combined a lot of flights with periods of overland travel in certain countries (New Zealand, Australia, South Africa) and regions (Asia) is that the experience of moving slowly when transitioning from one country to the next can be quite special. It feels more like the unfolding of a great adventure, as opposed to springing up in the middle of a metropolis or region populated enough to warrant an (inter)national airport. Crossing land borders can be frustrating and uncomfortable, and you are more likely to be scammed, however they can make for great stories too.
I have a fond memory of the Indian agent helping me and a few others with our entry into his great country after having emerged from a house next door in his white undershirt. Taking his time, by hand, he slowly filled out the large registry book with our information. Lining the tops of bookcases in the home/office were similar registries marked with years past....2006...2005....2004. It was endearing in a quirky, "this is India" kind of way.
And then there was the time I crossed the northern Cambodian border into southern Laos. Goats were moving along the road, it was so devoid of traffic. The agents barely got out of their hammocks at the sight of us tourists being dropped off, and for once I felt comfortable taking a few photos of the scene. The laid back attitude at the border was perfectly indicative of the feeling I had from people throughout the country.
It turns out you can learn a lot about a country and its pace of life from their approach to border crossings!
In 14 months of traveling the world, I received 17 dares. Family, friends, former coworkers, and plenty of readers I've never met were happy to challenge me to step even further outside of my comfort zone than simply putting myself in the middle of a new country or culture. As a result, I had a lot of interesting experiences, and garnered a few odd stories to tell.
Did I finish with a winning percentage?
YES! I completed 13 of the 17 dares, or 76%.
My Successes
My Failures
A BIG thanks to everyone who participated by sending me a dare. I really appreciated the payments which helped to defer the associated costs, or buy me a dinner and a night's rest!
You can access the full write-up for each dare, along with photos and/or video by going to the Dare Me page. And since I have yet to return to the USA, I remain open to any dares which would apply here in Medellin or Colombia.
A big part of the adventure in traveling around different countries is testing your mettle via the local transportation. One moment you are zipping around Bangkok in a fast, comfortable, pink taxi, and the next moment you're in a cloud of dust and dirt, bouncing around in the seat of a bicycle-powered rickshaw in Varanasi, India.
Planes and Helicopters
For flights, I used Air Tahiti, Jetstar (and Jetstar Asia), Southern China, Air China, Yeti Airlines, THAI Air, Laos Airlines, Air Qatar, Air Egypt, Jetairfly.com, Iberia, and Avianca. The service was best on Air Tahiti (though I slept most of the 14 hours), THAI Air - possibly my biggest plane - a 747 jumbo jet, and Air Qatar - they had the best food.
I boarded the smallest plane of my life, a 5-seater Cessna, for a scenic flight over Botswana's Okavango Delta.
And if you haven't picked up on it by now, I loved my first helicopter ride which was on New Zealand's South Island.
Ferries, Sailboats, Motorboats, Longboats, Kayaks, and Mokoros
I wasn't on Tahiti more than a night when I had already boarded my first ferry of the trip (to nearby Moorea). Other memorable trips included the ride to Macau from Hong Kong, and zipping between the Thai mainland and all those beautiful islands in the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea.
In Thailand I had my one and only experience with sea kayaking. The water was gentle so it was a fun experience. Then we jumped off the 20-foot high roof of our big tour boat. The oddest experience was when a night ferry to Ko Tau had mechanical troubles and we witnessed first hand the fix the crew came up with which involved steel cables and a large winch/crane.
The longest ferry ride had to have been from Bali to Gili Trawangan aboard a sluggish Indonesian ferry. All the foreign tourists were on the roof because the conditions below deck were filthy. I've never seen islands pass soooo slowly! Credit goes to Indonesia for my scariest ride on water too. I chose to take the fast route back to Bali from Gili Trawangan, and that entailed some rough seas for the first hour. I was actually planning my escape route should the boat have capsized!
I took my first real cruise in Egypt, chugging down the Nile River. The food was good, and I met some great people, but it was winter and therefore too cold to fully enjoy the upper deck and pool in the evenings.
In South Africa, I boarded the world-record holding boat for trips around the world. It was a fun way to cruise out of the Cape Town harbor and take in the scenic views of Robben Island and Camp's Bay.
And being offered the chance to steer the Apollo maxi racing yacht on our way back to Airlie Beach from the Whitsunday Islands was a pure delight.
Trains
The train rides in India were amazing. Chai, chai, chai. It will never taste as good as those little cups you'd get on the rails. The sunsets were gorgeous, and the 3AC sleeper cars comfortable enough to catch some ZZZ's.
On the other hand, getting around by high speed rail in France is darn sexy, if not expensive.
Buses, Minivans, 4x4's, Jeeps, Cars, and Taxis
You'll rarely be lonely if you take the Stray backpacker bus in New Zealand or the Baz bus in South Africa. I met tons of fun people as I traveled overland through both countries. The overnight buses in Thailand, Laos and Colombia are the equivalent of blast freezers, so be sure to bring warm clothes. On the plus side, they are comfortable, efficient, and inexpensive! The minivan rides in Cambodia were amongst my worst, ever! A few were too long, and with too many people in too small a space.
My most scenic bus ride came at the conclusion of the Nepal trek, when Gela wanted to ride the roof of our bus for the 2 hours back to Pokhara. It was not comfortable, sitting on a metal luggage rack with 20 Nepalis as we barreled down the curving mountain roads, but we did have wonderful 360-degree views!
On the other hand, while at times nauseating, the 4x4 rides around the mountains of Darjeeling and Sikkim, India were breathtaking. The ride up the steep Sani Pass which connects South Africa with Lesotho was fun, while the giant 4x4 we used on a 2-day Fraser Island trip in Australia left the DIY-backpackers with their rental jeeps in the dust (er, sand).
Tuk-tuks
Utilized in India, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. At times, the constant need to negotiate prices for rides would get on my nerves. Add the host of scams unique to each country's drivers, and some hot climates, and you have a recipe for stress. But overall, I got a kick out of the rides.
Rickshaws
Somewhere between tuk-tuk and walking lies the rickshaw. Usually pulled by bicycles these days, often with the driver sweating bullets under the mid-day heat, they are slow but effective for short distances. I took the most rides on them in India.
Motorbikes and Bicycles
I never did learn to ride a motorbike, but after seeing the walking wounded on the Thai islands, I realized that wasn't a bad thing. In the future, I think I will try and incorporate more bicycle riding into my trips. I enjoyed my rides in southern and northern Laos.
By Foot
Yep, I walked a helluva lot too!
Riding strange and exotic animals was a personal requirement of my trip, and looking back, I think I did a solid job of seeking them out and taking a few rides to remember. Did I miss any good animals?
