One Night in Cuba

So I meet this Canadian guy that looks more like a Viking then a regular person. He has blue eyes and long blond hair, and no doubt, pulls way more girls than I do. We catch a collectivo to the Capital and stroll off into The Hotel Ingleterra to relax and grab a drink. We sit for a while, the talk gets deep and the beers are flowing nicely. We take a walk down the famous strip that is Havana Vieja and find a few more bars to chill in. So this is what I remember doing that night.

Bar 2. A pretty hot Cuban broad sits down. She is medium build, great eyes, full breasts and curvy hips. She is sassy. She wears a tight red dress that shows the beauty of her body nicely. She definitely has attitude and she doesn’t seem to keen on talking to me. I buy her a drink and I am ready to cut her loose, but she throws me a hand grenade when she tells me that I can fuck her for 60 CUC’s. Even though she has beauty, I do not really dig her vibe, so I said thanks honey, perhaps manaña and she got up and walked out of the bar. When we entered this dusty bar it was super quiet, with not really much happening and the place looked pretty open, however, a few hours later I take a look around and I see that the joint has filled out nicely. It is an interesting place. Timber bar with, rustic tables and chairs. Simple mirrors but decorated timber cornices and unpolished hardwood floor.

We start talking to a girl from Spain. She is a lawyer, well spoken, light build, with brown hair and then the mojitos came out to play. Talking Spanish, keeping her entertained. My Viking mate was like ‘keep throwing mojitos at her, grab her by the waist and you will be slamming her in no time’ he laughed as we clicked beers together and kept the liquor flowing. She had to leave so I went all in and pushed for a kiss and got one on the cheek. Ah how life can withhold these delicious treats. Oh how sweet is the smell of a woman and oh how women make me feel alive.

We leave there and go to a bar called La Lluvia de Oro. The place is rife with salsa music and Cuban charm. The old guy at first didn’t want to let us in. I swore loudly and walked away, the rum drinking unleashing the beast of my barbaric nature that I prefer to keep concealed. I turn around and give it another try and the old grumpy bastard let us in. There is some loud music and Cuban people dancing. The drinks are really flowing at this place. I remember this old bar as a bunch of moving energy. Laughing, dancing, drinking and the smell of the Caribbean coast that greets you warmly.

We sit down at the bar and there are some more Cuban girls talking quietly. I introduce myself in Spanish and get talking. Within two minutes I find out they also are hookers but this time it excites me. I borrow a cheeky $60 CUCs of my old mate and I tell him to keep himself occupied for 20 mins.

The girl and I walk hand in hand, like a long term lovers through the dusty streets of Cuba. She takes me an old house and I find myself in a neat but small bedroom. I don’t remember all of the sex that we had, but I have some flashbacks of me putting her on all fours on the bed, me literately chewing on her box and tasting her and loving it. I also remember fucking her gently, slow, then pulling her hair and finishing hard.

I get back to the bar, and we pretty much leave. While on the walk out in the street. I meet two girls walking the same direction has us. We get talking and I convince them to come to the Floridita Bar and grab a dacarie. I take some selfies and look at the pictures with Hemmingway and Fidel Castro and do a Bukowski while I feel up this other girl’s leg under the table. They tell is they have hired a car and I ask if we can join for the weekend. They accept and tell us to be ready tomorrow morning. One round in we call it a day, stumble back to the square, grab a taxi and head back to the hostel. It is 2am. The night is over.

Cuba; The world's most beautiful prison

Havana Cuba is a cluster fuck of dirt, grime, black smoke. It is the massive deterioration of buildings and balconies contrasting with exquisite Spanish architecture, and the smiles of children wandering the street. Cuban music vibrates into your soul, abstract art is alluring; ham and cheese sandwiches are as ubiquitous as the 1950’s American cars that flood the streets. Both lack real depth, and exist only from need. Old Havana is a city of dust and dirt, pollution and rust. The real Havana, is raw, complicated, grimy. This is my experience.

