So I just posted a blog earlier but this was too ridiculous and you will all hear about it soon enough.
We went walking as we are wont to do, in search of the supermarket so we could stock up on provisions for our impending quest, and of course ended up in a less than reputable neighborhood. As we were walking under an overpass we heard the sound of several people following us down the path and our trio immediately went into defense mode. Defense mode, for those less than street-savvy amongst our readership, consists of the following:
AJ - Doing his best impression of a man you wouldn't want to scuffle with.
Bob - Immediately putting his hand in his valuables pocket to administer death grip around passport and loose cash.
Dean - Taking note of all blunt objects to be used as crude street weapons.
With our powers combined we still manage to not see the guy sneak up behind Bob and throw him in a one armed bear hug lifting him off the ground and jamming his free hand into Bobs pocket to fish out his belongings. AJ and I turn around at the sound of Bob's protest and see this absurd scene and as the man releases Bob and we give chase we see that he has dropped everything. I suppose the street value of Bob's dirty handkerchief, Sharpie and crumpled brochure just isn't what it used to be. We let the man get away, even though it would have made me feel infinitely better to kick the tar out of him in a dirty alleyway, however we thought it prudent to leave the area lest we attract more unwanted man-on-man attention.
So before the stories get out of hand, there it is.
Everyones fine.
Even Bob.
Until next time,
-Dean
Give me a place to stand and I shall move the world.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Bob L Braendle: Left this world like he entered it... pihranna fishing. Missed by all.
Were in Quito, Ecuador!
It was hard but we finally left Colombia.
The people, the scenery, the food, and the night life, nothing compares and I will return without a doubt.
We spent almost three weeks there and had an amazing adventure. The sailing trip you have all read about, the manic bus rides through treacherous mountain passes and the incomparable hospitality. We thoroughly enjoyed Medellin and met some great people who showed us the city in ways we never would have on our own. We met a great guy named Oscar who took us to all the local bars and who spent a great deal of time looking out for our well being, maybe some day he will visit us in the states and we can return the favor.
We bussed to Bogota and spent a week living with an amazing family who gave us a room to stay in and fed us more often than we would have fed ourselves. Sofi was our host and showed us the local wonders which I have taken dozens of pictures of and am in the process of posting to the Flickr page. We explored the country daily and saw many incredible sights, Ill hit the highlight and let the pictures tell the rest.
We climbed to the top of Monserrate and visited the church at the top which overlooks the entire valley. The climb was exhausting, assisted by the extreme elevation in Bogota. Hand-laid stone stairs lead up the winding path and once you reach the top one can't help but feel as though penance has been paid for you sins and no confession is necessary at the summit.
We also visited the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá, an amazing underground salt mine which contains an enormous network of tunnels and religious sites unlike anything I have ever seen. Truly one of the most amazing experiences of my life. The pictures will blow your mind if I ever get them posted.
We flew out of Bogota and made a quick stop in Medellin before making the jump to Ecuador. Travel by air is preferable to the long arduous bus rides. We arrived here in Quito last night and proceeded to meet an interesting mix of English, Irish and Danish fellows. As per usual we went walking into the city around two in the AM until we came across a little Irish pub where we proceeded to drink the place dry. And once last call was announced we set off again on foot for some local cuisine. Our journey brought us to a restaurant where we procured some amazing burgers and our loud raucous "conversating" ensured that we were most likely not welcome back. Somehow we managed to load five of the eight of us in the back seat of a poor unsuspecting cab and reached our hostel The Secret Garden. A few short hours later Bob and AJ were inexplicably awake and after some much needed coffee we ended up talking with the travel guy here who showed us the Amazon river trip they offered and we were immediately sold. So now it seems were getting on a bus headed across Ecuador into the deep jungle where we will take a hand-made canoe deeper still into the wild darkness of the worlds most imposing rain forest. Bus leaves at ten tonight so if you don't hear from us for the next four or five days fear not, and if anyone asks or it all goes badly, AJ made us do it.
There has been so much going on and many more stories to be told and this brief correspondence does my readership great injustice. However I consider it acceptable for now and my excuse being that I went drinking with the Irish last night and couldn't possibly produce anything more. So please stay tuned for more updates, hopefully Sunday morning or so. Thank you all for your support and hospitality and new found friendships.
