Arriba Barranquilla!

Stocking up with supplies for Carnaval at the markets in Santa Marta
Dina, Kelly and I at the stadium for Carnaval kick-off
Late night festivities- involving Aguila, beer baths, flour and young boys

Getting doused with flour - which sticks very well to beer.
Getting friendly with the hot dog man
Ahhhhhhh - Carnaval!



Dos diablos


















After coming down from my paraglide, I geared up for the next adventure - La Gran Carnaval de Barranquilla - the biggest and best festival of the entire year in Colombia (only second to Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). As soon as I booked my tickets to Colombia, I began my search for a place to stay during the festival, as I was reading that most places were booked up several months in advance. I had no luck finding anything reasonably priced on the internet, and decided that I would just go with the flow, and something would fall into place. I signed up for couchsurfing on the net and started sending out emails to various people living in Barranquilla to see if I could find a place. I got a response from a local Colombian woman, telling me that she was organizing an apartment to rent and wanted to know if I wanted to go in on it with a bunch of other people from couchsurfing. I jumped on the opportunity, as there was no way in hell that I was going to miss out on the festivities. I hopped on an overnight bus, along with a few other travelers, and we made our way towards Barranquilla. 14 hours later, we arrived in Barranquilla. At this point, i really didn´t know what i was doing or where i was headed. It was only Wednesday, and Carnaval did not officially start until Saturday. I was not expected in Barranquilla until Friday afternoon, and wasn´t very interested in spending any more time than necessary in this concrete, dusty, industrial giant of a city. After devouring a plata del dia at the bus station and weighing out the options in my head, I decided to hop on a bus and head another 4 hours to the tiny, fishing village of Taganga on the Caribbean coast. I arrived just a little before sunset and trudged through the hot, sticky streets to find a place and ended up scoring a place with air conditioning and television - completely unnecessary but the only place that i could find after inquiring at every hostel i could find. As it turns out, I was paying the exact same price for my own room and the unnecessary luxuries as most other people were paying to stay in a dorm room with several other people. Score. I am truly convinced that it is best to not organize anything and just go with it as it comes - it always works out, and usually for the better.
I killed a few days in Taganga, lounging on the beach by day and drinking a bottle of Aguardiente on the beach by night. I met up with a fellow traveler, Ben, whom I had met in Medellin and we decided to head to Carnaval together. We came up with a plan that involved stopping in the city of Santa Marta (only 45 minutes away from Taganga and on the way to Barranquilla) on the way and gearing ourselves up with some costumes for the fiesta. I called Dina to make sure that everything was in order and she advised me to call her when we arrived at the bus station. We jumped on a collectivo to Santa Marta and upon arrival, immediately began our search - first item on the agenda was pelucas (wigs). We started asking anyone and everyone on the street to point us in right direction. It didn´t take long and we were off and running, locals alongside, to find our pelucas. I found a hot red devil wig and a mask to go with, while Ben went for a rainbow colored mohawk. Next on the list was accessories. We began asking anyone and everyone possible to help us find face paints, lipstick, etc.... To my amazement, we ended up being escorted to each and every store that sold accessories -with everyone getting involved in putting our costumes together, and seemingly even more exhuberant about our costumes than we were ourselves. If you can imagine, two backpackers zipping through the bustling city streets with Colombian woman in tow. We ended up at a place that sold everything we could possibly want - lipstick, plastic sippy cups for our rum, miniature sized umbrellas, wrist bands, etc.... We left Santa Marta well stocked and ready to rumba.
