I can pole dance after all. I am sure somewhere there are photos of my expertise on Facebook. I am not and will not be a Facebook person. It was in Cali, on the Chiva bus 'city tour' by night. What that means is that it is a bus/truck with a dance floor, two poles, seats around the perimeter, very loud music, alcohol available, driving around the city. Hot and heavy. Good fun, for a while. Not the city tour I thought, however, it was a laugh, we waved to many people and got lots of smiles.
The Pan Am highway is getting some parts upgraded. Thank the highway gods. We drove to Lake Quilotoa from the village of Chugchilan to see the emerald crater lake. The attraction of this is the hike down to the hostel where we started. Not big enough of an attraction to get me to do it. At 12,841' in altitude it was all I could do to walk to the toilet. The lake was spectacular and not quite bubbling from deep in the earth, but active. It was very cold, I slept with my sleeping bag and the heavy blankets.
Some observations: Trucks have lights on the wipers.
People on motorcycles put plastic bags on their feet or high plastic booties that come to the knees.
Gas is about $.50.
This is the dental capital for braces, the percentage of people wearing them is very high.
My dental week: $1.00 = 1,800 COP
Panoramic Xray 20,000
Root Canal Dr. started but tooth was cracked so charged me only for consultation 60,000
Surgeon to remove tooth 150,000 He looked and sounded like Anthony Robbins
Surgeon to open implant for crown 100,000
Medications 50,000
Dentist that co-ordinated it and did implant finishing that I started last Fall in Nicaragua. 950,000
Loosely the total came to $738.00
Yea for medical tourism.
Guatepe has a very big rock called El Penon de Guatepe. The locals have made a staircase going up and behind that, one coming down in bricks for a totel of 644 steps up and 644 down. I stayed at the bottom and had lovely coffee. Escobar the drug lord, had a lake side home here. We took a boat to see it, it is now a modern ruin. From there we went to Medellin, the home base of Escobar and the artist Botero. A museum for just his work and many statues in the plaza outside of the museum of large pieces he donated, he loved his city. I can see why. After Escobar was killed, this city took it back. My hat is off the the city leaders. They made a cable car that goes to the favela so people there can come to work in the city, Three big black square buildings up on the favela hill, full of libraries and places to study. The ticket is included in the metro ticket price. Also libraries in metro stations!
Parks like I have never seen before, one called the Barefoot Park. Places to soak your feet, another with jets, a sheet of water falling from 30 degree angled support that you can walk under or stand in front of. This city is now a jewel.
Cartegena is supposed to be the jewel of So. America, and it is well preserved. The old city is inside the wall and the old part outside of the wall is preserved as well. The modern part, and it is big like Panama City, is on another island removed from the old part. Standing on the wall for sunset, you can experience the different parts and see how well it is separated.
Oh, and it is stinking hot.
Our hotel staff took time from their day to show us how to cook a Paisa meal, from Paisano, friend.
Beans, meat, coca rice, potatoes, fried banana, smashed plantain, salad. Yumm, especially the coconut rice.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment