Medellin

Hello from Medellin, second largest city in Colombia and a city of contrasts. The city was a no go area for tourists back in the 1990’s due to the drug gangs, but over the past decade real progress has been made making the city safe again. Like Rio in Brazil, there are still some no go areas up in the favelas and you have to be careful at night, but it is amazing the progress the authorities have made.

Yesterday I spent a very enjoyable afternoon exploring the historic centre and the Museo de Antioquia which houses a very impressive collection of contemporary Colombian art. Medellin is the home town of Colombia’s best known living artist, Fernando Botero and therefore the museum has a large collection of his works. I cannot say I am a fan of his style (Botero depicts men, women, daily life etc with exaggerated and disproportionate volumetry), but some of his works are quite interesting, especially the bronze sculptures, some of which can be seen below. The museum itself was excellent and the best art gallery I have visited so far. The Catedral Metropolitana is also a very impressive church. Built between 1875 & 1931, it is reported to be the third largest brick building in the world.

Today myself and the majority of our group went on a guided tour of the city, covering the main sights outside of the centre. The highlight was a cable car up to Ruta Parque Arvi, a park in the mountains above the city. The views across the city were amazing and it is incredible to see how a city as large as Medellin (2.6m pop) has developed in such mountainous geography.

Tomorrow we are off to the coffee growing heartland of Colombia, Manizales to sample some black gold and spend some time on a coffee estate. Unfortunately they tend to drink their coffee very weak in Colombia (Neil would be at home), so fingers crossed I can get a decent strong coffee in Manizales.

Anthony

Cartagena, Colombia

Hello from Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. We have been in Colombia for about 5 days now, in the run up to Easter (apparently today is Holy Thursday?). The last couple of days in the historic port of Cartagena and before this on the Caribbean close to Tayrona National Park in Northern Colombia. Not quite picture postcard Caribbean sandy beaches, but it was certainly very hot and sunny and it was nice to relax and take it easy for a few days on the beach.

Cartagena is probably Colombia’s single largest tourist destinations and was once the largest and most important port in South America. The historic centre is a world heritage site and houses an amazing collection of colonial forts, houses and churches dating from the 16^th century onwards. Overlooking the old town is Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, the largest Spanish fort built in the Americas. Following the English in 1586 and French in 1697 sacking the city, the Spanish thought it would probably be a good idea to improve the defences and so built this huge fort between 1656 & 1741. Unfortunately for the English lead by Sir Edward Vernon in 1741 the fort had just been finished and therefore after besieging the city for 56 days, Cartagena remained Spanish. The hero of this defence is now my favourite Colombian historic figure, a one-eyed, one-armed and one-legged Sailor by the name of Blas de Lezo (a photo of his statue can be seen below).

I have spent the last couple of days exploring the old city and enjoying the nightlife of this energetic city. After Venezuela it is a bit of a shock to the system to be in such a major tourist centre (the cruse ships all stop here, so there are lots of loud Americans with more money than sense), but it has been really interesting to learn more about the Spanish conquest in Colombia.

Next stop is Medellin in the West of the country. Medellin was once the drug and murder capital of the world during the times of Pablo Escobar, so it will be interesting to see how the city has changed. One of the things I am most looking forward to is a change in the weather as Medellin is supposed to have a pleasant year-round climate (it is located at 1495m above sea level). After weeks and weeks of 30+ degrees day and night, it will be nice to hopefully experience some cool weather again.

Happy Easter

Anthony

Thoughts on Venezuela + Los Llanos Photos

1) Chavez – He was one spanner short of a toolkit, but the majority of Venezuelans really did like this modern day Napoleon. He died a few days before we entered the country and there really was a sense of grief for the first week or so. It will be interesting to see what happens politically as his chosen successor is a left wing former bus driver and trade union leader. Think John Prescott, but with a moustache.

2) Chaos – And I thought the rest of South America was chaotic and disorganised! Venezuela seems to revel in it’s wild west reputation, with corrupt official, crumbling infrastructure and some of the worst driving outside of India.

3) Exchange Rate Controls – Official exchange rate to the dollar; 4.3 : 1, actual exchange rate to the dollar 20 : 1. Any school boy economist could tell you that exchange rate controls will never work for a country such as Venezuela. Because of the favourable black market rate the country proved surprisingly cheap, which was nice considering how expensive Brazil and Argentina were.

4) Where American Cars Go to Die – Because petrol is so stupidly cheap (less than 1p a litre), everyone has a huge V8, with old, battered American cars everywhere. Some of the cars had to be seen and heard to be believed! Needless to say there is no such thing as an MoT in Venezuela. Air pollution is also a big problem in the big cities because of all of the old engines and zero controls. Made me want to get a big V8 when I get home!

5) Oil & Gas – Definitely a double edged sword. The country potentially has huge wealth due to very significant oil and gas reserves, but because of this the rest of the economy has been left to stagnate. There is very little agriculture, manufacturing and no foreign investment outside of China. Venezuela only needs to look at Brazil & Colombia to see how far it is being left behind economically.

