Shakira, Shakira!
Bogota, Colombia
(writing from Sao Paulo Airport, Brazil)

I want to write about how, in our two weeks in Colombia, we got abducted by a cartel, trained with paramilitaries, and met the real-life version of Katherine Zeta-Jones from Traffic. (Un)fortunately, Colombia was actually one of the safest, easiest, and friendliest countries we've visited on the trip. From the first free beer at the hostel in Bogota to the friendliest cab driver ever who dropped us off at the airport on our way out, the only violent shock was to our expectations.

We spent our first few days in Bogota, exploring La Candelaria (charming historical district), trekking up Cerro Montserrat with hordes of pilgrims, and visiting the museums. Museo del Oro is the famous gold museum, but we were more taken with the roly poly subjects and modern art on display at Museo Botero.

We rented a car and headed out on a roadtrip through northern Colombia. From Bogota, we drove up through the gorgeous green rolling hills to the perfectly preserved colonial Villa de Leyva. After bumping along the city's cobblestone streets, we headed north to San Gil, adventure capital of the country, where we got our adrenaline rushes rappelling down a 600 ft. waterfall. The next day, we braved crazy truck traffic en route to the carribbean coast--we landed safely in Santa Marta and the lovely fishing village of Taganga. Which is a little less lovely now that it's been written up in all the guidebooks and potentially has just as many gringos as locals. Still, our car allowed us to find a secluded nook on a beach in nearby Tayrona national park, where we spent a fabulous lazy afternoon eating fresh fish, drinking, and reading pulp while staring out at the ocean ("see Miami?" "almost..."). After lazing on the beach, we headed west for the gorgeous walled city of Cartagena, with beautiful colonial buildings, fun public art, and fresh exotic fruit juices. Then, we headed back down the western side of the country to Medellin, where we discovered lots of hip youth culture and very bad Thai food. Finally, we made our way back to Bogota, marvelling at how easy we found navigating the streets.

Here are a few pictorial highlights:

Zach at the top of Cerro Montserrat, with Bogota in the background


Road trip!


In the garden of the fossil museum in Villa de Leyva--who says religion and science don't mix?


This is what they call a "Natural High"


Zach's not afraid of heights. Not at all.


Cartagena reminded Zach a lot of a polished Havana


Protest by students and teachers in Bogota the day we left--that's the Colombian flag blocking the road

Galapagos
Puerto Ayora, Ecuador
(writing from Quito, Ecuador)

Two weeks ago, we were walking through Quito, Ecuador looking for a last-minute tour of the Galapagos. It's technically "low season" right now, so we thought we might be able to get a good deal that would match our typical $15/day budget. We saw a sign that said "2-for-1" last-minute outside one agency, and walked in feeling hopeful. When we heard the deal the travel agent had, we were both ecstatic and devastated--the 2-for-1 deal was on one of the most upscale luxury tourboats in the entire Galapagos. Even at half-off, we were looking at more (way more...) than double what we had hoped to spend for 8 days. But the travel agent (who came highly recommended by our guidebook) said that it was a once-in-a-lifetime deal, because the
ship is typically fully booked up to a year in advance... It has the best guides, fabulous services onboard, and goes to the best places. We walked out, telling the agent we would discuss over lunch. We didn't have a lot of time to decide, because the tour left the very next morning, and we'd have to get the money out in cash to pay for the plane and boat tickets.

We debated for about 10 minutes--and then we had a revelation. We remembered the incredible gift that Zach's grandmother, Muffy, gave us for our wedding, and realized this was *exactly* the kind of opportunity she had intended it for. Thank you, Muffy!

The trip was worth every penny. It was one of the most amazing and memorable parts of our year so far--and no doubt, one of the most spectacular trips we'll ever take. The wildlife is unbelievable--both on land and underwater (we did a little snorkeling and diving as well). The animals have been protected for so long that they aren't scared at all of people--we swam with sea lions and penguins (who knew that there are penguins here at the equator?!), got up close and personal with 150-year-old giant tortoises, and watched the mesmerizing and hilarious mating dance of waved albatrosses from ten feet away.

We ate like kings, were pampered endlessly, and learned an enormous amount from the fabulous guides and crew. As we marveled at the finches, we thought a lot about our friends Becca and David, who celebrate Darwin's birthday--we can't imagine anyone who would love this living laboratory of evolution more.

