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La Vida es un Carnaval

Friday, February 3rd, 2006

Im liking the comments.

So I´ve reached South America. Here´s a great big fucking middle finger to all you doubters who thought it would never happen.

Yesterday I flew to Bogota, and it is a really cool place. San Jose, Costa Rica, is like an American City, and in the same way, Bogota is like a European city. It is one of the most cultured places I´ve been in my trip, with gorgeous old european-style buildings and tons of pretty parks and tree-lined streets full of pedestrians. And the girls here are something else…

I´m staying in a hostel, and unlike the hostel in Panama, Ive managed to meet some friends who actually speak spanish. It is so much more fun that way… last night we spent an hour in a restaurant talking to these two cool, funny, drunk girls, laughing the entire time. They were accompanied by a George Clooney-lookalike, which made the whole situation a bit intimidating, but after several minutes nobody had inhibitions.

Today I went to buy some clothing, because I left my laundry bag in Panama. In one store, everyone wanted to talk to me, and I hung around for 45 minutes. We did a shorts exchange, and they gave me a free t-shirt with the store´s logo on the front. It was really random and fun, and now I´ve got over 20 friends in Bogota.

So I appologize for the length of this entry, but my hour on the internet is running out and I´m not willing to pay for an extra 15 minutes. Maybe I am jewish after all.

Peace
Dan

Posted in Colombia, Panama, Travel | 3 Comments »

Disco Inferno

Tuesday, January 31st, 2006

I can hardly believe it, but tomorrow will likely be the midpoint of my trip.

In some ways, it seems like I`ve been traveling forever, and in other ways, like my trip has just begun. Traveling has become a lifestyle, a mode of living to which Ive become quite adjusted. It isn`t easy; the hardest thing is saying goodbye to so many people, so often. I feel like I`m getting more impersonal as I go along, but I sincerely hope that that is not the case.

The first month of my trip took a long time. I had a blast, but it seemed like it was still some kind of crazy vacation. Now, it feels nothing like a vacation, and time is flying by. I have no time for anything: I still haven`t climbed a single volcano, rafted down a single river, learned to surf, or hitchhiked. It seems like a tourist who comes to the region for just 2 weeks can accomplish many more things than I can accomplish in an unlimited timeframe.

I don`t want to go home, but it will be nice to see everybody again. While I travel, I meet loads of interesting, fun people, but Ive never met a group of people quite like my group of friends in A-Town. It isnt that Arlington is such a wonderful place, but it is where I grew up and defined who I am today, and therefore I think it will always hold a part of me.

At the same time, I like Latin America far better. The noise, the craziness, the music, and the rhythm of life here suit me quite well. I know that when I leave here, I won`t stop dreaming of coming back. When I do return, it will feel like coming home as much as returning to Arlington.

I`ve learned some important lessons in my first 4 months traveling, so I think I should set some rules for myself for the future:

I can`t let inhibitions get the better of me, and I can`t be content with being timid.
I will refuse to buy drinks for girls.
I will drink slowly.
I won`t spend too much time around too many gay people.
I won`t lend money to ANYBODY, no matter what the situation. I`ve lost far too much money this way.
Most importantly, I`ll do spontaneous things, because in the long run, these make the best stories.

So I`m in Panama City now, and it is a cool place. One half of the city is ultra modern, full of shiny high-rises, banks, and 24-hour casinos. The other half is composed of tall, dirty apartment buildings and rough wooden structures housing the city`s many poor people. Panama City has much more of a “ghetto” atmosphere than other cities in central america, but at the same time it is extremely diverse and colorful. The nightlife is excellent, as well.

On Thursday I fly to Colombia. I`m very excited to get to a new continent. My only concern is that I wont be able to understand the language, but i think ill learn soon enough.

Keep it rockin, my friends.
Dan

Posted in Panama | 3 Comments »