She said YES!

 She said YES!

Last night was fun, swinging in hammocks under a thatched roof listening to distant thunder. At one point the was a little rain too. I slept like a baby, that is, until 3am. You see, as a few of you are aware, I set out this trip as both an adventure and with the intention of proposing to Emily.  This has been a long time coming. I had let my parents know months ago and I recently flown to Seattle to celebrate Emily's Match Day and ask for her parent's blessing and fill in my siblings. Over the past few months I began the search for a ring, given the innate nature of the endless learner I endeavored to learn all I could about diamonds. Mr. Cohan, the father of my Cheif resident is a gemologist and we spent several days together pouring over textbooks and looking at different diamonds, needless to say it is an expensive, i mean, extensive field. After scouring the East coast and flaunting my amateur knowledge of diamonds I found the perfect one. So had a simple ring made and decided our adventure through Colombia would be the perfect time to propose. I was looking for something secluded, majestic, and intimate.

As I fell asleep last night I realized that we were with a bunch of early 20s travelers who have probably never gotten up early enough for a sunrise in their short lives (they probably didn't know sunrises existed). So I had my plan, wake up early take Emily out to the far outcropping of rocks mentioned earlier and propose at sunrise. 

I awoke at 3am nervous as ever and not wanting to fall back asleep as I could miss the sunrise. So waited nervously, and waited...and waited. Time had never moved so slow. Bats whizzing around looking for a place to sleep before sunrise, a few roosters getting an early start, and the gentle ambient noise of crickets were my only company for the longest two hours of my life. Well, and Emily will kill me for putting this in here but, she has the cutest little snore, it sounds like one of those little pug dogs' snores as if one were lying on its back on a comfortable couch.  Anyways, I started to notice the sky transforming from a dark canvas speckled with stars and a hazy moon to a deep Royal blue. I gently rocked out of my hammock and lovingly stroked Emily's thigh to wake her. Her eyes shot open and she leapt up in terror hands flailing, "$&#*!" she exclaimed (remember we are sleeping in an open air hut in the jungle). After a minute of letting her catch her breath and regain her composure I asked if she wanted to see the sunrise with me. After the I'm-going-to-kill-you expression slowly dissipated she nodded and merely remarked, "babe we've got to work on your wake up technique." And off we went into to darkness holding hands.
I have to pause here in the story to interject a second small story; The Chronicle of the Ring. You see I decided to propose in Colombia. While we were backpacking, this meant we would be in close proximity and in each other bags all trip. So I had to hide the ring and I couldn't lock it up with our other valuables because she would be keenly aware of its presence. So I wrapped it in a lintless cloth and hid it in my earphones case.

For the majority of the trip it remained with me in my personal bag or  locked up when we could lock our bags up. Occasionally it was left in my back pack in a lobby (terrifying), in the back of a bus (more terrifying), or, as you may have read before, carelessly tossed about like an ordinary earphones case. There were also several near miss moments as we would both go through security check points and they would rifle through our belongings in search of contraband. Let's  just say it was one panic inducing moment after another with this little surprise.
Now back to the main event. As dawn took shape we softly marched forward inundated with sounds of an awakening jungle. We made our way to the cove and ducked under a sign in Spanish that Emily deftly ignored while I quickly interpreted some of the words in my head as reading "danger"' "do not pass" and "you idiots can't you read!"   That last one may have been translated incorrectly, and I could imagine my good friend Matt saying, "really?!? 3 YEARS in a Spanish speaking country and you still can't speak Spanish, Puchíca!" But we pressed on and arrive atop a large boulder on a tiny peninsula surrounded by rolling waves deafeningly hurtling themselves at the rocks.

I searched the ground and found a soft spot that would be ideal for kneeling but Emily had other plans. She pick a spot higher on the rock with a crevasse at our feet. We sat together awhile. Normally I love winging speeches, I am a talker and a story teller, and I consider finding words my forte. But for one of the first times in my life I was speechless, I couldn't think of what or how to proceed. As the sun rose so did my panic. Eventually I went for it, I wish I could remember what I said, I know it included several versions of, "I love you" and culminated in "Emily Kathleen Eck will you marry me?" while awkwardly kneeling in front of the love of my life un zipping my little earphone case with the sun rising behind me. Being the absolute luckiest man alive, this teary-eyed beauty gave the one answer that made my heart soar and universe pause for a whole second. She said emphatically, "Yes!" Then a lot of mushy stuff happened next then I put the ring on her finger and we sat in each others arms and watched the sun rise.