Yaks only live above 10,000 feet, so you'd better be around some big mountains if you want to ride one. I was excited to take a short ride at a holy lake in Sikkim, India called Tsomgo Lake. Altitude, 12,000 feet. Yee-haw!
Luang Prabang, Laos offered my first experience riding an elephant, including a turn steering the beast while sitting atop it's neck. Later, in northern Thailand, I took another ride on a bigger one, but the operation in Laos seemed a little more animal-friendly to me.
I first saw some of the Jackass guys ride ostriches on their MTV show The Wild Boys. My chance came in the ostrich capital of the world - Outdshorn, South Africa.
I admit a horse isn't the most exotic of animals, however it'd been about 20 years since I'd ridden one, and was anxious to give it another go. I never did give myself a chance to gallop along a beach in South Africa, but there's always next time!
If you choose to see the Great Pyramids of Giza by any other mode than camel, well, you're missing out! It was well worth the hassle to arrange. Can a travel photo get any better!?
Bonus!
Since you can't really ride a snake, this photo is slightly out of place, but all the same, it was my first time holding the slithery reptile. Well worth the tip expected! Later, in Pokhara, Nepal, I had a smaller boa around my neck and a cobra peering me in the eyes.
From $1 pad thai on the streets of Bangkok to fresh sashimi on Tahiti and $25 foie gras-topped duck in Bordeaux. I could be spoiled for life. I know I will never think of Sweet and Sour Chicken in the USA as Chinese food again! This is not an easy post for me, but here are a few of my favorite meals from around the world.
The meal - Home cooked bacon-wrapped filet mignon with potatoes, mushrooms, salad, and lots of red wine. Fresh mixed berries for dessert.
The location - Michael and Anne's home in Trinity Beach, Australia (north of Cairns)
The meals - Seafood, including shrimp, salmon, and tuna
The location - The Beach House restaurant on Gili Trawangan, Indonesia
The meal - Pork dumplings
The location - Chengdu, China
The meal -
The location - Bukhara Restaurant in New Delhi, India
The meal - Spicy Panang Curry with rice
The location - Restaurant on Chaweng Beach, Koh Samui, Thailand
The meal - French Onion Soup, Foie-stuffed ravioli, and chocolate cake for dessert.
The location - Le Central in Vientiane, Laos
The meal - Open-faced breakfast sandwich of eggs, peppers, onions, and mushrooms on wheat bread
The location - Mornings on safari in Kruger Park, South Africa
The meal - Risotto with red wine, salad, and a side of bone marrow
The location - Le Perron in Geneva, Switzerland
The meal - Various pastries
The location - 48, near Bordeaux, France (thanks Magali!)
If you´re planning a trip around the world, it probably goes without saying that you´re an adventurous person (or couple).
Here are a few of my favorite adventures in chronological order! You can find most of the related posts by accessing the Adventure Sports category in the Archives.
Alternatively, search for the related posts via country in the Archives, or by keyword in the search field.
Canyoning - near Auckland, New Zealand
Heli-hiking Franz Joseph Glacier - South Island, New Zealand
107-meter Canyong Swing - Queenstown, New Zealand
2-day Fraser Island 4x4 tour - Australia
3-day sailboat trip with intro SCUBA dive - The Whitsunday Islands, Australia
Annapurna Sanctuary Trek - near Pokhara, Nepal
Paragliding - Pokhara, Nepal
3-day rafting trip - Khali Gandaki River, Nepal
3-day 4x4 tour - northern Sikkim, India
Indrahar Pass Trek (4,330 meters) - near McLeod Ganj, India
Firing a 9mm Beretta - Phuket, Thailand
Rock climbing - Van Vieng, Laos
River tubing - Van Vieng, Laos
Muay Thai training - Chiang Mai, Thailand
Hill Tribe trek - near Chiang Mai, Thailand
Cage diving with Great White Sharks - Gansbaai, South Africa
Sandboarding - Jeffrey's Bay, South Africa
4x4 ascent of Sani Pass and hike - Lesotho and South Africa
Unarmed game walks - Okavango Delta, Botswana
If last week was focused on the great relationships I formed during my backpacking trip around the world, then this week's posts are going to be centered around superlatives. The best food, adventure activities, and to kick things off, accommodations!
Himalaya View Guest House - Chomrong, Nepal - The guest house may have been very basic, but the warmth and hospitality of the Nepalese staff, my porter Nima Sherpa, and of other trekkers passing through Chomrong made my nights here memorable. I frequently stood in awe at the Himalayan panorama outside my doorstep (including 8,000m Annapurna South, and Mt. Machhapuchhre), ate pizza, and hoped Gela was warm and safe up at Annapurna Base Camp. Why wasn´t I with her? Read my 12-part series on the Annapurna Sanctuary trek.
PRK Guest House - Boudha, Nepal - I was driven out of the uber-popular Kathmandu Guest House in the touristy Thamel distrct after one too many nights of hearing the same cover band belt out songs from a nearby bar. I checked into a monastery-run guest house in Boudha, a minute's walk from the important Buddhist pilgrimage site of Boudhnath Stupa just outside the capital city. From my room, I had a perfect view of a garden, and school yard which would fill with children at play every afternoon. In the mornings, I awoke at 6am to the banging of drums, and chants of monks. And my close proximity to the stupa meant I could visit, observe, and photograph it from sunrise to sunset. Check out a few of my posts from this time: Blissful Boudhnath Stupa, Daily Life in Boudha, and More Images From Boudhnath Stupa.
Tibetan Monastery - Bodhgaya, India - The room was a bed, a desk, and a fan, but I knew my patronage helped support the monastery, and it certainly was amongst the most tranquil places I stayed. I was too lazy to get up in the mornings for the early prayers, though I was more than welcome to attend. Here´s a post about my visit to the Bodhi tree where Buddha attained enlightenment!
Mountain bungalow - Haad Rin (beach) on Koh Phangan (island), Thailand - One week in a private bungalow overlooking Thailand's most infamous beach, and world party destination, Haad Rin. Read about my experience at the July 2008 Full Moon Party.
The Intercity Hotel - Vientiane, Laos - At $40 per night, this Lonely Planet Editor's Pick was a splurge but well worth it in advance of my birthday. I believe it was the costliest accommodation of my trip, offering views of the Mekong River and an adjacent monastery. I wrote a little more about it here.
The Backpack - Cape Town, South Africa - Warren said The Backpack was rated the best hostel in South Africa, if not the whole continent, and dropped me off there upon my arrival in Cape Town. The views of Table Mountain were great, and the staff and Tuesday braai (BBQ) wonderful. The first activity I booked at The Backpack was a wine tour of course!
Throughout my trip, I´ve increasingly thought of myself as a travel blogger.
I found inspiration in a few travel blogs before I left on my trip, and I've been happy to hear from many people who are about to embark on their own trips, fully prepared to blog for the benefit of those they know, and those they don´t.
