Rockin' in the Free World

After 21 months of living in El Salvador, and 4 months of traveling around South America, I have finally made my way back home to central Pennsylvania. I love being home, and this blog is dedicated to the reasons why it is, oh so nice, being back home.

Philadelphia Airport

The title of this blog, "Rockin' in the Free World", seemed most relevant for me. I'm not even back to my home in Winfield, PA for 20 hours and I'm already at a music concert. So Neil Young didn't play, "Rockin' in the Free World," but I still enjoyed his sounds, along with the sounds of many other famous artists (Willie Nelson, DMB, Jack Johnson, Grace Potter and The Nocturnals,etc.) that came together for Farm Aid.  The money from this shows helps support family farms.

Concerts are certainly on the top of the list of what I've missed most about the US. I love music, and something is transformed with my mood & my surroundings, when I listen to it. At Farm Aid, I loved sharing that same energy with over 30,000 people.

It is nice being able to dance, without having to know a specific dance. I love American music for that.  Don't get me wrong, I do love Latin music and the dances that go along with them; such as cumbia, salsa, or bachata. When my Salvadorean friends would ask how we dance in America, they seemed somewhat appalled that there isn't a certain dance, but more a matter of "going with the flow of the music." I guess I could have shown them the chicken dance or the electric slide, but I thought I'd rather save the humiliation on that one.

As for the others? What I love most about being back?

1 Family and friends. The people who have been by my side through all of this and who were on this life changing journey with me. Through emails, phone calls, care packages, or just the thought of them helped me through this experience. Now it is time to tell them about it in person.

Mom, Dad, and I in front of my dad's 57 Chevy
At the cruise in - Country Cupboard, Lewisburg, PA

2.  Speaking English - Okay, so right now, I'm sure I sound like an English a a second language learner. I have many, "what is that word in English?" moments. As an aspiring writer and English teacher, I hope my English grammar comes back to me.

3. Being organized - No more living out of a backpack. Here in the US, my clothes go in a closet or a drawer. My money goes in a wallet, not rolled up in a money belt against me.

4. Music & Concerts - As mentioned above. The same 1,000 songs on my IPOD got a bit old. I love the sounds of new music, and being able to "let go" at live music concerts. Who is in for Phish New Years Eve?

5. Driving a car - While, the first time on the highway was a bit hard, I love being behind the wheel and singing at the top of my lungs (even if I do get a few weird looks by passing vehicles).

6. Hot showers -  Not wearing shoes and not having to bring shower supplies each time you take a shower is an extra plus as well.

7. Markets - More specifically, the Amish. This group of people that were all around me while growing up, suddenly appear more interesting to me. For those who don't know, I live on the edge of Pennsylvania Dutch Country, which is noted for their high Amish population. Because of their delicious baked goods, such as whoopie pie or shoofly pie (lard pie according to Noel), I foresee myself gaining some weight being back here.

buggies parked during Sunday morning church

My Peace Corps friend Amy at the Watsontown Yard Sales
(She loved the area, but was certainly quite shocked that I came from it) 

8. Carpet. Walking around barefoot inside a house is sooooo nice. Oh, the little things.

9. Bathrooms. In Central and South America, I was lucky to find an indoor bathroom. I was even luckier to find that inside bathroom with a toilet seat. Having toilet paper was certainly out of the picture (If you are traveling there, make sure to always carry a roll with you). Here in the states, I'm finding myself going to the bathroom in places even if I don't have to actually "go." Toilet seats, toilet paper, sinks, mirrors, AND hand dryers. How luxurious!  I just need to remember, the toilet paper goes IN the toilet bowl.

10. Hiking and being in nature.

A section of the Appalachian Trail in PA

11. Washing machines - I'm not actually sure this is a "great thing about being back in the states." I felt like I just had to write it. I secretly miss washing my clothes on a rock. The thought of washing machines is definitely appealing to someone who works a full-time job (which is not me).

12. A house free of unwanted creatures - the cockroaches, tarantulas, scorpions, bats, and mice. Oh, how could I forget the pigeons!

13. The beautiful fall colors. and the brisk fall weather.

14. New old clothes. It's nice not having to go shopping. After being away from your clothing for over 2 years, everything in your closet is new to you.

15. Conversations  that go beyond the weather and corn.

16. Being back "in the loop." I have developed a small obsession with checking the world news app on an hourly basis. It's as if my brain is making up for lost activity.

