Photo Diary by Christian Kober: Colombia

Its time to catch up again on this diary. I've just been sat on a bus (or five) for the last 48 hours, so have had plenty of time to think abut doing this.

I crossed over the Darien Gap into Colombia on 27th December. Unfortunately it wasn't overland, or even by boat. The Darien gap is the connecting part of North and South America, but its too dangerous (controlled by FARQ guerillas and the FARQing mosquitoes) to go through it. The other choice is five days on a boat passing through the beautiful San Blas Islands. I was eager to see more of Colombia though, and in hindsight it was a good choice to fly, as I'm now desperate for extra days to see as much as i can in South America.

So I arrive in Cartagena, Colombia in time to settle in for a few days before New Year's Eve. Its obviously more lively here than Panama, and a lot more colourful, so I'm happy to have been able to get here to see in the New Year.

Cartagena harbour

city walls

Cartagena is on the Caribbean coast and i go out to a Marine park for a day trip, and a beach which is supposed to be one of the best in South America. Only two problems though, first the booking agent (my hostel) didn't tell me the weather is too rough to go out to the famous beach, and second, after the day out at the alternative island my boat leaves me stranded.

The people here are the least friendly i have met so far (and since) on my trip. More interested in making money than making people happy. And the boat operators are not nice at all. After asking, in poor Spanish, what time the boat is going to move on, they just wave me away, like I'm a distraction to their busy schedule. So its no surprise that when i turn up at the time one of the other passengers told me, the boat is nowhere to be seen.

I couldn't believe they hadn't waited for me, I could have been stranded all night, or longer!!! Luckily another boat is at the dock, i tell them what happened and claim i have no money, so they let me on board for their sunset cruise back to Cartagena.

marine park

Next day i warily do another trip, to a mud volcano. This one goes better and the experience is really funny. For some reason a volcano started oozing out mud next to a lake and you can enter freely to soak up the therapeutic values of decomposed organic materials (which have turned into mud).

The experience is like a cross between scuba diving, swimming in the Dead Sea, and the effortlessness of floating in space (maybe?). Its impossible to sink but difficult to maintain buoyancy. Local kids hang out to hold people''s cameras and take pictures - for a charge. After you can swim in the lake to clean off and old women try make money by helping! This is a real hassle, even though i can wash myself, thank you very much, they still try and accuse you of being cleaned afterwards. How they recognise you or not afterwards is impossible, so they try and charge everyone they see. Its a good day though, at least my ride waits for me this time.

mud volcano

A lot of people are going to the beach resort of Taganga for New Year, its a very small place but good for a big party. Its probably the most scenic beach I've seen on this trip. At midnight locals set off fireworks which are prepared inside lifelike dolls they have made. Its a bit like Guy Fawks night, except the dolls explode first then burn! Later a few hundred people are in an open air night club overlooking the beach and the music goes on 'til morning. I'm up by 10am on New Years Day, and the locals i saw sitting outside their houses drinking last night, are still sitting outside their houses drinking! This is one of the few places I've seen where the locals out-party the backpackers!

Tayrona NP

Taganga

Next stop was going to be east to Venezuela to climb their highest peak, (and then back to Colombia further south) but i go to the bus station to buy a ticket and because of New Year, the next available is in 4 days. OK, new plan, go south to Bucaramanga to climb in Colombia first, then into Venezuela. But the road is closed due to flooding (about 100 people dead this week!) A new plan, and only available plan left, is to go to Medellin (pronounced Medejin), 17 hours south west of where i am now. Its the only major place in Colombia i planned on not going to, so its ironic that i have to go now through lack of choice. Medellin is where the Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar ruled, and made it one of the most deadliest cities in the world. Now Medellin is a modernising city with some modern architecture and the famous Fernando Botero museum - with all his FAT paintings and sculptures. A lot of people have told me this is a really nice city, they obviously haven't been to Florence or Venice! For me its a drab industrial town, made dull by the fact that everything is made out of old red bricks ( a bit like Manchester, England (sorry Dino!). So two days is enough and i get out of the city into the hills of Salento.

