Santa Rosa de Osos all day
26/5/2012
Its is hard to believe how fresh it is up here.
The internet keeps dropping out at the motel. The receptionist has got to know me as we are talking about it it every 20 minutes.
The morning here around the park, sees many people in and outside the cafes enjoying coffee.
Most are just ordinary folk, farmers, shopkeepers and others,making for such a dynamic atmosphere.
Time was spent in the park observing comings and goings, this was then documented in English and back in the motel it was translated into spanish, good practise.
The rest of the day was spent just relaxing, my stomach is still not 100%.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, cicumstances I am happy with, the ride from here to Medellín tomorrow will be the last day of riding I do in South America for this year.
The bike will be stored with friends of friends and I will return to Australia and my family, then onto New Zealand to spent time with my parents and sister and her family. Getting back into a bit of "normal life".
Tomorrow will my last entry.
A most enjoyable part of this journey has been making entries in this journal. For me it has been a great way of expressing my thoughts and feelings. Not just a “been here, it was nice and the sun shone” kind of journal.
There were times when a rest day was scheduled to keep it up to date. In hindsight these days made the trip so much more enjoyable. After all for me it was not a race. Most importantly plenty of time was being "stolen" to be able to do this. (more on that later)
Prior to departing in June last year, it was commented that it would be the people along the way who would make this journey fulfilling.
For me, the bridges, the buildings, the roads, the attractions, though enjoyed and appreciated, come a distant second to the people along the way that took time to share a small part of their life with me.
The kindness afforded to me by the people on the Mississippi River in the United States will never be forgotten. Their goodwill and enthusiasm was infectious. This very early became the foundation of a journey that was about the people, not so much their environment.
On into Nicaragua, Central America and now Colombia.
The time spent in Nicaragua, has made me look at life differently. The people in this lovely country have been through so much hardship. Many people I encountered, had so little, but were so happy. What little they did have, they were willing to share.
Helping these people directly and indirectly cemented this outlook.
My friend Harolds parents Rosa and Ascension were so much like this. Christmas day spent on the river with them was an unique and rewarding experience.
Their lives were not cluttered with anxieties over “wants”, they were happy with what they needed.
Nicaraguans were never far away from sharing a laugh.
Spending time in the villages with people in homes made of plastic, wood and tin with earthen floors showed me how little one needs to get by.
This journey with so few possessions has reinforced this belief.
I feel a person should be measured by how happy they are, not what material items they pocess.
An early night was had falling to sleep over a book.
26/5/2012
Its is hard to believe how fresh it is up here.
The internet keeps dropping out at the motel. The receptionist has got to know me as we are talking about it it every 20 minutes.
The morning here around the park, sees many people in and outside the cafes enjoying coffee.
Most are just ordinary folk, farmers, shopkeepers and others,making for such a dynamic atmosphere.
Time was spent in the park observing comings and goings, this was then documented in English and back in the motel it was translated into spanish, good practise.
The rest of the day was spent just relaxing, my stomach is still not 100%.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, cicumstances I am happy with, the ride from here to Medellín tomorrow will be the last day of riding I do in South America for this year.
The bike will be stored with friends of friends and I will return to Australia and my family, then onto New Zealand to spent time with my parents and sister and her family. Getting back into a bit of "normal life".
Tomorrow will my last entry.
A most enjoyable part of this journey has been making entries in this journal. For me it has been a great way of expressing my thoughts and feelings. Not just a “been here, it was nice and the sun shone” kind of journal.
There were times when a rest day was scheduled to keep it up to date. In hindsight these days made the trip so much more enjoyable. After all for me it was not a race. Most importantly plenty of time was being "stolen" to be able to do this. (more on that later)
Prior to departing in June last year, it was commented that it would be the people along the way who would make this journey fulfilling.
For me, the bridges, the buildings, the roads, the attractions, though enjoyed and appreciated, come a distant second to the people along the way that took time to share a small part of their life with me.
The kindness afforded to me by the people on the Mississippi River in the United States will never be forgotten. Their goodwill and enthusiasm was infectious. This very early became the foundation of a journey that was about the people, not so much their environment.
On into Nicaragua, Central America and now Colombia.
The time spent in Nicaragua, has made me look at life differently. The people in this lovely country have been through so much hardship. Many people I encountered, had so little, but were so happy. What little they did have, they were willing to share.
Helping these people directly and indirectly cemented this outlook.
My friend Harolds parents Rosa and Ascension were so much like this. Christmas day spent on the river with them was an unique and rewarding experience.
Their lives were not cluttered with anxieties over “wants”, they were happy with what they needed.
Nicaraguans were never far away from sharing a laugh.
Spending time in the villages with people in homes made of plastic, wood and tin with earthen floors showed me how little one needs to get by.
This journey with so few possessions has reinforced this belief.
I feel a person should be measured by how happy they are, not what material items they pocess.
An early night was had falling to sleep over a book.