17. Watching movies on something other then my 10 inch laptop, and doing so on a couch (not a hammock) Dare I admit how lazy I've become. Tomorrow, I'm going to the gym. Tomorrow.

18. My dog Maggie.  I'm gone for 2 years, and I see just how quickly I am replaced. She has taken over the couch, my bed, and the backseat of the car. Even if I do kick her off these spots, put her in her place, and call her fat 20 times a day, she still forgives me. That's the amazing thing about animals; they don't hold grudges. I love this dog, and I love being able to give positive attention to animals without getting weird looks or remarks. It's nice to see others doing so too.

The most spoiled dog in the world, Maggie May

19. The food, and all the options for food. Menus at restaurants are a bit overwhelming, but worth the effort. (My body is actually craving beans and tortilla).

20. Cooking. To continue with food, I have to mention how much I have fallen in love with cooking, or rather the idea of cooking. Due to lack of ingredients, I haven't been able to partake much in this. If anyone has a good recipe, send it my way.

"There is no real ending. It's just the place you stop the story."

Salento, Colombia - The last stop of my nearly 5 month journey throughout South America. I decided to skip the capital, Bogota, and just stay in this relaxing place for my last 8 days. Salento is a sleepy, tranquilo, little town in the middle of the Zona Cafetera region in Colombia.

at the viewpoint; Montana.
female travelers from all over the world,
all traveling alone

A few miles outside of town is Valle de Cocora National Park. This place is so stunningly beautiful, I just had to go more than once. Valle de Cocora is full of wax palm trees, which are tall skinny palm trees that grow up to 150 feet and live for 120 years. In the high altitude region of the Colombian Andes are the only place they grow, and such a odd place it is. We're slightly convinced they were placed by aliens :)

Getting to the park was a journey in itself. A 30 minute ride through the country side, with about 10 people thrown into a jeep wrangler, with 5 of us hanging off the back. Fun fun!

hanging on for dear life on the jeep ride there

At the National Park, we did the loop hike, which took about 6 hours. At the top we reached a reserve that is home to 6 different types of humming birds. Unfortunately it was so hard to get some good photos, since those things move so darn fast. There we enjoyed a free cup of hot chocolate before heading up to the viewpoint (La Montana).

a hummingbird on the hike

Valle de cocora

I met many wonderful people my last week in Salento. I went on some beautiful hikes, and learned about where coffee comes from. It is hard to believe my travels are complete. I love traveling, the freedom of the open road, learning new cultures, and meeting new people. Traveling is the best and quickest way for one to grow; both spiritually and intellectually. Everyday you are learning and experiencing something new. Unfortunately, it was time to leave this all behind. At least for the time being.

 Now, it was time to board that plane. First back to El Salvador, & then north to the USA.

 On the plane ride back to El Salvador, I kept thinking about my flight from El Sal to Chile 5 months ago. Most of the flight, I spent peering down at this foreign land of varying landscapes below me. From the the tropical  oceans of Colombia, the jungles of Ecuador, the snow capped mountains of Peru, and the northern Chilean and Argentinian deserts, I was so eager to find out what it contained for me. I had 5 months to find this out. Now I knew.... but did I really?

One really needs years to see what this continent contains, but with my 5 months I'm happy with what I got out of my travel experience. 

learning how to make coffee
at the coffee plantation, Sacha Mamma

the final product

I thought about the journey I made from one end of a continent to another. I thought about all the people that have made such an impression on my.  People from different walks of life from all over the world. I think about the things I've done on my journey. I think of its breathtaking beauty. The new and interesting food and cultures. I think about everything.

the beautiful doors of Salento

 Climbing to the top of some of the world's largest mountains. Attempting to climb up the tallest active volcano in the world. Diving 60 feet under water amongst tropical coral and fish. Exploring the jungles of Peru and Ecuador. Having monkeys jump on me and steal my shit (ha.) Trying new foods (guinea pig being the most ineresting). Biking down the world's most dangerous road. Inca ruins - Machu Picchu. The world's deepest canyon. Seeing new animals (monkeys, toucans, llamas, donkeys). Driving across the world's largest salt flat in a jeep. Just to name a few highlights of my trip.

Without a doubt, I had an incredible experience traveling around South America. I had an even bigger experience, spending 2 years of my life working and living in a small rural village in El Salvador. It is certainly difficult to leave such places behind. Places so poor. Places without much, but so full of love. Places full of people so genuine and caring with so much to give to others. It's like their lack of possessions makes their heart grow bigger instead.