Check out the pictures.
Enjoy the stories.
Pray for Bob.
Until next time
-Dean
It was hard but we finally left Colombia.
The people, the scenery, the food, and the night life, nothing compares and I will return without a doubt.
We spent almost three weeks there and had an amazing adventure. The sailing trip you have all read about, the manic bus rides through treacherous mountain passes and the incomparable hospitality. We thoroughly enjoyed Medellin and met some great people who showed us the city in ways we never would have on our own. We met a great guy named Oscar who took us to all the local bars and who spent a great deal of time looking out for our well being, maybe some day he will visit us in the states and we can return the favor.
We bussed to Bogota and spent a week living with an amazing family who gave us a room to stay in and fed us more often than we would have fed ourselves. Sofi was our host and showed us the local wonders which I have taken dozens of pictures of and am in the process of posting to the Flickr page. We explored the country daily and saw many incredible sights, Ill hit the highlight and let the pictures tell the rest.
We climbed to the top of Monserrate and visited the church at the top which overlooks the entire valley. The climb was exhausting, assisted by the extreme elevation in Bogota. Hand-laid stone stairs lead up the winding path and once you reach the top one can't help but feel as though penance has been paid for you sins and no confession is necessary at the summit.
We also visited the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá, an amazing underground salt mine which contains an enormous network of tunnels and religious sites unlike anything I have ever seen. Truly one of the most amazing experiences of my life. The pictures will blow your mind if I ever get them posted.
We flew out of Bogota and made a quick stop in Medellin before making the jump to Ecuador. Travel by air is preferable to the long arduous bus rides. We arrived here in Quito last night and proceeded to meet an interesting mix of English, Irish and Danish fellows. As per usual we went walking into the city around two in the AM until we came across a little Irish pub where we proceeded to drink the place dry. And once last call was announced we set off again on foot for some local cuisine. Our journey brought us to a restaurant where we procured some amazing burgers and our loud raucous "conversating" ensured that we were most likely not welcome back. Somehow we managed to load five of the eight of us in the back seat of a poor unsuspecting cab and reached our hostel The Secret Garden. A few short hours later Bob and AJ were inexplicably awake and after some much needed coffee we ended up talking with the travel guy here who showed us the Amazon river trip they offered and we were immediately sold. So now it seems were getting on a bus headed across Ecuador into the deep jungle where we will take a hand-made canoe deeper still into the wild darkness of the worlds most imposing rain forest. Bus leaves at ten tonight so if you don't hear from us for the next four or five days fear not, and if anyone asks or it all goes badly, AJ made us do it.
There has been so much going on and many more stories to be told and this brief correspondence does my readership great injustice. However I consider it acceptable for now and my excuse being that I went drinking with the Irish last night and couldn't possibly produce anything more. So please stay tuned for more updates, hopefully Sunday morning or so. Thank you all for your support and hospitality and new found friendships.
Check out the pictures.
Enjoy the stories.
Pray for Bob.
Until next time
-Dean
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Its not all the way empty, its all the way not full...
Posted many pictures the last couple days.
So many more to come.
Stand by.
Check em out.
www.flickr.com/photos/hollywoodhowes
So many more to come.
Stand by.
Check em out.
www.flickr.com/photos/hollywoodhowes
Friday, February 13, 2009
A pirate's life for me...
We shall not cease from exploration! and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.
-T.S. Elliot
So here we are, Medellin, Colombia.
Its a beautiful city full of stunning architecture and old world styling, the people are friendly enough and were not in constant fear for our lives or Bob's innocence. As with most of the cities and countries we have visited our perception and peoples advice were far off base. It has been an important lesson in seeing the world for yourself and making no assumptions. I'll write more in depth about this leg of the journey once we get to Bogota.
I know what you all came to hear about...
HIGH SEAS ADVENTURE!!!
We had some choices to make a while back on how we wanted to reach Colombia, fly into Cartagena or catch a sailboat into one of the smaller ports. We chose the obvious route involving swashbuckling and the occasional rum induced bar fight. Our mighty vessel (the Windseeker), chosen from among a worthy few proved to be one of the best choices in my short eventful life. The ships first-mate an eccentric Scottish/Italian man with a conquistador mustache came to meet us at Luna's Castle in Panama City. He seduced and regaled us with stories of the open sea and the perils and fortune that awaited us if only we would deem his ship and crew worthy. Oh Mauricio, you had us from hello.