Medellin

Medellin - Botero

Medellin - Botero Museum

I say hills, because even though you can get all the way to 5200m, you don't actually see a real looking mountain until you get to the glacier at 4800m! The people here are much more friendly, and its very cheap too, no-one trying to rip of the gullible tourists here! Only $1.50 for a meal with soup and drink included. There's lots of trekking in the area. I spend 2 nights hiking up to the glacier staying in farm houses (now maintained for hikers). On the second night i have run out of cash (the town ATM doesn't work on weekends!) and i don't have enough to pay. The kind owner gives me a discount and i give him a packet of ham and some Oreos! I think we are both happy!

Salento

Salento - Valley de Cocora

Salento

Once I'm back in town I take an overnight bus which gets me into Bogota, the Capital, at 4.30 in the morning. I've heard its a dangerous city, so i leave it for later in my trip and take the first bus out to a colonial town Villa de Leyva a few hours north, surrounded by countryside with waterfalls and small villages. Its just as the guide book describes it, "colonial town par excellence. Declared a national monument in 1954, it has been preserved in its entirety and virtually no modern architecture exists".

Villa de Veyva

Barrichara

San Gil the next town north is the new adventure capital of Colombia. There's very little to see, but plenty to do, including abseiling down waterfalls, paragliding, white water rafting, caving and more. I try everything except the rafting which I've down twice in Nepal. Paragliding is great, my pilot is a real stunt flier, its like being on a roller-coaster in mid air. I think I'll do a course in flying, its great for taking photos! Caving was cool too, jumping from a 10m rock into a river was the most challenging, and fun part!

San Gil

There's supposed to be a National Park, Chichamocha NP, nearby so i go to check it out, but when i get there all i can see is a disney type amusement park on top of a hill and an expensive cable car which goes over a road you can drive down anyway. I'm not sure what they're protecting, or if its just a way to generate money from nothing, but i cant see anything spectacular around anywhere. At least there's a nice winding road to photograph at night. Its a shame none of the the 30 odd buses that passed me picked me up when i wanted to go back. Luckily a guy in a truck stopped for me, telling me how dangerous it was to be there. I'm sure he was right!

Chichiamocha NP

I'm wondering if i can get to the mountains i was going to climb 2 weeks earlier. I don't have time for Venezuela now, but i still want to get to El Cocuy National Park, which looks close to San Gil on the map. Unfortunately its near the closed road i couldn't get down at New Year. I set off for Bucaramanga, passing through Chichamocha NP again, able now to see in the daylight how many hairpin bends i walked down last night. The bus company tells me there's no way, no bus, no train, no plane to get to El Cocuy. But the guy on the next counter tells me to go to a town I didn't know about and get another bus the next day.

The road doesn't look like it was closed down, but it does look like it should never been opened at all! I arrive in the unknown town at 10pm and go to a hotel 5 meters away where the woman running it tells me the bus to the park will be at 3am. $10 for the room. At 4am she wakes me up and says the bus has arrived. Perfect! The road in is even worse condition and we have a puncture which is fixed in an hour. Once i arrive i stock up for a 6 day hike and wonder if it will be worth the journey.

El Cocuy

The cheapest way to get to the hiking trails is on a lecher (milk truck). I thought it was for delivering milk to communities or lodges, but of course its the communities who make the milk, and the truck goes around picking up a few litres here, and a few litres there from dozens of small farms all over the mountains. Everyday they pick up 1400 litres! and it takes 4 hours and 900 litres later before arriving at the trail head. No wonder its cheap!

