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defrag4
Senior Nomad
Posts: 536
Registered: 2-5-2011
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happy to share David, you guys were the first board that gave me the courage to go down to Baja. So its partly your fault Im down here now! haha
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64854
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by defrag4
happy to share David, you guys were the first board that gave me the courage to go down to Baja. So its partly your fault Im down here now! haha
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I love it!  
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WideAngleWandering
Nomad
Posts: 414
Registered: 3-13-2012
Location: US-Based but traveling
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| Quote: | Originally posted by defrag4
happy to share David, you guys were the first board that gave me the courage to go down to Baja. So its partly your fault Im down here now! haha
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Hah, well, your blog is one of the reasons I decided to throw my career aside and go for a long drive. I figured, surely if these goofballs can do
it, I have a shot!
So, it's partially all of your faults that I'm in Baja, traveling oh so sloooowly towards S. America.
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redmesa
Senior Nomad
Posts: 580
Registered: 3-12-2008
Location: Van Isle and Bahia Asuncion
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Just wonderful that you have such a commitment to travel rough and share soft. Thank you.
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Bajafun777
Super Nomad
Posts: 1103
Registered: 9-13-2006
Location: Rosarito & California
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Mood: Enjoying Life with Wife In Mexico, Easy on The Easy
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When I was young and still going to college, I worked the melon sheds in the summer along with a friend that quit college to do things like this. He
only worked the sheds in the summer, as he need cash to do his travels. I thought he was crazy wanting to do this and not get established on his
career. Well, maybe he had it right by putting his travels first and working second,LOL. Guess the song verse of "It's Your Thing, Do What You Wanna
Do!" applied here. I also really enjoy the posts along with the photos of this blog. Take Care & Travel Safe--- "No Hurry, No Worry, Just FUN"
bajafun777
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desertcpl
Super Nomad
Posts: 2396
Registered: 10-26-2008
Location: yuma,az
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well as an old fart I have vicariously enjoyed your blog.
I have never done any thing quite like what your doing,
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defrag4
Senior Nomad
Posts: 536
Registered: 2-5-2011
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Not ones to stay down, the next morning we regrouped and relocated the trucks to another trailhead.
We found a nice little hacienda where we could camp and the host would cook us dinner, all for ~$5 each. Not bad!
We spent most of the day relaxing and drying out our camping/hiking gear, preparing to hit the trail the next morning.
It got pretty chilly that first night. The four of us huddled into the hacienda kitchen while the owner cooked up dinner. Soon enough our bellies
were warmed with delicious sopa de avena (oatmeal soup).
While we devoured our food the old man regaled us with stories from his mountain. He had lived up there his entire life. We all poured over his
logbook that went back years and years, crammed to the gills listing travelers from around the world.
A quick cup of coffee and some bread in the morning and we hit the trail. The old man told of us a cave up on the mountain that was a popular spot for
people to camp. Once Brad and I learned the caves name is actually "Cueva del hombres" literally translated as "THE MAN CAVE". Our destination was set
in stone.
We set off through a valley of rolling green pastures.
We were sandwiched between beautiful set of mountainsides that jutted straight up out of the lush pasture into stark jagged rock.
Our hike took us down into another "Valley of Frailejones" and we stared in awe again at the Dr. Seuss-esque (yes thats a word) plant life.
After an easy stroll through the valley, the climbing finally began.
Looking back down into the valley.
We eventually reached a false-summit and turned further into the mountain. Some fellow trekkers built this giant cairn here to indicate the pass. I
took a moment to add another rock to the pile. My mark on El Cocuy.
Read the rest of the story and lots more pics on the blog at http://homeonthehighway.com/el-cocuy-parque-nacional-the-hid...
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defrag4
Senior Nomad
Posts: 536
Registered: 2-5-2011
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajafun777
When I was young and still going to college, I worked the melon sheds in the summer along with a friend that quit college to do things like this. He
only worked the sheds in the summer, as he need cash to do his travels. I thought he was crazy wanting to do this and not get established on his
career. Well, maybe he had it right by putting his travels first and working second,LOL. Guess the song verse of "It's Your Thing, Do What You Wanna
Do!" applied here. I also really enjoy the posts along with the photos of this blog. Take Care & Travel Safe--- "No Hurry, No Worry, Just FUN"
bajafun777 |
Its a risk worth taking IMO, I had a pretty good career going in the states.
