Zoológico!

October 10, 2015

Rob and I went to the zoo in Cali.  He's a guy from England staying at the hostel too. (If we're being correct here, he's a bloke from England I guess)

We took this on the way out actually so that's why the lighting is weird

Here's some of our fabulous day in pictoral form.  Hopefully that's a word because I want to use it there.

Flamingos were the first thing we saw on the way in

This is a barranqero.  It's got the coolest tail, and was beautiful blue, both on it's tail and light blue on it's head.  Google it for some better photos.  Wait nevermind.  Just click here

The top bird sounded like a squeaky toy and vibrated when it made noise.  The bottom on has a mohawk.  Enough said.

This monkey laid down and used it's tail for a pillow about 3 seconds later. Very cute.

This one was fascinated by what was in my bag, so I showed him. Rob got a photo

Turtle riding a crocodile.  Yup.

And then I rode a turtle.

Meerkats! 

Rob became a beautiful butterfly along the way

They're like upside down bats!  Wait...

They had some beautiful tigers that were pretty active when we were there.

We decided these monkeys were like an 80s rock band with their hair

Lemurs, which never stopped hopping all around their island.

I got one mid-flight!

I've seen capybaras for real now.  They were so big!

Giant anteater for the first time too.

Also I became a turtle for the day.  Did I get a proper turtle face?

And that's your reward for getting all the way to the end.  I'm headed tomorrow to a coffee farm to work for a bit, so more adventures coming soon!

Cali the second time around

September 27-October 14, 2015

After a couple of days planning and chilling in Bogota, I decided to brave the weather and come on back here to Cali.  For one, a couple weeks away makes you forget how terrible the weather really was, and two, there was the Festival Mundial de Salsa (International Salsa Festival) happening.

After being here for a week (two actually at time of posting), I'm pleased to say the weather doesn't suck so much.  I'm not sure if it's actually cooler (I think maybe) with more breeze, or if I was just better mentally prepared this time, but I've handled it much better.

The festival started off with 4 days of free salsa lessons and talks during the day with various people on various topics.  I tried going to those a couple times, to hear about salsa congresses world-wide, and the beginnings of the Cali festival.  I understood just about nothing.

The salsa lessons worked much better.  I learned some caleño salsa, had some short lessons in pachanga (which is strange and I'm not very good at it) cha-cha, and rumba.

This was the cha-cha routine I learned, it's got some pachanga in the middle.  (The step to the sides after the first turn around.)

This was one of the salsa routines I got to learn in the Salsa en Línea level 3.  I was lucky enough to have my dance partner be one of the other instructors who was also taking the class.  Needless to say, he knew what he was doing as a lead.

Also an hour of rueda de casino (casino wheel) which is the square dancing of salsa.  There's a circle of pairs, and a caller saying which steps to do.  These steps incude passing the lady off, so everyone is switching partners while dancing.  Since I was in a beginner lesson, it was a bit of a mess, to put it politely.  Some people knew salsa, and just had to learn the specific steps, others couldn't really dance in the first place and were kind of hopeless.  Ladies were ending up with no partners when someone messed up.  But it was fun.

It was also fun surprising people with the fact that the gringa could actually dance.  One old guy said I was 'like a basket of beer'  which my dance partner informed bewildered me, is an expression for being a surprise.  Maybe because beer doesn't ususally come in baskets?  I'm not sure.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday had the semis and finals of the competitions, which had 11 different categories for pairs and teams in different salsa styles.  Friay night we went with everyone in the hostel, and between the 6 of us represented 5 countries and 3 continents.  Colombia, USA, Germany, Argentina, and England.

Left to right in a circle around me: Marcella, Juan Pablo, Jose, Karlotta, and Rob

The performances were amazing, and the costumes bedazzled.  I still can't handle the pants that are entirely sequins and the lime green shoes, and some of the gals were NOT wearing what I'd call a dress, but it was exciting anyway.

This performance was especially exciting because there were tear-away pants in the middle of it.

For the finals, when we arrived we found a long line and shut doors.  They were saying the stadium was full, and weren't letting more people in.  So we sat listening to the live band in the expo area, had a drink, and danced ourselves.

This awesome old guy was dancing.  I just had to get him on film, he's got so much spunk.

For this night we had 12 people representing Colombia, Argentina, the UK, New Zealand, Washington, California, and Switzerland.  It's pretty cool all the new people you meet staying at backpacking hostels.

We made it inside for the concert by Groupo Niche (read this in a 14 year old girl voice) who are only the *biggest* salsa group in Colombia.  It was a fantastic show, and the crowd was full on concerting, standing and dancing and yelling and horns and cowbells were present too.  It was a fun end to the whole shebang.

For one of the songs they turned off all the lights and everyone had their cell phone lights on.  Lighters at a rock concert for the digital age, but it's a really cool effect.

This was the big finale when all the performers came up on stage.

