Estoy Esperando.

(I'm waiting, in Bogota, Colombia).

Here's a short excerpt from one of my final journal entries.

"I think it would be wrong at this point to say I miss home. Missing is for when you've recently left and it draws a more sorrowing connotation. I'm actually almost ready to leave, although I know I'm really going to miss South America. I've already been making plans for when I return here. Traveling alone has been different than anything I've ever experienced, and I now realize how much I love it. Being alone, you are your exact self. There is nothing and nobody directly influencing you, aside from normal necessary interactions with everyday strangers; it tells you a lot about your persona. I feel like I understand my thoughts and feelings much better: I understand beforehand how and why I will react to certain situations and ideas - my true personality - and I've now gained a sense of acceptance for myself and the rest of the world that I've never had. There's definitely a change. I feel that I've really grown into myself - not a person that anyone expects me to be or that society shapes to an image. Instead of accepting some high deity, esoteric philosophy, existential beliefs, or complicated daily ritual, I've simply accepted myself. And   although I cannot claim to be familiar with all of the former, I can say the latter feels damned good. It's a relief and I'm new and refreshed. I'm now looking at life through appreciative, blessed (for as much as that means), and opportunistic eyes."

Unfortunately, for those few dedicated readers that still check, this will likely be my last entry in South America. I'm very near the end of my trip, and arrangements have been made (not without hassle) for my return to the states. If you didn't catch every blog, there's a drop-down list of links on the right side of the page to view old entries. 

I appreciate all the support and encouragement from those around the world, and I'll be glad to show pictures and share stories with anyone interested (I've got plenty to go around) over a cup of coffee or a beer. I've had suggestions for a book, and some have seen the movie Into The Wild, but I'm not quite that brave or valiant yet, for now this public blog suited my needs. I'll definitely consider a future trip in my life alone, and a book would necessitate a much longer one.. don't hold your breath.

Again, for all my friends, family, and new travelers I've met along the way: You made this trip, not I. Thank you, adios, ciao, hasta luego, paz, y amor.

Until the next escape,

Brian Sumwalt

Travel in the North..

Cartagena: in need of a clean-up day.

"You guys don't get the full experience!"Lunch with a traveler.

It's been a week since you last heard from me.

I've been through a bit. I'm still traveling with my friend, Aidan, from Minnesota. He's a chill guy. From Cartagena, we cruised out to Playa Blanca, an hour boat ride to a white sand, palm tree, clear water island of bliss. It was like the wallpaper your computer probably has as default. We stayed at a little camp-ish place in hammocks. We snorkeled. Everything was perfect. WAS perfect - that's past tense. I woke up covered in these:

Pictures don't do them justice, but still gross, right? They have Dengue and Malaria here.. but so far I didn't get it in those 200+ bites. We left the next day (I was miserable and gave up trying not to scratch) and spent one more night in Cartagena. From there, we went to Santa Marta.


Beauty.

Your new computer wallpaper:Yep, snorkeling. Buddy Aidan diving down.
Ray. I'm happy with my waterproof camera.

Santa Marta is unbelievably mellow. It has a strong wind from the ocean 24/7, and everyone's alright with you just wearing boardshorts, sandals, and no shirt everywhere you go, so that's what I did. It sits right on the coast, the water's not the cleanest but it's warm. We spent two days there doing absolutely nothing and relaxing. The third day we went to a nearby town that was exactly the same, and we just poked around.

It's a bit of a port.

We saw some dogs.. this is the worst I've seen in South America, though."How did you get purple?"Making guacamole in Santa Marta.Santa Marta by night.Ah, can't leave out the giant rum. I could put so many captions for this.

The fourth day, Thanksgiving day, we went to a national park about an hour away. It was amazing. After an hour walk through the jungle, it opens up to deserted beaches and cool, refreshing, clear water. We walked along those and jumped off some rocks.

Unfortunately we were in a bit of a rush to catch the last bus from Santa Marta to Medellin. We only stayed a few hours in the national park, then headed back. Since it was Thanksgiving in the states, we decided to treat ourselves to a great meal on the way out. We each bought two extra-giant hotdogs (they do them well here, better than the US) and fries. We also grabbed cookies, snickers, a 2 liter of coke, chips, and some beer. We planned to eat it all on the bus, but the bus was an hour late, so it was consumed at the station. No turkey, but hey, they have CHICKEN flavored chips. It sounds gross, I know. But they really taste like actual chicken.

Check out the rainclouds.. It didn't rain.

Jumping the gap.The view was better upside down.This picture of Aidan is awesome.This was the hour hike (Aidan) - through knee-deep mud mixed with horse urine.Our Thanksgiving. Clockwise from center: Giant hotdogs, fries, beer, redbull, snickers, Coca Cola.