Emily Eck: It was strange because he is usually very verbose and great with adjectives but he was fidgeting and strangely awkward. "You know how much I love you right?" He asked. I replied, "of course I do! I love you too". Then several minutes passed and he asked again, "You know how much I love you right?" Strange. Then, "I have something important to ask you," and he got down on one knee awkwardly fumbling with his earphone case and then I knew. (I imagined I was more suave than that)

Elated and starving we strolled back to grab breakfast. No one knew, it was our little secret piece of history to hold and cherish (at least until we were back on the grid). The day was a blur, we hiked back through the hellish jungle caught a bus back to Santa Marta, showered, and took a late bus to Palomino. When we arrived I splurged and got the private sweet we drank, laughed, ate, and were the merriest people in the whole world. Me with my large mouth told everyone who would care to listen and those that didn't. The staff pitched in and brought us a dessert and a whole bottle of wine! Unfortunately I cannot in good conscious write any of the following events though just before crashing my last thought was, I don't know how to spell feesnce....fiencee...fiance... Damn the French!

Lazy days and Love

Well now that Mission Proposal has been accomplished, Houston we have a problem! Out of all the fun and exciting hostels we've stayed in this one just happens to have the worst internet. I mean, it's not like we've been trying to call our families or friends with great news or anything....

Every other 5 minutes we have a blip of connection so we've turned into "those travelers", you know, the ones constantly on their cell phones or computers despite all the intriguing people and action that surrounds them. We both have a small credo to not have cell phones out when dining or in good company (we shattered that credo today, for good reason though!). Besides the communication conundrum, this is day 1 of 2 of pure gluttony and sloth.

I always hated returning from a vacation more tired than when I left. Don't get me wrong, I love adventure, travel, and activity but I also need some R&R given my insane schedule back at home. So most of today was spent poolside.

 I finished my book The Martian, it was hilarious and I recommend it to anyone with a short reading attention span. We ate great food, and got flat out drunk with our German companion while wielding deep discussions on how the world should be managed. The rest of the night we spent together smiling, laughing, and having fun. Emily got a kick out of the Craig Schuh quote book, "you've got a great woman, I'm glad you're going to lock that $*#% down!" Thanks to all for the kind words we are both soo excited to start a life together (and get a dog!).  Stay tuned for the last two logs of the journey. Also thanks for the comments below I like that someone is reading this besides my #1 fan and critic (Emily).

The Jungle Trek

Got up early this am because Emily had arranged (in her inebriated state) to go trekking with our new German travel companion Chole

to a secluded beach known for its clear waters and beauty located in Tayrona at the playa El Cabo. So we hastily divided our bags to create a two day pack for hiking that I would carry through the jungle. It was going to be a hard hike so after we packed everything we wanted and I could barely lift it (without water) so we had to revise. I removed Emily's in-case-I-get-cold outfits and she removed my long pants and my headphone case by carelessly tossing it over her shoulder and I watched it slide under the bed (remember this detail). We had lite breakfast of oats and yogurt then set off a little later than expected. Then we waited for the bus which arrived a little later then expected. Oh, how I have forgotten these bus rides. Loud music, bright colors, and chickens! Emily revealed her girly side as a crate of baby chicks was placed next to her.

Through the city we preformed accelerations and decelerations that would make a NASA astronaut queasy our horn thundered like a fog horn that could raise the dead. Then once out of the city our driver really cut loose. Threading the needle at 1000 mph between lumbering trucks/semis, whipping around tight cliff side corners, and some times off-roading to get around obstacles. My favorite part was that, as I tried not to view my life flashing before my eyes as I watched the chaos unfold out the front window, Emily sat nonchalantly reading her book without a care in the world. Man, I love this girl! We arrived super late to the trail head, why do I keep mentioning being late you ask? It's because now it was 1130am and the sun was near it's precipice providing a heat-stroke-inducing temperature of 103 with humidity at 110%. So we set off through the sweaty jungle in the blistering heat for our 3 hour hike, Emily bouncing around like a sexy deer and myself carrying all of our supply's feeling like we're on the million-mile-march.

And it grew hotter. Though despite the heat, humidity, weight, and elevation changes it was a beautiful hike. We stopped frequently to watch superhighways of fire ants carrying chunks of leaves to their home,

listened to the diverse birds in a symphony of surround-sound, and stared awestruck at monstrous Jurassic-looking trees.

At one point we lost the trail and had to cross a mile of beach at noon.  I was wearing a towel like a hijab because I could feel my face on fire.

Ironically, it was through this portion of the trek that Emily was trying to convince me that our next trip should be to the Middle East (at this point I would prefer a extra "s" in my desert).

