Colombia- Conclusion

          Colombia was a very fun experience and probably the most tiring. I can’t remember doing so much cheering in my life! With the bullfighting, and celebrating the slave revolt from 1607 with Carnaval de Blancos y Negros, my voice didn’t even last two seconds after I woke up. Colombia’s culture and celebrations were very entertaining and the food was so delicious. I knew I wouldn’t mind taking one last loop through all of the excitement, taking my whole trip again and going to a different city, and seeing what is done differently and what is done the same to the main hustle and bustle of these amazing South American and Central American cities.

An areal view of the bullfighting arena in Bogotá

The capital city of Colombia, Bogotá

Colombia- Day Two

       As I stepped off of my plane from Pasto to Bogotá the capital city of Colombia, I put my bags at my hotel and immediately got some breakfast of eggs and bacon, and some very delicious coffee which came from a neighboring country of Colombia’s, Brazil. When I was done with my breakfast, I started out on my day. The native tribes who lived here before the Spanish took over were famous for their very beautiful artwork with lots of gold, and as I was walking past some kind of museum, the was a statue of what looked like a native tribe leader with gold feathers. I couldn’t figure out why the foot traffic and bicycle traffic was so heavy as I was walking on the sidewalks. I grabbed a newspaper that was laying on a bench and there was a huge ad on the front page for a bullfight, and I knew that was why the streets were probably so crowded. I ran back to my hotel because I remember there was a guy selling some tickets to the arena. I was hoping he had not sold them, and he hadn’t, because they looked like pretty good seats, but even more I was hoping I/National Geographic didn’t pay good money and these tickets turn out to be phony. The arena was huge and on the floor was sand with many white stripes painted on it. The arena looked like it could hold a ton of people. There were people of all ages there who looked like they were eagerly awaiting a tragic death of a matador getting stabbed in the back with a pair of massive bull horns. I couldn’t wait for the event to start. Once it finally started, a matador came out in his elaborate bedazzled outfit and a ruby red cloth. Once he had gotten the crowd pumped up, they let out the bull, free and wild, with no restraint whatsoever, ready to try and kill what whoever was holding the red cloth. Luckily the matador looked like he knew what he was doing and did not get injured. The event was very fun, but I was a little over it because there was an obnoxious man next to me who seemed a little intoxicated yelling “Hit that dang man, bull!” When I finally arrived at my hotel, which took forever because of the crowds, I was very tired and ready to go to bed.

A matador as he tricks a bull into falling over with the brightly colored cloth  

The beginning of the bullfighting match

Some gold artwork made by native tribes

Colombia- Day One

My trip to Colombia I knew from the start was different from my trips to Jamaica and Costa Rica. I was first going to be landing in the city of Pasto to help celebrate Carnaval de Blancos y Negros which means Black and White Carnival. This carnival celebrates a slave revolt in 1607, and when African Slaves demanded a day of freedom. As I walked out onto the streets, it was amazing. There were floats all over with dragons and many other mythical creatures. The floats were absolutely enormous! Many of the floats had huge masks attached to the front of faces of different skin colors, which was representing the clash of the black and white skin tones. There were dancers dancing to all different kinds of folk songs and doing dance moves with their partners. As I walked more towards the back of the parade to see more, there were even more floats bigger than the others. There was one float which looked like it had over ten or fifteen different huge masks covering it which was going by the crowd who were standing to the side cheering like crazy. As we moved down the street there was a huge party of dancers moving towards us. They had elaborate costumes with wings and feathers sticking out every which way. Carnaval de Blancos y Negros I think was very thrilling for me because I had always heard of the elaborate Carnivals which took place most famously in Rio, and this celebration gave me a little taste of what it might have been like to participate in a Carnival. To top off the parade, there was a marching band of what looked like tons of people all lined up perfectly and in rhythm to each other. When the 2nd day of the carnival was ending I was very tired and ready to go back to my hotel. I didn’t eat any supper as I was stuffed from a few hours ago. Just thinking about the pig, spiced meats, and stews I had to eat for lunch still makes my mouth water.

Some of the different masks worn during Carnaval de Blancos y Negros

One of the many large floats made for Carnaval de Blancos y Negros

The city of Pasto, Colombia

Colombia- Intro

I was so excited to be arriving in my third and final country in Central and South America, Colombia. I had never been down into the continent of South America before my two days spent here. As I did before, I decided to do some research on the country. Colombia is the only country in South America who has both a Caribbean coastline, and at the same time a Pacific coastline, which I thought was a pretty cool fun fact. In 1536, Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada and his men of came from Spain. He and his men conquered the native tribes living there and Colombia became Spain’s chief source of gold and valuable materials that could be sold for lots of money back in Spain.  The Spanish also used the area for a source of rare emeralds and planted lots of tobacco and sent it back to Spain. I was so excited for my plane to land in the capital city of Bogotá, Colombia. Even though I would be eventually going to Bogotá, I was first going to land in Pasto, Colombia for Carnival de Blancos y Negros which means Black and White Carnival. I couldn't wait to find out what Colombia

A picture of the Colombian flag

had in store for me this time!

A picture of Colombia taken from Google Earth

Costa Rica- Conclusion

        I had a great two days in Costa Rica. Seeing the symphony in Costa Rica’s national theater, seeing one of the Roman Catholic churches, and getting to taste some of those delicious bananas at the cafés and at my hotel. I also loved getting to see how hard Costa Rica is trying to protect their wildlife and forests, which is special to me because of how much I love nature and getting to explore in the outdoors. I also loved getting to see Costa Rica’s famous bookstores for myself, and since I love to read and research about things I don’t know much about, it was fun for me to experience. In all, I had a great time in Costa Rica, but I knew I was excited for my next South American Country.

Another beautiful trail I walked in one of the Costa Rican National Park

The capital of Costa Rica, San José

Costa Rica- Day Two

        I woke up in my hotel a little later than I expected to- I must have been pretty tired the previous day. I ate a quick breakfast of some delicious sausages and had another banana or two. I thought again of how sweet those bananas were and how I wish they were in the break room in the National Geographic offices everyday instead of the under ripened ones. When I excited my hotel, I was greeted by a very large Roman-Catholic church. I had seen these churches all around but never gone into one. I walked into the sanctuary, and it was very large, even bigger than the one in Jamaica. There were also stained glass windows with many scenes from the bible that were elaborately painted in bright primary colors. I remember thinking to myself the night before and wanting to go in, but being too tired. When I had seen everything in the church, I walked outside. The weather was very pleasant that day, unlike the cold and very snowy winters of Washington D.C. I felt in my bag for the bottles of water I had put in from the little mini fridge in my hotel room, and took a swig of one of them. When I put back the water in my bag, I spotted a ticket to the famous Teatro Nacional, which is the National Theater in Costa Rica, where many locals go to here the symphony play and to see other events. I was glad I didn’t forget about that ticket because that was one of the things I was looking forward to the most. When I walked inside, it was one of the most elaborate entrances to a building ever. There were very ornate white and black marble floors, chandeliers hanging all over, and very fancy statues made out of marble busts everywhere I walked. There were huge silk and cloth drapes draped over doors and windows with patterns made of golden thread that completed the whole scene. I realized I had gotten there too early, so I decided to go shower at my hotel and put on some nicer clothes to wear to this very fancy event. When I arrived back at the theater, I walked into the main stage room and it was packed. There were people everywhere. As I sat down in my seat, I looked up and there was a massive chandelier on the top, and a mural with the sky and clouds painted on top. When the concert was done, and it was fantastic, I returned to my hotel to get some sleep in preparation for the next day’s adventures.

