San Gil Caves and Paragliding

Today had to be one of the most exciting days of my trip so far! We started the day by going inside a cave which was located in the middle of a field in the middle of nowhere. Entering the cave we had to crawl through some areas that were so tight I could barely fit inside. The lights that were provided were about the quality of a 2 dollar flashlight with half dead batteries. After going not to far I was sure we were at the end of the trail until I finally figured out that the guide was telling me to swim underwater for 10 feet or so in a certain direction to get up on the other side. I was really really concerned, but I decided to go for it and came up to find that were were able to venture about another 40 minutes deeper into the cavern. There was also a spot where it was so tight and it was so long that the only way to get through was to roll like a barrel for about 45 feet. I was seriously about to freak out a couple of times on our way through but I made it. All and all it was a blast looking back and the group we were going with was AWESOME! After the cave everybody in that same group decided to go parasailing. Something's are hard to put in words but it was nothing short of amazing. It was really scary since I was the heaviest guy there and all of the guides were arguing on who was going to take me. The first time we tried to take off we went about 20 feet up and fell right back down to the ground. The second time we went running off the side of a steep mountain side and at a few points I thought we were going to hit the trees. Not shortly after we ascended to at least 1000 ft up and soared in the sky like a bird.......It was one of the most exciting experiences in my life. To end the day our entire group went out for pizza and a few beers. The entire day was full of belly ripping laughs and one exciting event to the next.

San Gil, Colombia 08-08-08

Somewhere in the middle of Santa Marta and Bogota is the little town San Gil which is a great place to break up the 20 hour bus ride between the two. San Gil is a very cozy place and if your into outdoor activities........it has it all. Although I really didn't want to spend the $65 dollars I decided to go down the Class 4/5 rapids which was a blast! We stopped and enjoyed a nice lunch and I tried a new fruit ....(Grenada?).....which is an experience that you will never forget. It was like eating a sweet slimy substance that had chewy seeds in the middle. On the outside it resembled an orange and I decided that I didn't feel like eating the whole thing because it was not really my cup of tea! Hopefully I will check out the caves and the waterfall before I move on to Bogota.

National Park Tayrona, Colombia

I was really having a hard time trying to decided if I wanted to go look at another beach, but I couldn't say no to going to what's rated in the top 5 beaches of South America. Tayrona is about an hour outside of Santa Marta and it requires you to hike about 2 hours to reach the best beach there. It was crazy how many people were there and I saw about 10 people that I had met in Central America. For $6 dollars I rented a hammock and slept by the beach. I am heading out of Santa Marta and Plan on working my way south to San Gil. I am planning going white water rafting and caving which is suppose to be a lot of fun...........YEAH...My favorite thing!!! FUN

Ciudad Perdida...The Lost City, Colombia

What seems like a lot (430,000 Colombian Pesos) I decided to take an all inclusive trip to The Lost City. For US $240 I embarked on a 6 day hiking adventure through the rainforest to see an ancient Tayrona civilization which wasn´t discovered until 1976. I had never before even heard of this place until I was reading in my Lonely Planet that it was one of the highlights of South America. Along the way they have a cocaine factory that you can tour and see the process. We chose not to see it since a group a few days earlier had got in trouble because when you go to the trail head you get your bag searched by the Army. On your way out they search your bag again and they were going through people´s photos and found pictures of the factory and put them in jail. They had heard that this was going on and were currently looking for this little place that was making cocaine....... Going up the trail we stayed at miscellaneous camps along the way and saw indigenous people who also didn´t speak a lick of Spanish and lived like you would imagine an Indian would live 300 years ago. When we left they said they would supply all things necessary and I didn´t feel like carrying my water filter with me. After a few hours of hiking I told my guide that I was thirsty and he grabbed a bottle, filled it out of a stream and handed it to me. I was surprised that after 6 days of drinking out of a stream that I didn´t even get slightly sick although our guide was terribly sick the whole time. It really didn´t feel right carrying his pack with all our food in it but I felt bad for him. On the other hand the food was awesome and the hiking was beautiful. The one downfall of the trip was it rained everyday and by the time I got back, I had been wearing clothes that were so dirty and stinky I was ashamed to walk within 10 feet of anyone. As far as the Lost City goes all I have to say is WOW..............YOU GOT TO SEE IT! Well it´s been 3 months and I have ruined my first pair of new shoes and my day pack is trashed too!

The Mud Volcano

If you ever get a chance to go and visit a mud volcano I would go. When I got there I was not impressed with what I saw, but getting in and playing in the mud was so much fun. For $15 we got transportation, admission, and a mighty delicious lunch on the beach. It is crazy how buoyant you are and the whole time you swim in the mud volcano you can feel it bubble up air. I don´t know if my swimming trunks will survive that adventure, but I had a great time hanging out with the group that I was sailing with to Cartagena.

Cartagena, Colombia

WHAT A CITY! This place by far is the best city I have been in so far. It is nothing how I imagined it to be and has so many things to go see and do. Just walking around the city you are amazed with how beautiful and advanced the city is. If you decided to add this to your vacation list you won´t be disappointed. As far as cities go I think this is the safest city I have been in so far..........What a surprise!

Sailing adventure from San Blas, Panama to Cartagena, Colombia

For $350 dollars you can catch a boat that takes you from Panama to Colombia. As you sail the 200 miles into Cartagena, Colombia you pass though the San Blas Islands which is nothing short of amazing. While passing through we spent 2 nights on 2 different little islands of the 340 islands that compose of the San Blas Islands. These islands although are very small are filled by an idigenous group called the Kunas. They do not speak Spanish and for the most part live and survive on these islands. One night on the island and you can´t help but wonder how in the world anyone could live in such a confined space and not go crazy. I decided that I don´t get seasick anymore and I was going to not take anything for motion sickness. I would like to say that I didn´t get sick, but the first 3 hours I was really struggling with the motion of the boat again. Lucky for me I adjusted quickly and felt great for the rest of the time we were sailing. I was also fortunate to be stuck on the boat with a group of great people from all over, and we all had a great time! Another great accomplishment for me was I finally completed the book, Atlas Shrugged which is a 1200 page book and although I am not Oprah, I would put it down for my book of the month. As far as San Blas I think the pictures should say enough.