So with all the arrangements made we met with the two Australians and the Canadian fellow we were to sail with and proceeded to put together a list of only the most necessary provisions.
1. Ten bottles of rum.
2. Cheese crackers.
3. Pirate Attire to include trusty parrot.
4. Eight cases of beer.
5. Nunchucks.
A fortnight later our transportation arrived and we bid farewell to our beloved hostel and our newly made friends and set off into the jungles of Panama loaded to the ceiling with booze, Bob, and Ozzies. Our journey was perilous and we climbed some frighteningly steep mountain passes and crossed rivers I would never have expected passable in our modest 4x4s. Upon arrival on the other side of Panama we unloaded and were greeted at the river by some locals contracted to ferry us out to our waiting ship. We reached the ship and loaded the supplies and stopped on the nearby Kuna inhabited island for some chicken and rice. We met with the captain a sun darkened man of 50 who left medical school to sail the world and has been doing so for 30 years. Couldn't ask for a more interesting or outrageous crew to set sail with.
We left the next morning and made our way into the vast chain that is the San Blas islands (over 300 of them), stopping first in a protected cove and taking the dinghy to shore where we met with the local chief who offered us a hut and some hammocks for the night. The following days and nights were a blur of sailing, drinking, snorkeling and island hopping. We enjoyed the local Kuna culture and hospitality and spent most of our nights around a fire or sleeping in hammocks under the Caribbean stars. AJ and I took the spear gun from the ship and set out into the reefs hunting anything that would hold still long enough, and only managed to catch a couple fish worthy of being used for bait. The captain kept us entertained with his stories and the abuse to his fellow Australians while Mauricio kept a constant flow of gourmet Italian pasta coming from the ships galley.
We enjoyed the islands and the adventure and were all unprepared for the next leg of the journey which was two straight days sailing the rough open ocean headed for Sapzurro, Colombia. Everyone spent most of that time laying down somewhere in the fore or aft cabins trying not to be sick. We reached the small town the morning of the second day and scrambled for dry land. The first order of business was to get our Colombian immigration stamps which required us to hike on foot through the dense jungle and over a mountain several kilometers to the next town. We of course did so barefooted. We also arranged for a boat to the town of Turbo where we eventually caught a bus to Medellin. But not before we spent one last night on the boat during which we gave the cook a night off and AJ, Bob and myself cooked up a batch of Australian burgers (just add fried eggs and sliced beets to a regular burger, not too bad). We awoke the next morning wishing we hadn't made a valiant attempt to finish off the last of the rum also to realize that our boat to the next town wasn't on time. So our little crew set off on foot once again with our packs on and half ran half climbed back up and over the mountain to the boat dock arriving just in time to stop them from stranding us for another day. The Australians at this point assumed we were outright crazy since they waited and the ferry eventually showed up saving them from the hike.
The details and minor adventures along the way are somewhat blurred together so excuse me for leaving so much out. I have been trying to upload the majority of the 600 pictures Ive taken so far but its slow going, so for reference and further detail please see my Flickr page linked on our site. Were going to be in Medellin for another day or so and then we'll bus down the Bogota and see the sites. After that there is a grand scheme brewing that involves flying all over whats left of South America so please stay tuned and if you managed to read down this far I applaud your patience.
Until next time...
-Dean
-T.S. Elliot
So here we are, Medellin, Colombia.
Its a beautiful city full of stunning architecture and old world styling, the people are friendly enough and were not in constant fear for our lives or Bob's innocence. As with most of the cities and countries we have visited our perception and peoples advice were far off base. It has been an important lesson in seeing the world for yourself and making no assumptions. I'll write more in depth about this leg of the journey once we get to Bogota.
I know what you all came to hear about...
HIGH SEAS ADVENTURE!!!
We had some choices to make a while back on how we wanted to reach Colombia, fly into Cartagena or catch a sailboat into one of the smaller ports. We chose the obvious route involving swashbuckling and the occasional rum induced bar fight. Our mighty vessel (the Windseeker), chosen from among a worthy few proved to be one of the best choices in my short eventful life. The ships first-mate an eccentric Scottish/Italian man with a conquistador mustache came to meet us at Luna's Castle in Panama City. He seduced and regaled us with stories of the open sea and the perils and fortune that awaited us if only we would deem his ship and crew worthy. Oh Mauricio, you had us from hello.
