San Blas!

With an expected departure about 2pm Thursday 16th, it became almost 8pm and slowly, slowly with no wind, seeing Cartagena fading out. Amazing light storm and already, after dinner, throwing up. I got my stomach prepaired eating just only enought to feel good for the 1st evening of the trip, but..as sandwiches were being prepaired, I couldn't say no. Anyway, feeling sensations again like on the ways back from Dominica or -specially- St.Lucia. I did the first shift of checking out at night to see if something turned up on the sea which was not before. Hopefully nothing as I was falling sleep. I slept like a baby -trunk-. With the breakfast again, all out. So after that, just sips of my mixes of juices in a bottle and cool, well, good enough for a sailing boat xd

2nd sailing day was..ansious, to arrive, counting the hours, everybody sleeping everywhere, just looking forward to arriving.

We spent the first night in the middle of the first islands we came across. We all swam to one of them just to feel earth.

The next day was a cool one, in the Kuna island of Halunega. Sharing dinner and magnificient times with all the family of the house and their neighbours. An island all made of huts where they live, inside their hammocks and their campfire place to cook, no needed anything else more.

We spent the night with some guys we met there, one of them teacher in the place. I spreaded my contacts to volunteer there and the day after with the headmistress of the schools in Arritupu, another bigger Kuna island.

We moved to Chichimé, where we spent the rest of the days. Two kuna families only living there and renting their hammocks for 1$ outside or 3 inside a hut (or 10$ with the 3 meals included). There was also a Colombian girl who had arrived on the boat that I wanted to take owned by a couple of Canarians and with really nice vibes, as this girl has too. We spent the day together in the opposite island, really remote, emptyness, solitudiness, loneliness...so many nice feelings. All with the filosophy of letting ourselves leave away by the flow. But she was somehow waiting for a captaing to take her away and see the world and my flow was of any new plan that could come out, taking it. And staying in the island for a while would be an awesome one and going to the volunteers in that new places too but..I had some "dates" with the other ones that If I'd have change it, everything wouldn't have been as it is being right now (keep on readin' til'd'end!!)

The day after a group of Barcelonan guys arrived to spend there some days and we've been playing volleybeach boys vs. girls really exciting. As we were one guy from New Zeland, one catalan guy, one Vasque captain and myself Galician traveler. Against all the catalan girs, speaking and swearing in their language, which of course, f words, are always the easiest thing to understand in other language, especially from a latin root one.

Anyway, liming day talking and listening to captains experiences. The vasque one had been eaten the day before on his hand by a shark very close to where we were, of course, he was practicing some...fishing with harpon and that attracted them, but the way -and specially the vasque accent he put on it, made it a pretty funny story, also thinking in the Spanish program "Vaya semanita".

We left the next day to Panama city and hopefully I did so, that at night after going around checking out the area -and ignoring a bit there was a really dangerous red zone very close, I'd found my 24h natural juice and milk shake place...in an opened parking!!! Never've seen such a business in a place like that. Then I went to have dinner in the most famous "Comida corriente" place in the old town, called "Coca cola bar". And there was another guy with the bracelet of the hostel eating alone so I joined him and we spent the rest of the night talking together around and in the bar of the hostel.

Nevertheless, the best came just before going to bed where I sat down to read a bit of the guide in the sofa and girl that I'd seen before was in the hammock. I approached to her and we started talking. She was chinese-dutch (I knew that almost two weeks later) but..the best was she invited me to her next trip, the day after morning with an English guy, to the Darien Gap. I became so excited for everything I knew about it. And so I did it!

Poetry in Cartagena

Right, so the plan here was basically once got up, an argetinan couple asked me if I wanted to colaborate with them in a poetry evening with the best and different in Cartagena. Of course, in my native language. So..here is the result!
pics: vegetarian lunchhh yummie. Friends at work and not at work. A Colombian breakfast!