I was lucky enough to cross paths with 4 fellow travel bloggers on my trip.
Even though our time was short for each meeting, there was already a connection with each person as we´d been reading each other's blogs all along.
Justin (USA), the author of Corporate Whore No More, was already living and working in Wellington, New Zealand when I passed through town.
I met up with him at his hostel, and he invited me to trivia night at a local bar with his friends who were also living and working there.
We came in 2nd place, earning a $50 bar tab and a bottle of champagne!
After New Zealand, Justin traveled through China, Argentina, Uruguay, and Panama before returning home to Omaha, Nebraska earlier this year.
Chris' (Germany) Nomad4ever might well have been the first travel blog I encountered and began to follow.
He worked hard for 14 years, and took very early retirement, adopting a nomadic lifestyle by first moving to Phuket, then Bali, and now Goa, India.
Gary (USA), the author of Everything Everywhere, has just entered his 3rd year of traveling the world.
When we met in Bali last February, he had come off of visiting every Pacific island nation there was to see, a big accomplishment in and of itself, let alone trying to visit more of the world.
While Chris' early design inspired the first incarnation of my blog, Gary's current design gives me something to strive for now. It looks amazing!
We met in central Kuta and walked to an open-air food court for dinner and beers.
Unfortunately, it began to rain heavily, and while the few people there sought shelter, we were having such a good time talking, we remained under a tent at our table as the employees used a broomstick to push the buckets of water off the tarp above our heads.
Nate (England), the author of Ubertramp, was living on Koh Phi Phi and working as a dive instructor when I passed through that little island paradise.
We shared a few beers on the beach one night, and I tried to squeeze the island gossip out of him.
Honorable Mentions: I'm a big fan of Boris' (Germany) Travel Junkie website, and we came within a few days of meeting each other around Christmas in New Zealand.
And Dan (Tasmania) over at The Lost Globe was in Thailand around the same time as me, however, we weren't able to connect.
One of my favorite aspects of backpacking and budget travel is your ability to easily strike up conversations with other travelers in hostels, on beaches, and just about anywhere.
Sometimes you click with people, and spend a few days, a few weeks, or even a few months with them.
During this time, you share amazing, exotic, adventurous experiences.
You bond with them in a way that you never did with your best friends at home.
And usually, there is an understanding that even if you only touch base from time to time thereafter, that person would be ready to host or help you if you come anywhere near his/her geographic location in the future!
I met hundreds, if not thousands, of people on my trip, and I thought it would be nice to revisit a few of those friendships formed along the adventure.
The list is quite long, so those I´m highlighting are likely the people I spent the most time with.
I met Linus (Sweden) on the way to Gili Trawangan, off the coast of Lombok in Indonesia.
The next night, we met Jessica and Laura (London). We spent a week together on Gili T and another back on Bali.
Linus is currently learning to fly helicopters in Hawaii, while Laura is busy working, and Jessica and I are searching for employment.
Adam was staying in the same cramped 4-bed hostel room as me in Mirador Mansion, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
He had the first ASUS eeePC I'd ever seen and helped me buy one a few days later at an electronics mall.
Besides exploring Hong Kong's arcades, we also took a 3-day trip to Macau and tested our luck in the casinos.
Adam is back in England, after additional travels in China and Southeast Asia.
I had a great time hanging out with my old friend Charlie in his home of 5 years, Chengdu, China.
I played a ridiculous amount of Guitar Hero at his apartment, and he showed me around town during my two-week stay.
Gela (Holland) and I connected via Travbuddy for a 10-day trek in the Annapurna region of Nepal.
She kicked my butt on the trek and is teaching back at home where I visited her last December.
She is planning a trip to India for later this year.
I met a lot of great people in my weekend Buddhism course in Pokhara, Nepal, after the trek.
In the black tank-top is Steven (London). We would later meet up again in northern India, and Thailand. I spent the most time with him, a collective 7 weeks.
He is currently working on a farm in Australia with plans to pay off his credit card and travel South America.
Marie (in a shawl to right) is also from England, and we met up again in northern India as well. It was a nice reunion.
She spent 6 months in Nepal and India and is now back in England.
Stefan (green/grey shirt to right) was hilarious, and I was glad to be hosted by him for a few nights in Bern, Switzerland this past January.
I met Natalie (Canada) on a 3-day rafting trip in Nepal.
We met up a little later in Kathmandu, where she introduced me to Cameron (Australia).
We met up once again in Darjeeling, India, and traveled up to Sikkim together.
Dave joined us for a 3-day jeep trip through the mountains to the far north.
Natalie spent 6 months traveling in Nepal and India and returned home to Canada to further her studies, while Cameron continued to trek throughout northern India, Pakistan, Iran, and ultimately Morocco.
After 14 years away from home, he finally returned to Australia a few months ago.
Rumor has it, he's developing a blog or website about trekking.
Josi and Catharine (Canada), and I got to talking on the ferry from Phuket to Koh Phi Phi and ended up spending the next 10 days or so traveling to Ko Tau, and ultimately Bangkok together.
They had just come from Bali, after previously competing in a dragon boat racing competition in Malaysia.
Both are back in Quebec, awaiting warmer weather!
Sebastien, Magali, and I all happened to be in the back of the same 4x4 on the bumpy track to Bulungula, a hostel/village on South Africa's Wild Coast.
I enjoyed getting to know them, and was thrilled to visit and stay with them in Biganos, France (Bordeaux region) this past January.
Amy and her boyfriend Joe met during their work in Uganda for the Peace Corps.
I bumped into them along with Amy's parents on a Nile cruise in Egypt.
It was nice to be amongst an American family from Wisconsin for a few days. Gary, the Dad, is taking the photo for us.
Martin (Germany) is on a 6-month paid internship at EAFIT University in Medellin.
It is part of a master plan he has to live and travel to a variety of countries including Brazil, India, and Japan.
I met him my first weekend in the city, and he has been a big help to me ever since, from introducing me to capoeira to helping me obtain a room in the same apartment as him.
But most of all, he has offered heaps of moral support and motivation for me to figure out how to teach English and learn Spanish.
I must admit, I look at the details of my post about what I took on my trip with a tinge of embarrassment. I can only guess the level of order and detail was directly proportional to my level of excitement!
I was aware of how the contents of my bag and wardrobe slowly morphed as I moved from continent to continent over the months. Hopefully you can see a little bit of humor in the eclectic assortment of items with which I ended. I noted whatever I bought along the way, and am not including the few things I've picked since I stopped traveling.
Clothes and Packs
Toiletries and First Aid
Electronic Gear
Documents and Money
Miscellaneous
Lost and Stolen Items
**Tips**
I had a great time with all of my hosts, whether I had met them previously, or through Couchsurfing. I highly recommend this social network. Before my trip, I hosted two people and wrote a 3-part piece about the experience. It has remained one of the most popular articles on the blog the whole time!