It is late at night. The smell of urine under magnificently crafted stone, arched walls confronts you with disgust, contempt, malice. The sound of chatter floats over the warm Caribbean air, high pitched laughter befriends you while bars overflow out into the streets. Smoke, dense black heavy fumes, fills your lungs with a sweet chemical cocktail that tastes of metal and lead. Cuban women walk the streets, tight, well-shaped figures move with the grace of the moon; nature encompassed in a woman’s body; leering eyes, the sexualisation of femininity complete. Hustling, false friendships, deceit swimming through a wave of desperation, fuelled by the will to survive. Integrity and honesty disregarded; meaningless in a game of manipulation, deceit and lies.

Chugging cars rattle and barge through narrow streets. The old American clunkers splatter over potholed pavement bent with cracked, faded paint and glass. The disease of rust patiently summoning the ancient machine back into the dirt, the source of creation demanding its inevitable return. Full bodied tanks swollen, a symbolic representation of indulgence that is American culture. Excess, abundance, dominance contrasted by jarring angles that once represented success and elegance now plod through the streets, heavy with thick steel, dull, loud uncouth. The machines resist under permanent slavery. They rattle, shudder and groan in protest, as they are forced to propelled forward with replaced mechanical hearts that pump fresh black blood and force rubber limbs turn in a never-ending cycle of punishment and pain.

Black creased faces, fading smiles, impatience, apathy, dead eyes and sharp vocal barks of request. A man asks for a piece of cheap bread with some ham. There is simply not enough. He grunts and he walks away. Dreary streets void of colour, class and appeal. Peeling paint and sagging buildings crushed with defeat. Old Havana is like a tired burnt out, broken old man, full of neglect, lost dreams, unfulfilled potential, youth constricted, castrated, confined and controlled.

I walk through the dusty streets of Havana in awe, looking at a city that has aged, fallen from grace like a queen brought to her knees, I soak up the energy of this place that is a city captured in time. As I dodge the perennial pot holes, the dirty puddles, I see young children playing football on the street. Old women walk slowly, held upright by the hands of youth, clothes faded like the brightness of their lives now lost. I see people sitting on the road, their feet dangling in the street and their eyes on the movement of others. Watching, speaking quietly to old neighbours, some shouting out to their friends, some dancing, and some perhaps waiting for someone, albeit foreigner or family to ease the longing of desire.

The human heart in chains. Clamps of steel, unbending, unrelenting and apathetic. No internet to lubricate curiosity, creativity, expression, ideas. No visa to leave and fly, a dull Caribbean island surrounded by water, it citizens trapped. A prison of rock, water isolation. An illusion of freedom, romanticised, glorified yet masks truth hidden in shadows, a government perpetuates, the elite float, effortlessly in a world of privilege. Revolution, change, a world made in haste. Cuba, a prison frozen in time. Nothing changes. #

Living in Fusagasuga

Hey guys just a quick update of what it is like to live in this boutique little town.

Fusagasuga and I quote from the most academically accurate site ever made: Wikipedia states 'Fusagasuga is located some forty miles from the capital, Bogotá. With 134,523 inhabitants, Fusagasugá is the second most largest municipality in the department. It was founded in 1592 by Spanish priests'.  However I might add is it also a town where no one speaks English. I thought Mexico City was challenging. That was a walk in the park compared to this. I have now got my little hands on a copy of the Lonely Planet - the city did not make into the book - that tells me a few things.

Fusagasuga has everything and nothing all at once. It is hard to explain but that is how it feels. You can get everything you need but the city kind of runs out really quickly and just hits vast mountain ridges. The town does feel nice, has character and a sense of community. The churches are full on the weekend and people all know each other here. There are a few bars but it is not a party town so simple living is what I am getting. However within the small bars that I find myself engaged in, beers are cheap; about $1.50 AUS for a local smooth tasting Colombian lager which is great. My actual expenses to live here are pretty good. Rent is cheap about $120 AUS a month for a room in a house including all expenses and access to wifi and laundry services. It is a not a town where there is a lot of poverty but the people live on very low wages and very simply. I have to remind myself that as I take my IPhone6 out (or should I say Matt's phone out - thanks Matt) to take photos a phone of $1000 is 2-3 times the average monthly salaries here - so that gives me some real perspective. I will be earning $1.5 million paseos (when i finally get paid) - not huge amounts but if I live simply that will be more than enough money to live comfortably for a month. It translates to about $650 a month Australian.

I am living with a local family in a small attached house - great for learning Spanish, very challenging for basic communication. There is also an 28 year old architect that is living here in the other spare room and works in Fusa- however he travels to the capital every weekend to see his girlfriend. There are no Gringos here except for me and one other American dude in the program that I am in. He is also at my school. Decent dude with good ethical values. Those of you that are interested in the program and possibly joining me here one day in Colombia is the link: http://www.mineducacion.gov.co/1621/w3-propertyname-2863.html.  All you need a is a degree in any discipline and TEFL and you are good to go.

The people here are generally pretty friendly but I have been told there is a lot of petty street crime and the main town after 10pm  to be hanging out alone on the streets, alone, apparently is quite dangerous. People I am told quite often get robbed here for their phones and wallets, usually with a knife and sometimes a gun - need to play it safe and cool - but this could be exaggerated - not sure at this stage. More to investigate on this as time goes by.

The school that I am teaching at is awesome. It is a very basic school of about 750 students. Kids are great, teachers are very friendly and it has a great vibe. Also the students are really interested to learn English which is great. Having a lot of fun with them. They are full of life, wit and are cheeky as hell, great to be around and good positive vibes. Currently developing some teaching strategies that I will use next week. Teaching resources are basic. There is one texbook, a white board, battered chairs and tables and a dully fitout room. The kids however breathe energy into the classroom making it come alive.

Joined a local 'World Gym' here in Fusa which is great. I trained the whole time I was in Medellin (mostly when I was distracted by the countless bars, club and restaurants) and it is great to find another little gym that is old school and has everything you need all at once.


I must make it clear that there is some great positives being in this part of Colombia- you can get amazing food for about $3 dollars for a two course meal usually with a drink of some sort. Good coffee is hard to get and expensive here as everyone drinks 'tinto' which is some kind of instant coffee that is cheap and nasty - however you appreciate the good coffee when you get it much much more. I attempt to speak Spanish every day and am learning slowly, but steadily - I should have it under control perhaps at the end of the year - to really get the basics down. You really have no choice but to learn here which is great especially if it is supplemented with individual self directed learning.
Generally a pretty small, quite, interesting town that has a little charm about it. Still finding my feet here. Usually takes me about two weeks to properly get a feel for a town and feel really chilled about it. I will be here for nine months if all goes well. My contract ends in the middle of November. Fusa and I will have time to get to know each other.
I am pretty happy so far with how it has unravelled. Made some great friends along the way (in Medellin no tourists here at all - or none that I have seen so far) - see above. Surprised myself making friends with Americans haha - they were cool guys. The learning Spanish for five weeks was a great investment of time.

I guess in closing I must admit that this part of the travels holistically is and remains very challenging. I can assure you I am always out of my comfort zone. I am always learning, meeting people, adapting, failing at something, tasting something and always feeling uncomfortable - but this is what I thrive on. I have realised that when you make mistakes and feel uncomfortable the only person that cares is you and it is better to just let that go and take a deep breath, relax and smile. It is an internal battle with yourself and with your own ego. I also feel like I have a lot to learn and a lot of growing as a person to do. Letting go of fear in small and big situations is important. Letting go of expectations of how something should be or comparing is also just as important. The school is really important to me, as ultimately that is why I am here, to learn but to contribute and do something positive for the community while I can develop my career. So here it is in bullet point form. Hope all of you are well. I have just scratched the surface of what I want to achieve here. I will keep plugging away. Let our dreams never evade us.

Goodbye Medellin

Goodbye Medellin.

I leave this city feeling full and fulfilled. I have spent the last five weeks in this beautiful city. It is a place filled with rich smells, domineering deep blue mountains, vast sprawls of orange bricks, fashion, food, bars and just about everything else that you could care to experience from this amazing city. I came here without expectations but this city has impressed me in so many ways. What stands out as always, is the people that you meet and their thoughts and ideas that burn fiercely with passion. 