I've heard this park is going to be the new Patagonia in 10 years. I'm lucky to be one of the early visitors to enjoy it without mass tourism. Only 5 people come up the trail in the next week, and as far as i could tell, about the same number going in my direction on the circuit. Hiking is between 3800m and 4800m, and climbing can go up to 5230m. If this park were anywhere else it would be overrun with tourists and on the front of many a guide book. It has some of the greatest scenery I've seen anywhere! Hopefully my pictures will make it onto some front covers soon, but still, i hope not too many people will come here and spoil it!

El Cocuy NP

The road back to Bogota is more direct, only 10 hours this time! But i arrive at 6am with no reservation. I have to walk around trying 5 hostels before i find one with a bed. Luckily I'm not mugged! I spend my only day here looking at a few museums, including one with most of the gold in Colombia and another one trying to protect all the gold in Colombia!

Bogota

Bogota - Gold Museum

Bogota - Police Museum

I need to head in to Ecuador now, but don't want to back track (thanks to the closed roads earlier in the month), so i have booked a flight to Pasto an hour on the Colombian side of the board. Its also close to Ipiales a place where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared on the side of a cliff. Since then a church was built in the same place and thousands of pilgrims and some tourist now come to worship and see the precipitously built site.

Ipiales

Ipiales - Sanctuario las Lajas

Leaving Colombia I'm horrified to be told I've overstayed my time in the country!!! Tourists are allowed 90 days usually, and i didn't even look at the stamp in my passport which now says 30 days. I'm 3 days over and the border control want to fine me about $200!!! I complain for a while, but still told to go to the bank and get money, which is not even at the border! I would have to go to the nearest town! Not at all happy with Colombia now! There's a tourist office surprisingly so i go and complain. Obviously she cant do anything. Eventually i go back to the immigration and complain again, saying I'm a journalist and will write about how they treat tourists. A few seconds later he stamped my passport and let me out for free! I think he just felt sorry for me. I was very close to taking his stamp and stamping my own passport. Luckily i didn't have to try! Welcome to Ecuador!

December 27th - Central America

I think a blog is supposed to keep a regular update of what I'm doing. Well i seem to have missed a few countries or so. Its Christmas now and Central America has come and gone. I've been through Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. In a few days I'll be in Colombia, South America....

Guatemala

The last time i wrote, i was on my way from Mexico to Guatemala. The normal way is by road in the south or the north, but another route takes you to a couple of interesting Mayan sites on the river Rio Usumacinta, and then across the water border into Guatemala. The border facilities are basic, not even a set up of steps up the slippery mud bank, and you don't complete formalities until you take a bus ride 5km along a bumpy jungly gravel road.

The reason for this adventurous route is to gain easy access to Tikal, one of the premier Mayan sites in Central America. Towering pyramids poking through the jungle, howler monkeys swinging through the branches, and brightly coloured parrots squawking in the morning, and millennia old ceremonial temples. After a 5am bus to the ruins, it was great to be one of the first to enter the park and see a few animals that would surely disappear into the bushes as soon as the tour groups arrived.


Tikal

Tikal

After relaxing at Tres Amigos hostel for the rest of the day i took a night bus "best avoided due to bandits and accidents" to Guatemala city, 10 hours to the south. Then one of the most interesting 'chicken bus' rides i have ever taken, to Antigua. Unfortunately no photos, but try imagining rows of seats on a bus with imaginary seats stuck in the middle of the rows. Once the real rows were filled up 2 more people were wedged into the space between them, so tightly that they didn't need real seats to sit down, suspended by each other with bent knees in sitting positions. The only problem was that when anyone got on or off, all the spaces that had filled up so far had to un-wedge themselves and let the people through, then re-wedge to sit down again. Is that clear?! Well, you had to be there, it was very funny!

