The Sunset on a Grand Adventure

After a hurricane trip through Chile and Peru we were very fortunate to be able to use our birthday gifts from my Mom and Dad-two weeks at a time share of our choice. We had been looking for something since New Zealand but nothing fit the schedule or the location we wanted. We found super cheap tickets from Bogota, Colombia to home and a resort on the Caribbean coast. Our budget and travel drive was dwindling and we decided to end the trip in style. Tired, weary, and ragged we arrived at our 5 star resort (interval international standards). We got some interesting looks while we were checking in and wondered if they would let the travel worn couple with backpacks in. Our accommodations were the best of the whole trip, and we realized that we hadn't stayed in a "western" style hotel since one night back in 'Nam 5 months ago. We had a kitchen, porch, 4 swimming pools, and just meters from the Caribbean. We were like little kids checking out a new house and headed straight for the pools. I'd like to have some crazy stories about our two weeks but it was pretty low key. A few of the highlights were taking a tour to Tyrona National Park, azure waters, a quiet beach, little boat ride, and some snorkeling. One funny thing was that my brother-in-law Travis had been in Colombia the week before we got there and he told us that if your taxi "breaks down" you automatically start beating up the driver because you will soon have 4 other goons at the car to rob you. We had decided if this happens Melica would pounce on the driver and I would work over the second wave. On the way to the National Park our bus broke down and Melica and I looked at each other and were ready to put the plan into action, we held off with no kidnapping or mugging...only being transferred to another bus. Actually, we felt really safe in Colombia, didn't have any issues and found the people to be really nice. They have a new department of tourism slogan "Colombia, The only risk is wanting to stay!".


Some of the other things we did during our two weeks was to check out the neighboring towns of Rodadero and Santa Marta. Nice little touristy, ocean front towns, good seafood and good Caribbean/island/with a Spanish twist feel to it. Most of the people staying at the resort were Colombians themselves or Non-gringos but we did end up meeting two Tennesseans and hung out with them a bit and had a really good seafood meal on their last night there.

Our time could really be summed up by just saying we took it easy. After being on the move for so long and not really being comfortable... we were finally comfortable. We unpacked the bags, spent hours relaxing by the pools, reading, relaxing and thinking about our strategy for re-entry into society. Not sure how we'll cope with the inevitable reverse culture shock and having to make more decisions than just what to eat, where to sleep and where to head off to the next day. We couldn't have asked for a better way to end an amazing trip, and it gave us some ample time to reflect on how lucky we were and what exactly we learned. Here is some of what we learned: It's a huge world, full of great people, places and cultures. We realize more than anything is how good most American (and the NW) have it...economically, weather, and natural beauty. And really how little you need to be happy or survive. You can make due with a beat up Holden Barina and 2 small bags, you can live off of rice, potatoes and lentil soup, you can sleep almost anywhere, rely on the kindness of strangers, and overall if you set some goals, work hard, plan a bit, you can have some amazing adventures.

Our trip back was long but decent. We spent one day in Bogota. We took a nice guided walking tour and saw some cool streets and a nice plaza. The plaza has one of the highest PSI (Pigeons Per Square Inch) I had ever seen. Not a bad city and definitely not as bad as its reputation makes it out to be. We concluded our long weekend of travel with long layovers and sleeping in the Dallas Airport. Monday afternoon we finally made it home. We joked before we left that we would be back in a month, sunburned and broke...it looks like it just took a little longer. One tip- if you are ever forced to sleep in an airport, go to http://www.sleepinginairports.net/ they give good advice on where to crash, if its safe, and if you can sleep. It has been great to get back to the everyday comforts you take for granite: showing without sandals, potable water, public restrooms, English being spoken and some good home cooking.

This will probably be the last blog for a while...We may keep updating it so you know where we ended up and what we are doing. Just wanted to say thanks to all our readers. Thanks to Family and Friends for their uplifting emails and skype calls. Thanks to my brother Dave and his family for taking care of our house and rental while we were gone. And thanks to the friends along the journey that made the trip so great.

Time to hang up the passports and get back to work. Adios.