The experience at the Spanish school was amazing. I have met some really cool freethinking people that have fuelled my passion for travel and to inspired me to live my greatest purpose. Five weeks and 90 hours of learning at the Spanish school now complete. I was probably their slowest learner but I have learned what I could at the pace that I go with the memory that I have. I pack my bags and look around with almost a sweet melancholy. I breathe the air of this place for the last time in god knows how long as I set of too the city that is Bogota yet again. I am about to start the true test as I begin my teacher training on Monday to finally embark on the quest that has been in my heart for so long. The true test of character begins. The learning Spanish experience has been really challenging, frustrating as hell at times, daunting, rewarding, excited and left me feeling calm and empty all at once. I love how this experience has made me feel the positives and negatives which is living! Just wanted to touch base with all my friends back at home. Hope you guys are all well. Once I start teaching than you can be proud of me, until then I am just a dreamer; just chasing the dream.

So you think you can learn Spanish in the classroom?

So you think you can learn Spanish hey? Well here is what I experienced trying to learn this slippery romance language for the last 5 tantalising weeks.

Hi my name is Steve. I am a 34 year old Australian and like most Australians I can barely speak English. In January I accepted a job in Colombia to teach high school students English for a 9 months. The job did not require me to know any Spanish. In contrast my new employer had specifically requested that all foreign teachers must teach the Colombian students in English. Apparently the immersion method is considered to be the most fruitful in current theories of pedagogy. However before I started work I had five weeks up my sleeve to prepare for the real Colombia so I enrolled myself in a Spanish school to learn this evasive language. Here I am an Australian in Colombia I was about to learn Spanish in Spanish.Strap me in and lets go!

Out of literally dozens of places in Latin America to learn Spanish I chose to learn in Medellin Colombia for a few simple reasons. The city is beautiful, Medellin has been constructed on the base of a mountainous range which has spectacular 360 degree views. The city is always beautiful to look and and the presence of these deep blue jagged mountains make you feel somewhat surreal. Secondly the weather here is amazing - always warm, never to hot and never cold - apparently there is no winter or summer being so close to the equator. Thirdly I have read that in the times of Pablo Escobar (1980's to early 1990's) this city was one of the most dangerous places in the world and basically considered a 'no go' zone. There is two positives that spawn from this negativity. The first being obviously the place has incredible and very violent history that is fascinating for foreigners to experience and explore. A history that the locals are not to keen to talk about and that of course must be respected. The 'history' as I might call it is still very fresh and a lot of families have lost people to the 'dark time' of this era. Almost everyone knows someone that was killed in the conflict from the narcos and the Colombian government and from what I have been told and read the violence was prolific and horrific. Although from the point of view from a westerner exploring the history is undoubtedly interesting to understand, read about and visit. I think culturally travelers need to be aware of the deep scar tissue that the country carries. I really feel that this issue should be explored with caution. I would suggest that if you were a traveler here be careful and aware about who you talk to about this issues as they can easily cause discomfort. There is a museum called the Museum of Violence which does explore these issues here in Medellin however a few of the locals would be much happier if the whole Pablo Escobar thing was soon forgotten and buried forever.

Due to the recent fierce violence and political turmoil within Medellin's history this city has been untouched by the outside world and until the last 10 years. The result has created a city remaining raw and extremely authentic and only really recently has been tainted by globalisation from the western world. English is spoken by less than 5% of the population which forces the learner of Spanish (like me) to be constantly engaged with real people that speak no English - hence more practice and Spanish learning.

So, I had five weeks up my sleeve to lean Spanish before my new employer placed me in a relatively small region called Fusagasuga where it was pretty obvious absolutely simply no one was going to speak English.  The lessons were extensive four hours a day of small group classes also taught in Spanish and although I was not expecting to be fluent I was hoping to have mastered the basics of survival Spanish to take me from Gringo traveler to veteran traveler status. My observations in the class room are as follows:

So week 1; The teacher was a lovely Colombian girl with a red rinse through her hair and a lovely full, engaging smile. Although she can understand all English she does not speak a word of it to us. She is a true hippy of the earth, energetic, filed with passion and she is both nurturing and sweet in the classroom. I really like her energy and her teaching style. She uses a lot of positive reinforcement and she does not slow down her speech for us. With her keen eye and her nurturing, that week we master some basic phrases, learn how to conjugate verbs in the present tense and learn some very basic grammar. We also learn to ask questions, we pronounce the alphabet and I learn the Spanish word for homework. Fuck homework what a drab. Vocab, grammar, speaking, listening, it all blurs together like ride on a Ferris wheel but you sit back and enjoy the colours.
 