I would like to recognize the following hosts for being so generous with their time, and often money:
Sam - Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia
Beni - Brisbane, Australia
Michael and Anne - Trinity Beach, Australia (the uncle of my friend Michele)
Bonnie - Syndey, Australia
Ian - Singapore
Charlie - Chengdu, China (friend from home, and longest couchsurf at 2 weeks)
Hannes - Cape Town, South Africa
Cristal - Cape Town, South Africa (met on the plane from Doha, and she invited me to stay with her)
Megan - Cairo, Egypt
Geraldine - Brussels, Belgium
Laura - Paris, France
Stefan - Bern, Switzerland
Calen - Geneva, Switzerland
Magali and Sebastien - Biganos, France
Yair - Madrid, Spain
Laura - Bogota, Colombia
To help others get an idea for the cost of a trip around the world, I realized there was no better way than to track my actual expenses.
I tried to find a balance between providing current and useful data with not being too nerdy and spending all my time calculating exchange rates and accounting for every penny.
I rounded all expenses to the nearest $0.05, and after losing a little pocket exchange calculator in the beginning, I decided to use rough exchange rates to do the calculations in my head instead.
Table of Contents
To determine the cost of a trip around the world, I categorized my spending into six buckets:
Some activities included meals and lodging for a night or more, such as my treks in Nepal and India. I did not attempt to separate those costs.
I also did not factor travel between most countries into my daily costs.
This would include international flights, though not the buses and trains I used between countries in Europe.
Total for Daily Spending = $30,162
Total for Inter-country Flights = $4,867
* Flights purchased through AirTreks.com. Cost of my 15-month trip around the world = $35,029**
Fulfilling a personal dream = priceless!
For further details about the cost of a trip around the world, you can review my online spreadsheet.
** This figure does not include pre/post-trip expenses like storage, health insurance, immunizations, etc.
PS - Through online advertising, dares, donations, and gifts, I was able to travel longer than I otherwise would've been able to on my own.
Thank you to everyone who contributed, whether it was offering a donation or just reading this blog!
It feels weird to be reflecting on my trip around the world when I am not back in the United States. Before I left home November 29. 2007, I imagined my writing at this point would be amongst a pile of souvenirs, journals, photographs and videos in the company of my parents. I would sift and comb through it all to try and sum up the journey of a lifetime, yet here I am sitting outside at a copy shop's laptop across the street from a Colombian University in Medellin. I have access to my two most recent handwritten journals, my blog's archives, 17,000 uploaded photos on Flickr, 49 videos on YouTube, and all my personal memories. It all sounds rather daunting, so I am going to put aside my perfectionism and simply write the next bunch of entries as stream of conscience.
And please feel free to submit any questions. A popular one I will answer next week is what the contents are of my backpack now as opposed to when I so meticulously took inventory before leaving home.
Colombia was to be the last country of my trip around the world, and either because I was nearing the end of my adventure, or I simply couldn't satisfy my curiosity about the place, its people, and culture, I decided to see what it would take to live abroad. Throughout the previous 13 months of travel through 19 other countries and kingdoms on 4 continents, I was always wondering whether there was a city which would inspire and motivate me to take on the challenge of working abroad. It feels good to have found such a place.
Despite the concerns about FARC, kidnappings, and crime, I felt safer in Bogota and Medellin than Cape Town and Johannesburg. While the traditional Colombian food is artery-clogging to the core, the nightlife is awesome (in this gringo's opinion). The people on a whole are amongst the most friendly and curious I have met on my trip. The women can inspire a guy to want to learn Spanish. And with the snow-capped Andes, jungles, undeveloped beaches, and smaller towns and villages yet to explore, there is enough to keep me busy or coming back again and again.
Highlights -
Lowlights -
Eating -
Meat, chicken, beans, avocado, traditional soup, Aguila cerveza, Aguardiente, rum, tinto (coffee), lots of sushi.
# of Days Couchsurfing -
6
Average Cost Per Day -
$44
1:10 pm
Sitting aboard my Avianca flight to Medellin via Bogota. Tired. Very. Melancholy. Only internet access at airport was wireless and of course my laptop battery is dead, the AC Adapter stolen. Maybe I try to sleep now. Long travel day but better than the 13-hour bus ride.
On the ride to Barranquilla, I sat next to Cesar, a 32-year old, engaged dentist. He offered to drive me to the airport via his house for a change of clothes. I met his mom and sister. It was a nice surprise. At airport check-in, the woman smiled and complimented my blue eyes. I told her she made my day.
2:24 pm
I'm off the plane, but we never left the ground. First, a 40-minute delay due to busy air traffic, then disembarked due to a storm in Bogota. The girl next to me spoke English so it was nice to pass the time with her. It also took my mind off some things.
My concern now is getting to Medellin at a reasonable hour to sleep so I can dedicate the following day to my writing assignment. I wish my laptop adapter hadn't been stole! My mp3 player is almost dead too.
Later
When I got back on the plane, the beautiful Gisella sat next to me as the other girl wanted to be with her mom who was nervous about flying. Gisella is from Bogota, but has been living in Rome for 8 years, having just recently left her job as a travel agent to spend some time in Colombia. We talked most of the flight. She runs a side business dealing pre-Colombian jewelry and uncut emeralds.
The wait for a connection in Bogota was short despite our late arrival. The flight to Medellin was even shorter. I was excited to be back. The shuttle bus ride from the airport to the city center took one hour due to some traffic as a church service let out. I then got a taxi back to Casa Kiwi Hostel, used the internet for a few hours and got some much needed sleep.
Continue reading about my experiences in Colombia at Medellin Living.
As the sun began to set in Cartagena, we walked around the old city center again. The idea was to follow the path of a walking tour, but we ended up just wandering around, and eventually waiting for Julian and his sister to get matching ear piercings. We returned to the hotel and regrouped for a night out on the town.
My understanding before arrival was the nightlife in Cartagena revolved around prostitutes, and given my distaste for such environments at the bars and clubs in Thailand, I wasn´t expecting much. Our timing was off too, as we were all at Carnaval for the weekend, leaving us in Cartagena on typically quiet Monday and Tuesday nights.
We began with a short walk from the hostel to a local bar which was playing vallanato music. After we got the first round of beers, I commented that sitting in the bar felt exactly like I imagined it would. I also imagine sitting in a Cuban bar would feel the same. Fans spinning on the ceiling, Caribbean breeze blowing through the open doors, Spanish music playing from the (digital) jukebox.