6) Great Fun – I had a great time in Venezuela, partly because it is off the tourist map, had a real edge to it at times and was completely different to Brazil and Argentina. Definitely worth a visit if you want to get off the beaten track.         

Below are some of my favourite wildlife photos from Los Llanos now that the internet is running a bit faster.

Anthony

Los Llanos and Merida

 Hello from Merida, adventure capital of Venezuela. After two days down in Los Llanos, I have been up in the mountains in Merida enjoying two excellent days of mountain biking.

Los Llanos – A huge area of wilderness in Southern Venezuela, Los Llanos are a collection of vast plains covering 300k sq km that contain an amazing array of wetland bird and animal life. During the wet season most of the land is flooded, but during the dry season (the wet season starts in May) the animals flock to the remaining pockets of water, making for amazing wildlife watching.

We only really had one day to explore the wilderness as it is not an easy place to get too, but we still managed to see a huge number of wetland bird, river dolphins, a giant ant eater and a 6m long anaconda snake. A real hidden gem of a location that does not see that many visitors because of the difficulties of getting there and instability within Venezuela. I will upload some photos when I have a decent internet connection.

Merida – After the plains down in the South of the country, it was up to the mountains in the North West corner of Venezuela staying in Merida. This University town is the heart land of trekking, mountain biking and adventure sports within Venezuela and a great place to spend a few days. After close to two months off the bike I was not going to pass up the opportunity of some serious mountain biking and therefore have spend the past two days merrily going up and down the numerous mountains that surround the town. Sore legs tonight, but great fun and very challenging in parts.

Next stop in Venezuela is Lake Maracaibo close to the Colombian border. Not really a tourist destination as it is the heart of Venezuela’s oil industry, so back to a couple of dull transit days unfortunately before we hit Colombia in a few days time.

Anthony

Henri Pittier National Park

Hello from Henri Pittier National Park, Venezuela. Located in the North of the country against the Carribbean coast, the national park is the oldest in Venezuela and comprises 108k hectares of rainforest within rugged mountains. A real hidden gem of a park, with sandy beaches, lush rainforest and mountain streams and waterfalls.  

We have been relaxing for the past few days at Puerto Colombia, a popular fishing and tourist village in the middle of the park on the coast. Rather than relax on the beach (I cannot think of anything duller), I have been off exploring the park for the past few days which has been excellent.

Yesterday I went exploring the trails around the village by myself and today myself and Geoff went out with a local guide into the middle of the park to get a real feel for the rainforest and see what local wildlife we could find. Apparently the national park is home to 43% of all bird species in Venezuela, so we saw lots of birds, amazing butterflies, snakes, frogs and insects. A really good day and it was great to have a local guide to explain all of the plants and animals.

Next stop in Venezuela is Los Llanos, a huge marshland in the centre of the country, with the opportunity to go giant anaconda hunting. Should be interesting!

Anthony

Angel Falls

 Probably the biggest single tourist attraction in Venezuela is Canaima National Park and Angel Falls, the world’s highest waterfall (979m – its longest single drop is 807m). Not cheap to visit as you have to fly, but certainly worth the expense and effort to see amazing table mountains, lush rainforest and incredible waterfalls. We spent an excellent two days exploring the park, my personal highlight being able to walk behind Sapo and Sapito Falls, a unique experience. Unfortunately we are in the middle of the dry season so there was very little water going down Angle Falls, but it was good to see none the less, if only for the amazing setting. You can certainly see why the falls were only discovered by the West in 1935 (they are named after Jimmie Angel, the US Airman who first reported their existence), as they are in a truly remote setting. During the dry season you have to take a small plane to see the falls, which is an adventure in itself considering the turbulence, sheer rock faces and dare devil pilots. I was quite glade to make it back without having to use the sick bag and seriously considered kissing the tarmac in the style of Pope John Paul II back at the airport!

The below photos do not really do the national park justice, but give an idea as to how beautiful it is. We are now off to the coast to enjoy some well deserved beach time. I hope everyone is enjoying the snow back home, still very, very hot out here, with sub 25 degrees a distant memory. Hopefully it will cool down when we hit the mountains in a few weeks time. Internet is rather sketchy in Venezuela, so I will try to add a few more details over the coming days.

Anthony

                                        

Thoughts on Brazil

As I am nearing the end of my time in Brazil, I thought I would sum up some of my thoughts on this South American Superpower.

Economic Growth – The country has obviously come along way in a short time, but one of the things that has struck me is that outside of Rio and Sao Paul the economy is completely build around the primary sectors of agriculture and mining. There is very little manufacturing (domestic market only, but when you have a population of over 200 million you can get away with this) and the service sector is still very undeveloped. When you have the resources of Brazil this makes sense, but it does leave the country open to the fluctuations of global commodity prices and extreme weather. It is noticeable that the economy is significantly stronger than Argentina (although on par with Chile), but cracks are starting to appear.