It was nice being back in my village in El Salvador. I made it somewhat of a surprise to go back there, and I'm glad I did. As always it was hard to leave not knowing when I'll return there again. As hard as it was for me, I needed to move on, and I was ready to be back with my family and friends in the USA. I will forever think about El Salvador, and the people that have made such an impact on my life. This tiny little place has changed me, and I will take those changes with me for the rest of my life.
Chao El Sal.. Hasta la proxima vez...

with Fernada & Lenny (my host fam) in El Salvador

Check back for a "How it feels to be back in the USA" blog soon!

If you wonder where our coffee comes from..

Your next cup of coffee may just come from my hard work here in Colombia ;)

Taganga & the northern coast of Colombia.

 It is the only place in the world where you can see snow capped mountains and tropical beaches at the same time. You can't deny it is a place of stunning beauty. Taganga was mainly my starting point for the side trips I took to Tayrona National Park and Minca.

a beautiful flower on the hike up to Casa Loma in Minca

Between my side trips, I spent about 4 or 5 days in Taganga working on my scuba diving certification. These days mostly consisted of diving in the morning, reading/studying diving all afternoon and treating myself to yummy beach food. Fish, juge de maracuya (passion fruit juice), jugo de lulo (a delicious local grown fruit juice), and arequipe (dulce de leche/caramel flavor sauce).

Taganga is a small lovely fishing village, and a place that certainly makes you feel at home quite quickly.  It's a nice, somewhat tranquilo, beach town, but for me, it was the surrounding area that really did it for me. The prior blog was about Tayrona National Park, and now this blog is about Minca.

Minca has a very brief section in the travel guide (so fortunately for right now, it's not toooo touristy.)  As described by the Lonely Planet, "Minca is a small town located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. A place rich with waterfalls, coffee farms, hiking, and over 300 species of birds." Sold. The description was enough for me to pack up my small pack, get off the beaten tourist path, and take the hour long motorcycle ride up the mountain to this place.

Here I stayed at Casa Loma, just a few minutes outside of town. With the hammocks, amazing views, and friendly laid back people, I was content spending 2 days just hanging out at the hostel. I did such such that my first day, but my friend James and I decided to take a trek the following day to Los Pinos. This is about a 3 hour walk past waterfalls and through coffee plantations to the top of the mountain. At the top of the mountain there is another hostel (Hostal Los Pinos) that opened 20 days prior to us getting there. We were undecided about staying up there, but once we got to the top overlooking those mountains and the beach, we knew we just had to stay. The hostel only averages 2 people a day. James & I were those 2 people for that day.

My friend James

Here, we spent the afternoon on the swing that overlooks the mountains and the beach (unfortunately you can't see the view of the beach in my camera), just talking, and watching the weather change every 10 minutes (from amazing cloud forest, to sunny clear skies - providing an opening of the mountains below). There is something so peaceful about having all the time in the world just to watch nature (the birds, the beach, the mountains) & the sounds that go along with it. James saw his very first hummingbird in his life. He was unable to answer which was more incredible to see for the first time; hummingbirds or fireflies (that he saw in the national park a few days prior) 

the hostal we stayed in

We stayed out on that bench until after sunset. The sunset I saw through these mountains and over the Caribbean coast was certainly one of the best sunsets I have seen in my life.

some views of the mountains before & during sunset

I planned to leave here early the next morning (not really by choice), but to head back to Cartagena, since I had a flight to catch the following day. Those plans quickly changed since meeting Juan Carlos, a local farmer, in the hostel. He invited us to take a tour of where he lives (out of a tent) and his coffee farm. We gladly accepted the offer (knowing it may not be a good idea since I was planning on getting back to Cartagena that night, which is a 6 hour ride), but I hated to pass up something as interesting as this. Instead I just have to wake up super early to get the airport. No problem.

lucking out and getting a ride halfway up to his farm

We spent over 2 hours on his farm preparing coffee (starting with the dry coffee bean, taking the shell off, and then roasting it.)  It took us those 2 hours to make a pound of coffee. Juan Carlos has volunteers come to his farm from all over the world to help him with his coffee and crops and learn about living more sustainable.