After a few drinks, we made our way to the old, walled section of the city. We never managed to make it to the places listed in the 2006 Lonely Planet. Instead, we walked into the first club we came across. The music was far too loud, and it was practically empty. We walked up a few flights of stairs to the rooftop bar which had a beautiful view toward the sea, however the bar wasn´t open up there (though they would´ve done it for us) and there was no music. Since people wanted to dance, we returned to the main floor.
I wish I could say I had a good time, but I didn't. Instead, I left ahead of everyone else, at about 2am. Along the way, I bought a tinto (small black coffee) from a vendor walking around. There are always guys on the streets selling coffee from big thermuses, regardless of the hour.
Back at the hostel, I didn´t get much sleep. My intention was to wake up at 6am to catch an early bus back to Barranquilla so I could still make my flight back to Medellin.
I was up early my first morning in Cartagena, and went to check my e-mail, only to find the details of a writing assignment I had accepted for a popular website.
Immediately, I was torn between experiencing the city, and figuring out how to accomplish the assignment in the 3 days given.
I read over the assignment while sipping a tinto (small black coffee) in the hostel courtyard, and began to brainstorm.
As everyone emerged from their slumbers later in the morning, we made a plan to hit the beach.
We split up, and Karin and Jarib joined me in the old city first.
I had invited them to lunch at La Cevicheria, a restaurant Anthony Bourdain visited on his trip to the city in 2008.
I had the exact address from the Travel Channel website, yet we walked in circles unable to find it (even after the girls asked several locals in Spanish).
I realized it would´ve been smart to find the phone number too. We ducked into a typical Colombian restaurant instead, and decided to try again the next day.
After lunch, we took a taxi to the beach, and began walking up it to find the others.
The water was warm - a nice change from the chilly waters off South Africa and Barcelona.
While it wasn´t Brazil, I was happy to be on a beach in good company with a caipirinha in my hand.
After we finished our drinks at the bar, I sat under one of the canopies as the others went for a swim.
The locals were hawking everything from massages to ceviche.
I made the mistake of accepting a sample foot massage, and soon found my legs lathered in goop to the point of utter annoyance.
I got up and walked right into the water with the others, annoyed at being annoyed! It reminded me of Kuta Beach, Bali.
The water was perfect, and there were big waves which made playing around for awhile in the surf more fun.
Monday morning, I made the impromptu decision to leave Carnaval in Barranquilla for Cartagena. Since my plan was to return to Medellin in a few days, I didn´t know if I would make it back to the coast. I said goodbye to the Irish guys/gals who were heading for the same city later in the day, and took the two hour bus west along the coast with the Dutch, French, and Peruvian contingent.
Upon arrival, we checked into a hostel and walked the short distance to the Caribbean waters as the sun was slowly starting to set. We got our first views of the developed beachfront which is somewhat reminiscent of Miami.
Then, we headed into the historic, beautiful, and romantic old city center which is enclosed within a wall. Tourists were everywhere, which reminded me of why I appreciated Medellin. On average, the shops and restaurants were notably more expensive than what I had encountered in Bogota and Medellin too.
We eventually came upon a pizza and pasta restaurant where we sat down for dinner. Fans circulated the air overhead. Cartagena was living up to it´s billing, and it was clear why so many tourists visit. I should probably note that Cartagena is a big city, and while the walled part of the city where all the tourists visit is safe, the rest of the city suffers from poverty and crime to a much greater degree. This reality is not lost on me, but at the same time, like all tourists, I´m there to enjoy the nice part of town.
After dinner, with everyone tired from the weekend, we picked up some rum and Coca-Cola and enjoyed a few drinks back at the hotel.
The general plan for Sunday was to sleep late, and return to the same spot where we watched the parade the first day. Unfortunately, with our now giant group, it took forever to get moving. I was tired, but I figured once I was outside again, in the mix, my energy level would rise.
Trying to find the same block where we were the day before turned out to be a big pain in the butt. A group of us headed out with two taxis toward an address which turned out to be far away from our intended destination. At least we found we weren´t missing much in terms of atmosphere at other points along the parade route, but walking around the backstreets of Barranquilla while everyone else seemed to be enjoying the second parade was a downer.
It took us over two hours and three taxi rides, but we eventually regrouped with some of the others at the same spot as the day before. The crowd was thinner, as it was later in the afternoon, but the atmosphere was still great. I met two Peruvian girls, Karin and Janib (pronounced ¨har-eef¨) that were staying at the other popular budget hotel besides Olimpico. My group alliances began to change from hanging out with the Irish and Aussies to a Dutch brother (Julian)/sister(?), two French guys (Ben, ?), and Karin and Janib.
We all hung out by the parade for an hour or two, and made plans to regroup in the evening after washing up. A Colombian guy had been selling drinks to the others before I had arrived, and he apparently offered to help show us around in the evening. Random. Karin doubted his intentions, while everyone else seemed to believe he was simply trying to help us have a good time.
In the early evening, we headed out on foot toward a park where there had been a party during the day, but it had long since ended. Instead, we found ourselves walking through lots of trash left behind by the revelers. I was growing tired of the walking with no particular destination in mind, except the instincts of our Colombian guide. It was reminiscent of the frustration I felt earlier in the day.
And then it happened. Walking up some random street, we came upon a Colombian home blasting music and dancing in the street. It was a site I´d already seen all over Barranquilla since arrival. Crashing such a random party was exactly what I was looking for. We could´ve gone to a disco or bar in any city, but to hang out with some friendly, welcoming Colombians outside their home was a unique experience. And they welcomed us immediately. We danced, we had a few drinks, we got hit with shaving cream and talcum powder again. It was perfect.
I enjoyed the party, atmosphere, and Colombian hospitality for a few hours before sharing a taxi back to the hotel with Karin and Jarib.
A group of us headed north in taxis to see the parade on Saturday afternoon.
I bought a traditional woven hat, paying too much because I didn´t shop around and didn´t want to hold off due to the intense midday sun.
Our groups splintered, but we mostly found each other after an hour or two, along with some new people. It was very crowded.
We found a great spot in the shade of a building to spend a few hours spraying each other with foam and drinking beers, rum, and Aguardiente.
Carnaval was really a family affair - little kids were everywhere, along with moms, dads, and older folks.
It was difficult to see the parade except for the people on floats because I´m short and a lot of people arrived early to get a good spot.
Jason, one of the Aussies, had his wallet stolen when we walked through a control gate to get to the parade route.
He lost $50 cash, and to add insult to injury, had a few more people (including little kids) try to rifle through his pocket the rest of the afternoon.
Needless to say, it angered him. I was glad to have switched to my board shorts right before leaving, so my camera and cash were secured in a difficult to access velcro pocket.
And despite my desire to get some photos this first day, when I held up my camera, I was often told by a Colombian to put it away because I was making myself a target.
I didn´t move too far from our pack of Aussie-European-Americans, however, I would´ve liked to have met more Colombians in the crowd.