One of my favorite sayings is...
There will always be more money, There will never be more time.
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defrag4
Senior Nomad
Posts: 536
Registered: 2-5-2011
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Leaving El Cocuy was interesting...
Our truck was secured in a nearby parking lot. I went to go pick it up one Sunday morning around 7AM, hoping the garage owner would be awake.
As I approached the garage I heard a lot of singing and revelry taking place. I figured, maybe its church?
I round the corner to the garage and find 15 guys streaming out of the bar across the street. They are singing songs and taking shots of Aguardiente
(The anise-flavored Colombian liquor of choice).
The man in the middle is signing loudest of all. The crowd parts and who do I see? Why, the owner of the parking garage!
"Hello good day sir, Could I get my car please?"
"MY FRIEND, MY FRIEND, MY WONDERFUL FRIEND, YES YOU CAN HAVE YOUR CAR, BUT FIRST YOU MUST TAKE A SHOT WITH ME!"
Well... It may be 7AM on a Sunday, and I may need to drive all day through crazy mountain roads but it would be rude to refuse. Yes, I tell myself.[I]
It would be rude to refuse...[/I]
We all file back into the bar. The oldman barks at the bartender who brings him a bottle of Aguardiente, he grabs one of the random crumpled plastic
shotglasses strewn about the bar and fills her up overflowing. He grabs one for himself and hands me some sort of little unpeeled fruit. (I later
learned it was a "Lulo" fruit)
SALUD! He knocks it back and bites into the unpeeled fruit.
SALUD! I knock it back as well. MMMM... the taste of ether and licorice fills my throat as I bite into the fruit to dull the pain. The fruit tastes
sort of like a semi-sweet miniature orange and surprisingly compliments the anise very well. [I]That was actually pretty damn good[/I], I think to
myself.
"DO YOU LIKE IT?"
"Oh yes, very good. Thank you very much my friend. Could I get my truck please?"
"YES YOU CAN HAVE YOUR CAR BUT FIRST YOU MUST TAKE A DRINK WITH ME!"
"Haha well my friend, I have a long drive today!"
"YES BUT FIRST A DRINK!"
He lines up the crumpled glasses once more and fills them up, spilling 1/4 of the bottle in the process.
[I]Welp... when in El Cocuy.[/I]
SALUD!
SALUD!
SALUD!
SALUD!
One drink quickly escalates into Ten.
Eventually we are all back in the street, signing to the hills and swapping stories of our travels. My new friends want to learn American curse words.
I teach them some. They in turn teach me some curse words in the ancient mountain dialect of their people. I now know how to say "buttcrack" in
chibchan... They also asked if Mexico was safe. (Damn, the media even has Colombians scared haha!)
I have found there is a level of diminishing returns while drinking and speaking in a foreign languages. The more you drink, the easier the foreign
words flow, in turn the better you communicate... However, if you keep drinking eventually you tip over the edge into rapid freefall
and communication becomes impossible. Luckily by that point words are just details.
We are all friends and brothers under the glow of Aguardiente.
After an hour or so, I remember that Lauren was waiting at the hostel and probably wondering where the hell I am at, eventually I am able to convince
the owner to release my truck. I stumble back to the hostel.
"Are you drunk!?"
"Maybe!"
"Its 8AM!"
"Ya well... I had to get the truck!"
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defrag4
Senior Nomad
Posts: 536
Registered: 2-5-2011
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I awake from a groggy nap in the back of the truck.
We hit the winding road. I honk at my bar friends still going hard. I wonder just how long they have been partying?
Nacho and crew are caravan'ng with us. We climb through hills and valleys. I keep ahead of Nacho a bit but always wait to make sure my underpowered
brother is OK with these steep hills.
Eventually we are idling through a small town when Brad pulls over. He smells burning oil and is wondering if its me.
I get out to check. Nope, not me.
I hear a recognizable "Sigh"coming from Brad as he peers under his truck at a pool of unidentifiable fluid.
What is it?
Not sure, looks like motor oil. Its not leaking too bad though, you guys go ahead.
You sure?
Ya we will be fine! I have plenty of oil. We will see you in Villa De Leyva.
OK....
I reluctantly drive off. Good luck friend!