The funny bus took me to Antigua, a town famous for Semana Santa, Holy Week celebrations. I hope to get back here in April for this very colourful, religious festival. For now though, i spent a few days walking around the town and up and down one of its volcanoes - Volcan Agua (3766m). The weather was great and the town pretty, but when i climbed Agua, a cloud developed near the top and i couldn't even see my feet, let alone the city below. I decided to turn round as it was already dark and starting to rain, and not being the highest peak in the country (one i will get to in April) i didn't feel too bad about descending early. I got down at 9pm and hitch a ride back down to Antigua. don't try this at home kids! And was picked up by a family who took me straight into Parque central without saying a word, or asking for money. Just very nice hospitality.

Antigua

The next destination and a new country was El Salvador, supposedly extremely dangerous, not just, very dangerous like Guatemala. First i had to negotiate Guatemala city to get a bus to the border, unfortunately i took a shuttle bus (which i thought would be quicker and safer, albeit more expensive) which recommended i go to the Tika bus company to go the rest of the way. When we turned up i they told me the next bus would be the next day, and even though it was in the middle of nowhere, the shuttle driver just wanted to dump me there and fend for myself. Luckily a Swiss woman was able to persuade him in Spanish, to take me to a different station in the centre to look for a connection. After that my basic spanish was able to find my way to place that would take me across the border.

El Salvador

Five hours later i was in Santa Ana, in the dark, walking through a closed market to a cheap hotel. After a few minutes i passed two heavily armed policemen, which made me feel a lot safer. The hotel, which was no longer cheap, was at least welcoming, and can even be enjoyed by the hour for those in a hurry. According to my guide book (Lonely Planet) an 8.30am bus would take me to Santa Ana Volcano which could be climbed, accompanied by armed policemen and a guide, at 11am only.

Be careful not to miss this bus, the book says, as its the only one that will get you to the entrance on time. So, i get up at 7am, even though i hate mornings, have breakfast, and get to the station 15 minutes early, only to find the times have changed and i have missed the bus which left at 8am. I go back to my hotel :( and ask if there is another way to get there. The owner runs to the station to find out and comes back with no good news. But he offers to drive me and catch up with the bus only for the price of petrol. I look at the sky which is already clouding over and decide to wait until tomorrow. I go to my room already stocked with food for the day out and read up on all the South America country guides (only half believing the information now!) I have 23 1/2 hours until the next bus. At least there are volcano paintings on the room walls to keep me motivated :)

The next day is cloudy too, but its a novelty to be taken up a mountain by police with machine guns. Tourists used to be robbed hiking here, so, for our own protection, we go prepared, with more than a swiss army knife! When we get to the top the sky above the crater is clear and gleaming sunshine is lighting up the turquoise green lake at the bottom. Its worth the wait, and the effort.

I go straight from the Volcano to San Salvador, the capital, again arriving at night. I'd already arranged to stay with local guy with couchsurfing (www.couchsurfing.com) and he was to pick me up when i arrived. I dont have a phone though so i asked a young guy, in spanish, if he knew when i could find a public phone, but he just gave me his phone and let me use i Alfredo had had a flat tire and couldn't pick me up, and it all got a bit complicated then, but in the end i found a taxi driver who called Alfredo and gave him directions. There was a dollar on the floor of the taxi when i got in, and when i arrived the driver overcharged me a dollar too. Karma.

My host was a professional tour guide, and he gave me a lot of great information, as well as a run down on the recent, bloody history of his country, which he himself lived through. Just like other places, for example Cambodia, that have gone through similar struggles, the people were incredibly friendly and showed no signs, openly at least, of what had happened during the revolution in the 80's. Out of all the countries in Central America, El Salvador has to have the friendliest people by far. Everywhere i went someone would help me out. On the way to the bus station out of San Salvador 5 people told me how to find my way, and i hadn't even asked them for directions.

San Salvador

El Salvador is such a small country, and easy and cheap to get around ($1 for 2 hours on the bus) that you can do a lot in one day. Get up early to climb a volcano, see some museums in the morning, go to the beach in the afternoon, and come back to the city for dinner or shopping in evening.

