The salsa they dance in Cali is incredible. I fought it initially but it is the best I´ve ever seen. We decided to finally put our moves to the test and found that the different styles were difficult to mix. The night club was so packed you could barely move, everyone sang along with each song, and when you finally had the space to really impress people your follower would back lead you into chaos. Haha, actually once we figured out who could follow and who couldn´t the night became much better. It quickly became a night that was never ending, once 3am rolled around everyone had to leave, but there was a new location where the party didn't stop until 6am. This land of noise and laughter was called Menga, the clubs were nice and settled on Reggaeton more than anything else. Unfortuneately, I was overly exhausted to truely enjoy 5am partying and I called it quits before I could see the sunrise at 630am. Keith did America proud as he continued and I heard him storm in at 9am.
We realized that night that what was more fun and memorable than being out late dancing, was the people we met along the way in Cali. These new found friendships are so beautiful that you wish you could freeze time and live in these moments forever. Ultimately, your time is fleeting and you wish you had more time than you did. We did, too.
So we decided to move our flight back an extra day so we could stay in Cali for Colombia´s independence day and we were glad we did. We will miss you Cali. Plan to see you next year!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Cali, Colombia
Cali is known for being the capital of salsa and being a very fun place to go out. So far it has not disappointed in either aspect, hips really don't lie and Shakira would know she's Colombian. We are now in a hostel and it is a nice one, but hostel life in general can be more exhausting than living in a home. Exploring the city here is quite a bit easier, Cali has a pretty nice bus system that runs a lot like BART. The humidity here takes sometime to get used to, but now I'm fine with feeling a little sticky.
After getting in and getting some shut eye we quickly looked for a similar place to Cachubombay. We asked around and ended up at a dance studio that charges about $10 for 2 hours of lessons, an incredible deal. Hoping that we could carry on from where we left was a bad idea. Salsa in Cali is much more overwhelming, Calenos are all about making it the most difficult dance in the world. They add in kicks, chacha steps, taps and everything is ver very specific. In our first private lesson with Carolina and Maria, I was very resistant, asking why it had to be this way or that way. Carolina"s brother Manuel eventually explained that his mother studied Salsa in Cuba for 5 years and drilled it into them for years.
Buenas, Cuenca
From the valle we went to the city of Cuenca, to stay with Keith's host family. Carmelita (Keith's host mother) was very inviting and her home was quite nice. we spent some time chatting with Carmelita and Maria (Carmelita's daughter) before going to hit up some Salsa lessons.
Not far from where we were staying, we came to Cachumbombay. It was the dance studio where Keith had taken private lessons from the owner, Daisy. Our goal was to get as good as possible before going out in Colombia. We were fortunate that Daisy and Joanna were going to be able to give us private lessons. Daisy was a very pretty older woman from Cuenca, who was suprisingly single. I say that because, from my observations, most women in latin america are married with 4 kids by the time they are my age. Joanna, was a college student who really enjoyed salsa and seemed shy around gringo's. The classes where far beyond what I had expected, I have never learned so much in such little time. I can see why private lessons are so expensive in the states, the learning is much better and it takes a lot of the intimidation out of the patterns.
Later we caught up with several of Keith's former students for dinner, before heading out to enjoy the Cuenca nightlife. I was suprised by how well some of them spoke English, not that I doubted Keith's teaching but they just knew so much. Andrea had actually lived in the states, as she did a nanny exchange program called Au Pair. After she had explained the program, I thought it was a great alternated to Day Care in the U.S. She also mentioned that she was getting a government scholarship to study in any U.S. university. You must be pretty damn smart if your country pays you to go to school somewhere else.
The nightlife was fun and inexpensive, we enjoyed showing Ecuadorians what fools we could be. Nothing illegal, just randomn siillyness. I found it rather sad that when I wanted to be included in serious conversations later in the night, I was to far gone to hold my thoughts together. We continued this pattern for a few days before enjoy a relaxing sunday with Carmelita's family. I really liked how Sundays seemed to be family days for everyone in Cuenca. Most shops where closed and everyone used it as a day to rest. We rested up before getting on the road again and heading east to Cali, Colombia.
I will miss Cuenca, it has quickly risen to Numero uno in my heart when it comes to Latin American cities.
