Celebrating 25 years in the making :)

Another glorious Saturday trip brought to you by Michael.
This time, a through troll through the meadows and ancient philistine cities, to culminate in Bar Cochva escape tunnels.

Another year has past, another cold winter nearly behind, and it Purim. So, as tradition would have, we through a costume party of biblical quality.

The Braslev-shic concept was mine, of course :-p

Chen, Ron and I, on a cycling trip from hell.
Can't wait to get back!

See the African Belly Dancer, Paint the African Belly Dancer.
Also you can see some of the new South America developments I hung.

Our best buddy Yossi leaves us for the city of red lights in Holland, and this is how we celebrated.

Actually, for the wickedest house party in the middle east, you don't really need a reason,
just an excuse.

Great stuff Y!

El Fin.

Please do not fly with AirMadrid. But do stop by at Madrid. Stayed there four days.
My word, it's so unbelievably European! Spain may be the 'mother homeland', but it's not truly Latin, not as I know it.

Still, we had it well, especially with some hip french (loads of them everywhere!) at the flamenco bars. There were also good salsa clubs and PUBs to go around. In the daytime I got to know the classic Madrid, and mother_of_all_medievel_cities Toledo, which are mainly what you get in the photos.

So here it ends.

Though I search myself, it seems I'm at a lack of words

This is it folks. Everyone is in agreement on this, so pay close attention!

The gem of the Colombian Caribbean, is National Park Tayrona.
Just within an hour's walk in the jungle, you clear out to endless
strips of beaches, bays, little exclusive private hideaways, palms and
rocks, soothing waves and spoiling sand, all at the feet of a
bountiful mountainous jungle.

Tayrona is fit for the gods, the found paradise, as far as such a
concept may appertain to this earth.

Biding time between Cabo de la Vela, and Park Tayrona, I felt adventurous enough to blitz-strike Barranquilla on the weekend. The once great "Gold Port" of America is a stirring scary metropolis, about which the tourist industry knows nil, except that their carnival in February is second only to Brazil.
Still, for us there was no telling if there even were any hotels there, where to go, what to look for, and especially what not to. No field intelligence whatsoever.

So with Joshua, a brave soul who answered my call to arms, we had blast.
It was pre-carnival season, great concerts were on every night at the stadium, and afterwards the locals showed us to hectic nights out in town.

Barranquilla has a lot of personality, though no looks. The true essence of Locombia, and my greatest surprise from the country.

In the spore of the minute at the bus terminal, I decided to venture into the Guajira peninsula, the north most point of South America, a desert land just by Venezuela.

It wasn't easy.

The land, the roads, infrastructure and services, food, and the entire attitude around there is as difficult as Bolivia, or India. But that way it was all the more exiting and fascinating, dare I say: exotic. Even though, on the way to Cabo, the damn bus driver dropped me off in the wrong cross-road at night, in the middle of nowhere. That was all too typical.

Finally at Cabo, the next day. I find myself in howling dry desert, that reaches out onto the horizon, and down to the sea. An incredible place.

Cartagena de Indias, one of the oldest, best known, touristic, and special cities of the Americas.

While on one side you get ugly slums, and poor people, on the other you have a rich Miami _clone neighborhood. In the middle, there is the old colonial city, probably the best kept and beautiful you'll ever see, but tourism culture there has grown to gross statures. I can't even begin to address the subject. Cuzco was worse, though.

The Caribbean climate is like a constant Israeli summer, but with good breezes. The rumba_partying is refreshing as well.

As a bonus, I had the opportunity to hear 5 functions in the historical Caribbean Literature Festival, that took place.

At last, the Caribbean!

Following a hot tip that my man Rani gave me, my first real stop was two night in the Rosario Islands.

Though one side of the main island is infested by hotels, all the rest is dominated by vivid (very) Afro Caribbean community, in a small village of 800. They immediately take you over.

There I camp in the yard of my new mate, Hugo. My tent Kisses the emerald beach, and the hammock on the peer, and the corals and all shades of blue-turquoise, mangroves and...
Oh, just look at the photos, for heaven's sake!

Just one more thing. There's this unreal 'Lagoon of Enchantment', in which you bath at night, only to find yourself glowing in the dark weightless space, like an angel! I seriously cannot describe the sensation more accurately (without spoiling it).

Medellin,

Locombia's second city, where most parts look totally western, rich, with beautiful and nice people (though self_centered), much business and culture to be had, basically keeps itself in an eternal spring all year round.

Here, in just one excruciating weekend, I get to know the much of the city, meet more people in the hostel and outside, party hardy (note an exquisite Cuban bar near Parque del Periodista), take the bus to see the spectacular views if El Peniol mount, and stack up my wardrobe.

There's just no argument on the matter.
It's a place you and I would love to live in. And why not really?! I'm honestly still struggling with that one...

One day in Bogota, my old friend Erika took me to the Gold Museum, a national icon.
Dazzling gold artifacts from all cultures of great Colombia.

So what if a few are fake?