My last stop was a trip to the highest peak in El Salvador, Cerro Pital (2700m) near the Honduran Border. I got there late though and ended up walking up in the dark and sleeping in the ticket office! then walking up before day break for the top. No good views though, thanks to the foggy weather. Going to the border of Honduras i took a ride in the back of a truck, standing room only with 20 other people.

Honduras

Crossing the border is about the easiest thing to do in Honduras, all bus rides seem to take hours more than they should and i spent probably half my waking hours here on public transport. Once you arrive there are some nice places, but it takes a lot of energy out of you just getting somewhere.

Copan Ruins, another Mayan site, was my favourite out of the five I went to. The carvings are far more detailed, and you can see more of the personality of the people who had carved them, compared to places like Tikal which only had step pyramids with much less character.

Gracias (thank you) is actually a small town with a high mountain, well at 2800m its the highest in Honduras. Its also a cloud forest, i don't know why they didn't go the whole hog and call it a rain forest, as it didn't stop raining the two days i was there. And even less views than in El Salvador. And no animals either, Central America is supposed to be one of the most bio-diverse places on earth, but after 2 months here, visiting 7 parks, and seeing nothing, I'm ready to go to Panama Zoo to see what i is supposed to be out there.

The next day i try to get to Teguchigalpa the capital of Honduras, it looks like an easy 3 hours east on the map, but after 9 hours travelling west, north, south and finally east, i still haven't made it, so stop at a lake/ birding centre, known worldwide, with two Americans that i climbed with at Gracias. They know a place to stay that is run by an American who has set up his own brewery near the lake, its also famous for their chocolate brownies, so i figure its a good a place as any to stop at.

In the morning we go for a walk to the lake, and see a few birds and leaf cutter ants making their way with their oversized prizes.

I finally get to the capital in the afternoon, and take a stroll around this gritty town which is heavily patrolled by police keeping their single tourist safe from the bad guys while he photographs their pretty churches during the day and into the night.

Nicaragua

Chinandega is the base for San Cristobal at only 1707m, Nicaragua's highest peak, or so i thought, I've just discovered there is a higher one at 2100m up in the north and not even mentioned in my guide book. Doh! I'll have to go back again!

The peak was small but very very long, especially as the bus driver dropped me off in the wrong place, adding a whole other volcano in the way of the one i was climbing. A kind farmer on a motorbike cut 2 hours of my walk, but 8 hours and a lot of bush whacking later, i was at the base of the volcano i meant to climb. Getting up from there was easy and a smoking crater greeted me at the top. The loose volcanic rock on the way down though was a nightmare and slipping down most of it cut my legs up, but nothing serious. The walk out was just as long and hard to find in the dark!

San Cristobal

Leon and Granada are Nicaragua's two showcase colonial towns, very safe, very pretty and lots of churches! This is where the tours will take you and the country will look like a wonderful place from here!

Leon

Granada

The beach town of San Juan del Sur is an easy stop on the way to Costa Rica. A lot of surfers hang out here, so the atmosphere is very relaxed and there are lots of bars and hostels to stay at. Just don't believe the taxi drivers when they say there are no more buses to wherever you are going, they are very friendly liars when it comes to business!

My final stop would be Lake Ometepe with a volcano capped island in the middle. The boat over and coming back was incredibly scenic, but i wanted to climb one of the volcanoes on the island during the day i would be there. Volcan Concepcion is deemed too dangerous to climb alone (at least that's what the locals tell you), so i had to hire a guide. He didn't turn up though so i left in not the best mood. What a waste, i should have just gone myself. At least the views from the boat were great!

Costa Rica

I knew Costa Rica was a premier destination for eco-tourism, but i didn't realise just how many national parks and attractions there would be here. I think it would take a month to see everything, so i decided to that i will come back another time and just climb the highs peak here. After a night out in San Jose, the capital (with a very large goth scene), i continued on the PanAmerican highway to Isidro del Gerado the base town for climbing Cerro Chirripo (3820m).

