WE WENT PAST SOME OF THE MASSIVE FLOODING

OUR BUS TRIP FROM SANTA MARTA TO CARTAGENA TOOK US PAST SUBMERGED HOUSES ANS PEOPLE BEGGING FROM THE PASSSING CARS. THE BUS HAD A TV IN IT AND IT WAS TUNED TO A NEWS STATION THAT WAS DISCRBING IN SPANISH WHAT WE WERE SEEING OUT OUR WINDOW. QUITE THE EXPERIENCE.

THE UP RIVER SIDE OF THE ROAD WAS IN MUCH WORSE SHAPE, SO MUCH DEVASTAION AND OF COURSE NO CLEAN DRINKING WATER.

LOOKING AT HOMES WITH ALL OF THEIR POSSESIONS THROWN ONTO TREES AND ANYTHING HIGH.

AND AS ALWAYS THERE ARE THE BOYS. RUNNING AND JUMPING INTO THE WATER. USING THIER FRONT PORCH AS A DIVING BOARD!

BLESSINGS TO THESE PEOPLE.

SANTA MARTA WAS A BIT OF A LET DOWN

HERE ARE SOME PICS OF GIRON, THE HOTEL WAS OLD AND THE BALCONY LOVELY UNTILL THE 2ND DAY AND ALL THE CHURCH BELLS DROVE US NUTS! IF THEY WERE MENT TO SCARE AWAY THE DEVILS IT SURE SCARED THESE TWO WHITE DEVILS RIGHT OUTTA THERE.

WE ARRIVED IN SANTA MARTA YESTERDAY. SOMEONE STOLE MY CAMERA TODAY!

SO JUST PICTURE A NICE SMALL BEACH WITH LOCAL CHILDREN PLAYING ON IT, LAUGHING AND SPLASHING. THE SIN IS SHINING, BUT IT IS EARLY SO NOT TOO MUCH. THERE IS A SMALL ISLAND OFF SHORE WITH A LIGHT HOUSE ON IT. THAT IS THE PICTURE THAT WOULD BE HERE IS MY CAMERA WASNT STOLEN BY A MEAN PERSON.
ALL THE PLACES THAT I HAVE TRAVELED AND HAVE NOT HAD THIS HAPPEN. AND IT WAS IN A UGLY NET BAG AT MY FEET WHILE I WAS READING. THEY ARE SMART AND FAST BUT THE SADDEST PART IS THAT THEY ARE STRUNG OUT ON DRUGS.
WE SAW A YOUNG GUY NEAR OUR HOTEL LAST NIGHT SMOKING SOMETHING AND LOOKING AWAFUL.
THE SAD TRUTH IS THAT ALL OF THE TOURIST HERE HAVE BEEN TOUCHED BY THEFT.
BAD BAD SAD SAD. I AM BLESSED THAT I CAN REPLACE THOSE THINGS AND I WAS SMART ENOUGH TO HAVE TUCKED MY WALLET AND PASSPORTS INTO BALLED UP SHIRTS SO THEY DIDNT LOOK LIKE ANYTHING.
OKAY. I WILL GET OVER IT AND I WILL START USING AYLA'S CAMERA. AND I THINIK WE WILL HEAD OUT, SOMEWHERE TOMORROW.
MISS YOU ALL!

Foreward by Ayla:

These are pictures of our first real day in Giron. We arrived in the heat of last night to find an amazing room in an amazing hotel, with an amazing view. We walked about the town this morning/afternoon, soaking of the sparse sunshine in an otherwise cloudy sky. We found a bar with some slot machines and spent a happy hour plucking away at the espanol machines. I noticed a bridge ahead, so we walked across, but not much was found on the other side. Construction and what seemed to be the end of the dreamy little town we're enjoying. We made our way back to our hotel, stopping in a few shops to find small face towels and a couple bowls and forks. The markets here are jampacked with all sorts of products, but finding the ones you want is sometimes hard! After some isle searching, we finally found the salt and q-tips. Hurrah! We purchashed a couple fruits and headed back to our hotel to enjoy a fresh vegetable/fruit salad in our lovely room overlooking the town plaza. Adios!

STUDYING THE LONELY PLANET GUIDE...hmm, where next??

BOGOTA COLOMBIA WAS TOO HIGH FOR ME!

