Crocuses

Crocuses, originally uploaded by Ben Heine.

Everything is coming back to life. Life is flourishing in the mix of sun, rain, hail, and rainbows that our wonderful city is enveloping us in. I have been staying on the 5th floor of an apartment in the Westend for the the last week and i can see the weather come across the Georgia Straight and build up against the North Shore mountains. I feel sorry for the people over there because it's cloudy probably 50% more then it is even down here, and even when you go even farther west to the Gulf Islands they see less cloud and more sun too. But today.. who knows what the weather holds and i really don't care. I have been on the water and on the beach every single day. I got hailed on while kayaking in Deep Cove at the Tuesday night races, but i also got to see a whole rainbow (no pots of gold?!)

I am so excited for the weather to warm up more and push me into the actual water to cool off.
Summer is near and i have missed you.

Let's get it on

Something about spring and boys with blue eyes that really just do it for me. One day of rain, the next day sunshine. Some days it's all mixed up. It's kind of like the way life is most of the time.. spring brings everything to the table. Everything is being reborn and wants to be fertilized and reborn. Everything is new. Let's get it on baby.

Born Free

M.I.A, Born Free from ROMAIN-GAVRAS on Vimeo.

Lady Gaga has nothing on M.I.A., maybe because she is a real person addressing real issues?

Eyjafjallajökull Ash Cloud

Eyjafjallajökull Ash Cloud, originally uploaded by nic kirschner.

Nothing like a volcano ash cloud to seize all flights over Northern Europe. The delays are effecting everyone and there is nothing you can do. I would probably fly into a south and fast train it up.. or just take an extended vacation and blame it on the volcano:)

Parque Tayrona, Cabo

Parque Tayrona, Cabo, originally uploaded by Fred Fraces.

I made it the Tayrona national park and that is what I thought the
whole Caribean coast would be like. It was beautiful but a hard rough
one hour boat trip that has left me with an oddly patched painful sunburn. I should have planned better to stay the night in the camping style hammocks. Instead I hiked out through gorgeous jungle style trail which crossed a few rivers, farms, and some more beaches showcasing there massive rocks that litter the whole area. It made me think that the Lost City would be an awesome trek mainly for the amazing scenery but not much for the millions of ants that foreage there pathways and make incredibly huge pathways to effiecently do there work. It makes it easy when you look at ants to see how places like Egypt got built.
Today i venture onwards on a 4 hour busride to Cartagena, one of the oldest cities in Colombia.

Beaches & Frutas

Tayrona L, originally uploaded by AlejoC.

The fresh fruit is entoxicating.. the beaches a little busy still with local Colombians on holiday. The heat is quenched by fans, ocean and cool drinks. I am getting my Open Water Padi scuba ticket at Poseidon Dive Center in Tanaga. Who needs to fly when you can breath under water? What an insane sensation. The most yogic thing i have ever done. You cant hold your breath or your lungs could explode. You can only breath and watch and move slowly. It exlierating yet scarry at the same time. I just ate my first fresh fish named Robalo, i have no idea what kind of fish it is but it was white and delicious. Now i am exhausted and need to study more but feel like staring at nothing in a hammock as the sun goes down.

Bogota below

Bogota below, originally uploaded by NapaneeGal.

From coffee to cocaine.. its all true. My first impressions of Colombia are that of a country that is torn from guerrillas, to just enjoying life. A city surrounded by graffitti that is stunning and often delves into the deeper personas and strife of what has happened here over the years. The city now enjoys relative peace but still has people that are desperate and usually so dirty and filthy that you are able to avoid them because they are the ones that have knives and try and rob you. The violence remains outside of the city in the country side where there has been very recent bombings and murders. Colombia is not that inhabitable. Its humidity and heat drive people into the areas that are cooler like Bogota and to the beaches.
Like all latin countries Colombians enjoy there siestas, open there doors when they feel like, and will help a gringo if we are lost.
I have already eaten new things like guava paste with what i would call mozzerlla on top of it. Sweet and salty at the same time.. something i think is heavenly. I have had my exotic massive fruit salad which cost me a whopping $1. Meat is still the primary staple but every city has a vegetarian restaurant which is more vegan then anything. . and so good!!
I am heading overnight from San Gil after i do a quick paragliding trip over the mountains and river to Santa Marta. I am still torn between doing a trek to the Lost City in 34c heat or doing my PADI dive ticket in the warm ocean.
Rough isnt it¿