Hotel Chirripo - a nice big, clean room, with TV and wi-fi for $14, gave me views of the square and a huge parade and festival that was going on by coincidence. Fireworks until midnight kept me awake and then a 4 hour nap before taking the only bus which left at 5am!

Stupidly you have to get off the bus at the ranger station 2km before the trail to pay the park fee $10 and refuge $15, but the bus doesn't wait for you! Luckily two Americans with a rental car were paying at the same time and they gave me a ride to the top. I walked with them for the two days it took to get up and down Chirripo. Chuck from Ohio and his nephew Greg, a 24 year old fighter pilot in the US Navy!

Staying at the refuge was nice, it even had wi-fi at 3400m!! and yes i had my laptop with me! Annoyingly though the ranger had dated my receipt the incorrectly by 1 day, and the refuge warden wasn't at all understanding, but i wasn't about to be turned back after 7 hours walking uphill!

A late 4am start got me the final 5km to the top for sunrise (if only it had shown) but i managed to get a good view for about 5 minutes near the top, some nice summit pics and the most unusual rainbows I've ever seen. The long 20 kms trail brought me back to the end of my hike, and my comfortable hotel further down the road.

Panama

Not much of a rest as, today my bus was even earlier at 4.45am and took me to the border of Costa Rica and Panama. Crossing would have been simple if the bus had not crossed the border before dropping people off. I went through all the formalities of getting into Panama, showing all my cash! and showing a ticket out of the country which was on my computer, so i had to open it up in front of everyone (not so safe at land borders!), and then told i didn't have a stamp out of Costa Rica. Some of the countries i have been through didn't have exit procedures so i assumed this was the same, but unfortunately i had to carry all my things back to Costa Rica, exit properly, then go back and do the same at the Panama border. Luckily i'd booked a flight out of Panama to Colombia, so didn't have to buy a useless ticket i wouldn't use like some Australians i met earlier.

Panama's highest peak is just across the border in Bouquete. I was hoping to get a rest before climbing Volcan Baru (3475m), but by 11pm i was joining a group of 6 backpackers make a moonlit midnight ascent. If they were going, i couldn't let them go without me!

Panama City

A trip to the Panama Canal, one of the world's greatest engineering feats, is a must see in Panama. You have to time it right though, the big ships only go through in the afternoon, and can be a huge disappointment if you miss this.

Its incredible that we have been able to cut through a whole continent to enable cheap Chinese products to circulate the globe. Unfortunately, it also cuts through the land bridge for animals migrating and breeding through North and South America. A lot of animals wouldn't even exists if it weren't for the narrow passage linking these two continents.

Christmas Day 2010

Christmas in Panama is not to be recommended. I've been waiting 3 days for a restaurant to open, and had to cook spaghetti on Christmas Day which i bought in a Chinese supermarket :( There are a few high end places in the hotels which stay open but nothing in the budget or middle range for travellers. Very unmemorable this year, except for the church outside my window less than 20 feet away, with Christmas songs coming over my balcony.

At least it has given me time to catch up with this blog and organise my photos a bit.

Tonight I'm off to Colombia, i was thinking about a 5 days boat trip from here to Cartagena but i would prefer to spend those 5 days seeing Colombia more than the open seas. I think my plan has paid off too, as a lot of boats have been canceled with bad weather. I just hope the hurricane passing through doesn't upset the flight over.

Happy New Year!!!

Mexico city and around - November 2010

Excursions from DF, District Federal (Mexico City)

From the high peaks of Orizaba, 5600m, to the ancient peaks of the Teotihuacan Pyramids, there are many excursions to be made around Mexico City, some more demanding than others. The Pyramids are only 50km from the city and take an hour by bus. The area only takes a few hours to walk around and two of the biggest pyramids give great views around the whole site, especially before sunset. Just don't wear your high heels unless you want to take the quick way back down!