So with all the arrangements made we met with the two Australians and the Canadian fellow we were to sail with and proceeded to put together a list of only the most necessary provisions.
1. Ten bottles of rum.
2. Cheese crackers.
3. Pirate Attire to include trusty parrot.
4. Eight cases of beer.
5. Nunchucks.
A fortnight later our transportation arrived and we bid farewell to our beloved hostel and our newly made friends and set off into the jungles of Panama loaded to the ceiling with booze, Bob, and Ozzies. Our journey was perilous and we climbed some frighteningly steep mountain passes and crossed rivers I would never have expected passable in our modest 4x4s. Upon arrival on the other side of Panama we unloaded and were greeted at the river by some locals contracted to ferry us out to our waiting ship. We reached the ship and loaded the supplies and stopped on the nearby Kuna inhabited island for some chicken and rice. We met with the captain a sun darkened man of 50 who left medical school to sail the world and has been doing so for 30 years. Couldn't ask for a more interesting or outrageous crew to set sail with.
We left the next morning and made our way into the vast chain that is the San Blas islands (over 300 of them), stopping first in a protected cove and taking the dinghy to shore where we met with the local chief who offered us a hut and some hammocks for the night. The following days and nights were a blur of sailing, drinking, snorkeling and island hopping. We enjoyed the local Kuna culture and hospitality and spent most of our nights around a fire or sleeping in hammocks under the Caribbean stars. AJ and I took the spear gun from the ship and set out into the reefs hunting anything that would hold still long enough, and only managed to catch a couple fish worthy of being used for bait. The captain kept us entertained with his stories and the abuse to his fellow Australians while Mauricio kept a constant flow of gourmet Italian pasta coming from the ships galley.
We enjoyed the islands and the adventure and were all unprepared for the next leg of the journey which was two straight days sailing the rough open ocean headed for Sapzurro, Colombia. Everyone spent most of that time laying down somewhere in the fore or aft cabins trying not to be sick. We reached the small town the morning of the second day and scrambled for dry land. The first order of business was to get our Colombian immigration stamps which required us to hike on foot through the dense jungle and over a mountain several kilometers to the next town. We of course did so barefooted. We also arranged for a boat to the town of Turbo where we eventually caught a bus to Medellin. But not before we spent one last night on the boat during which we gave the cook a night off and AJ, Bob and myself cooked up a batch of Australian burgers (just add fried eggs and sliced beets to a regular burger, not too bad). We awoke the next morning wishing we hadn't made a valiant attempt to finish off the last of the rum also to realize that our boat to the next town wasn't on time. So our little crew set off on foot once again with our packs on and half ran half climbed back up and over the mountain to the boat dock arriving just in time to stop them from stranding us for another day. The Australians at this point assumed we were outright crazy since they waited and the ferry eventually showed up saving them from the hike.
The details and minor adventures along the way are somewhat blurred together so excuse me for leaving so much out. I have been trying to upload the majority of the 600 pictures Ive taken so far but its slow going, so for reference and further detail please see my Flickr page linked on our site. Were going to be in Medellin for another day or so and then we'll bus down the Bogota and see the sites. After that there is a grand scheme brewing that involves flying all over whats left of South America so please stay tuned and if you managed to read down this far I applaud your patience.
Until next time...
-Dean
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Kicked him right in the canal zone!
So it was decide that the best way to go easy on our readers was to blog more often thus creating more smaller posts for easier digestion. But then we drank two bottles of rum and forgot to blog for three or four days.
Things are going pretty well, Panama is alright and we've had some fun but were all ready to move on to Colombia. The one thing I will say is that our hostel Luna's Castle is one of the best places I've ever stayed the people here are amazing, its not the most luxurious place and sometimes Daniel walks around with his shirt off, but they do an incredible job of making you feel welcome and at home. We've made many new friends here and I would highly recommend stopping in for a night or six if you ever in the hemisphere. Bob and I have kept busy building and painting his custom loft area that overlooks both common sitting/computer areas. We have even discussed returning to Panama for a week or two so we can help out with more of the construction their doing, it works out well because if you put in some work you can usually stay for free or at least sneak a beer in.
