Voy para Colombia!

It was Sept 2015,

After wanting to break away from a constant repetitive lifestyle I had been dreaming of going to the rainforest ever since I was a boy.  I grew up watching nature documentaries and reading so much on the biodiversity on this planet I always told myself that I wanted to do something with my life that could keep me engaged with my love of nature.

One evening at work I was talking to my friend who just so happens to work for Avianca Airlines and she told me she could get me a great deal to Colombia and Ecuador.  She told me to stop dreaming and make it a reality and that did give me a big push but not quite enough...until

The thing is during that time I had been going through a rough period bad in my life and eventually one of  my friends from work told me I needed to get away from all the stress for a while.  Shortly after I paid a visit to different friend I used to volunteer for occasionally at a local botanical garden. That day was awesome for me because he let me go splurge inside the library where I was digging around the archives and saw an entry on a plant that was on the top of my to-see list for many years.  I then started to wonder about the country and what it was like in person since I used to get a kick out of watching travel documentaries and reading a lot about it in national geographic.  It was only when my friend saw me reading that archive that he told me no one in the world has that plant in cultivation and how it would be nice if someone collected some specimens *hint.  The plant I was on the hunt for came from the higher elevation mountains of central Colombia near the Finca de Montezuma - great name right?  I thought if I was ever to go look for a plant that would be a great place to start.  Besides, that mountain sounds like something from an Indiana Jones flick and you better believe I was going. 

I looked at him funny and said how ironic it was when I had told him about my friend working for the airlines and her offer.  He smiled and said if that was not a sign then I don't know what you were looking for in your life.  He was right, I looked at the floor and realized the time had come, it was time to try something new and start putting footprints down in other lands.  After a few text messages and a request of vacation time from both jobs I was working at the time I was given 2 weeks of vacation time and it couldn't have made me more happier.

                                                

Finally after a long flight and navigating my way through the massive airport in Bogota, I felt ecstatic knowing I was getting closer to my destination. During a transfer ride on a jam packed shuttle bus I noticed a lovely lady whom kept giving certain looks at me. I caught her through a mirror in front of the bus so after thinking of a way to break the ice than I came up with the idea of taking a quick selfie and jokingly used it to point out to her that I saw her behind me the whole time.  It was a nice conversation but wow was I surprised when I realized my Spanish was garbage (shamefully I admit that - it's gotten better since) when I tried to keep up with her in our chat...didn’t get her number unfortunately.    

 

After landing in Pereira and giving a brief introduction of myself to whom is now a dear friend that I met through an acquatance named Emilio, Jaime Suarez was going to tag along with me into the Choco threshold.  Jaime is an adamant and die-hard birder who travels throughout Colombia working with several educational groups from a couple of universities and honestly I couldn't have vibed with a better person with his love of reggae and classic metal music - seriously how much better could it get?  Mostly we are both nerds of a different genre and we couldn't be happier so it's really refreshing to meet others that are one of a kind these days. I highly recommend his expertise if your a birder yourself when visiting the beautiful country of Colombia.  

Once I was settled in from the previous day and still taking in the vibrant colors of Colombia, Jaime and I began our journey to Tatama that entailed a long trip which consisted of a few hours.  I could care less, I was too busy talking to everyone we met along the way and eager to see as much as I could. It was so much different there than what I was accustomed to fro Europe and Mexico.  Along the way we made a stop in Ipiales and I swear this town was like a scene from Narcos...it was awesome.  I would say this is where I got my first taste of legitimate dark roasted colombian coffee.  I really should make it a task to pack a checked bag full of it next time I visit.