Villa de Leyva

My little journey to the beautiful little colonial town of Villa de Leyva was an excellent self discovery mission and probably one of the most entertaining adventures of my trip.

Good start when the taxi ride was quicker and cheaper than expected, then the first connecting bus left as soon as I arrived. Then after bartering the second connecting bus with "no precios gringos" I was home free. Or so I thought...after searching aimlessly for around an hour I discovered that my hostal had recently changed address, so the random Colombian man in the car offering me a ride to "wherever I need to go", was actually legit and was not a kidnap attempt. Score. So after apologising for rejecting his helpful offer I met the super lovely Marta at Hostal Solar. If I haven't already mentioned how amazingly friendly and hospitable the Colombian people are, consider this it. And Marta sums it all up in one human being. Her complete lack of English was really not a problem; it is surprising and equally refreshing to realise how much Spanish I had picked up when faced with someone who was patient and spoke slowly. We had some great conversations and spent some quality time with the 2 day old kittens of her beautiful gatita!!

Mission day two:

After a lovely Marta breakfast to fuel the day I headed off on my trek to see the sights.

First on the list were the lovely "Pozos Azules" (blue pools), which were quite a striking contrast to the semi-desert environment.

On the way to the next destination "El Fossil" (I'm sure you can work that one out!), I was stopped by a Canadian biker who fast tracked my tour. After nearly taking a spill on the first corner due to a misjudgement in Russ' weight, we arrived at the archaeological site safe and sound. These guys make great white sharks look like bait fish! Would NOT want to see one of these diving!

A wrong turn at Alberquirky set us on the trail to a circa 1600's monastery which turned out to be quite the sight. Excellent result from a poorly scaled tourist map.

Next stop another archaeological site that was at the top of my list. My disappointment on arrival was quickly taken from me as the black clouds that had been a horizon back drop for the whole day decided they would take their part in my story. Approximately 27 seconds after we took off on the bike we got the first taste of Villa Lluvia. Around 2 minutes later we got the full brunt of it including the most intense thunder storm I have ever been lucky enough to be unprotected in, including hail stones! Returning drenched and cold, my mood was swiftly lifted by a lovely Bogotá family who took my out to a late lunch making me an honorary member of the family. Did I mention the Colombian people yet? Yep, thought so.

And as a final note, the trip brought me to something which I had been searching for, for some years now...

From Norte a Sur

New York City, the Big Apple vs Bogotá, Colombia: culture shock much? My mind was put completely at ease before I even touched down, meeting some great people on the plane. Apparently no one else is concerned about flying from NYC on September 11. The first Colombian woman I met was very entertaining and made the flight very bearable, filling me in on the ins and outs of Colombian life. Upon touchdown I was met by Juan and Sante who gave me a tour of La Candalaria including the 2 policemen and 1 bum fixing up the stop sign and the bum taking a bath in the city fountain!!

Alegrias hostel

The first thing I noticed in Bogota was the organised chaos of the traffic, so busy in fact they have a system of keeping half the cars off the roads from Monday to Friday! Based on the last letter of the number plates 50% of the cars must remain off the roads, allegedly keeping traffic under control. Also the busses will cross 4 lanes to pick up or drop off from pretty much anywhere on the side of the street, much like hailing a cab.

Highlights of Bogotá were the Zona Rosa (very well organised and attractive entertainment district), Catedrel de sal (the Salt Cathedral), and of course the MTV series Niñas Mal, on which I was an extra! As well as getting paid I met some really great people that I can't wait to see again, and this is all without saying that I will appear on Colombian TV in October!!

The magnificent grand chamber and the alter
 with Peter, Bruce and Juan

Cheers the Monkey Pot

Like every great religion, the Monkey Pot tradition was born during a drinking session with good friends.  This instance it was at the Ranch on Ottawa.  Present for the birth of said worship were Dizzy, Benny, Lauren and Spaz who all understood the gravity of what was to become the new centre of our Universe.  For those who were not present and would like to subscribe to the purifying process the steps are simple.  Firstly cheers the group present as per usual; then turn focus to the Monkey Pot and recheers.  So for Ottawans, cheers towards Kanata; for Ontarions, cheers towards Ottawa; for Canadians cheers towards Ontario; and for fellow humans of earth, cheers towards Canada.