Actually, an architecture student named Marcia started talking to me in English at one point.
She invited us to a party she was hosting at her apartment on Monday, so I got the details with the full intention of checking it out.
After the parade, it took some walking and patience to get a taxi.
Even when I got one, it seemed to have trouble finding the hotel despite the exact address printed on the business card.
Back at the hotel, I showered, ate a really bad pizza for dinner, and regrouped with the others.
We took taxis to an area recommended by the hotel staff.
It was a city block with bars on both sides, loud music playing, and everyone hanging out on the patios and sidewalks.
People continued to spray each other with foam, and slap talcum powder on one another (regardless of whether you knew the person).
Most people reacted well, but I did my best to avoid the messiness at that point. And I left my camera at home so I wouldn´t have to worry about it.
As much fun as others appeared to be having, I was longing for a more authentic experience.
I wanted to take a taxi and find one of the bars we´d seen before with just a handful of Colombians hanging out, dancing, and enjoying themselves.
Eventually, the area where we were hanging out was filled with couchsurfers, gringos, and what felt like every backpacker in the city.
I was too timid to leave the herd though and didn´t have any luck recruiting an adventurous soul to join me.
I became bored with the lack of circulation and eventually decided to take a taxi back to the hotel and call it a night.
The Irish girls and guys joined me.
Stepping out of the cool bus Friday morning, I was immediately greeted with the heat and humidity of the Caribbean coast.
The sun was shining and there was not a cloud in the sky.
Lonely Planet and the few travel blog entries I´d read about Barranquilla, describe it as something of a big urban port city lacking the flash of Medellin or Cali, and the beaches and old city of Cartagena.
In particular, the city center where budget hotels are located is dodgy at night.
Two weeks earlier, I was excited to have a confirmed couchsurf. At least I thought it was confirmed.
A few days before leaving Medellin, I began to call and write the guy but didn´t hear back.
Already committed to attending Carnaval for the weekend, I decided to stick with the plan.
Upon arrival in the city, with still no word from my potential host, I used the internet at the bus station to plead with a few other couchsurfers who initially declined my requests (because they were already hosting other people).
I had at least one positive response offering some floor space. I felt a little better.
I then called Hotel Olimpico, which I first learned of in a guy's travel blog from the previous year.
It was also listed on the Wiki Travel site for Barranquilla.
Thankfully, they had a private room available, though I would be paying the higher than normal rate of $20 per night.
I immediately took a cab and got the room.
After a shower, some rest, and TV, I took a walk around the neighborhood which was bustling with street vendors selling Carnaval-related goods like the traditional woven hats, colorful (and brash) t-shirts, cheap sunglasses, and specially-formulated shaving cream among other things.
The mood in the street was positively upbeat. Carnaval is the city's claim to fame, and its annual chance to showcase itself to the rest of Colombia and Latin America.
In the evening, I met a group of four Irish travelers who had arrived from Taganga, a small fishing village a few hours east along the coast which I had initially planned to visit after my (now canceled) flight to Santa Marta.
Dave and Jen were dating, and Jen and Matt were siblings.
I was the 5th wheel, but they immediately welcomed me into their group.
We had a few beers in the hotel´s recreation/dining room and took a cab to the northern part of the city in search of dinner and fun.
After scouting an area recommended by the hotel staff, we settled on a Lebanese restaurant for dinner.
Next, we crossed the street to a popular bar and had a few beers on the terrace.
It was an early night, but a good warm-up for the main event which kicked off the next day with a big parade.
On a sunny Wednesday afternoon, I took the metro to the northern bus station in Medellin and with a little hand gesturing and patience, managed to buy an overnight bus ticket to Barranquilla, a large city on the Caribbean coast which plays host to Colombia´s biggest annual Carnaval celebration. The one way ticket cost was about $40. Countless other travelers passing through the hostel had already confirmed for me that the long range buses were safe and comfortable. I booked a return flight on Avianca thanks to a promotional fare of just $53 (about half price).
The bus terminal seemed fine by day, but when I returned Thursday night, it had a more ominous and crowded feel (as bus terminals anywhere in the world often do). I kept my bags close, and after a thirty minute wait, boarded my 9pm bus to Barranquilla. The seats were amongst the most comfortable of my entire trip. The air-conditioning revved up and froze me to a degree reminiscent of my overnight bus in Laos, however I was prepared with long pants and a hooded sweatshirt.
The start of the 13-hour ride was nauseating as we wound up the curving mountain rodes out of the valley. It was dark, and raining, so visibility was limited to within the bus. A DVD of currently popular Spanish music videos began to play at an agreeable level. I managed to get a few hours of sleep during the journey.
A few weeks ago, a Colombian girl entered the hostel in an altered/distraught state and took a bed in a room on the lower floor. While I was using the internet in reception, I heard her ask Paul, the owner, if she could switch rooms. She told him she had been drugged the night before at a club, and her Ipod and camera were stolen as a result. She was moved to the bunk bed above mine on the second floor.
When I went up there, I found Paul talking to her, and my daypack wide open. I checked it and immediately found my Oakleys were missing. I told Paul, who asked the girl several times about the sunglasses. On the third time, she gave them back and apologized. Concerned, I locked up my laptop, but nothing else (don´t ask me why, I know I should´ve locked up everything at that point). I went for a walk to buy an English/Spanish dictionary at a big bookstore a few kilometers away.
I returned to the hostel a few hours later to find most of my valuables sprawled out on the reception/dining room table. Binoculars, 4 memory cards, my camera, mp3 player, and a few other things. It turned out the girl had been stealing from people in both rooms she managed to spend time in, and Paul checked through her bags before either she left or was thrown out. Unfortunately, she managed to get away with the AC adapter for my laptop, which as we all know by now, is very difficult and expensive to replace. As a result, I can not longer use my laptop. I also lost the USB cable to charge my mp3 player, and 3 mix CD's a Colombian friend had recently made for me.
The situation angered me, and I questioned whether I cared to put up with such travel-related BS any longer. The laptop was always a luxury, and while wi-fi is common in the city of Medellin, it wouldn´t have saved me too much money because I only used it for drafting posts and checking email. After a night´s sleep, I was mostly over the situation. As readers might comment, it is best to lock your stuff up in hostel-provided safes for exactly this reason. On the other hand, I have stayed in countless hostels, cheap hotels, and bungalows, often with no locks on the doors, let alone lockers, and never once had an item stolen from my bag. I guess there is a first time for everything.
I tried to leave Medellin. I booked a flight to Santa Marta on the coast, but knowing it was fully refundable, canceled it the day before departure. After more than 14 months of travel through 20 countries, I finally felt as though I´d seen enough of the world. Another beach, another village, another mountain, another hostel, another hike, another friend I make and lose within days. At some point, the law of diminishing returns goes into effect.