But alas! We made it! Please ignore every gripe/complaint up until now. The jungle gave way to an immaculate cove straight out of a good novel by a great writer.  Crystal clear water as far as the eye could see, with a hint of sapphire blue gently massaging a white sand beach etched with bowing palm trees. At the far end of the cove large boulders stretch out into the ocean where more violent waves smash themselves in an explosion of froth and foam. We check in a a little tiki-like stand and got our hammocks for the night under a thatched roof. The rest of the day was spend frolicking in the translucent water and napping on the beach. Ah, this is the life... Sorry these were late but we have been completely off the grid lately. Stay tuned for the next installment. It is life changing....

Santa Marta time!

Oof. After a night of salsa dance lessons my dogs are barking and our packs are beginning to smell like my forgotten trash can back home.... But we are loving every minute of this trip!  Everyone at breakfast was jealous of the fresh avocado that we picked up last night. Today the plan is to head off to the Northern Caribbean beaches near Santa Marta. Our first step was a bus that was supposed to take 4 hours which turned into 6 as expected. It was hot, somewhat cramped but, to two experienced travelers, we found ample reading time. For all those that laugh at my car, we played Spark slug on the way because there are too many Sparks to count in this country. 58 in Cartagena alone. After a LONG ride we arrived at our destination. Hot but cooler than Cartegena and smells ripe with sizzling street food. We hoped in a taxi and headed to our top choice of hostels, which was a party place busting at the seams with young, thin, muscular, and tanned patrons in board shorts/bikinis (I miss my 20s, and I thank God everyday for a smoking hottie who loves me). It was full so we searched and ended up in a hostel that was once a mansion owned by Pablo Escobar. This place was just at our pace, beautiful pool, giant 4 person hammock, politically minded company, and cheap booze. The owner is this kooky Australian who believes there is money or cocaine still hidden in the walls.  Despite the urge to level the place in search of loan repayment money we decided to take a relaxing poolside day and spent our leisurely hours in the pool, drinking 3$ cocktails and discussing world/US politics with a Swiss gentleman who speaks 5 languages, is a lawyer who quit it all to travel (side note, the two most sought after jobs in Switzerland are doctor and gym teacher), and who was a world traveler himself. We continued drinking late into the night arguing with Germans and Swiss over how to rule the world and ended up in a hammock together. Pictures to come. Off to a hike tomorrow. Will write when I can.

Move Beach get out the way!

As we further endeavor our practice of sleeping in we made it till 930am today! Today's goal is to explore the city and get some beach time. Cartagena is a modern port city on Colombia’s Caribbean coast. At its core is the walled Old Town, with 16th-century plazas, cobblestone streets and colorful colonial buildings. It was at this core were we were staying.

The city is walled and Emily educated me as to the history as we walked along the Great Wall.

The heat here is stifling, muggy, and down right oppressive. Despite the sun's rage against our feeble melanocytes we pushed on walking through the colonial streets stopping to sample the street food as the interest rose. It is fun how this walled city has been maintained. After awhile of walking Emily and I would tempt each other with ludicrous excuses to duck into an air conditioned store (neither willing to admit defeat by the heat).

Soon we grew weary of walking and headed back to the hostel where we lounged in hammock chairs, chatted, and read books as the weather melted to a pleasant (tolerable) temperature.  Now this was a vacation. After a bit we arose and grabbed a bite at the local Cuban hut before setting out to the beach. It was late afternoon and the weather was perfect. We settled in a small rent-a-tent and had fresh ceviche on the beach while taking turns swimming in the near lukewarm Caribbean Sea. As Emily was swimming this woman came up and offered to massage my feet. I politely declined but she persisted. At this point in the trip Emily and I are attempting to be money conscious. The women would not relent stating, "free sample, quick, etc."  I attempted to refuse again but she plopped down grabbed my foot and it was all over. Thank God Emily showed up or I would have given this woman all of my money, obtained a working visa, and brought her back to the states as my own personal foot masseuse.

It was heaven. Emilys simple foot massage became a leg and back massage somehow, and she jokingly chided me for spending $7 on a foot massage (worth it!).  We headed back for a bread and avocado dinner with fresh market fruits that we picked up on the way back. Ahhh, now for a beer and more relaxation. Stay tuned.

Cartegena here we come!

