Colombia/Venezuela March 4-25

[Viajero II]

The first time to Trinidad was about a week after 9-11-01 and unfortunately I felt like I had to keep my guard up all the time.
Actually met several nice folks there and got a chance to go liming. Been back since and still a nice visit
but rather let my friends drive. There is that upside down hotel on the hill, and tons of curry, everything with curry, and
roti is good.

Bogota is fun city. There is this restaurant where you go from hell to heaven on different levels, (Andres D.C)
dancing, good food (not vegan food) and some side entertainment.
Outside the city you have the salt mine church of interest ( Catedral de Sal Zipaquira). It is about an hour ride outside of town.
Still do go to Bogota from time to time. There are some parks with good views. Hate the two different airports and the road construction
projects are forever ongoing.
Medellin climate is what I consider the best, cool mountain air, and a bandeja paisa. And the ride around the mountains (from a/p to city)
going from one parilla to the next eating chorizo and downing aguardiente (las palmas). Just to drive that
road is a hoot, but after a few, lethal. (there was this bunge tower enroute but never jumped)
Cartegena the main plaza for food and to be hounded by the sellers of all kinds of trinkets.
I noticed that folks run early in the day 4 am along the beach area as it
gets hot later in the day.
Caracas, well the ride from the a/p to the city can be an adventure. I guess they fixed that bridge.
Early morning roadside food stands for arepas with string cheese and ham (good after too much aniversario)
(the arepas are different than colombian ones.) We've lost some items out of a car while lunching
and a computer in I/C hotel. Just have to watch your stuff.
My friend in Caracas is sending his family out cause its becoming a mess trying to live there.
Personally Colombia offers much more fun

[flipflop]

Hot springs near Popayan in south west of Colombia. Maybe it is not safe there still.

I suppose they're not large enough to put the yacht in?

Cheers

[andy]

I spent a couple months in colombia two years ago. Go up to capurgana in the coastal darien. Pm me for details if you like.

[friendlyskies]

Atlanta - where they kill people for candy.

Slim Dunkin Murdered Over A Piece Of Candy?

Oh I know, I think it's so hilarious that most people in Atlanta were too goddamned chickenshit to visit me in Nicaragua, the second safest country in the fucking hemisphere, when they live in a city where a human life is cheaper than a Tootsie Roll.

Outside the city you have the salt mine church of interest ( Catedral de Sal Zipaquira). It is about an hour ride outside of town.

Oh right! I forgot about that - I missed it last time I was in town. Love stuff like that, this time for sure. Thanks for all the tips (You too, Andy!). I know Colombia is probably a lot more awesome, but I really want to check out Venezuela. I've got hookups in Caracas with some rich people who are guaranteed anti-Hugo, and hope to do some traveling in the countryside to see what the gente thinks (I'm fluent in Spanish), that's sort of my main reason to visit. You hear so much bullshit about Hugo Chavez, pro and con, and it's really frustrating.... I figure the only way to figure out what's really going on down there is to visit.

Caracas is a cool town and there are some solid day (or overnight) trips you can do around Caracas such as Colonia Tovar (a very German town in the middle of the jungle), Parque Nacional El Avila (park reached by cable car above Caracas - very good views), Puerto Colombia and Chuao (cool beach towns - Chuao is better) and the Henri Pittier National Park which is a nice dose of jungle and is near Puerto Colombia.

Rockin!!!