Colombia, with its rich culture and friendly people, has inspired me to want to stay put, learn a new language for the first time, and try my hand at teaching English in order to earn a living abroad. At the same time, a few searches on Google revealed little in the way of English language blogs or websites about Medellin. And you know what that means...
Introducing Medellin Living!
A few weeks ago, I bought and began to develop MedellinLiving.com. I would like to invite everyone to take a look, and subscribe today (in the upper right corner)!
Developing this new website motivates me to get out of bed in the morning. The design is still very basic, but I am already posting daily updates about what it is like for a foreigner to live and look for work in Medellin, Colombia. Along the way, I hope it will offer unique insight into the city and culture and become a valued resource amongst backpackers and future travelers, regardless of whether they are just passing through, looking to study abroad, learn Spanish, or earn a living teaching English.
What Next For Go Backpacking?
As for this blog, the future's so bright, I gotta where shades! In the days and weeks ahead, I intend to share my experience leaving Medellin for a brief adventure along the coast in Barranquilla during Carnaval, and an impromptu stop in beautiful Cartagena. Then, I will share some final thoughts on Colombia, and write as if I am returning to the United States. Posts will surely take on the sentimental tone of a trip concluded, minus the reverse culture shock.
Over the coming months, I have plenty of people to thank, advice to share, and probably a few interesting stories still left to tell. Expect flashbacks to some of the more exciting and popular posts of the past. And any future travels in or around Colombia will be shared here too.
In addition, I will be upgrading to the most recent version of WordPress, the free internet publishing software used to create this blog. A new look to coincide with the new focus may also be in store. Please excuse any dust while I work on renovations.
Aren't You Out Of Money Yet?
After living the good life for so long, I am low on funds, so my plans are solely contingent upon finding work and a steady income before the end of March. Luckily for Americans in Colombia, the Peso has dropped about 30% against the dollar in the past year. If I end up back in the USA sooner rather than later, I fully intend to continue both blogs. If you want to see whether I can carve out an expat niche abroad, subscribe to Medellin Living by RSS feed or E-mail, and wish me luck!
I met Martin (dressed in black) from Germany my first Friday night in Medellin.
He is working abroad at Universidad EAFIT for 6 months and has been practicing capoeira, the Brazilian mix of martial arts and dance, for several years.
He discovered two capoeira groups in Medellin. I thought I would go to watch a class held in one of the rooms in the city's big (soccer) stadium, however, he convinced me to participate too.
I was tired from the night before but managed to get involved and warm-up.
The instructor was a young guy, who spoke a little English, but for the sake of helping me to learn Spanish, stuck to his native language.
I actually found it beneficial since I could use visual cues to understand the instructions.
Plus it was fun. There were kids of all ages in the class, and best of all, it was free!
The initial session lasted about an hour. Martin was warmed up and doing some gymnastics, including backflips on every few minutes.
A lot of the more technical moves resembled the kind of breakdancing I had seen in clubs. We waited around for a while as more people began to arrive.
It was then that we learned a member of the group had recently died in a bus accident, along with many other people.
Apparently, the bus was on a bad road, and it fell off the edge.
As a result, the people were coming to the second half of the class were notably somber.
One of the people who arrived was the guy our instructor credited with introducing capoeira to Medellin.
He explained that capoeira is an upbeat activity, and as a result, while the group wanted to honor their friend, it was clearly not going to be a typical experience.
The class formed a circle and the more experienced members began to play the traditional instruments and drum.
Instructions for singing along were given, and as you can see in the video, sparring occurred. It was my first time watching it live.
Some of the girls in the circle were crying, and the moves remained slow as a sign of people's emotional state.
I felt moved after leaving the class. The capoeira group was yet another friendly community I was encountering in Medellin.
Their friend died in a freak accident, which reminded me none of us know when it is our time to go.
I had previously struggled with whether to return to the States and settle in Washington, DC, or New York City, but I walked out of the class with the desire to seize the day and continue digging into the culture and experiences Colombia has to offer...in Medellin.
I met Luisa from Couchsurfing on a Friday night outside the Industriales metro station. The plan was to go dancing but I didn´t know where. She assured me it would be fun. To my surprise, she was with two friends, including Catalina (black shirt) the birthday girl. They were all wearing silly hats and carrying balloons.
We went to the Kukaramakara Club, arriving early while the place was still empty. Much of the lower floor was already reserved, so we took a table upstairs in a corner with a good view of the club. As typically occurs in Colombian bars and clubs, a bottle or two of liquor is ordered for the table, usually rum or aguardiente (a black anise flavored liquor wildly popular down here, and relatively cheap).
In the beginning, we were able to talk, however as the live band hit the stage, it was more about just having a good time. The music switched between multiple genres regularly. One song salsa, the next meringue, then reggaeton, vallanato, tropical pop, and so on. Each genre had its own dance steps or style, and I got tips from all of Luisa's friends with regard to dancing to each.
As for the salsa lessons I took back in Washington, DC...well they were all but irrelevant. The people dancing in the club looked nothing like what we did in a dance studio. In fact, my prior salsa experience seems downright mechanical by comparison. The level of skill shown by Luisa and some of her friends was jaw dropping. She tried to make me feel a little better by saying that they grow up dancing, and it simply requires practice. At the same time, I felt completely at ease. In the USA, good dancers seem to be looking for attention, while in Colombia, almost everyone is a good dancer, and they are clearly just out to have some fun. As a gringo, I know there are no expectations, and it makes it a lot easier for me to have a good time on the dance floor!
I had to visit. Pablo Escobar's influence on Medellin, Colombia, and the world of drug-trafficking was too infamous. I took the metro to Itagui, and then asked a taxi to take me to his grave at the Cemetario Jardins Montesacro. Along the way, he told me his Dad use to work for Escobar, and he made a lot of money. I am sure it is not an uncommon story.
The taxi driver walked me the short distance to Pablo Escobar's grave. He is buried alongside his parents and a few children in a well-maintained site. It was another beautiful Medellin day, and the views from and around the cemetery were idyllic. It felt strange to be taking the time to visit the grave of a man who was responsible for so much violence and death.
In 1989, Forbes listed him as the 7th richest man in the world. He was something of a Robin Hood in Medellin, investing heavily in housing construction to win the support of the poor population. I am in dire need of an English book about his life (Killing Pablo, for example), as I have yet to find any in Colombia.
While I easily found the location of his grave online, finding the address where he was shot down on the roof of a safe house is proving a little more difficult. At least one hotel runs Escobar tours which take you to a number of relevant locations around Medellin such as the jail he built for himself. Outside Medellin, there is a former residence to visit as well.
In the past few years, Hollywood has taken keen interest in Escobar's life. Two films are in the works, Killing Pablo directed by Joe Carnahan (scheduled for release in 2009), and Escobar directed by Oliver Stone. And for all those Entourage fans out there, be sure to check out the mock website for Vincent Chase's depiction of Pablo Escobar in the movie Medellin.