Hostel Liming & CS Dancing

Perfect sweet grey day just to sit down to talk to people in the hostel. Really interesting guys around. One of them, he showed me a film produced in Galicia made plastic artists not by graphic designers. Reaaally original as a concept.Then I went out (already 1pm) to the Historic museum where a guy was interested in the Torture part, about the Inquisition and stuff that remind me when I studied that.
Afterwards I met up with a CSer whose birthday had been the day before and she was so keen on foreign currencies. I was carrying with my self yens, TT, Bajan, different dutch antillan florins..she was so so happy.On my way back to the hostel I limed again talking to one of the friendly members of the staff and also to the family of the juice place recently opened close to the hostel.
I joined some US guys to have dinner who have just arrived and took them to a local "comidas corrientes" place where for less than 2eu each one ate properly.
After that I went to Casa Viena (the oldest hostel in Town 20 years old) where Im dealing with my boat to Panama. I met a guy from the Basque Country and he invited me to have a drink. We started talking and I felt nice vibes so I invited him to my going out plan with another CSer.
We end up 2 CSers, he and I. Sooo good men! What nice people!! From dancing Balleanato and other Colombian dances til talking about politic situation in Colombia and stuff. What a pleasure to share all that time with them. At 2am they were closing so the basque and I head back to the hostel. We kept on talking so I invited him to check out the terrace in mine. Right, til 5am!! talking&talking. There was not any desire of going to bed. That sensation you feel only when you are having a really really nice time, sharing, as always and forever.

Tayrona National Park

Arranging yesterday in several places the best choice to visit it, I just finished with the most sympathic seller.

The tour was in a van with the most truly famous and well known long in time guide of the park a.k.a “El Abuelo” and several Colombian people.

After not much of the walk through the park, in a very split group –as there was no chance of getting lost, I just went off road to make it funnier (actually because I need to go to the toilet, again). There was the 1st camping 10 mins away. It was pretty cool, and the toilets better. Hopefully I carried my toilet paper.

Anyway, there was a 15mins direct access to one of the beaches El abuelo passed through and people afirmed had seen him passing through there. The thing is, I just stopped anytime I came across with a juice place and stuff so..eventually, I arrived to the last place where the tour finished, in a pretty nice beach. He was there somewhat, waiting for me. He could understand pretty well the situation. He was..a “bit” worried of not having all the group. I knew he knew there was no chance of getting lost but..anyway, I also could feel how he was feeling. Enough repeating verbs and toilets!

So…I had just one hour of free time. Of course I was not going to waste it staying there in the beach, even if it was what I really wanted, to have a swim.

I knew there was a nude beach not that far, so I just started walking up, practicing my favourite sport, in&out of beaches. This time though, was the most exciting one, as all was through forest.

Couldn’t reach that beach but there were two pretty nice with nobody in them. Aware was running out of time, I tried to go through a “direct” way without going back in again the beaches. But…I think I got really inside that the path started to be covered by the vegetation meaning no people passing through it for a long time, making it harder to pass through it and eventually impossible. With my nude feet and coming a bit back, my only way of getting to that place turned up suddenly when I heared the sound of the river. I remembered there was a pond made from a little river from the forest. So there I went! I started walking through it and feeling how my feet were sinking a bit on the sand and –even worse , thinking that if I got trapped by the earth there, nobody would now it unless I threw my bag with my passport and stuff in it. Even though, getting ansious, I started running a bit, jumping through trunks and also realising it was being the most adventurous thing prehaps I’d ever done, risking my life in it (may be). At some points the river got blocked by trees, so coming out from it and trying to find another way to getting back to it was becoming a hazardous routine. Can’t believe, when I started listening the waves, like really close, but far away yet. Then people, I was becoming more and more excited and then the pond!!! I had just came out to the beach!!! The group was still there getting out from the water meaning I had broken records of time and arrived more than punctual feeling acomplished and giving back respect to El Abuelo. I felt well, he did it too –that spent half an hour with me (as eventually people arrived very late, but really really late).

Feeling so tired I just went for a nice dinner (fish with a home made spinach-mango chutney). Then, they were inaugurating a hostel in that restaurant the following day in the afternoon but I already had so many ambitious plans of visiting people throughout my way back to Cartagena.

Taganga

After 2 hours of sleeping I just got up to go to the toilet at 6.30 am and I came across with a guy with a bike with an extra baggage on the back of the bike. It reminded me like the cover of the book I'm reading at the moment, so the first thing I thought, he really deserves having that book. And confirmation came up when he told he was going from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. I interviewed him. With the knowledge I have from the book, we were contrasting times, kms per day, places he stayed over.. And basically, interesting facts were like about 3000 people along the year are doing it spending 3 years. He says he was doing it in 1,5 with about 100kms/day. So interesting, I was so delighted.
Then me and this Australian girl were booking the boat for Panama with the cool captain she already knew from a friend of her -and I trusted without any doubts, and more nice people I knew from these days ago also join us to go to Taganga.

With such nice info from all the people who were there, we head to the 2nd –apparently- best hostel of the place. We had a separate house for ours, actually. In spite of that, there were nice vibes all around the place. A truly backpacking village. We went to have dinner to the restaurant of the –apparently, again- the best hostel this time of the place, called San Felipe. The hostel looked pretty cool, but the food we ate was soo goood, an amazing Thai Salad that I had.