Not far from where we were staying, we came to Cachumbombay. It was the dance studio where Keith had taken private lessons from the owner, Daisy. Our goal was to get as good as possible before going out in Colombia. We were fortunate that Daisy and Joanna were going to be able to give us private lessons. Daisy was a very pretty older woman from Cuenca, who was suprisingly single. I say that because, from my observations, most women in latin america are married with 4 kids by the time they are my age. Joanna, was a college student who really enjoyed salsa and seemed shy around gringo's. The classes where far beyond what I had expected, I have never learned so much in such little time. I can see why private lessons are so expensive in the states, the learning is much better and it takes a lot of the intimidation out of the patterns.
Later we caught up with several of Keith's former students for dinner, before heading out to enjoy the Cuenca nightlife. I was suprised by how well some of them spoke English, not that I doubted Keith's teaching but they just knew so much. Andrea had actually lived in the states, as she did a nanny exchange program called Au Pair. After she had explained the program, I thought it was a great alternated to Day Care in the U.S. She also mentioned that she was getting a government scholarship to study in any U.S. university. You must be pretty damn smart if your country pays you to go to school somewhere else.
The nightlife was fun and inexpensive, we enjoyed showing Ecuadorians what fools we could be. Nothing illegal, just randomn siillyness. I found it rather sad that when I wanted to be included in serious conversations later in the night, I was to far gone to hold my thoughts together. We continued this pattern for a few days before enjoy a relaxing sunday with Carmelita's family. I really liked how Sundays seemed to be family days for everyone in Cuenca. Most shops where closed and everyone used it as a day to rest. We rested up before getting on the road again and heading east to Cali, Colombia.
I will miss Cuenca, it has quickly risen to Numero uno in my heart when it comes to Latin American cities.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Viva la Valle
Cuenca is a beautiful colonial city located in the highland of Ecuador. It sits at roughly a 1.5 miles high and is 3 hours from Guayaquil. Cuenca is also quickly becoming a popular destination for retirees and after Ivan took us around I can see why. It has the architecture of Cusco, but on a much larger scale and it is so close to nature.
We began by staying in the "valle" of cuenca 15min from town. Ivan and his family had invited us to stay there while and enjoy the country. Truely a great way to start any backpacking trip, but the high has to be helping Ivan bury a dead pig on the hillside. Ivan seemed to really enjoy my jokes about how ditch digging is in my blood, and if Keith wasn't so damn good at dinging holes i could of thrown in some gringo jokes.
We began by staying in the "valle" of cuenca 15min from town. Ivan and his family had invited us to stay there while and enjoy the country. Truely a great way to start any backpacking trip, but the high has to be helping Ivan bury a dead pig on the hillside. Ivan seemed to really enjoy my jokes about how ditch digging is in my blood, and if Keith wasn't so damn good at dinging holes i could of thrown in some gringo jokes.
Empezamos en Ecuador
Landed in Guayaquil, Ecuador after a wonderful extended trip across the country. Can't say I hate JFK but $1 to play pacman doesn't help. 8 hours in an airport really isn't as bad as it sounds. Yes, no one will give you change for a dollar and yes AT&T does charge $1 for calls to other states, but at least when you fall asleep on your luggage no one bothers you.
Guayaquil is a busy place, I felt really fortunate to get picked up by Keith, Ivan and Miguel. The city really doesn't offer that much to tourists, it is just the place where most journeys begin. We stayed with Miguel's family in a 5 story apartment in the center of the city. First time I have ever seen hardwood ceilings, it feels very different from any homes I have seen in Latin America. The 3 story is actually their office for the company they run. Kind of an interesting model if you are looking for a siesta, or for the shortest commute of all time. As we continued to journey around the city, I got toosh grabbed by Ecuadorian chica. As nice as it was to see that all my years of running had finally amounted to something, I just shyly continued to walk down the street as her friends laughed their asses off. When Ivan, Keith and I finally crossed the street, I waved, winked and continued to enjoy the city. Later we found some laidback nightlife and packed it in to get ready for Cuenca.
Guayaquil is a busy place, I felt really fortunate to get picked up by Keith, Ivan and Miguel. The city really doesn't offer that much to tourists, it is just the place where most journeys begin. We stayed with Miguel's family in a 5 story apartment in the center of the city. First time I have ever seen hardwood ceilings, it feels very different from any homes I have seen in Latin America. The 3 story is actually their office for the company they run. Kind of an interesting model if you are looking for a siesta, or for the shortest commute of all time. As we continued to journey around the city, I got toosh grabbed by Ecuadorian chica. As nice as it was to see that all my years of running had finally amounted to something, I just shyly continued to walk down the street as her friends laughed their asses off. When Ivan, Keith and I finally crossed the street, I waved, winked and continued to enjoy the city. Later we found some laidback nightlife and packed it in to get ready for Cuenca.
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