So without further adu, allow me to introduce you to your new lord...BEHOLD Monkey Pot!!

Monkey Pot in all it's glory

Lacs and Tracks

The late afternoon paddle began like any other; boat in the water, beautiful scenery, campground on the distant shore...Hmmm....why do all those campers have sports cars with numbers on the sides?  Why does that road camber up and bend around on itself dissapearing behind that fence with the  Ferrari advert? Wait a second, that's not a campground that's a race track!!  This beautiful coincidence had my lovely paddling partner and I chatting to the drivers about the race meet that was to begin the next day!!  Returning armed with my camera and name-dropping drivers to get behind the scenes, I spent the morning inspecting race cars of all shapes and sizes, chatting with more drivers and watching the different classes duke it out on the track.  Such an unexpected and pleasant suprise.

Just One of the many highlights of my weekend getaway to the Quebec Mountain Village of Mont Tremblant.  Next was deciding to take the most dificult route to scale the mountain resulted in a three and a half hour hike through some amazing environs including swampland complete with frogs, tadpoles and leeches!!

 

After trying the local delicacy 'Maple Taffy on Snow' we hit the road back to Ottawa, this time with the top down on the Mustang.  All in all a great little holiday within a holiday (take that inception).

Peyto Lake

Arguably the most prominent Jewel in the Crown of the Rocky Mountains is the remarkable Peyto Lake located roughly halfway between Banff and Jasper.  The most outstanding feature of the beautiful water feature is the fact it outlines the shape of a dog's head.  Moreover than that is the stunning contrast of colours from the green alpine trees to the magnificent milky blue water, intensified by shadows from the vast surrounding mountains.  Highly recommended.

Stampede Shenanigans

Calgary Stamped 2010...Tick!

The introduction to the festivities began with the famous Stampede Pub Crawl. As the event was sold out I was quite glad to have 'lady random' on my side which had me meet a lovely local girl two days prior. Her Birthday party happened to occupy one of the busses and my Calgarian host was unable to attend due to unforseen work commitments which left one ticket available! Massive score!

I was a little surprised when I learned the day began at 12 noon and was well aware there was to be some early tap outs. I, however, was not one of them. My exploits took me right through until 3am the following morning, making it my biggest single party effort on record!! So that was my first gigantic tick for the country fest 2010. I must also note I met some very fun and entertaining people during the day foremost of which was the Birthday Girl, Tiff, who's drunken bus chants became increasingly unrecognisable as the night progressed!!

The next major experience was the actual Rodeo on the Stampede grounds. Have I been to a rodeo now? Yes. Was it the biggest rodeo show on planet earth? Yes. Whatever, no big deal... It's also worth noting that golf ball hail stones, fringes of cyclones and buckets of big fat rain were in abundance during my stay in Calgary. But having the weather god on my side was very comforting and I enjoyed the sunshine the day of the rodeo. My favourite was the main event: the Bull Riding. TV coverage does not do justice to the size and intensity of these beasts. There was also horseback rodeo, calf roping and wrestling and the ladies event, the barrel ride. Tick.

The visit to the Stampede grounds was topped of at night by a visit to the renowned party tent 'Nashville North' which allegedly houses up to 3000 people per night! It was quite an impressive sight, complete with full size stage, live bands and staggering acoustics. Tick.

Calgary Stamped 2010...Tick!

Rancho Relaxo

Shout out to Bella for the personal invitation to Rancho Relaxo, AKA Uncle Paul and Auntie Rita's beautiful country home in White Rock, Vancouver. What started out as a one night stopover in Van quickly escalated into a lovely break in proceedings where myself, Bella and Alex worked around the house and property for great food and some uninterrupted sleep. That's right, my own room! No sharing with super snoring Germans, no putting up with constant locker rattling, no smell of dirty socks and dirty boys. Ok so I was in the laundry room, but that didn't go on at night plus my room smelt lemony fresh!!