Mexico's four highest volcanoes are all within a few hours of the city and 3 of these are inactive and can be climbed in a day. Although without proper acclimatisation, this can become a very, very long day! The highest is Pico de Orizaba and at 5610m is higher than Everest base camp but can be reached in 6-10 hours from the end of a rough 4WD road and a refuge at 4200m.

Teotihuacan Pyramids


Teotihuacan Pyramids

Teotihuacan Pyramids

Nevado de Toluca 4690m

Popocatepetl 5426m

Iztaccihuatl 5286m

Popocatepetl 5426m

Popocatepetl 5426m and Iztaccihuatl 5286m

Cholula - gateway to the volcanoes

Pico de Orizaba 5610m from Tlachichuca

Pico de Orizaba 5610m

Pico de Orizaba 5610m at about 5500m

shadow of Pico de Orizaba 5610m at sunrise

summit of Pico de Orizaba 5610m

Mexico City

They said it would be dangergous, dirty, and there was nothing to see. But with 60 fully armed policemen and women on ever street, its hard to see how any criminal would stand a chance at a dishonest living. The streets were as clean as any big city I've seen, and there was plenty to see. Mexico city has a long history - this is where the Aztecs carved the Sun Stone, and where you can now see modern art and fascinating museums, all over the city. Its also where i saw the most amazing light show I've ever seen! Unfortunately even my ;) pictures couldn't capture how good it was, with buildings made to look like they were crumbling in an earthquake - very surreal!

bronze bench outside the Cathedral

cathedral lights!

post office

Museum of Anthropology

Zoo

feeding time at the zoo

Day of the Dead Festival - 1st November

Day of the Dead is a big Mexican festival held all over the country. The ancient indigenous people of Mexico believed that the souls of the dead returned each year to visit their living relatives - to eat, drink and be merry with their loved ones.

Flowers, particularly the zempasuchil, or marigold, and candles, are placed on the graves where family members can come and 'commune' with the dead. Its not a morbid occasion, but rather a festive time involving the whole community, and increasingly, thousands of Mexican and foreign tourists too.

One of the best places in Mexico to see this festival is near Patzcuaro, in ones of the villages or islands on the lake near town. It has a large indigenous population that still holds on to their ancient beliefs.

market in Patzcuaro

boats going over to Janitzio island

lost in the mist

Guanajuato

The Unesco World Heritage city of Guanajuato was founded in 1559 due to the region’s rich silver and gold deposits. Colonial buildings, tree- filled plazas and brightly-colored houses are crammed onto the steep slopes of a ravine surrounded my rolling hills. The city’s roads twist around the hillsides and delve into tunnels, which were formerly rivers.

In October the city holds an acclaimed annual international arts festival, the Festival Cervantino, and the streets are filled with foreign and local tourists alike. As well as the theatres, there is a colourful market, and a gory Mommies Museum, and Kiss Alley, which legend has it helped a separated young couple meet over their almost touching balconies.

Kiss Alley - Calle de besos

Guadalajara

I hope to get a bus 12 hours south to Guadalajara, but its already 9pm, and i have no idea if there will be any more transport. Waiting outside, is a herd of taxis, but its very orderly and no-one harasses or try to rip me off. Its 50 pesos, £2.50, from the out of town train station to the bus station, there is a bus going in a few minutes, all the way to Guadalajara, but Ninety minutes later, however, it still hasn't arrived, but soon a guy who has seen me waiting tells me to change my ticket as the other bus has broken down. I guess my Spanish needs to improve a bit before i can understand the announcements (if there were any)!

Mexican buses are very comfortable, and the deluxe ones even have free sandwiches, candy bar and drink (yoplait!) for the journey. As well as personal head phones, rather than the blaring of dubbed movies through the whole bus.

There's so much to see in Mexico that I'm not really interested in visiting the cities, but Guadalajara makes a nice break and i get to see how modern Mexicans are living it up. Its in stark contrast to the living conditions of the indigenous Tiamahura people at Copper Canyon, largely still living in caves and selling art work as their only form of income.