Following day, was all liming in the town and closeby. I knew there were some nice beaches hiking distance. So I did that. I met also 3 girls from Bogota in the sea who joined me on the jaunt.

We spent all day together and eventually, we went clubbing with all my gang. So nice, that the Danish guy ended up with one of them. The Japanese one was so excited with that, he couldn’t help it haha was soo funny.

El Volcan de Totumo, Colombia

1st day in Cartagena was about hanging out in the hostel, meeting the staff, checking out the old city and of course, try all pressed juices and all 1st time seen fruits. I ended up in the toilet.

The following day was to the volcano of Totumo. Aaaaamazing muddy volcano day. Recieving massages for 1€, all covered by this ashy-mud with cool propierties we enjoyed so much and meet really nice people on the way. The guy from Bangladesh also joined us and we started forming a new travel team. We met a really nice couple from England too who were travelling around the world and probably meeting up in India for Xmas (who knows..the choice is now beetween India&Colombia, we'll see).

Coming back to the volcano, the sensation there was like having fallen down into concrete. So heavy liquid, no chance of saying “I’m leaving” and doing it quickly. Actually, you needed some help to do it, and getting impulse from the others, otherwise…Also no chance of sinking because of that. We never touched the end though. 15m of height and 3m of diameter. Then in the lake, the local women with bowls putting out your left overs and they did a nice washing with the swimming suit too, while you were waiting nude inside the dark lake water.

Afterwards, we went to a beach where I walked back and forth and we had lunch there.

Chilling in the evening with the regular terrace party. Knowing better the staff and enjoying my time there. That we ended up going out for a walk and to a salsa place.
pics: Nice people. Getting muddy with the Bangladesh, English&Spanish buddies. The sweetest thing of the hostel.

Aaaaaaaaaruba!!!

Yes! After paying for first time a truly departure tax (32USD!!) as in St.Lucia were sometimes -just with the ferry- 10US. Well, the smallest airplane ever, with Insel Air. For first time even no Air Stuart in it. It was the pilot who said something like..get the life jackets in case something happens and inside it was like a bus.

Then my hosts came to pick me up at the airport. So nice they, their house, their pets, everything!

In the morning with the woman showing me around one of the 6 natural bridges of the island, the capital Oranjestad and walking through really nice beaches.
In the afternoon, reaaally nice wild arid nature. I dont know how New Mexico, Arizona, Utah..eventually the Grand Canyon will be but..some kinna desert here all full of cactus, stones, rocks...going off road with the 4x4. A truly tour where the bumpy road sign had beneath another one saying "go at your own risk"!
pics: The Southest point in the island. All the shore. The Natural Bridge. Shapes on the rocks. A tiger... grr. El gran Ramiro de Cuba.

Hed Kandi @ Curacao

Right, the intention of the day was going to the National Park where I was meant to go the 1st day to check out the cave. Of course, always leaving home late in the morning there was no free/cheap transport way of doing that. So..thinking a bit in the near future and for tonight changing a bit the look I went to the most local barber shop full of people where none of them were there for getting their hair cut or stuff. I just said "reduce beard" and he did a nice cheapy job. I guessed 2 or 3 months of growing were out. Enough to reach US with again the wild curly hair of the beard haha

Anyway, changing tickets at the airport, hitchhiking for everything as always of course and the rest of the evening trying the best mojito in town with local rhum. I spent 4 hours there talking about everything and knowing political situations of Venezuela&Colombia, as the people there were from there. So nice the Colombians neighbours too that kept my stuff with them and also offered me a lift to the disco.

I haven't ever been really keen on Hed Kandi freshy house music but..would like to know what clubbing in Curacao was, and that was the chance!!

Aaaall Dutch (smoking and shaved) people, I mean, just fingers of one hand of locals, except those working there. I spent quite a long time talking to a waiter who did not have so much work. I went alone and thinking seeing that kind of people there I was not going to anything else that liming with the waiters but..there was also an Indonesian-Dutch guy on holidays there with his parents so he was "alone" and he was very kind and we share a nice long chat. As the disco was opened, the music not loud, was perfect!

Then a tipsy guy get closed to me making signs to my beard and shaking me hands like..wow men, nobody does it and you do..I felt like he appreciated I had some kind of personality hehe

Also with my backpack and stuff, the security stuff freaking out. Well, funny moments. Without any problems :D

pics: Holland in the Caribbean houses. My icecreams and milkshakes. The only reason why the bridge opens itself to give way to big boats like this so that you have to take the free water shuttle to cross.