<em>We later learned that Nacho was in fact not fine after all. What we were examining that afternoon was Nacho's transmission grenade'ing
itself. You can read more about that fun-filled adventure on his blog at http://drivenachodrive.com
Our day-long drive takes us way off into the countryside of Colombia. Some beautiful albeit desolate areas. I almost ran out of gas due to the lack of
any towns out here. I killed the truck and coasted my way down the hills to save gas. Made it to the station with just under 1/4 of a gallon. I had my
reserve 5-gallons but who wants to bother with all that.
The road eventually leads us to the colonial town of Villa De Leyva nestled up in the mountains. A place where Spanish tile roofs and cobble-stone
streets are still king. In fact, the area was deemed a UNESCO World Heritage site to limit modifications of the town.
Villa De Leyva is a popular spot with both foreign and local tourists. After spending a few days in the town its easy to see why. We dined at some
great restaurants and explored all the little alley and side-streets full of shops of all shapes and sizes.
We camped up at Hostel Renacer. One of the nicest hostels we have stayed on the trip thusfar. They had a great common spaces, a nice kitchen, and an
honor-bar. What more could you ask for?
A bonus feature of the hostel was the drop-dead stop you in your tracks sunsets that occurred every night. Free of charge.
We checked out some of the sites in the town... such as
A COMPLETE KRONOSAURUS FOSSIL. Crazy Ocean beast.
AND THE WORLDS SMALLEST CHURCH... Well I don't know if its really the worlds smallest but it was pretty small.
As you can tell from our long-list of extracurricular activities most our time was doing what we do best, eating and drinking. And this town was great
for that. Lots of wonderful bakeries and international cuisine.
We hit the road for Bogota after hanging around for a 5 days or so.
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8946
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Pole Line Road postponed due to injury
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Cerveza Bruder
James - How did you like this brew??? I never heard of this one.
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defrag4
Senior Nomad
Posts: 536
Registered: 2-5-2011
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hey bud it was a local brew from Villa De Leyva, It was OK, I was excited to see a dark beer after nothing but pilsner and lagers for the past few
months.
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defrag4
Senior Nomad
Posts: 536
Registered: 2-5-2011
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I'm shuffling through my pictures here for some of Bogota. Looks like we didn't actually take much.
Bogota is a huge city, full of history, and culture. It is one of the largest cities in all of South America. Needless to say, driving around in it is
a stressful nightmare that does not lend well to snapping photos.
We eventually settled on a hostel somewhere up in the "La Candelaria" historic district for our first night. The next morning I pulled the truck out
of the micro-machine garage and caught the tail-light on the garage door. A couple minutes with some ducttape and screws and we were back in business.
Our destination for the day was Bogotas famous Museo Del Oro, home to largest collection of Pre-Hispanic gold artifacts in the WORLD. I have really
been looking forward to this museum since reading about it before we even started our trip.
A boss chief and his bling
Believe it or not this was a nose-ring! You can see 4 shamans sitting om top of some sort of bird. During their rituals, the birds supposedly carried
the shamans up into the heavens where they could communicate with other shamans on the happenings of the world.
This mummy was found in great condition in a sacrificial burial chamber.
Meditation or just taking a crap? You decide!
Poporo Quimbaya, A famous piece of Pre-Colombian artifact. The Poporo was used to hold lime dust, which was added to the mouth while chewing Coco
leaves to enhance their effect. This particular piece jumpstarted the Museo Del Oro in Colombia and is very famous/important in Colombia.
The Muisca raft of "El Dorado". Legend has it, the chief would cover his body with gold powder, raft out to the middle of the lake and chunk gold and
emerald pieces into the water to please the Gods. Many people have dredged and scoured the lake in search of these valuable pieces but as of yet have
found nothing much.
They have a trippy presentation at the end of the museum tour. You are placed in a circular room where they crank up some ancient chanting music and
space out to a laser light show showcasing the gold artifacts.
The gold museum had a great audio tour (in english!) I suggest everyone check it out while they are in Bogota.
After the museum we jetted over to the Bogota Marriot. Lauren's dad had some points to share and was gracious enough to get us a room while in Bogota
for my birthday! Thanks Ed!
We felt kinda like the Clampetts pulling up to this ritzy hotel in our muddy busted up truck with duct tape holding taillights together.
All our problems washed away when we got to the room and indulged in unlimited hot water showers, cable TV, and room service. Oh and a delicious
pillow menu
ILL TAKE ONE OF EACH!