the coffee plants

For me, it is such a rewarding experience to get off the beaten "gringo" path. I thought I was doing such by heading up to Minca. I thought I was really getting off the beaten path by heading up the mountain to Los Pinos. Then getting up to this coffee farm (7 hours away from a town walking, or an hour by car (on the bumpiest road ever - I would almost prefer to walk), really made me feel adventurous. It's nice knowing I've been to places, and seen parts of Colombia that very few backpackers go. I see this area really taking off with tourism in the future, and it's nice to be one of the first to experience it.

making the coffee

before and after of the beans

Tayrona National Park

 

Here was the place that helped me realize just how small the world is. There were many people at this park who I had met prior in my travels. The most craziest being a couple from France who I met in Argentina 4 months ago. There was, Jenny, from Germany, who I was traveling with for a bit in southern Ecuador. Two Argentinian girls that I met in Medellin were on the shuttle to the park. They were with another guy, James (from China). With them, I spent most of my time at the park.

I was so honored to be with James when he saw his first firefly/lightning bug in his entire life. The response could be comparable to a 5 year olds reaction on Christmas morning or someone seeing snow for the first time in their life.

The topic came up various times throughout the night, and he found he wasn't the only one to be awed by these creatures. Everyone from various parts of the world were so excited about this insect, we all even learned how to say "firefly" in 5 different languages.

The park costs about $19  to get in, or $4 if you are a student (why on earth did I ever get rid of my student ID?) The park offers a variety of flora and fauna because of the two ecosystems (mountain & sea). During the 4 days, we saw monkeys (titi & howler), blue crabs, beautiful birds and not to mention all the marine life. We paid about 6 dollars for the hour to snorkel in the area La Piscina, which vale la pena, we saw some pretty amazing marine life (despite the strong current) - turtles,  stingrays, beautiful colored fish and coral.

the camping area at Cabo San Juan

We slept in hammocks for 5 dollars a night, which I guess helped them justify overpricing their food. The cheapest item on any menu was the spaghetti (basically just a handful of it and not even good) for 6-7 dollars. I'm glad I wasn't the only one wanting to take the cheap route on this one. So here it is, you know you are a poor backpacker when:

the hammock area where we slept

1. You spend hours cooking from scratch - survival cooking (finding dry firewood, building a fire, and ATTEMPTING to start the fire, and waiting for hours for our food to cook over a somewhat lit fire, due to the somewhat wet firewood.
2. You pick fruits from the tree or from the ground to eat (and even consider selling.)
3. You wait over an hour to boil water for your morning coffee because you don't want to pay for a coffee.
4. You drink water from the tap (even after the locals warned us not to.)

on the beach with Ceci and Eugenia from Argentina.
 This part of the beach you are not allowed to swim in,
 because over a 100 people drowned here.

This place has been the highlite of Colombia so far. We ended up staying for 4 days, which was enough. It was nice to get out of my swimming suit, take a nice shower, and sleep in a bed. I plan on staying around Taganga for another 3 days to get my scuba diving certification. Here is one of the cheapest places in the world to get certified, and it will sure come in handy if I move to Southeast Asia :)

Cartagena

Medellin, Colombia

The land of fake butts, fake boobs, loud music, salsa, and party. And let that be doubled because of the week long feria.

Medellin was fun. Maybe a bit too much fun for me. I was excited to get out of the city of Medellin, and on to somewhere more relaxing, like Tayrona National Park (where I would spend my days on the beach or in the jungle and my nights sleeping in the hammock). 

Before going to the National Park, I stopped in Cartagena for a few days. I took an hour flight from Medellin, which came to be about to be about $40 ($20 cheaper & 19 hours shorter then the bus). I stayed here for only a day and a half before moving on to Taganga/Santa Marta/Tayrona National Park

Cartagena is a lovely place. It is the port that is used for people taking the boat to or from Panama. There are some nice beaches and tourist spots near by, but I enjoyed just spending the day and a half walking around admiring the colorful houses and the flower displays. I knew better beaches were to come for me in Tayrona.

Here I stayed in Hotel Familiar - which is pretty basic, but it was nice to have a private room (for the cost of what I would pay for a dorm).

I was going to take a visit to the Volcan de Lodo (the mud volcano), but I slept right through my alarm. The night before there was something going on in the community hall next door, so it was quite difficult falling asleep to the sounds of salsa and clapping until 3 in the morning.  Just another reminder why I don't like cities.

Ladies in traditional Caribbean style dress

barber shop on the street Media Luna

NEXT STOP: Tayrona National Park