One of the many extravagant theaters in the Teatro Nacional

Part of the lobby of Teatro Nacional

The exterior of the Teatro Nacional at night

The Catholic church a few blocks from my hotel

Costa Rica- Day One

        As I stepped off of my plane and out of the airport, I couldn’t really read the name of it, as a lot of it was in Spanish. Before I made this trip to Costa Rica, I had to brush up a little bit on my Spanish, because the last time I took Spanish was back when I was a senior in high school. I spotted a small café just a few blocks down the road, so I decided to go check it out. When I got to the café it was crowded with younger people who were socializing with friends or just hanging out. I ordered some coffee and a scone as a light snack. The shop was also giving out free copies of La Nación, the most popular newspaper in the country, so I grabbed one just to have and maybe to try and translate when I had some spare time on my hands. When I was done with my coffee, I decided to walk around a little bit and get the lay of the land. Most of Costa Rica except for the large cities, is national park, so in these smaller countries, it is rare to find large amounts of private property, since the government wants to protect and preserve the beautiful land. As it turns out, Costa Rica’s national park system surpasses all of the other Latin American countries’ parks, which made sense, because Costa Rica is 38% forest. The parks are very pretty because none of the land was allowed to be developed. As I came upon a cluster of stores, I decided to take a break from walking a taking pictures and go into some air conditioning and get some water. I remembered reading in some other National Geographic magazine Costa Rica had some of the most elaborate bookstores in the Central and South American area, and Costa Rica also homes many large publishing houses. I walked up to a very modern building with a sign that read “librería”, which means library in Spanish. When I walked into the small building, the shelves were jammed packed with all sorts of books. I bought a book on the history of Costa Rica and two bottles of water to keep in my bag with a few spare Costa Rica Colón's, the Costa Rican currency, that the National Geographic offices had given me back in America. When I was done looking around, I started to get back to exploring some more. As I walked out of the bookstore, I decided to stop and have a late snack at another local café. As I was walking back into town to try and find one, I noticed all of the architecture was very cool mix of a few different types, so I slowed down for a few minutes to observe. Some buildings and houses were Spanish colonial style, others very much European and modern, which I didn’t know how this odd but cool clash of architecture came to be. This café had a little bit of everything, so I ordered some rice and beans with a banana on the side. Since bananas were nearly 10% of the county’s exports, I decided they had to be delicious. I saw through the windows that the sun was starting to set, so I decided I would turn in for the night. I wasn’t very hungry since I had just eaten, so I went to bed thinking about my trip so far.

Some of the very different Costa Rican architecture

Some deer I saw walking on a path in one of the national parks

Costa Rica- Intro

        I knew I would be just a little disappointed to leave Jamaica, but I was very excited to see a new country- Costa Rica. I have always seen and imagined beautiful beach scenery with tropical looking light blue waters, but I had never experienced what a regular citizen would live their everyday lives in the capital city of San José. To kill some time on the plane, I decided to do a little research on Costa Rica. When Mexico broke off from Spain in 1821, Costa Rica was only part of a mini-Mexican Empire for about two years, before Costa Rica helped create the United Provinces of Central America in 1823. The United Provinces did not turn out like all of the countries hoped for, because in 1838, just 15 years after the newly formed provinces were created, countries started to declare their independence, along with Costa Rica. Since I work at Nation Geographic, I had heard a lot about how cool Costa Rica was, I and I couldn’t wait to see and experience everyday life in San José.

A Google Earth view of Costa Rica taken from my laptop

The Costa Rican flag

Jamaica- Conclusion

        My trip to Jamaica was fascinating. I saw so much that I could have never seen anywhere else in the world and I was so impressed. Getting to see what other parts of the world were like was so cool to me, since I had not really been outside of the United States to visit other countries. I loved getting to know the country for real, and not just seeing pictures online and in different National Geographic books and magazines. I am excited to see other parts of Latin and South America, but I wouldn't mind getting to spend just a few more days experiencing life in the wonderful country of Jamaica.