Everyone is eating soft cones ice cream, the central market sells everything from the cheapest Chinese imports to flat screen TVs. I even see two porsche, and business men at the Holiday Inn.

The city is a mix of classical colonial architecture, water fountains and churches, and quirky modern art.

My hostel is 150 peso a night (£7.5) for a dormitory with breakfast and wifi. In the bathroom, of all places, i find Elias, a friend from Germany. He's been studying Spanish in Chihuahua, we were supposed to meet on my way through Northern Mexico, but he couldn't get a holiday when i was going to be there, and was on the road already. But who needs planning when you can meet like this!

He tells me Guadalajara is the best city in Mexico to meet girls, but all we can find is gay bars, at least 10 of them! so we walk around aimlessly drinking Jack Daniels in a can, bought from OXXO, a type of 7-11 chain, and then a very early night.

Mexico - October 2010

So I finally made it to Latin America, after seemingly avoiding it for the last 15 years of travelling around Europe, Africa and most of Asia.

Its always been and alluring destination, but one so big i've been putting it off until i can appreciate it fully. Even now, i will 'only' be away for 7 months so can't cover the whole continent. Lets just say this is part one of a few trips i will make in the next few years.

'The Plan' is to travel overland, south from Mexico, as far as possible in the next half year. Then return to Guatemala for a Holy Week Festival in April, before coming home in May.

The route for now, is Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, by boat to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and finally Bolivia, hopefully in time for Carnival in March.

So far I am 5 days into 'The Plan', at a bus station, where they have free wi-fi, on my way to Guanajuato, near Mexico City, I started in Northern Mexico, which is drug trafficking capital of the world right now, and have been travelling south through Copper Canyon - the Grand Canyon of Mexico.

Since the bust up of Columbia's drug lords, drug production and supply migrated north, to Mexico where police rarely intervene in what goes on. Juarez city and Chihuahua, the main access point for drugs and illegal immigrants going into the US, are dangerous places to linger, so I soon made my way into cowboy country at Creel, a frontier town on the edge of one of the biggest canyons in the world - Barranca de Cobre (Copper Canyon).

some narco related news...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11647035
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11648454

In fact the canyon is wider and deeper than the Grand Canyon, but nowhere near as well know. In my opinion the Grand Canyon gets the edge in spectacular views, but Copper Canyon wins hands down for those looking for tranquility and solitude. An Italian guy i met was the only other person on the edge of the Canyon for sunset. The last time i was at the Grand Canyon at sunet there were hundreds of onlookers and clicking cameras (as well as mine of course :)

Church in Creel


Vultures

new airport strip

notice that the runway is on the edge of the canyon!

plane at the end of the runway!!!

Claudio from Italy

easy way down, a newly opened Swiss made cable car

Copper Canyon is served by one of the great train rides in the world, the Ferrocarril Chihuahua Pacífico (Copper Canyon Railway). It's also a considerable feat of engineering: it has 37 bridges and 86 tunnels along its 653km of railway line, and connects the mountainous, arid interior of northern Mexico with a town just 24km shy of the Pacific coast.

FERROCARRIL CHIHUAHUA PACÍFICO

The line was opened in 1961, and two trains a day, first class and second class, run both ways between Los Mochis and Chihuahua. Only the first class train takes in all the best views in daylight, so i opt for that, even though its twice the price at about £50.

Conductors wear smart green jackets and caps, and a plush bar serves drinks and light meals. The whole trip takes 13 hours if you don't break the journey at the canyon.

The train drops through some impressive scenery from the canyon rim at Divisadero, 2300m, to the flat cactus filled plains of Los Molinos, at sea level.

I'd like to spend more time at the canyon, but there's a big festival further south, in a week, and i need to make my way down to it.

Photo Diary by Christian Kober

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Colombia

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