Medellin is a crazy town. To picture it in your mind you need to think of the sprawling slums of those picturesque Mexican cities. With rolling hills of people living on top of one another. House made of aluminum, clay, brick, and tarp as far as the eye can see. Then finding incredible backdrops of modern skyscrapers and apartment buildings. The people say that the "gente" or the general public, are divided into zones of poor (the majority), middle class, and ultra wealthy.  But surrounding the whole city are green mountains frosted with fluffy white clouds. The shear size of this city is mind boggling. We found ourselves waking up to the chirps of exotic birds and our dorm mates idly milling around. 8 am, still can't get enough of this sleeping in business! Today we set out to do the famous Medellin MetroCable.
After asking some directions and receiving the stereotypical, "por alla, alla, alla y alla" followed by some manic gesturing, we again blindly ventured into the bustling city.  After wondering for about an hour we came across the Metro, for how decrepit the city appear in some parts their metro was extravagant.  With its cleanliness, open spaces, clear intercoms, and efficiency this was one of the best metros I have been on. Emily laughed when I gave up my seat to an elderly gentleman who politely said, "gracias gringo." When we arrived at the head of the tram/cable cars again I was stunned. The cable car system here is like a ski lift setup with cabs for 6 people, though it is part of their mass transportation and elevated us nearly 1500ft in the air for a total length of ~1 mile OVER the city towards the surrounding mountain peak where we would explore Parqué Natcional de Arví (pronounced like arby, and no the trees did not sport slices on roast beef as I'd hoped...).  

The views were simply stunning, clashes of wealth and extreme poverty. People living quite literally on top of one another, smashed together like sardines. Then the tram gracefully weaved through tall whimsical apartment buildings. Then as we rose higher the shacks thinned out as the cliffs intensified. Though these were still poor shacks, what a spectacular view and command of the valley below. As we ride up I was able to practice my Spanish and provide entertainment for the other passengers, first by comparing women to cows in an attempt to learn the word "female", then by confusing my hots and colds. We all left that tram car with smiles on our faces. The park was pretty. Granted less than those of Washington and Alaska but a breath of fresh air nonetheless. 

We hiked around for a while then made our way back to the hostel and headed out the the airport amidst a torrential down pour. In the airport the rain pounded so loudly we couldn't hear each other and had to shout.  
The flight was quick and we landed in the "lava pit", as it was so aptly described to us Cartegena. Yes, it was hot but we arrived after the sun set so it became that quintessential muggy-romantic-Hispanic-exploration-temperature. Our hostel at El Viajero is sweet.
Emily wanted a nice dinner and offered to treat. We walked around this enchanted city around sunset, it was muggy but not terrible. We are staying in Antigua so all of the buildings are ancient but revived and colorful, blues, yellow, and reds dominate the street. Horse drawn carriages populate the narrow streets and cute balconies overlook the whole scene. Emily and I found this picturesque street restaurant called Cevicheria, where we were again met with gustatory decadence. I must describe the setting; candle lit curbside table with a Spanish guitarist strumming for whoever will listen over the gentle hum of both young and old laughing and sharing together. Vibrant colors all around with carriages occasionally trotting by under short balconies littered with onlookers.

We had ordered a bottle of chilled white wine and had a chilled ice bucket next to our table sweating in the heat of the night. We started with stuffed crab claws in dill/lemon/olive oil base...scrumptious. Then moved on to our main course after much laughing and smiling with our 1st bottle of wine down. Next we had shrimp, crab, and Peruvian white fish ceviche which, with every bite was met with a flood of freshness and a memory of small Oceanside towns accented by lemon, fresh onions, and cilantro. But the dish of the night was peanut sauce octopus tower. Lower side: coconut rice and upper side avocado salad with roasted red peppers. The simplistic way to describe this would be a gustatory orgasm because a dish with such tantalizing flavors, seductive smells, sensual textures, and exotic appealing to the eye should be illegal. THIS was the best dish we've had of 2016! In to our second bottle and laughing with the staff (or they may have been laughing at our Spanish by then) they brought out a special dessert for us with warm guava with melted mozzarella cheese, mint, mandarin juice, and a touch of rum. 

Speechless. We tipped heavily and sauntered happily away.
Emily allowed me my annual vice which was a pure Cuban cigar purchased from a very friendly Cuban. The rest of the night was spent laughing and talking by the moonlit Caribbean ocean. 

Now off to Colombia's skiing capital. Medellín.

I could truly get used to this sleeping in stuff. Today we made it all the way to 9am!  When did we get so old. I remember a time when I could rage all night and imbibe like it was going out of style and get up the next morning at 7am to take a test. This morning felt like, drinking a, "Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, the effect of which is like having your brains smashed out with a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick.”(shout out to all of my hitchhikers out there).  Needless to say, we were passengers on the struggle bus express this am. But we managed to get up and hike towards Montserrate, which is a mountain that dominates the city center of Bogota, the capital city of Colombia.  It rises 10,341 ft above the sea level, where there is a church with a shrine, devoted to "El Señor Caído" (Fallen Lord) at the top. 