Here is an infinitely small selection from the mountain of photos we took over the course of the week:

The infamous "Lonesome George" -- over 150 years old and still chasing the ladies.


Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have nothing on us...


Baby sea lion, chillin' on the beach


Cactus skeleton against the Galapagos sky--no story, just pretty.


Marine Iguana--one of our friends on the boat suggested all the iguanas ought to be wearing Harley Davidson leather jackets.

Lake Titikaka -- Tourism for Tourism's Sake
Lake Titikaka, Peru
(writing from Quito, Ecuador)

From Machu Picchu, we had a few days left in Peru. We opted to head South, see lake Titikaka -- the highest navigable lake in the world at 12500 feet above sea level -- and perhaps to meander over to Ariquipa and do some hiking up some volcanos or down canyons.

Two key learnings. (Preston's been feeding me some consultant powerpoints, so now I think about learnings, local champions, and levers)

Our time on Lake Titikaka made us reflect on eco- and cultural tourism. Any "organized" tourist experience is in some way manufactured and inauthentic. Our experience in Machu Picchu had definitely been manufactured--we were tromping through Andean forests and Inca ruins with a group of English-speaking foreigners, having our bags toted by indigenous porters, and we were one of 20 other groups just like us on the trail every day. But our guide was passionate about his history and culture and heatedly discussed the plight of the modern indigenous populations in Peru (he started as a porter himself on the trail when he was 14). He taught us Quechua, and he was curious about us, where we were from, and what our lives were like. He engaged with us.

When we heard about the "pristine" and "quaintly traditional" island of Amantini on Lake Titikaka, we were hoping for a similar experience--a cultural exchange, paradisiacal natural beauty, a celebration of traditional lifestyle. This is how the tour was sold to us. We stayed with a local family, but it was more in the spirit of a bed and breakfast, instead of an exchange. They were happy to make us meals (we couldn't convince them to actually eat with us) and show us our room, and that was about it. They were less about celebrating the traditional lifestyle and more about figuring out how to use the tourist dollars to get a TV and send their kids to study and live in Lima. This was fair enough--it's presumptuous and patronizing to push for maintaining a traditional lifestyle that the people living it don't want anymore. But then I wish it had been sold as a bed and breakfast on a beautiful island instead of a cultural exchange.

But even that kind of tourism is in jeopardy on Amantini--in an effort to get as much tourist income as possible, there are women dressed in traditional garb selling Snickers at the temple ruins on the top of the hill, and children along the trails reciting rhymes in languages they don't speak or selling braided bracelets, desperate for one or two soles. When asked about school, the kids avert their eyes and say they will go "tomorrow." It's tragic, because on the one hand, the people of this island absolutely deserve to milk every penny they can out of the tourists. But the way they're doing it is undermining the very reason tourists come. The images, even from a few years ago, of the "pristine" and "traditional" island are clearly crumbling. And there's no immediate reason for it to stop.

We payed a total of $60 for our 2 days in Amantini. If the people of the island aren't getting enough benefit out of that investment, I wish they would simply make it more expensive to get there. And they don't need to pander to tourists with a "traditional" lifestyle experience if that's not what they're actually interested in living. Amantini has the potential for being the Nantucket of Lake Titikaka, but right now it's headed in the direction of Myrtle Beach.

---

The second learning is that you shouldn't plan a leisurely trip through South Peru without double checking your flight itinerary. For example, you can't climb a volcano near Arequipa on May 4 when you leave the country on May 3. Such was our bemused panic as we leafed through our travel documents on the boat back from Amantini. Thank goodness for last minute flights...

----

Two photos. First our host family from Amantini:



Second, we stopped by the floating islands of the Uros people, who emigrated onto rafts of reeds to escape the various conquerers who tromped through the region. A stork strolled by and slurped down a fish while our guide taught us about the local history.

Machu Picchu!
(writing from Quito, Ecuador)



Finally an update. We actually have a lot to tell -- Machu Picchu, Lake Titikaka, and the Galapagos. In the spirit of catching up, we'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Here is Bella and I near the Sun Gate on our last day on the Inca Trail, maybe 5:45 AM, with the ruins at Machu Picchu in the background.



Many wild orchid on the trail, but this took us by surprise.


The Andes near dusk, accompanying us along the trail.


Finally, daisies along the trail, with a small ruin in the background (lodging for messengers running back and forth from Machu Picchu to other Inca cities).