OUR FLIGHT TO BOGOTA WAS UNEVENTFUL AND OUR LAYOVER IN HOUSTON WAS SHORT. WE DID MEET SOME FUN PEOPLE ALONG THE WAY AND EXCHANGED CARDS. OUR BOGOTA HOTEL WAS SMALL AND FRIENDLY AND CENTRALLY LOCATED. BUT OUT TAXI DRIVER HAD A HARD TIME FINDING IT BECAUSE OF CONSTRUCTION. CONSTRUCTION EVERYWHERE! HE FINALLY REVERSED DOW A ONE WAY IN ORDER TO GET US CLOSE TO OUR HOTEL!

THE ALLTITUDE BOTHER ME ALOT AND AYLA ALSO FELT POORLY FROM IT. WE TOOK GINKO THAT WAS SUPOSED TO HELP BUT IT DIDNT. SO WE SPENT PART OF A DAU WALKING AROUND THE OLD CITY AND A FEW HOURS IN A TINY CASINO (TOO BAD THEY DIDNT PUMP OXYGEN IN THERE AS THEY DO IN VEGAS!).

I DECIDED THAT WE SHOULD BUS TO THE COAST. OOPS. IT WAS AN AWFUL FIRST DAY. WE CAME DOWN IN ALTTITUDE FOR ABOUT HALF AN HOUR THEN WE WENT UP HIGHER BEFORE WE CAME BACK DOWN, I WAS SO SICK AND THE ROADS ARE SO BAD AND THE DRIVER'S SO FAST. WHEN THE PEOPLE FROM THE FRONT LEFT I ASKED FOR THAT SEAT AND FELT MUCH BETTER.

WE ARRIVIED IN 'SAN GIL' IN THE EVENING AND FOUD A HOTEL CLOSE TO WHERE WE WERE DROPPED OFF.

IN THE MORNING WE FOUND A VEG REST. FROM THE LONELY PLANET. THE GUY THERE SPOKE ENGLISH AND TOLD US ABOUT THE MUD SLIDE. WE DECIDED TO GO ANYWHAYS AS THERE WASNT MUCH FOR US IN SAN GIL.

THE TRIP OVER HERE WAS BEAUTIFUL. THERE IS A CANYON THAT RIVALS THE 'GRAND CANYON'. AND WE DROVE TO THE BOTTOM OF IT, AROUND AND ROUND AND ROUND. SO FAST AND FREAKY AND AMAZING! WHAT A GIFT TO SEE.

WHEN WE ARRIVED IN 'BUCARAMAGNA', A LARGE CITY. WE DIDCOVERED THAT ALL ROADS NORTH ARE CLOSED FROM THE MUD SLIDE. SO WE WENT TO THE AIRPORT AND MET A VERY NICE YOUNG MAN WHO WORKED THERE AND HE HELPED US SECURE A FLIGHT AND A HOTEL IN A VILLAGE CALLED 'GIRON', NEARER THE AIRPORT.

OUR HOTEL IS ON THE TOWN SQUARE WITH A BALCONY THAT OVERLOOKS IT AND THE CHURCH.

THERE HAVE BEEN FESTIVITIES NON STOP. ALL NIGHT. SERIOUSLY TILL DAWN. NOW THE SQUARE IS QUIETER. I WEST DOWN FOR COFFEE AND BOUGHT CROUSSANTS AND AVOCADOS FOR BREAKFAST.

OKAY. YOU ARE CAUGHT UP!

MAUI IS A SIMPLE BEAUTIFUL HOLIDAY!

WE DROVE THE ROAD TO HANA AND THE PATH BACK. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL TRIP THE LUSH GREEN TREES AND THE BILLIONS OF WATERFALLS. JUST LIKE ANYTHING ELSE, THERE CAN BE TOO MANY WATERFALLS! WE SAW A WONDERFUL BLACK SAND BEACH WITH GREAT BEACH ROCKS WITH A COOL GEYESER THAT SHOWED ITSSELF A BIT. THE TRIP TOOK US A GOOD 7 HOURS AND IT WAS FULL DARK WHEN WE GOT BACK TO OUR AMAZING CONDO!

I FOLLOWED THIS SPECATULAR TURTLE TILL IT HAD TO COME UP FOR AIR. THEN I SENT IT AND IT'S SPECIES BLESSINGS AND WE PARTED WAYS. IT WAS A WONDERFUL PEACEFULLY ZEN SNORKEL. I HAVENT SEEN ALOT OF CORAL HERE OR EVEN ALOT OF FISH YET BUT HAVING SPENT TWO DAYS WITH THE TURTLES THAT ARE A GOOD METER LONG....PRETTY SPECIAL!