and the point is?

On and off for the past few months I have had small lagoons of existential doubts during which such questions as the following clouded my mind, why do I travel? do I really need to travel? wasn't my life at home good enough?

I am currently swimming through one of those lagoons... when you wake up at 6 am in La Paz and wonder what the heck you're doing there and realise your fun-filled day has absolutely no meaning it's hard to put things into perspective.

Sometimes I feel like sticking my head in a box and never coming out...




I know that I will eventually come out of this lagoon, so in the meantime I try and make sense of my current lifestyle by reading RL Stevenson's quote

For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

Colombia

Colombia, el riesgo es que te quieras quedar.

When I first arrived in Bogotá the slogan "The risk is wanting to stay" didn't seem to ring true for me. Bogotá first struck me as a cold, grey, chaotic and uninviting city, even though I have since then learnt to see beyond that and have enjoyed people watching in La Candelaria,marvelled at the Gold museum and had several "exciting" rides on the Transmilenio bus (please see below)



I spent a week in Bogotá and then headed up to the coast, my first stop was Cartagena, a colonial city on the caribbean coast. Cartagena is a city full of colour and music and I really enjoyed my stay there.













From Cartagena I headed to Playa blanca, near the islas del Rosario and spent a day there, apart from the fact that I became a new dish on the mosquito menu staying with the local juice maker was an added bonus.





After Cartagena I headed to Taganga, a little fishing village near Santa Marta. It was so chilled!





From there I headed to Parque Tayrona, an amazing national park that is an amazing mix of jungle and beaches. Despite the mud overload I thought Tayrona was incredible and definitely worth a visit.





Following my Colombian friends recommendations I went up to Cabo de la Vela, a little fishing village on the border with Venezuela where the desert meets the sea and locals hardly speak any Spanish except when they're haggling the price of their wares.







On the whole I have to say that I had a great time in Colombia, although at first I was slightly intimidated by the machine guns the police carry and the talk of guerrilla and car bombs I felt very safe while I was there and I would definitely recommend it to anyone that is thinking of a "off the beaten track" holiday.

Goodbye USA

Today is my last day in the USA, this afternoon I will be starting a new stage of my trip in Bogota, Colombia.

When I left home in May I had a one-way ticket to New York and few confirmed plans. I could not even have imagined all the things I have done and gone through or the people I have met and travelled with.

I still don't know where I might end up in a month's time, but I love the risk, as JRR Tolkien said “It's a dangerous business going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

To all those out there that are hesitating, that want to take the step but are afraid, or that are held back by the norm, I say, just do it, you won't regret it, go, travel, leave your comfort zone! I can guarantee that there will be at least one amazing experience waiting for you out there.

Traducció pels catalans: Qui no s'arrisca, no pisca!

New Orleans

New Orleans was so intense!! I really enjoyed myself but was ready to leave by the end of the week

Alligator sausage po-boy - it tastes a bit like pork but has a chewy texture



Let the good times roll...










Dancing with a guy from Mississippi



Bourbon street = Sodom and Gomorrah





Hmm... beeeer....



Red velvet cake I got from Zena and Barbara, two great girls from Atlanta



There's a New Orleans tradition that on your birthday you pin a dollar bill to your top and people come up to you and pin more bills to it. I got 35 dollars by the end of the night!



A lady I met at the trolley stop, her birthday was the same day as mine. Don't you just love her hat?



On my birthday I finally got to see someone playing the washboard!

Flagstaff - Grand Canyon, Sedona, Fossil Creek

USA Soundtrack

These songs have been the soundtrack to my trip in USA, they remind me of great times in the company of the amazing people I've been meeting along the way...

California

From San Francisco I went to Mountain View to stay with friends, those days with them felt like going home, I got a chance to rest, good food (fresh plum pie, yum) and great company. From there I went down to San Luis Obispo, a college town where I stayed in a very homely hostel that even had it's own dog.



Pismo beach





Morro Bay



Shell Beach



From SLO I got the train along the coast to Santa Barbara, a little coastal town that is amazingly laid back and fun. I loved lying on the beach and looking up at the palm trees, which was mostly what I did there apart from cheering for Spain!









España campeones!