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.
No comments:
Post a Comment