Week one is over and we have a new teacher and unlike our first teacher she can explain difficult grammar in clear, articulate English. The pattern repeats day after day. The teaching and lesson plans are well thought out and is engaging. This teacher uses a variety of activities, my high school teachers would be proud of how teaching has evolved from the blackboard to a full array of technology and interactive games. She still uses the white board as her primary weapon although she skilfully incorporates YouTube, card games and role playing activities. All the lesson elicits Spanish dribbles to be uttered out of our feeble little lips but I am starting to observe the painful truth. One factor is king. Memory. Now some people have a fantastic memory, they can link things subconsciously, they have a sharp clear mind and they absorb it without even trying. How I despise those people. My memory is pretty ordinary. If I want to remember something I usually have to work for it.

Anyways the process is pretty straight forward. Week 3 I have my first mental breakdown. The teacher is explaining some concepts in Spanish. I do not understand a word of it. Basically I lose my patience and I want to flip a table. Thinking about it hindsight later I realise there was a few contributing factors to this and I will outline a few basic tips that now I know that would have helped me progress somewhat. As they say, hindsight is 20 / 20 and it is part of the process but here is what I would have told myself before I started to give me the upper hand to go in prepared.

1) Go in with plenty of patience: Learning another language is a huge task. It can be daunting although confidence issues aside, the sheer amount of words, hundreds of not thousands of conjugations that you have to learn is b beyond ridiculous, not to mention the grammar and pronunciation will melt anyone’s mind so remember to be patient and learn what you can. 

2) Lower your expectations: Lower what you expect to get out of Spanish lessons but simultaneously put as much effort in as possible. So I am not saying do not try or do not have clear goals but lower your need to get a certain outcome at a certain date. It will come when it comes, implement your strategies, study your ass off but there is only so much the brain can learn and when it clicks it clicks. Once you get a hold of all the things that you can change accept the parts that you cannot. Learning a language is not something that you can control, it is different for everyone and we all learn at differently paces and we all learn differently. Do not consider suicide because you are not able to describe the process of spiritual enlightenment to your teacher in week 2. Do not throw away your goals but accept your individual rate of learning and be aware of the process keeping in mind that your mind will do it's best. 

3) Experience both group and private lessons: I really found this to be the best method to learning Spanish. It has helped me progress a great deal as for my first few weeks I had group lessons and for my last couple of weeks I changed to private lessons. Obviously there are some advantages in both bu the private teacher can speed the lesson up for you, slow down and really focus and get gritty when necessary. The private teacher can hone in on your weak spots so that you can get superior quality, individualised learning. Also the teacher will be able to discover your learning style and use activities that best suit your way of absorbing information and ensure a better learning experience. This is in contrast to group lessons which you can mentally check out from, the class is taught to groups of 3- 10 and has to accommodate multiple students and the lesson plan may cover content that is either to easy or too difficult for you.

4)   Have fun with it: This one is pretty straight forward but is really important. Studies have shown that students have a higher rate of learning in a positive learning environment and simply can learn more when they are relaxed and happy. Furthermore, the classroom should be a fun and engaging experience for the teacher and for the students. Linking positive experiences in the classroom with not only associate positive emotions and superior quality learning but it will also ensure that you will continue to enjoy the discovery process of the language and continually engage, contribute and participate. This seems to be the recipe to really immerse yourself in the content and continue the process of learning both in and out of the classroom.  

5) Study when and as much you can outside of the classroom: Obviously the more that you study out of the classroom using an abundance of resources than the more you can get out of your learning. I try and use literally anything, podcasts, YouTube, websites, textbooks, streaming the radio, voice recordings. If you can think of it, then it is probably worth trying to implement. Furthermore, the more variety you can implement the better as you can create your own additional diverse learning experiences that will enhance your learning and allow the content of today’s lesson to gel in your mind. 