CurAloe (Vera Plantation)

Plan for today was only changing tickets at the airport and visiting this famous Aloe plantation&treatment (just to avoid saying factory as it sounds pretty industrial).
In the morning wandering around to check how I could reach that point. In a tourist stand and a "local" woman who lived closed to it saying there was no public transport to get there, that she has never seen any in her life going around there, so the only option was a taxi. On my verification way to the bus station I was listening to a really familiar Spanish accent between two women. I asked them where they were coming from and they replied me back from.."Santiago de Compostela" Shut! I said..I'm from Coruña!! And we've been sharing our different trips and they end up saying.."you are not the only one travelling around..." so..yeah, hopefully. Of course their plan, was a retired people one in their own private boat but I also asked interested may be to join them, but they were finishing there.
Anyway, on the bus station, they told me they were little vans and, eventually, there was a bus, one stood there, which stopped just in front of the place. Every single driver was adding more info about getting there til I got that.
When I arrived, I was so amazed by the huge amount of plants they had. Can't remember in numbers, but.. between the young ones and the old ones was a number with 5 zeros. The thing is, to get the extract, the gel basically, you need to wait til they are old, between 5-7 years, so that you can get the most of each one.
I took a guide just for myself (there was not anyone else) and I learnt so much more. Like the existence of the InAloe, more properties, uses and interesting facts and healthy stuff about it. I couldn't stop spreading the opened leaves through my body all the time while she was explaining everything. How soft my skin was becoming when it got dried! So so pure aloe!
A nice refreshment and a pure juice were made there and a few products for the body. Well, and a mosturizing after shave, but as the woman said, was obvious I wouldn't need that lol I enjoyed it so much the visit there.
On my way back I started walking&hitchhiking to the main road. I met some nice locals inside one house while asking about the timetable of the bus (as a Dutch island of course there are timetables) and then a guy picked me up and drop me off at the main road to get a van to bus station and then the bus to the airport.
Flight changed almost for free to Aruba to leave later and going to downtown to have dinner in a really cool nouvelle cuisine place where that week were having degustation menus at affordable prices. The most exciting was the started with goat cheese inside sea moss with a peach chutney and other things around mmmm so yummie!

Sempre no meu Curaçao

Seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeempre!!
Well, the reason of this title apart from the cool subliminal song was due to the best hitchhiking experience after the one in Barbados, this one though, really deep in the knowledge of each other.
Arriving the day before and sharing interesting talks with the young CS couple who hosted me I went in the morning to the beach where the girl was working as scuba diver instructor. There was nobody, was pretty small and with nice shadows to have a cool nap (3 hours...).
About midday, I started my walk to reach a cave in the National Park. I came across with the security guy of the beach and he was from Haiti. We've been talking in French for a while until the first vehicle turned up which could drop me off to the road -cuz the beach was at the end of a nice hot deserty sunny walk. Then hitchhiking & reading again and nobody stopped for a while (2cars/min) til a bus did. The driver told me he was not going so far and there were not anymore buses going there, as they take the main road of the island, so I asked him if he could drop me off in a nice place and so he did. Nothing more than a cute tiny and touristy beach. Checking the map and seeing it was not really far -apparently- I decided to start walking. A car per 5 min was coming but..in the very moment I reached another road, a cool 4by4 turned up with 4 people inside pointing me to hop on at the back. No matter my destination, it was all about "sube que te llevo". Oh men, they were sooo friendly, inviting me to have their drinks, stopping me to take pictures and explaining me everything shouting from the window. Eventually, I end up on the front of the car with this truly arowak man around his 60's who was laughing all the time and taking life as funny as it could be getting a tourist on the road.
My destination was meant to be that cave. I discovered the whoole NW coast stopping everywhere and finally in the Northest Point, Watamula, which means "remolino de agua" (eddy) in Papiamento -I love this language, is really kiddy sometimes and really easy to understand only when you read it.
Anyway, we shared so so so much, a piece of it can be seen in the videos. Everything coming from his heart. Did not know how to please him for everything. They were meant to go fishing for their lunch/dinner when they took me around 2. Right, so about 5 when we finished all that portion of the island, he asked me: ¨Do you want to keep on going to see the cave?¨ We all laughed.
Summing up, amazing feeling, love without any interest to anyone without any prejudice. That's life. And this song is for him. Sempre no meu Curaçao.

pics: The big big hole of Watamula where he survived diving in a stormy time (also many legends he knew about there). On the beach where my CS was working. Pointing feet up in the sky! The cool tiny beach. Family of my Arubwak! (Aruban-arowak).