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!

MY GRANDSON RYLAN at the vancouver zoo

MY DAD here in canada

WHAT ABOUT AN AFRICAN SAFARI THIS WINTER? ARE YOU IN?

SO MY THE WINTER TRAVELS ARE FINISHED FOR 2009/2010. I HAD A GREAT TIME. THERE WERE SO MANY THINGS THAT I SAW FOR THE FIRST TIME. THERE WERE MANY THINGS THAT I HAD NEVER DREAMED OF SEEING. IT WAS SPECTACUALR THE HIGHLIGHTS WOULD BE THE ORANGUTANS IN BORNEO, THAT WAS AN AMAZING JOURNAY. THE RIVER SETTING AND THESE BEAUTIFUL ANIMALS WITH THEIR LOVELY BLACK HANDS AND STUNNING RED HAIR. THE TURTLES WERE PRETTY AMAZING TOO. FROM SEEINGING THEM COME OUT OF THE GROUND IN THE PHILIPPINES TO FEEL THEIR FIRST RAYS OF SUNSHINE TO SWIMMING WITH SOME THAT WERE 2 METERS LONG IN BORNEO, THEY HAD SUCH BEAUTIFUL FACES AND I LOVED TO JUST FLOAT NEAR THEM WATCHING THEM EAT THE SEA GRASS. THE MANY PEOPLE THAT WE MET ALONG THE WAY THROUGH THE DIFFERENT COUNTRIES REALLY ENRICHED OUT TRAVELS. THE FAMILIES ON THE TRAIN IN INDIA THE OTHER TOURISTS WHO SHARED THEIR TRANSPORT WITH US THROUGH OUT THE COUNTRIES AND THE LOCALS WHO GAVE US DIRECTIONS AND HELPED US PURCHASE TICKETS BY TRANSLATING AND OF COURSE THE BEAUTIFUL FILIPINO'S WITH WHOM WE SHARED OUT LAST DAYS THERE. WE ARE GREATFUL TO ALL OF YOU FOR MAKING THIS TRIP MORE MEMORABLE BY FAR BY YOUR PRESENCE. IT IS DIFFICULT FOR ME NOT TO SEPERATE INDIA FROM MY SOUTH EAST ASIA TRIP AS I DID HAVE A DIFFERENT TRAVELING COMPANION AND THE 2 WORLDS ARE WORLDS APART. I WILL NOW BE RETURNING TO WORK (THANK YOU MANDY) AND PLANNING FOR MY BEXT ADVENTURE.

I AM THINKING THAT IT IS TIME FOR AN AFRICAN SAFARI AND TO SEE THE GORILLAS. I KNOW THAT THE GORILLA TRIP COST ABOUT 1000USD ITSELF. BUT I THINK THAT BESIDES THAT BIG EXPENSE THERE MUST BE A CHEAPISH WAY TO EXPERIENCE THE WILDNESS OF AFRICA. SEEING THE LARGE ANIMALS AND SOME OUT-OF-THE-WAY VILLAGES AND MAYBE SOME AMAZING TERRAIN WITH SOME LOVELY IDLE TIME. IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN PUTTING THIS TRIP TOGETHER WITH ME LET ME KNOW. I DO NOT HAVE A DATE AS I FIGURE IT CAN BE DECIDED BY A MAJORITY NEED. E MAIL ME AT babaviolet@hotmail.com OR FACEBOOK VIOLET BARISOFF. AM EXCITED ABOUT THIS ONE. I FIGURE THAT IT CAN BE SHORT FOR SOME PEOPLE AND LONGER FOR OTHERS, THERE IS NO REASON THAT WE CANT TAILOR IT TO OUR NEEDS. LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU.

VIOLET