9-6-2013

Cristhian with his new polo.

Lemar´t with his new Havaianas

The giant Oreo cake for both Lemar´t and Cristhian.

The big last night with two incredible women!

Franco and Ángel

Mili and me saying goodbye, second take with smiles.

My Peruvian bro, David, and La Billordo.

I just realized that people do read my blog!  I was too busy (and lazy) to update, and honestly it has been crazy around here.  

Well, I have left the orphanage for ethic and personal reasons, and it had been a torture living there in the past two months.  I was threatened, humiliated and damaged psychologically while working endlessly on ENPAL and other workshops.  It was more than I could take, and also the organization was not helping but rather supporting those ¨evil¨ events that has been going on.  I was utterly exhausted physically and psychologically.  I realize that there is nothing that we could do inside the orphanage, and so we work ¨outside¨ by filing complaints and documenting abusive events, maltreatments and financial mismanagement of the institution.  This is the only way we feel that can genuinely help the children.

What has left me is some time to cool off and travel a bit.  It turns out to be an once in a lifetime experience for me as I am able to travel to all the places that I always wanted to go!  The first highlight was to go to Capurganá in Chocó, Colombia.  So much I have read about this undeveloped Caribbean town on the border between Colombia and Panama, but being there was a dream came true.  Well, it turned out to be a tad more interesting than I thought it would be, because the day I arrived was the day they started a strike!  It means that the whole town was paralysed and nothing was available.  Nothing.  Fortunately, I was in a hostel where the staff was very helpful and most of all get me sorted with food and drinks!  After understanding why they were on strike, I realized how important it was for them to  fight against the evil (just like the way we fight in Peru).  They hadn´t had electricity for the whole week because ¨some people¨ corrupted the gasoline that was supposed to arrive in town for the generator.  It was a definitely legitimate reason to fight for their rights, and unfortunately they had to use the tourists as their strong playing card because no one would ever listen until the tourists complained.  Even though I was uncomfortable with the fact that I was hostaged, it was pretty much harmless to me. I could still do hikes, go to the pristine beaches, snorkel, play beach volleyball and have some decent meals.  So I was quietly waiting until they lifted the strike, which happened 5 days later, to head on to San Blas Islands.  

The day that we left for San Blas was pretty surreal, as I thought we would have to stay much longer.  But as we were on our way there, it was pretty amazing.  The sea was just beautiful, crystal clear blue water which you can see it through to the bottom.  Visiting the Kuna community was an interesting trip, because they still live their culture and speak the Kuna language.  It was like back in ancient time.  In San Blas, I had the best time snorkeling!  It was one of the biggest barrier reefs after Australia and Belize, and it had proved to be amazing!  I had seen every single colors that I could name, so many types of fish, crabs, sea urchin, and one time I saw a poker dot sting-ray!  While it was just snorkeling, when I went deeper in the sea, I saw a wall of coral reefs that it felt more like scuba diving.  It was the most amazing snorkeling experience!  Each and every islands that we went to were unique in their own ways, but each one was just absolutely beautiful.  You feel like it was your private island, and you can totally chill over there.  The various colors of the sea was just amazing, and the undersea life was just wonderful.  I just wish that I had a waterproof camera then!

After the trip in San Blas, I went to Panama City, which I never anticipated as I thought I would go back to Colombia.  But it turned out to be a wonderful surprise.  I got to visit the grandeur of Panama Canal and know a bit of the city, such as the beautiful colonial but touristy Casco Antiguo and the Panama Trump Tower which is the tallest building there.  In fact, Panama City has more high rise buildings than any Latin American cities.  Afterwards, I returned to Colombia shortly before I set out to Northern Brazil!

I managed to get a very good offer on air ticket to Recife, Brazil, and there I started my venture of the beautiful northern coast and its beaches!  Well, it didn´t start off very good, as I got sick just before I left Bogotá, and I spent the first few days in Recife with the flu.... and the rain!  So I guess it was a good thing that I rested a bit during the rainy times.  Fortunately, I got better and I went to Porto de Galinhas, a fantastic beach resort, which sports a reef made natural pools and it is within walking distance at low tide.  It was a very amazing place, and coral fish just follow you around, waiting for you to feed them.  The natural pools are amazing, and you can stand on top of the reef and have fantastic views of the beach, the reef and the town.  It was definitely an unique experience.  Now I am up north again in Praia da Pipa, and I´m waiting for the rain to stop and get some more marvellous experience in this stunning region.