 A picture of a busy downtown, Kingston that I took walking back to my hotel

A picture of Kingston as I lifted off in my plane

Jamaica- Day Two

I woke up in my hotel room to the delicious smell of spiced meat and Jamaica’s famous Blue Mountain coffee. I ate a wonderful breakfast of some kind of meat with some local, fresh herbs and spices which really brought out the flavor. The Blue mountain Coffee was some of the best coffee I have tasted, which makes since, because the coffee beans were fresh, and were grown only a few hours from Kingston. As I walked out of my hotel after breakfast, I figured I would take an hour or two and visit the Bob Marley Museum, since he was such a big part of the Jamaican culture. Bob Marley was seen by many Jamaicans as a prophet of Rastafarianism, which is a Jamaican believe that African American and Afro-Jamaican people are the chosen people to live. Even though I am not here to be a tourist and see sights, I thought this museum, which was formerly his home, might give me a better idea on how he became to be thought of so highly. As I walked up to the entrance of the museum, there was a large sculpture of Bob Marley sitting at the gate. When I went inside, there were pictures of him, and many more artifacts, and even a small theater showing short films. I read on a plaque Bob Marley put all of his beliefs into his songs, and when he became so famous, the Rastafarianism supporters believed he was a prophet, to deliver their messages to the rest of the world. When I was done with the museum, which was a lot bigger than it looked, I was pretty hungry and I found a nice restaurant. I had a very delicious meal of jerk. Jerk is the signature dish in Jamaica and is different kinds of meats rubbed in hot and flavorful spices. I even had a side of some kind of stew with some chicken, tomatoes, yams, and onions. When I was stuffed from my lunch, I decided to walk into one of the churches and see what it was like inside these extravagant looking buildings. Inside were rows and rows of pews, and a red carpet in the middle of the center aisle. There were very beautiful stained glass windows with murals of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus in the manger, and other stories from the Bible painted out on the glass. There was an altar in the front of the the sanctuary and a step where the preacher would talk to the audience and give his sermons. When I was done looking around in the church I was getting tired and I decided to return to my hotel room before it got completely dark, and running the risk of getting lost on my way home. When I got back to my hotel, I had a supper of some fish, then I went to bed.                                                  

The entrance of the Bob Marley museum in Kingston  

One of the many exhibits inside the Bob Marley museum

The exterior of the church I toured in Kingston

The interior of the church I toured

Jamaica- Day One

I had finally arrived at Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, where it was a sunny morning. As I had to get up early to in order to catch my plane, being me, I forgot to eat breakfast. I stopped at the nearest café I could find, and I ate a delicious but simple soup called pepperpot soup. The waiter told me the soup is made from some salted beef and salted pork, okra, and what Jamaicans call calloo, which is some foreign kind of kale, and I had my usual water with lemon to drink. I paid, thanked my waiter for my soup, and started my day. As I walked out into the streets of Kingston, I saw more churches at once than I probably have seen combined in my life. Every few blocks I walked, there was always some form of a church sitting on the corner. As I was getting a lay of the land, there was a man on the corner of the block telling the legend of Anansi. This is a spider legend which originated from the African country of Ghana, where many Jamaicans’ ancestors originated. I realized I had some extra tickets for a cricket match in the famous Sabina Park, and wanted to go, as I still had time left, but I remembered cricket matches could go on for quite a while. I decided to spend the remainder of my time going to Mas Camp in Kingston. This is where the Carnival, the celebration which leads up to Lint, was starting to be practiced. Each country in Central/South America has their own version of Carnival, so I wanted to see what Jamaica’s was like, even though at Mas Camp the participants in the festival were just practicing. When I arrived at Mas Camp, it was like nothing I had ever seen. There were many women in very extravagant costumes dancing around the grounds. Some of the women’s costumes had large bird wings extending off of the main part of their costume. There were men dancing with the women and doing more twirls and jumps than I knew I could never have done so quickly and flawlessly. I was entertained for hours by this, as there was just so much to take in. When I thought I had seen it all, I was getting tired and it was getting late. I rode a bus back to my hotel, had a quick supper of beans and rice, then decided to go to hit the sack. 

The pepperpot soup I ate for breakfast



Some costumes that are ready to be tried on for Carnival
in a dressing room in Mas Camp

Norman Manley International Airport        

Jamaica- Introduction

Although I thought I was going to miss my home and family in Nashville, I knew it would be nice to visit the warm mid 80 degree weather of the Caribbean country/island of Jamaica in the capital city of Kingston. I couldn’t wait to see what daily life was like for citizens who live there. I had seen many pictures online of the beautiful beaches with little two person villas on them, but I had never actually seen what real life is like. Jamaica is a tropical island in the Caribbean a little south of Cuba with highlands (what the natives call the Blue Mountains) and narrow coastal plains. I wanted to get a little more familiar with Jamaican history. The independence of Jamaica was sparked after World War II. In 1944, a new constitution was signed, along with a legislature, and a House of Representatives, who were elected by adult citizens, but the British government did not want to let go of their Caribbean colony, because they thought Jamaica was not ready to take on the responsibility. However, in 1958, the British government let the Caribbean islands make a federation, but Jamaica broke off in the August of 1962. I am so excited to land and get a feel for what this country is going to be like while experiencing everyday civilian activities.

A small picture of the Jamaican flag

An satellite view of the island of Jamaica

A small overview of where Jamaica's capital, Kingston, is located