I'll have to hit the highlights if I'm ever going to get this post done.
1. AJ got mugged the day before Bob and I rolled into town from Costa Rica. (see his blog for details)
2. We arrived at Luna's Castle and played bed shuffle and spent a night or two in the surprisingly luxurious theater room where we found it impossible to get through Blade Runner without distraction or exhaustion.
3. We met a lot of really chill cool people including Daniel, Wakan, Meredith, Dain, Kate, Gillian, giant Austrian guy, some Australian dudes who are going on the boat with us, and so many others.
4. We saw the Panama Canal and were entirely unimpressed.
5. We won $120 off some Air force guys when we bet in their Superbowl pool.
6. We saw one of the most intense street parties I have ever born witness to after Panama beat Costa Rica's soccer team.
Its been a pretty great time here despite the fact that Panama is kinda boring compared to our other stops. In a few hours were all getting in a truck with the Australians, our ships first mate Maurizio, about five cases of beer and 10 bottles of rum and heading overland through the jungle to Colon where we'll shuttle out to our waiting vessel. We'll be sailing out to the San Blas islands and hanging out for a couple days before we make our way to Zapzurro in Colombia. Hopefully we can use Bob somewhere along the way to catch a giant record breaking size great white and we'll all be famous (well not Bob). After we reach Colombia we have to catch a speedboat to Cartagena and that's as far as we have planned. I'll let you all know whats up when we arrive but we'll be out of contact on the high seas for five or six days. I assume based on our extensive research that there will be swashbuckling and pillaging aplenty so don't wait up.
So in summation, good bye Panama and all of our new found friends, stay at Luna's Castle if you get the chance, don't follow AJ into the ghetto, never trust a beautiful Canadian woman, Pancakes rock but only for like three days straight.
Until next time
-Dean
worst blog post ever
Things are going pretty well, Panama is alright and we've had some fun but were all ready to move on to Colombia. The one thing I will say is that our hostel Luna's Castle is one of the best places I've ever stayed the people here are amazing, its not the most luxurious place and sometimes Daniel walks around with his shirt off, but they do an incredible job of making you feel welcome and at home. We've made many new friends here and I would highly recommend stopping in for a night or six if you ever in the hemisphere. Bob and I have kept busy building and painting his custom loft area that overlooks both common sitting/computer areas. We have even discussed returning to Panama for a week or two so we can help out with more of the construction their doing, it works out well because if you put in some work you can usually stay for free or at least sneak a beer in.
I'll have to hit the highlights if I'm ever going to get this post done.
1. AJ got mugged the day before Bob and I rolled into town from Costa Rica. (see his blog for details)
2. We arrived at Luna's Castle and played bed shuffle and spent a night or two in the surprisingly luxurious theater room where we found it impossible to get through Blade Runner without distraction or exhaustion.
3. We met a lot of really chill cool people including Daniel, Wakan, Meredith, Dain, Kate, Gillian, giant Austrian guy, some Australian dudes who are going on the boat with us, and so many others.
4. We saw the Panama Canal and were entirely unimpressed.
5. We won $120 off some Air force guys when we bet in their Superbowl pool.
6. We saw one of the most intense street parties I have ever born witness to after Panama beat Costa Rica's soccer team.
Its been a pretty great time here despite the fact that Panama is kinda boring compared to our other stops. In a few hours were all getting in a truck with the Australians, our ships first mate Maurizio, about five cases of beer and 10 bottles of rum and heading overland through the jungle to Colon where we'll shuttle out to our waiting vessel. We'll be sailing out to the San Blas islands and hanging out for a couple days before we make our way to Zapzurro in Colombia. Hopefully we can use Bob somewhere along the way to catch a giant record breaking size great white and we'll all be famous (well not Bob). After we reach Colombia we have to catch a speedboat to Cartagena and that's as far as we have planned. I'll let you all know whats up when we arrive but we'll be out of contact on the high seas for five or six days. I assume based on our extensive research that there will be swashbuckling and pillaging aplenty so don't wait up.
So in summation, good bye Panama and all of our new found friends, stay at Luna's Castle if you get the chance, don't follow AJ into the ghetto, never trust a beautiful Canadian woman, Pancakes rock but only for like three days straight.
Until next time
-Dean
worst blog post ever
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