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I made it to Colombia finally after a gruelling 2 weeks of travelling from Guatemala to Panama. It had its highs and its lows, the main low being leaving my bag on the bus in Costa Rica and having it stolen before I found the bus again, therefore losing my camera, my credit cards, my sunglasses and cash. Bu these things happen, thats why I bought travel insurance. I didnt have so much luck in Costa Rica with many people trying to scam me and also really unpredictable wheather, microclimates everywhere mean one minute it could be torrential rain and the next a radiant sun. The main street of the capital San Jose reminds me a little of the part of Wollongong between Crown Street mall and the hospital with a bit of a grungy feel to it but it was good all the same. I spent a couple of nights there and met a few interesting people before getting on the bus to Puerto Viejo which was meant to be my Caribean stop off to relax for a few days but unfortunately on that bus trip is where I lost my bag. And to top it off the weather wasn't so great for the few days I was there but it didnt matter cos I wasted the days away in a hammock by the Carribean, mostly sleeping. I stayed in a hammock hotel, that means a huge undercover area filled with hammocks, it was a nice change from hostels.
My Transition from Costa Rica to Panama was anything but smooth after finding it impossible to find change in dollars anywhere in the town for the bus trip to the Panama border (i only had a $50 bill and i only needed $1.50 for the bus) I was forced to change the whole $50 into local currency at a conversion rate of 500 colones per dollar. Then after crossing the border I tried to change it back to US dollars but only found a rate of 580, a loss of 80 on each dollar which adds up so I only exchanged 20 back hoping to find another exchange at the next city which unfortunately I could not and so I needed to get to Panama City but needed dollars for the bus as its the official cureency in Panama. I ended up finding a bus that was going back to the border and convincing them to exchange it for me after about half an hour and then I ended up losing about $8 on the transaction. So because of that one bus to the border I lost about $15 on exchange.
I had been told the bus would take around 10 hours to get to Panama City and as the buses usually run late I was expecting maybe 12 hours so When I got on the bus at 7pm I was expecting to arrive at 7am which is acceptable. So imagine my surprise when the bus pulls up in panama city at 1am after only 6 hours of travel and leaves me at the bus station with only $1.90 left in my pocket. I tried calling a hostel but noone answered so I was forced to stay in the bus station for a few hours (it was heavily guarded by security). At 5am after not sleeping for 4 hours I found a taxi who would take me to the Hostel for my $1.90 and so i arrived at the hostel and managed to wake up the night watchmen who was upstairs but had to wait another hour to be given a bed. A very long 24 hours! And to top it off because it was Sunday there was nowhere open to exchange a travellers cheque so I had no money!
I spent a couple of nights in Panama City before my flight to Colombia and was completly blown away by the city. it was amazingly beautiful and completely different to what I had imagined. I didnt want to go there in the first place but it was definitely my favourite city in Central America. I met some cool people there and the hostel I stayed in ended up being really warm and inviting. The lady that owned the hostel even leant me $20 to get me through the first day without security and even though I hadnt paid for the room. I didnt feel very well the days i was there however. On the last night i met up with a guy from Couchsurfing and went out for a couple of beers and it was really fun and then I went back to the hostel and stayed up until 5am with the guys there.
My flight to Bogota I had thought would take close to 3 hours but only took 1, a very expensive flight but it was a relief not to catch another bus. When I arrived I was met at the airport by the guy I was staying with and we went back to his place. I was really tired from not sleeping the night before. The next day I met up with Monica ( a Colombian girl I worked with at the university in Australia who was in Colombia visiting her family) her boyfriend Mark (who it turns out plays on the same soccer team as Colin) Monica's brother and one of there friends and we went to a place called the Catedral de Sal or Cathedral of Salt just outside Bogota. this place was quite amazing, it is cathedral built in salt mines under a mountain, it goes over a kilometre long in tunnels with big rooms off to the side including a wedding chapel and a big auditorium for Sunday church services. On the way there however I discovered a rash on my arm, which I then realised covered my entire body... uh-oh. After the Cathedral we went for lunch in a popular burger restaurant called El Corral, the burgers were really good.
But about the rash, the next day it was worse and I was a little worried since i had just come from central America and so i was wanting to see a doctor but had trouble finding one who spoke English so monica asked her doctor who prescribed me something thinking it was an allergy. I decided to wait another day to see how i felt and although feeling bad I went out that night with some friends of the guys I was staying with and had a really fun time. but the next day not feeling any better I went and saw a doctor who I had to bring along someone to translate for me. I understand a bit of Spanish but found this doctors accent and speed of talking particularly hard to understand. I pretended to understand for a while and ended up agreeing to nuero therapy (the doctor was an alternative therapy doctor i found out later) and was injected about 20 times with anaesthetic into different places on my face arms and stomach. I immediately felt worse and later in the night felt incredibly tired but this morning the rash started disappearing (this morning) and now appears to have cleared up so he did his job. Also he gave me a strict diet of ajo(garlic) frutas vegetales and carne (fruit, vegetables and meat) that I have to follow for the next week. My breath is smelling sweet as you could imagine. Today was a fun day. i met up with a girl from couchsurfing and she took to me to the touristic area of the city, we went to a few art galleries and museums and met up with some other people in the central area we spent the whole afternoon together and so i just got back then (did i mention that she didnt speak a word of english and that I managed to communicate effectively in spanish all day, I am very proud of myself).
Now comes the next stage of my travels... thats is not travelling for a while. It is time to find a job and somewhere to live and all the rest. I am feeling great about it all so look forward to the next installments about my new life in Colombia. i need to decide which city to live in so I am going to one other city next week (medellin) and then i will decide.
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