The work was actually quite fun getting outdoors for some landscaping, carrying supplies for renovations, transporting white goods and even on one day pulling apart to clean and reassemble an old computer to gift a studying single mum. My favourite job of all though was searching for the local beavers damn armed with a chainsaw!! The search continues but there are now several new trails down to the waterside.

Rancho Relaxo also happened to be one corner and several friendly horses away from the very country farm where Smallville was filmed. The "Kent Farm" was made popular as Superman's family home. RR also boasted an elevated tree house in a very well grown cedar pine providing quite an intense climbing experience. The meals provided as partial payment for our labour were an elaborate treat for a backpacker to say the least! Probably the reason our overnight stay turned into almost a week!

   

The beautiful home and gardens of Rancho Relaxo.

Friends and Faces

Shout out to all the amazing people I have met and travelled with so far on my trip.

 

Let me first get started with the California crew, who chopped and changed a little but held firm down to San Diego.

Badlands, my lead guitarist in Karnivool who was my major partner in crime for a completely random VIP night in Hollywood. Oh yeah, of course I'm the lead singer in a band, why don't I know anything about music production? Because I'm a purist rocker, I just turn up and perform...WHAT? I must also note that Badlands was present during my very entourage esque visit to the little country town of 'LAS VEGAS'. I had a lovely little win on the slots while milking the system for free drinks which then rubbed off on him who rocked the roulette wheel right round baby, right round. Needless to say the entourage enjoyed Hennessey that night.

The next member of the Vegas entourage provided an inexhaustible comic relief for not only that trip but also many a visit to fast food outlets and theatres, the most memorable of which being Jonny Rockets and Iron Man 2. Two thumbs up for entertainment value. Freeman also played big brother on occasion bringing much needed clarity and perspective to certain situations. Most memorable moment being his dashing attempts at wooing the heart of a very excitable hippie roller-waitress at Venice Beach. His skills extending as far as multitasking a facebook friend request with a random and very, very lost tramp.

The glue that bonded the men together came in the form of the softly spoken but highly opinionated Brit, Bella (or the Latin numero uno ankeles). One of the pioneers in terms of timeline, Bella made several bad decisions that had her split from the group and quite disappointed as a result. She quickly saw the error of her ways and cemented herself in as a member of the San Diego crew. Bella's feminine vulnerability proved an important dynamic in terms of bringing closer the wolfpack of Myself, Badlands our fourth member of SDC...

The Oracle, our token actor, was a valuable asset in LA as a live version of IMdb whenever a name of an actor or film slipped our minds. Simon was my first friend made on my travels and incidentally has accompanied me on the most amount of my travels, from the first days in LA, southward to San Diego then up a country to Vancouver and finally across to the magnificent Vancouver Island. On one vague pre coffee morning, the agreement was made that we felt like we had been friends since high school. Good asset in a travel buddy. My favourite and easily the most entertaining quality the oracle possessed, was his keen sense of direction...does anyone remember the liquor store West Hollywood?

You all brought something special to my life and made the first three weeks of my adventure extra fun and exciting. I'm glad to have met you all,

Love from Russ

Tofino Tranquility

Mission Beach beware!! I have found a corner of the planet that offers seclusion, restfulness and relaxation to rival all else...up to this point...Not only is the atmosphere uber chilled, the natural attractions within the region are uniquely stunning. Low numbered, scenic marine transfers are par for the course for any tour around the region, the experience of which heightened by the possibility of whale and bear sightings. Both I got to see during the Hot Springs Cove tour which was quite amazing. Hiking through temperate rainforest and along coastal ridges were fun, as were checking out the differences between Australian and Canadian beaches. My favourite was Tonquin Beach which is a cute little spot surrounded by rock walls and is reached by a short and pleasant walk from the town centre. And any tough day exploring could be rewarded with a few cheeky pitchers at the famous "Mac" or Maquinna pub. The true highlight for me though, was the level of restfulness I felt at all stages of my stay in Tofino. I was completely at peace with the universe and I felt really great energy there. I recommend the place massively and am very confident I will return sometime soon...perhaps even to work....

The beautiful Tonquin beach cave