Other exciting Cali activities included hiking up to Last Tres Cruces, the three crosses up on the top of a hill next to the city.  I think it's some sort of South American law that you have to have something on top of a hill in every city.  We left before 8 from the hostel, and had about an hour hike.  It wasn't too hot yet, so it wasn't too bad.  Still lots of sweat at the top.  Also a great view.

This was the first road we had to go up.

This was the trail

Great views along the way

Sweaty and successful at the top

On the way down we took this photo:

Which led to the worst YMCA attempt in history

I tried another typical treat of Cali after salsa lessons one night when we all went out for chulado.

It's kind of a fruit filled slushie.  Fruit flavored ice slushie at the bottom, and a bunch of differnt fruit types in chunks on top, all of that with sweetened condensed milk poured over it.  Very sweet and delicious.  Also I was cold for the first time in Cali.

One day we headed out of town maybe 30 minutes and hung out at a river for a bit.  Rio Pinchinde

A short walk up the river and we made it to a big flat rock to sit on, and a deep pool (like almost 5 feet at the deepest!) to go swimming in.

It wasn't exactly what I'd call warm.  In fact I'd probably call it cold.  You know what?  I think I did.  Loudly and high pitched.  Okay.  It wasn't terrible after you'd been in for 5 minutes and numbed a little, but it was never comfortable feeling.

We stopped by the Rey Cristo statue on the way back to town.  Its not Rio but it also had a good view.  And good arepas up at the top.

Photo showing the arepa.  Actually by accident, but it works in this case.

So Cali #2 was a success, and I've got some more friends from around the world now.

Strange things that you get used to really quick while traveling in South America

As a follow up to my 10 Things We Take for Granted post (which you can read here) I have for your enjoyment:

15 Kinda Weird Things You Get Used to Very Quick in South America

1. Stealing whatever toilet paper is left on the roll when departing a hostel. You never know if the next place you go to the bathroom will have any or not.
  a. Same goes for unused restaurant napkins.

2. People selling random things on the streets, from socks and sweaters, to phone chargers and headphones to the little wire baskets you put in the kitchen sink drain to catch the crud.

3. Completely ignoring traffic lights while walking. It only matters if there is a car coming or not, not what the little green blinky man says.

4. Broken glass lining the tops of cement walls. It's so much more effective looking than barbed wire.

5. Completely hair-brained driving in the crazy traffic, such as taking a right turn from the far left lane during rush hour in front of a bus. I've seen it happen.

6. People walking into restaurants and starting to sing/play their guitar/panpipes in hopes of a tip from everyone eating.  Same goes for bus riding entertainment.  Singers, one guy telling funny stories, balloon animals from one gal, and the most energetic rendition of La Bamba from two guys with dreads and a guitar at about 11:30 pm on night.

7. People performing in the crosswalk in front of stopped cars at a red light also hoping for tips. I've seen jugglers, fire breathers, flag dancing, a mime... Also a guy juggling clubs while going in circles standing on the seat and handlebars of his bicycle.  That was a new one.

8. (This one is a little tougher to get used to) Kids selling chocolates and gum (chicles) on the streets and buses late at night. Children as young as 7 or 8 will ride the Trole back and forth at 9pm with a box full of candies to sell trying to earn a little money.

9. Dogs on the roofs of houses.

10. Hot soup and a full rice and chicken and salad meal served for breakfast.

11. Motorcycles carrying more than 2 people. I think a family of 5 might be the most I've seen so far.
   a. Same goes for bicycles. 3 riders might be the record for that.

12. Motorcycles parked inside of houses, stores, and restaurants.

13. It being acceptable for  stores, restaurants, random houses, etc. blasting music at any hour of the day or night. In Sua we had music going at 9am heard 3 lots away. In Santa Marta a grocery store had discoteca-worthy music blasting at 7am when we walked to the bus to go diving. Regular houses with the occupants sitting in chairs outside on the sidewalk still have music pumping at 10pm. Its actually kinda fun.

14. Paying to use the bathroom. In all 3 countries, public restrooms charge about 15 cents (or their currency equivalent) to go in, and you receive toilet paper when you pay. Unless you're the jerk bus station in Bogota, where it's more expensive and doesn't include the cost of paper.  That you get in a little box from a tampon dispenser looking machine that's on the wall.

15. Things like milk, water, and yogurt being sold in plastic bags.  Fridges have little places in the doors to keep the bags so they don't fall over.  You just cut a hole in the corner and pour until its gone.

And honorary #16 though it's so commonplace now we don't even think about it:
Toilet paper doesn't go in the toilet. It goes in the small trash can next to every toilet. After about 2 days traveling it doesn't seem weird anymore, so it almost didn't occur to me to stick it on this list.

Stay tuned for a list of things that are way better in South America than at home.

And since blogs are better with pictures, here's some cute graffiti from Cali