The day after the Couchsurfing party, I met Martin from Germany, at the Universidad metro station. While I was waiting for him, I took in the view of the city from the vantage point of the elevated platform. Gorgeous!
We then met up with Luisa, one of the students at the large University of Antioquia. Medellin is home to at least 30 universities, and therefore has a large student population. We walked to the apartment she shares near campus with 6 of her girlfriends. The purpose of our visit was to learn a few new dance moves.
Since none of them spoke English, and Martin speaks good Spanish, it was a good opportunity for me to practice my own foreign language skills. And of course words aren't required for salsa dancing. They played a variety of music for us, including salsa, meringue, and reggaeton. These musical genres, and more such as vallanato, tropical pop, and reggae, are played everywhere in Medellin, and Colombia from what I have experienced. Taxis, buses, stores, little food stands, homes, bars, restaurants. It is no wonder the people grow up with rhythm and dancing in their blood.
After a few hours with the girls, I headed to a sports bar called Time Out in Parque Lleras where I found a bunch of guys from the hostel watching the SuperBowl. Based on the score, arriving at the end of the third quarter meant I hadn't missed much. In fact, Arizona seemed to stage their comeback just as I began to watch. Of course we know how that game ended.
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A Note to Readers: Clearly I am a few weeks behind on my blog posts, especially after the silence of the last week. Stick with me as my journey has taken an unexpected turn and I hope to catch you all up on it soon!
I met Milena from Couchsurfing at the Juan Valdez Cafe in Parque Lleras. We walked across the street to Thaico for dinner and drinks. Like many of the restaurants in the Zona Rosa, special deals were available. Two for one entrees, and three for one cocktails were available most of the day and we took advantage.
The open-air restaurant soon filled up, and combined with the music and darkness of early evening, the ambiance was great. I choose caipirinhas for our drink, since I would not be making it to Brazil. My chicken curry was not quite the authentic Thai style I was expecting, but good nonetheless. Milena's English was good, so we had little trouble communicating.
Around 8:30pm, we headed down to the metro and rode it to Itagui where we then hopped on a bus to Sabaneta, which was more town than city in atmosphere. We passed more than one bar with groups of horses roped up outside on the street. We picked up a few beers and walked to the apartment complex where the Couchsurfing party was being held in a common room. Nacho, a clearly beloved member of the community, was going away and Colombians never seem to miss a chance to party!
I thought the room looked bleak - small, white walls, a jukebox, but as more people arrived, and the music got pumping, and the Aguardiente (anise-flavored liquor) flowing, it turned out fine. I ran into the two Asian American guys, Jeff and Mark, who recognized me back at the hostel from this blog. They last read it four months ago before beginning their own year long Latin American adventure. You can follow their exploits at DefinitelyCasual.com.
When the time came to vacate the apartment social space, we cleaned up and walked a few blocks to a bar at the edge of a park. There were about thirty people still with us at that point, and the atmosphere was perfect. Around 2am, Diane and her friend offered me a ride back to the hostel, dropping off two others along the way as well.
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I took a taxi to Teatro Lido and found Jesusa at the back of the 2-block line.
She was with a German couple - Ann and Amu. Only Ann stuck with us for the free dance performance this Friday night.
Jesusa had referred to it as ballet, so I had contemplated skipping it altogether, but I am glad I went.
It wasn't what I expected at all. A seven-person band played music for a great dance troupe dressed in beautiful costumes.
The performance kept kept the 1,100 person capacity crowd entertained for an hour. I couldn´t believe it was free.
Between my time in Bogota and Medellin, it has become clear that the Colombian government, or at least the regional ones, are strong believers in offering everyone access to the arts.
After the show, I went with Ann by bus to the University of Antioquia, where we met up with Amu, Martin, another German studying abroad, and a group of Colombian students.
We walked through a crowd of students hanging out between two of the three large apartment buildings where many of them lived, to a corner which featured a popular bar and some small shops selling beer.
It is legal to drink outside in Colombia, as far as I can tell, so it was quite a scene.
At first it was a little intimidating to be amongst such a big crowd, but the longer I stayed there, talking with Martin, Ann, and Amu, while doing my best to remember any shred of Spanish, the more comfortable I felt.
It was college kids doing what they do anywhere in the world on a Friday night.
One of the students, Natalia, and I tried to talk via Martin who took on the role as translator.
She invited us out dancing, and Martin and I suggested Sunday afternoon over Saturday night, as we both planned to attend a Couchsurfing going away party.
Part of the allure of Medellin, and Colombia, is the music, and I´ve been exposed to a whole new world of music including salsa, meringue, and reggaeton to name a few.
It blares out of open air bars and restaurants during the nights, and from small shops during the day.
It surrounds you, and I find it infectious. No wonder everyone loves to dance down here!
I watched Anthony Bourdain's Colombian episode of No Reservations on YouTube from the hostel, and inspired to track down at least one place where he ate in Medellin, I confirmed the address of Brasarepa Restaurant with Salome, one of the hostel staff. I considered it a mission because I had failed in my first attempt to find the restaurant via taxi. My mistake (and that of the driver's) was in assuming the restaurant was in the city center, when in actuality, it was located farther away.
I walked the 15 minutes to the metro, and took the line further west to Envigado, a stop short of the terminus in Itagui. Based on the metro maps, both are separate municipalities from Medellin. From the metro station, I successfully took a taxi to the restaurant, which sat on a quiet street corner near a school.
I picked up a menu, but the waitress informed me (in Spanish) that it was only for the evenings. She mentioned something about soup, and I started to feel disappointed. I made it to the restaurant, but wouldn't get a big meal out of it. She said something about pollo too, and in effect, ordered the lunch for me. I wrote in my journal, awaiting whatever was to come next.
Meanwhile, as the clock ticked past noon, the streets filled with kids of all ages in Catholic school uniforms. My timing couldn't have been better, as they provided the perfect opportunity for a little people-watching. My soup arrived, along with a fruit drink, and I got to work as the sounds of kids being kids filled the air.
And there was more. Chicken, fried plantains, rice, salad, and an arrepa were then dropped off. I was a happy camper, sitting right where Tony sat for his meal, as he talked about the fact that the area use to be Pablo Escobar's domain. To complete the meal, I ordered a vanilla ice cream shake (they were out of chocolate), which finished me off.
Before getting into a taxi back to the metro, I walked across the once again empty street, to buy a new notebook for journaling, blank DVD for photo-burning, and a pen. The woman behind the counter was curious about this gringo in her presence, and clearly wanted to talk with me, but I couldn't understand. It has not been an uncommon experience, and is increasingly inspiring me to want to learn Spanish...immediately!