So this is my second day in Medellin, Columbia. I'm leaving on a bus today back to Bogota (check last post) to figure out some travel details. It's very close to the end of my trip. I don't quite know how I'm getting back yet. I'll likely have another post or two before I'm home. I really appreciate everyone who's reading and commenting, it makes me feel great to know that I can always come back to open arms. I'll keep this post short (like I usually say and it's not, really). I miss everyone, and thanks again, it really does mean a lot to hear from you all.

Ciao,

Brian

Bonito Columbia..

Sorry for not posting in quite a while. Since the last post I came through Columbia: Popayan, Cali, Bogota, and I'm now in Cartagena, on the caribbean coast.

Popayan was a beautiful display of Colonial architecture, and the city is one giant version of Old Town in San Diego. Small markets and Loncherias dot the sidewalks, and the few small parks were inviting. I would've loved to stay longer than a day, but I had too much on my list to spend more time there.

From Popayan, I jumped on a bus to Cali, Columbia. Cali was amazing. I met a cool Australian couple the first night sharing a room, and we went out for a night on the town. The discoteques and salsateques are everywhere, and each one seemed equally exciting. I won't lie: I can't salsa. But I still had a great time. I spent a few days in another nearby hostel with tons of friendly travelers, played some music, tried local foods, and went on a few exploration hikes. I learned a lesson the hard way the night before I planned to head to Bogota. I bought up every fruit that I had never seen before at the supermarket and planned that as my dinner. I was learning names and trying them all with the help of the hostel owner, and most were delicious (Columbia is known for its exotic fruit). The next morning, however, I regretted it. I guess you can't eat JUST fruit, because I was sick as ever.

Yeah, don't eat all of these at once, bad idea.

Club in Cali.. Reminds me of somewhere but just can't put my finger on it.
Cali dusk view from a mountain behind the hostel.

I packed up and headed to the bus station with a buddy I met in the hostel also heading to Bogota. Got sick there and on the bus, too, but after a nap I felt a whole lot better. We got in late in a light rain and headed to the hostel. Bogota is a pretty big city, and I felt like I was back in downtown Santiago or even a Latin version of New York. We walked the city and explored, checked out some cool markets, plazas, and parks. At night we decided to head to a club to experience Bogota night life. We found another friend at the hostel and asked a taxi to take us to "The best club." We arrived, it was free, and it was 80% females, and they were all extremely beautiful. Nobody was really dancing. It took us about half an hour to realize the taxi driver had dropped us off at a strip club/prostitute lounge. Nobody wanted to dance and they were all nice until they figured out we weren't paying and that wasn't what we came for. We stayed for a bit and still had a good time laughing about it, but none of us were expecting that scene, so we headed back to the hostel after a while.

Buddy Aiden in Bogota, La Candelaria (Old Town) Plaza.

Bogota scenery.La Candelaria scenery near the hostel.Government buildings and a large plaza.

The next morning we woke up and headed to catch a bus from Bogota to Cartagena at 5 AM. The almost 23-hour ride wasn't the most pleasant, but wasn't terrible. We arrived in Cartagena this morning around 7 with a new friend we met on the bus, so now we're three. We explored all morning, and Cartagena is awesome. It's a chill little town that really reminds me of Puerto Rico, and its hot as an oven but lies on the caribbean coast with a nice breeze from time to time. Street food's been good so far, and I think a cold shower will do me well later this afternoon.

View of the "New City" of Cartagena across the river.

A large old fort in the center of the peninsula.Travelers relaxing in Cartagena heat.
Colorful plazas and buildings are everywhere in Cartagena.City center: Statues and crowds.Caribbean soccer match.

A lot of travelers have told me that Columbia was their favorite country in all of South America. I can't say I've seen every country, but out of Chile, Bolivia, Peru, a bit of Ecuador, and now Columbia, it's definitely high on the list in beauty, hospitality, and a general welcome feeling. Most of the bad things you hear about Columbia are from people who haven't even been there: "It's dangerous!" "It's all drug wars and cocaine," or, "You'll get kidnapped by guerrillas!" The reality is that Columbia is dangerous and does have those features, but it's really not any more dangerous than any other South American country. I've met people with horror travel stories; everything from getting Dengue Fever to being in a shootout to getting robbed and kidnapped at gunpoint. But that's the .00001% of the thousands traveling that you hear about. Knock on wood, but Columbia is treating me well and is a wonderful country.

From Cartagena, I plan to travel east to Santa Marta and maybe explore the national parks there, then into Venezuela. With less than 4 weeks left, I'm hoping I can see what I want to see and somehow find my way back to the United States and not be stuck here.

Relaxing in the Caribbean couldn't be better until then. Think of me at your desks and from your offices..

Paz,

Brian