We arrived in Barranquilla around 3 p.m. and I immediately found a phone to call Dina and let her know that we were there. She gave me directions and we settled down for some grub before hitting the streets. Ended up meeting another traveler who was also looking for a place to stay and he called Dina from the station and decided to jump on the band wagon with us. WE hopped in a taxi together and started to make our way to Dina´s house. After a lenghty cab ride, we pulled up in front of a house and a woman who looked to be around 90 years old and sitting in a rocking chair on the porch started waving her arms in excitement - we were here. The house was buzzing with activity - there were half a dozen other travlers there and Dina was telling us to hurry up and get going - there was a big concert that night and we were late. We threw our backpacks in some bedrooms in the house and hit the road. I had no idea what the hell was going on, I was just following my orders. The house that we were at was Dina´s family´s house -and the old woman on the porch was her grandmother. We piled into several cabs and made our way to the stadium. We arrived at around 6 and waited around until close to 9 p.m. for the music to start. The place was buzzing with energy and Ben and I were in good form and ready to rumba. The night ended up being my favorite night of all of Carnaval - with at least half a dozen live bands playing. As the night went on, things got crazier and crazier. One of the favored things to do at Carnaval is to throw flour on peoples´faces and spray them with foam from an aerosal can - and later in the evening, the spray foam was replaced by water and beer.
We danced the night away with the locals, while simultaneously consuming one Aguila (one of the local beers) after another. I don´t think I´ve danced that hard in years. The night ended with Ben and I dancing on a side stage, with a bunch of other intoxicated locals - where apparently, I was in high demand by numerous men that appeared to be no older than 20 years old. At this point, people were pouring beers over your head and then slapping you with flour - and there was no point in resisting. We ended up back at Dina´s house somewhere between the hours of 3 and 4 a.m. I was directed to go into one of the bedrooms, where I was going to sleep in a bed with 2 other people. I sandwiched myself between the two girls - one of them from, get this, Alaska, and the other one was Dina´s sister, Kelly. I felt absolutely disgusting as I climbed into bed with, literally, black feet and soaked with beer and flour. Needless to say, I didn´t get a very good night of sleep and when I woke up in the morning, I was scraping at an inch of flour resting on my scalp. I patiently waited for the shower while the house was bustling with activity. After washing the remains of the previous night from my body, I geared up in my costume and got ready for the first day of Carnaval. We made our way to the street and found a spot to wait for the parade to start. Unfortunately, we were stuck behind a bunch of people and I didn´t see much of anything of the parade - aside from the few minutes that I was up on someone´s shoulders. So, we spent the majority of the day slugging rum from shotglasses tied around our necks and getting sprayed with foam. That night, we made our way to a house party on the streets. I wish I had a picture of the sight - it will make me laugh for the rest of my life. We arrive at the house and there are literally, a dozen or more gigantic speakers in the street (and i mean GIGANTIC, picture jet engines, piled one on top of the other) with music blaring and people dancing in the street. I look over, about 6 feet from the speakers, on the porch, and there are two grandmothers sitting in their rocking chairs just watching everyone. We danced another night away, this time in the streets. The remaining days all seem like a blur - but basically, every day there was a parade and on the last 2 days, I was able to get up much closer and get some great shots. The costumes were unbelievable, and the dancing even more unbelievable. I´ve never seen so many beautiful women in my life, and subsequently, some hilarious male behavior. Honestly, the men were walking around with their tongues hanging out of their mouths and completely unable to think straight. It was amusing at first, and ultimately, pathetic. After spending the first night at Dina{s house, we moved to the apartment - which was being used by 8 of us. We were pretty crammed into the small space but i was lucky enough to have a bed, and in reality, we did not spend much time in the apartment. The days were consumed with going to the parade - where I was absolutely mesmerized by the array of colors and culture. The evenings were spent going out to clubs, house parties, etc..... To say that the Colombians know how to have a good party is an understatement. For 5 solidy days, the city did not sleep - and neither did I. By the end of it, I was absolutely exhausted. It was the experience of a lifetime, and i will never forget it.