There is a cable car to take you to the top too!  Emily and I wondered aimlessly through the streets in search of the cable station. We may have sprinted across a highway or two but it was early in the am so only a few dozen cars to frogger past. Just our luck but the cable car was closed till noon and we were to fly to Medellin in the early afternoon. Emily graciously tolerates my need-to-be-at-the-airport-3-hours-early lifestyle. So after getting to the airport in world record time, being the only ones through security, and no one else at our gate we sat at the airport for 2hrs 36mins..... But flying in to this majestic mountainous area was worth the wait. 

Unfortunately I planned to travel midday which killed our day a bit so the rest of the day we spent looking for a hostel, drinking, and generally being merry. Big plans for tomorrow. And more pictures to come!!!

Bogota or as Emily says it boe-gah-tah

It felt so good to sleep in, and all the way till 8am too! Heaven.  We were happily met with fresh Colombian coffee, eggs, and sweet rolls. The adventure on tap for today was a 5-6 hour bike tour through the city and as you will read, it did NOT disappoint. We started at a very sketchy tour shop with bikes that looked as if a strong breeze could blow them apart. Our tour guide was an enthusiastic Colombian with decent English who, throughout the tour, would repeat phrases like, "this is very controversial" or "much misery" while giving us the history of his country.  

But nonetheless off we went, 20 foreigners on bikes, careening through winding streets, competing with cars, motorcycles, pedestrians in a distopia of traffic and crumbling infrastructure. At one point I saw Emily disappear between two trucks with less than a foot of space between them. She was fearless. The first portion of the tour was only sprinkled with perils, image biking in congested city traffic without any rules or concern for one another's welfare. But like I said it got more thrilling as our courageous guide informed us that we would be biking through, "the ghetto, so please all women up front and all men back to protect the women. Very dangerous area." And he was not kidding, skyscrapers gave way to slums, bustling shoppers turned into junkies and the homeless, and dirty streets evolved into people deficating before our very eyes. He did stop in the tour fashion and point all of this out while locals were catcalling the ladies in our group. Next we pushed our way through the ghetto to the open market where our guide had us try a variety of new fruits.

It was exhilarating, apparently all Colombian fruit has afrodesiac properties. We played in the market for a bit then rejoined the group.
Next we stopped at a Colombian coffee factory to sample Colombia's 2nd most profitable export. Delicious.

Then it was time to go through the red light district. Many of you may not know this but prostitution is legal in this country and business is booming! It reminded me of the nights in Tijuana. Finally we reached my highlife of the trip. Bombs and beers! They took us to this unique bar where you line an iron ring with gun powder and throw iron balls at it in an attempt to get it to explode and when that deafening BOOM! echoes through the bomb/bar hall everyone cheers (well all not the foreigners, who duck under tables and shutter in WTF fear).

In my inebriated state with a beer in one hand and an iron ball in the other I eyed the ring of explosives and summon all of my undergrad skills and hurled the metal lump towards them. An earth shattering explosion results. The first gringo to accomplish this bizarre ritual (thank you Kappa Sigma). From there we weaved our way home. Dropped off the bikes then made our way to the #1 chicken soup joint in the city, over 200 years old!

All I can report is... Wow. We finished up with an afternoon siesta.
After a longer than anticipated siesta we dressed for a night out in Bogata. First we grabbed a taxi to La Zona Rosa (uppity night life spot) there we had the the most spectacular dinner of 2016. Perfect carne asada with coconut rice. The staff were amazing and pleasant. Next we somehow found ourselves in a bottle service only Casa en el Aire a pure Colombian club with a crazy mariachi band on a roof top. Next after being rumba'd out we headed back to our district were we closed the bar in a sweaty dance-fest. I haven't danced like that for a long time. It was so much fun. Emily got the DJ to kick everyone's butt into gear with some Macklemore and the rest was history.

On the road again....

After countless hours of pulling teeth, making bad trades, and begging I was able to swing a WHOLE week off of work!  Never quite expected the working world to be like this but what can you do? I am packed, I am SUPER excited, and I get to travel for the first time with the love of my life (I hope we survive each other..;p). I am looking impatiently forward to having a traveling partner in crime.  I can't believe it has been nearly 2 whole years since my last worldly excursion. But now I find myself sitting in Miami airport awaiting to my flight to Bogota, Columbia. 

Arrived in Bogota and met up with Emily at the airport. Our first trip struggle! as we attempted to get money from the ATM at the airport we thought we were being scammed as the Colombian peso says 50 giving us 20% of what we expected. However, after much investigation we moved our American thumbs out of the way to the world "mil" by the 50, meaning 50,000. All was right in the universe again.