The next morning, we stretched that check-out time till they were breaking down the door.
Hopped in the truck and headed south.
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defrag4
Senior Nomad
Posts: 536
Registered: 2-5-2011
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We popped open our guidebook and searched for "What's Next" while we drove south from Bogota.
Lauren found a short blurb describing a strange geological area of Colombia. The Desierto Tatacoa (Tatacoa Desert) is described as one of the "most attractive natural settings" in Colombia.
The guidebook described large sand pillars painted with orange and yellow hues, 30 foot deep eroded gullies, and miles upon miles of open land. It
also stated that the Tatacoa Desert is one of the best places in the world for star-gazing due to lack of light pollution and close proximity to the
equator, making it possible to view both the Northern and Southern hemisphere constellations. Sounds good!
Volcanoes popping up on the horizon
I spy a thin snaking road on our map to the desert. Bored of the highway the 4Runner is happy to be back on dirtroads.
Some of the scenery along our winding dirt path
After a few hours of back-roads crossing through many small pueblos who probably wondered how the hell these gringos got out here, we finally arrived
on the out-skirts of the desert.
Pushing further in, the grey and black sand gave way to some amazingly beautiful orange/yellow/red sandstone formations. It reminded me of similar
formations we had seen back on the Colorado Plateau in the U.S
We also passed by an observatory out here, the stars must be pretty epic for them to build this thing out in the middle of nowhere.
We bounced along through the desert for a few hours searching for the perfect campspot. This being a desert and all it was friggin' hot and shade
trees were practically non-existent. I spotted 1 lone tree way off in the distance, pulled off the road and did some 4x4 adventuring.
Read the rest of the story and more pics here!
http://homeonthehighway.com/desierto-tatacoa-the-tatacoa-desert-colombia
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64854
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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GREAT!!! Thank you!!
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8084
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
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Still following your travels. Still enjoying them. Thank you for sharing. Keep it going. Many here consider it a real treat.
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Gypsy Jan
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4275
Registered: 1-27-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: Depends on which way the wind is blowing
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Somebody Hook These People Up
With the National Geographic Channel or the Travel Channel.
This is a riveting story of adventure and they have recorded it with beautiful pictures.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
\"Alea iacta est.\"
—Julius Caesar
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defrag4
Senior Nomad
Posts: 536
Registered: 2-5-2011
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Water goes quick in the desert and after 4 days we had exhausted our supply. Regrettable we pulled up our roots and bounced out of the desert back
onto the "highway".
We passed the Rio Magdalena, the most important river in all of Colombia. The river runs throughout Colombia. Its life-giving watershed is responsible
for 86% of Colombia's GDP. Understandably, Colombians love this river.
We were headed to San Agustin. A small town in Southern Colombia, home to very important pre-Colombian artifacts. San Agustin and the surrounding
areas are littered with tons of relics from various civilizations who lived in the Andes mountains from as early as 3300 B.C. all the way up to 17th
century.
Not much is known about these ancient cultures. Researchers have found many large stone carvings, evidence of tool use, burial chambers, and religious
artifacts. But no solid information as far as politics, social structure, trade, etc.
We found a great hostel up in the mountains who let us camp on there lawn for $5/day. Cold showers but fast internet!
And the worlds wussiest dog I have ever seen. Meet Fresa (Strawberry). Just in case your 10 gram dog was too intimidating, its a good idea to dress it
in a pink apron.
The next morning we headed out to the main archeological site. Paid our entrance fee and started touring the grounds. The scientists found these large
sculptures scattered all throughout the mountains and moved many of them to this site for further research/display. I like the little protective
umbrellas they built for them.
With no signage or guide to tell us what these statues actually meant I went ahead and came up with my own ideas...
"The Skier"
"The Food Baby"
"Mr. Burns"
The Wanker
Ancient Valentines Day card
Read the rest of the story and tons more pics at http://homeonthehighway.com/san-agustin-archaeological-park-...
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64854
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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That's great! Thanks... and good naming the statues! Colombian Tikis, yes?
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defrag4
Senior Nomad
Posts: 536
Registered: 2-5-2011
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thanks guys, my dream would be to get paid to write and take photos... Ive submitted some of my articles and posts to various magazines but never
really heard anything back.
If anyone happens to have any connections....
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