Los primeros dias en Colombia

A mannequin on the streets of Medellin - one of the things that this city is known for is the plastic surgery, and apparently, even the mannequins are qualifiable.

Looking down

Astonishing views over the city

In the midst of doing the spin maneuvers

And we're off!

Gearing up to take flight

Snapshot from the hill where we launched off - city of Medellin below

Coming in for our landing in Medellin (from the airplane)

Views over Southeast Alaska, on my way to Seattle

After spending a very relaxing and enjoyable week in Lake Havasu with mom and Bill, I departed for my next journey abroad. Colombia has never been a place that I thought I would go, and it comes as a surprise to me that I am here. As most people, I had a very skewed vision of this country - with only thoughts of kidnapping, drug cartels and imminent danger coming to mind. It didn't help either that Colombia was listed as the most dangerous place in the world only a mere five years ago. However, after weighing out my options in South America, and doing extensive research on Colombia, I quickly became convinced that this country is a well hidden gem that will surely become overriden with tourists in the not-so-distant future. I can only hope that this rings true as I explore and discover what remains to be found over the next 5 weeks.

If the first few days are any indication of what to expect, I will not be disappointed with my choice. The trip began before I even landed in Colombia. After spending an extremely long night in the Dallas Forth Worth airport - where there is no food or bar to be found open after 9 p.m. and after sleeping for a mere two and a half hours on a padded bench in the Junior Flyers Club - I was awoken by the Pink Panther theme song and made my way to the gate. My next destination was Miami. By the time that I reached the Miami airport, I was delirious from lack of sleep and lost my boarding pass. After a minor panic attack, I found the American Airlines attendant and she printed me out a new pass - gotta love those electronic tickets! I meandered throught the airport to my gate and passed out lying halfway off of my seat. A Colombian woman woke me up to let me know that my flight was boarding - this was my first indication that Colombians are a thoughtful and warm people. I boarded the plane and took my seat next to a Colombian woman and her son, and was instantly befriended. Despite my delirium, I dug deep into the reserves in the back of my brain and started practicing my Spanish. We talked extensively throughout the flight and soon enough, everyone around me was showing their excitement for my desire to visit their country. Everyone wanted to give me advice and ensure my safety. And to my pleasant surprise, my Spanish came back as if I had just stopped speaking it yesterday. They were very pleased that I could speak their language and assured me that my Spanish was muy bien. I showed the woman, whose name was Ariana, where my hostel was located and she absolutely insisted that I let her nephew drive me there. I was actually quite looking forward to challenging myself by trying to take the bus to the city center and then hop on the metro - but figured that if I had someone offering me a ride, I should take it. So, when the plane landed, I went with Ariana and her son to meet her nephew and some other family members. There was clearly not enough room for me in the car, but they insisted. We crammed into the car and made the 45 minute drive from the airport to the hostel. It was good fun riding with them and taxing on my over-exhausted brain to speak Spanish - all I could think about was a beer and sleep. We finally found the hostel and they escorted me inside - returning less than a minute later to tell me that they didn't think that the hostel was a good place for me. I assured them that it would be fine. Ariana insisted that I come over and meet her family, even though her mother is dying. Their generosity and caring overwhelmed me, to say the least. So, my first impressions of Colombia were fantastic, even before I arrived.

Medellin, Colombia is a pleasant city - relatively small in scale and extremely safe, despite the fact that it was once the headquarters and principal killing grounds for Colombia's cocaine cartels. The city is surrounded on all four sides by rugged peaks, offering stunning views. The city is nicknamed the "City of Eternal Spring" due to the mild temperatures experienced here year round. It's an understatement to say that I am thoroughly enjoying the 70 degree weather, after enduring one of the coldest winters that I can remember in Alaska. I have gladly exchanged my boots for flip-flops and sweaters for t-shirts. My first night here was very mellow and pleasant - spent sipping on the local beer Aguila and Club Colombia, and mingling with fellow travelers. I'd like to say that it came as a surprise when I looked at the sliding glass doors on the patio and saw a Homer Brewing Company sticker, but I've come to realize that there seems to be no place on earth that is untouched by Homerites. My first night of sleep did not come as easily as I had hoped - after tossing and turning most of the night, I was aprubtly awoken by the sound of a hammer and sandblaster, presumably only 6 inches or so from my head. There is some serious construction going on here at the Black Sheep Hostel as they are building a second floor. I was unlucky to get the room that is directly next to the expansion. I awoke a bit grumpy and wasn't sure what to do with my day. A fellow traveler and I decided to go up to the top of the mountains and give paragliding a try. I've always wanted to do it - and there's nothing like breaking in a vacation with a little adrenaline rush. We hopped on the metro and then a bus and took the hour long drive up the mountainside to the launching site. Much to my surprise, I wasn't feeling too nervous - until we got to the top. Looking down and then looking up to see other paragliders was a bit daunting. We signed the release forms and headed up the hill. There was no messing around and we got right to business. My friend went first and upon his return, I was next. There was basically zero instruction - they buckled me in, put my arms through some straps and hooked me up to the instructor and off we went. I barely had to run, a few short steps and we were off flying. It was extremely peaceful up there - like a bird in flight. Once we were off the ground, I was completely relaxed. This is one "extreme" sport that I will definitely do again. The flight lasted 20 minutes or so - and before we landed, I asked the instructor if we could do some spinning. In order to do this maneuver, we had to get up really high - so we caught the thermals and went up, and up, and up. Then we launched into the spins, which was a serious adrenaline rush, and left me feeling quite dizzy. Soon after, we came in for the landing, which was very smooth. An incredible way to spend my first day in Colombia. The rest of the day was spent touring around the city center and people watching. Colombians are so festive. A couple of fellow travelers and myself found the seediest bar around and sat down for a few Club Colombias and watched the locals as the evening set in. After witnessing the first hooker pick up of the night, we decided to leave and meander some more. Bought a few fresh avocados, some lime and tomatoes and came back to the hostel to make some fresh guacamole for dinner, along with some fried rice, washed down with a few more Club Colombias. Day # 1 - the end.

Today is Day #2, and I awoke even more abruptly than yesterday and have decided to get the hell out of here. Since I will be flying out of this city, i will do more exploring on the way out. This city is primarily know for its night life, and having arrived on a Sunday - I missed the boat. It's no big deal since I will be heading up to Barranquilla for Carnival which begins on Saturday. Some rest is in order before I delve into the 5 day party of Carnival. I think I've found accomodations for the festival and will spend the next few days exploring Cartagena before moving on to Barranquilla on Friday afternoon. Ironically, I am looking forward to the 14 hour bus ride tonight, as I am hoping that i will get more sleep on the bus than i have been able to get here. The dark circles are looming under my eyes. I can only imagine the state that i will be in after Carnival. I look forward to heading to a relaxed beach town to chill after the party, and soaking up some rays. Let the festivities begin!