6) Lastly TALK to native speakers as much as possible: on the street, at bars, in restaurants, I don't care just talk. Let your fears and inhibitions go, and just go for it. It is the time that you get to put your Spanish to the test  and allow you to even practice using the language on the spot. It also allows you to hear more native speakers talk at the pace that they talk which is really important Bro tip: sometimes if I do not understand what locals are saying although instead of halting the conversation I just throw a response back at them. It really is hit and miss but it is better (in my opinion) to keep talking instead of halting the conversation and letting it dry up with 'no entiendo'. You get what you get out of it and for me its great to run with it. Remember that I am providing a strategy for beginner Spanish learners. For advanced learners it is totally different as you can explain what you want to ask specifically and the native speaker can provide an answer in Spanish and you will get it explained in Spanish. I am not good enough to do that so this tip is to start using the language as much as possible and let go of the fear! Failure is part of the process. You are going to fail so much in the process of learning a language that it will teach you to be humble and let your ego go. Then you can just push, persevere and persist which I really think it is the key to success in my opinion with anything. 

Anyways I wrote this just to clear some stuff in my own mind. Learning Spanish in the classroom has been a really challenging experience and I write these thoughts in my little blog to reflect on my own experiences of what it was like to spend 5 weeks in a Spanish school learning English. So you might ask did I achieve my goal? Well in truth I am far from being amazing. I have learned a lot of words, some really important concepts and grammar and I now have the building blocks to continue to keep learning and better my Spanish. Can I hold fluent conversations? Considering that they put me in almost the beginning week no I can not. But I can ask for a bunch of stuff, I can get my point across about a range of different things and I a great deal of Spanish is slowly sinking in. I really think that I made more progress in 5 weeks here than I would have made in 6months if I was doing this at home solo.

For anyone that is thinking of learning another language I really feel that it is the key to being able to experience a country and culture at a deeper level. The more of the language that you learn the more you can verbally engage with people of the land, understand their individual experiences and hear their stories their pains and their triumphs. It creates a connection to another human without barriers as with words we can understand the hearts and mind of our fellow human beings. This connection allows the bonds of our humanity to grow and give us an understanding of a culture and how they view and experience the world. It almost feels like a secret door way into another universe. A must for any traveler that really wants to be connected with the land, people and culture. Good luck to any fellow travelers that are learning another language. The tools are out there!

Welcome to Colombia

So I arrive in Bogota Colombia, funnily enough it is still Australia Day and its not too long before I am on 'Party Bus' into the city with a new bunch of people - however I must admit its not without my usual set of Stevo fuckups. I thought my connecting flight was with United Airlines and as I find out it wasn't it was with United Airlines the connecting flight is through Avianca Airlines. So I go through security for the wrong airline United Airlines fails to pick it up because my ticket says United Airlines on the fucker and then I realise when I am trying to find my flight on the electronic board I realise that am in the wrong place and I need to be somewhere else. Fast. What an A-grade fuckup - stress levels now through the roof.

Long story short, I am in Los Angles airport. Its fucking huge, fumbling like a fool, flustered and fuming at myself as I have about 30mins to find the new airline, go through security again and make sure they let me on the god damn plane. As life takes it I am trying to explain to the bus driver where I need to go and failing miserably as I have lost my cool and I can barely get out a audible sentence. Call it coincidence or call it luck luck, an Australian girl pipes up as says 'I am on that flight as well, its in Terminal 2 which is the next stop'. She saves my ass and we go together and attempt to board.

There is nothing more frustrating for me than missing a flight. I have done it a few times. You feel like a loser and you have to wait around with your dick in your hands which gives you more time to think about how you could have been a better, smarter individual but your not because your stuck in the fucking airport, by yourself, killing time and your pissed off because it has cost you a bunch of money. Money which feels like you pulled it out of an ATM dropped in on the floor, poured some petrol over and lit it and went 'oh well, that's a fuckup' - and you have to wear it on the chin and nurse a beat up ego.