We will do it tomorrow culture – As with Argentina there is a real ‘we will do it tomorrow’ culture, which means that the majority of the infrastructure and support services are in a shocking state. If you visit a bank you can guarantee that 50% of the ATM’s are out of service and the rest out of money!

Work Ethic – I think a lot of this has to do with the anglo saxon / Presbyterian work ethic back home, but Brazilians seems to have a very, very relaxed approach to work. Generally customer service does not exist as we know it, with really bad service the norm. Considering the economic development over the past 10 years, this some what surprises me and is a real stumbling block to future growth when you consider the work ethic within China, India etc. To be fair to Brazilians the weather does not help.

Rich vs. Poor – Similar to India it is really noticeable in Brazil that there is a growing divide between the haves and the have not’s, with very little of the economic wealth filtering down to the masses. This is especially striking in the North where there is also a racial element, with a majority disadvantaged black population.

Tourism – More developed than Argentina, but still along way behind Europe and South East Asia. Outside of the big cities foreign tourists have primarily comprised of young backpackers or elderly Americans on cruises.

Weather – Rain, rain and more rain. Wetter than a British summer! If you are thinking of coming to Brazil, avoid the wet season.    

Language – Communication has been a challenge. Outside of the tourist sector no one speaks a word of English and unsurprisingly I speak no Portuguese. I blame Spain for not conquering Brazil as well.  

Food – Very similar to Argentina. All about the meat, not my cup of tea. I have had some nice meals in Brazil, but these have been the exception rather then the rule. Brazilian wine is also best avoided at all costs. On the plus side the beer is good and fresh fruit excellent.   

Summary – The weather has not helped (hot, humid and wet), but I have been slightly disappointed by Brazil. Interesting country to visit, but not one I can really recommend as a holiday destination. Rio is worth a visit and some of the natural attractions are really nice (such as Bonito and Iguazu Falls), but the rest was rather uninspiring. Roll on Venezuela!

Anthony

Manaus

Manaus

Hello from Manaus, state capital of Amazonia and home to a floating harbour designed and build in Britain and the most famous theatre in Brazil.

Well it was certainly an interesting way to get here. 4 days on a boat travelling up the Rio Madeira, a 2,000 mile long river in Northern Brazil, which is the largest tributary of the Amazon. If I am being honest I really did not enjoy the experience and therefore if you plan to visit Manaus, my advice is to fly.

10 reasons why you should fly, rather than take the boat to Manaus:

1) Punctuality - When they say the boat will depart at 18:00, what they actually mean is that it will depart 26 hours later at 20:00 the next day for no apparent reason and with no information telling you why it is delayed and when we might sail.

2) Sleep - Don’t expect any. Have you ever tried sleeping in a hammock! After 4 nights in a hammock I never want to see another one in my life (I subsequently sold mine in Manaus to a Welsh fellow traveller).

3) Noise - Apparently there are no words in Portuguese for ´Peace and Quiet´ as this concept does not exist. Luckily the drone of the engine cancelled out the loud music, screaming children and loud talking from the locals.

4) Food - Cream crackers for breakfast, beef and rice for lunch and chicken and rice for dinner. The food of Kings! To be far to the boat, most of it was still better than some airline food.

5) Hygiene - Same clothes for 4 days & nights, don’t worry you can have a nice shower in river water and then put your smelly clothes back on.

6) Toilets – Let’s just say that any Chinese passengers would feel right at home. Generally clean, but your eyes started to water after a few seconds.

7) Personal space - 150+ people on a relatively small boat for 4 days, cosy!

8) Smell - On the first deck were several tons of onions meaning that the delightful smell of onion was always there (3 deck boat, we were on the second desk along with most of the locals). Thankfully after two showers I no longer smell of onions.

9) Sights - Trees, trees and more trees. Not really much in the way of scenery or wildlife to watch.

10) Boredom - I have never been so board in my life!

On the plus side I arrived in Manaus at 05:00 Saturday morning safe and sound and in the knowledge that I will never in my life take the slow boat when there is the option of flying!

Apart from the trauma of getting here, Manaus is actually a very nice, friendly city, with some great colonial architecture and good museums. Top of the list is the famous Teatro Amazonas, which I visited yesterday. This is a very opulent theatre built during the boom time of the rubber trade and completed in 1896 after 15 years of construction. Apart from the wooden floors, everything else was imported from Europe, so it is very much of a European style, but with some Brazilian touches. Definitely worth a visit and it would have been great to have seen a concert performance.

After 4 days relaxing in Manus, we are off again tomorrow heading North towards Venezuela where apparently Hugo Chavez is at deaths door. If he dies whilst we are in the country it could be quite interesting if there is any civil unrest, but we will wait and see. It will be interesting to see what Venezuela is actually like, as the guide books paint a picture of a beautiful country, but one struggling with corruption, very high crime rates and a black market economy. All very South American!

Anthony