I have two other small hurdles before I get on hat plane which takes me to Bogota. If that Australian girl wasn't on that bus without a doubt I would have missed my flight. I slowed her right down and she still waited for me. At one point she tells me to run over and hold them at the boarding gate. I do and I would have waited till she got there and not boarded until she was with me. Top girl. But here is the real clincher;  I talk to her to discover that not only is she on my flight going to Colombia she is also employed by the same agency as I am and is coming back to work a third term in the same employment program as me. Wow small world hey. She gives me hope that I am on the right path and sometimes during the fuckups, the pain and when you feel the worst, these things happen to give you the boost that you need to get moving again and it rekindles the positivity. Thankyou universe. I do not need a sharp hook to the temple before I get into the ring.

Anyways, with her help I scramble on board, I get on the 7 hour flight to the heart of Colombia and land in the capital city Colombia. Megan and I go our separate ways but I know without a doubt our paths will cross again. I get a cab to the hostel. Its called The Cranky Crock hostel and it is one of the best hostels that I have ever been too. I get there, order a beer and slam it as I follow the security guard to drop off my stuff. Check it out: http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/The-Cranky-Croc-Hostel/Bogota/26229?s_kwcid=AL!591!3!88291838780!b!!g!!_cat:colombia&source=adwordsdynamic&network=g&creative=88291838780&adposition=1t1&uniqueclickID=2703063381323711928&sub_keyword=_cat:colombia&sub_ad=b&sub_publisher=ADW&ef_id=VmdqmgAAABNr-OAb:20160204022935:s

The hostel is full of really switched on travelers, freethinkers, educated people that resonate with rebellion which is founded in reason. I met a lot of great people there. Unfortunately for me it also involves a lot of parting and for those of you who know me, which is all of you, my ability to say no to anything fun is about the same amount of sill power a three year old child has when told to abstain from cake. As you can guess what happened after that. Is that I have four days of hard partying and I felt like I almost got swallowed up by that place. In my defense I did do some productive stuff. Got the cable cart up to an amazing view of the city, I did a walking tour which took 4-5 hours filled full of political history, architectural knowledge and art, I did a graffiti tour through the city, I ate some street food, I went to the Fernando Boltero museum and stared long and hard at art, I made some great friends to try the local coffee with and I met a few locals in shops, cafaes and bars and got to practice my Spanish. Bogota is one hell of city - it hit me with real presence and it is flourishing with culture and art. It feels like a young Berlin, a place of new ideas, emerging grace and a unique identity which parallels the presence of even Mexico City. 

Four days after arriving in the Spanish colonized new world, I say my goodbyes, grab a cab to the airport and catch a plane to Medellin. Talk about a beautiful unique city. I have never experienced anything like it. Built in a valley it has spectacular mountain views and unique yet beautiful architecture. The building glow a sweet orange during the day, with the sprawl of buildings licks the base of the mountains during the day and lights up magnificently at night. It feels like your looking at an ocean of civilisation tucked away from the rest of society. What a beautiful place.

So this does not go on forever, all I am going to say is I got to my new den, the place to call home for five weeks. Its on the third floor, self contained flat with a large balcony area complete with a brightly woven hammock with some very beautiful views of the city. The area that I am in is relatively quiet but I am 100 metres from the Metro which runs very efficiently and is easy to catch to all major centers of the city. I will attach some photos later.

Lastly I have just had my first week of Spanish lessons. The whole task is actually quite daunting. The more you learn the more I realise how bad my Spanish is - but I keep reminding myself that it is all about the journey not the destination as this is prob one of the most challenging things I have ever done. The classes are taught all in Spanish as well which makes it even more challenging. I have made some new friends, the school is actually really good, even better than I expected, I joined the local gym and have experienced the bars and restaurants in the famous El Poblado Zone which is the beautiful playground for the rich and is magnificent in itself.

So that is where I am at. It is pretty chilled life at the moment. I am going to absorb as much of this place that I can and breathe it in deeply. I am just going slow and trying to enjoy the experience. Hope you guys are all well back at home.

For those of you that are interested check out Matts blog - one of the highest rated blogs at the moment: http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/ultimate-list-medellin/ for more reading on this place and other places of similar interest.