relaxing day II

The original plan was to head to Barranquilla today for Carnaval. Kirby’s friend has a brother in Barranquilla who was going to let us stay there. The town fills up and it is impossible to find a place to stay during Colombia’s biggest annual party. It starts today with a large float parade, Sunday is La Gran Parada with costumed dancers instead of floats, Monday is for music, and Tuesday is a ceremonial burial of Joselito Carnaval. Kirby had been trying for the last few days to connect with our contact in Barranquilla but without success. So we decided to spend another day in Santa Marta. If we didn’t hear back from our contact we would try to spend a few hours in Barranquilla tomorrow enjoying the party before heading on to Cartagena that evening. 

Today was one of the first days we slept in. We went to our usual breakfast place by the beach and had our usual breakfast (eggs, arepa, fruit juice, coffee/hot chocolate). After breakfast we watched a large group of people work together with a super huge net to fish on the beach (video). I’m not sure if they all knew each other or if random people joined in. A bunch of guys would be on each end of the net hauling it in from the beach. One boat was out in the water directing. Once they got the whole thing hauled in everyone ran towards the catch and started throwing the small fish back. A few kids ran off with their reward. It didn’t appear to be a big catch considering the size of the net.

We spent our second day on the beach. Being that today was the official start of Carnaval there were chivas (old school buses heavily decorated) circling on occasion with people having a good time. A significant number of the locals were wearing cheesy Carnaval ’09 t-shirts. We enjoyed the water, got some more sun, and read in our artificial shade we rented for 5,000 ($2.12). A small bag of mango and a few Aguilas (local macro-beer) made for a lovely afternoon on the beach.

After the beach we were cruising around town and happened to run in to the parade route for Santa Marta’s carnaval. A few thousand people lined one of the main streets in town. Some people were in costumes or had wigs on. People were throwing a white talcum powder and spraying shaving cream at each other. Street vendors were everywhere selling the stuff. After a few minutes the parade started. Trucks would pass by all decorated with a band. The band attempted to play while covered in powder and shaving cream, often yelling at the spectators to spare them. The windows of the parade vehicles were covered in shaving cream and the windshield wipers were often used. Being the only gringo in attendance I found myself a favorite target by the kids. The parade route was on a big street with a median in the middle. The parade and spectators were on one side and traffic was attempting to use the other. Some cars were frustrated, others joined in on the fun by spraying the spectators and then rolling up their windows in defense. The people in the mini-buses were trying hard to keep their windows closed to prevent all the parade spectators from spraying in the bus.

Walking back through town we came across a cemetery. I saw one or two from the bus coming back from Cabo de la Vela and they had above-ground tombs. This one in the middle of Santa Marta was no different. Families had plots with tombs taller than me. Some of these memorials had spaces big enough for a coffin to slide into and others were sized for urns. There was row after row of marble. Many had flowers. The sky was purple as we walked through the memorials because of the setting sun. 

We ate dinner at a very nice restaurant next to the place we called “Lover’s Park”. Couples were always on the benches. Kids played in the fountains until they turned them off in the evening. I think it was an Italian restaurant and they said they specialized in seafood. I had octopus, calamari, and shrimp with rice and an excellent sauce. Kirby had some linguini with a white sauce and some fish or seafood that I forgot. Definitely the best meal we had so far in Santa Marta.

Before calling it a night we walked along the beach and Kirby noticed the hill outside of town was on fire. It was difficult to see from a distance. You had to be out on the rocks on the beach to see it so no one else really noticed. We watched it for a bit; saw some brush flare up on occasion. 

We passed out relatively early that night so we could wake and travel to Barranquilla for some Carnaval fun the next day.

pics and videos from Santa Marta (again)

relaxing day I

Today was a day to relax and do nothing. We plan to hit the big Carnaval festivities in Barranquilla this weekend. The four day festival starts tomorrow. Kirby’s alarm on her phone woke us again at an ungodly hour. She got up to play guitar outside and I slept for another hour. We went to breakfast at our usual restaurant near the beach and had our usual eggs, arepa, fresh fruit juice, with coffee or hot chocolate. She drank half my hot chocolate as usual. Even though it wasn’t officially Carnaval people were already starting to celebrate. Buses with trailers carrying more people or a band would circle the town with people on board having a good time.

We hung on the beach for most of the afternoon. A guy had some nice shade set up for beach-goers made of canvas. He offered us a spot for 7,000 Colombian pesos while Kirby and I decided if we were swimming first or what. A minute later as I laid my towel out on the sand he offered 5,000 and we accepted. Kirby and I took turns swimming and I got a little sun. Vendors came up and down the beach all the time selling coffee, beer, food, jewelry, and other trinkets. I had a few beers for 2,000 each ($0.89) while sitting in the plastic chairs that came with our shade. I was the whitest guy in the whole town let alone the beach and the only one who spoke English but I was enjoying myself and had a nice relaxing afternoon.

After the beach we walked around town and did a little shopping. Most of the merchandise in Santa Marta is sold in small private specialty stores. There are pharmacies and shoe stores, stores for leather goods, watches/jewelry, pawn shops, and electronics. A large percentage of goods are sold by street vendors with karts. You find an odd mix with people selling cell phones, cell phone chargers, belts, rulers and calculators, remote controls, CDs/DVDs, or even blender parts. Lots of food is available as well. There are empanadas, funky local sausages, various pastries, tamales, all kinds of fruit, and beverages including water, beer, and coffee. We got a bag of sliced mango on a few occasions. It comes mostly green and they like to squeeze orange or lime on it with salt (although we avoided the salt). 

I ate a pretty good tamale with corn and chicken. We went to the only large grocery store in town called Exito to replace some of the stuff that was taken out of my pack. This appeared to be the Wal-Mart of Colombia with food, clothes, and electronics. They even had Nispero. Nispero is a small soft fruit you can split open with your fingers. It has a soft juicy fleshy inside which is quite tasty. Apparently they aren’t easy to ship. Kirby said she saw them in Mexico. 

We ate dinner at a place near the waterfront and had a very similar dinner to the previous night but with waterfront prices (10,000 = $4.24). Kirby had her usual fried fish; green salads are not easy to come by in Colombia. I had soup and chicken with coconut rice and fried plantains. A few Club Colombias, one of the local macro-beers, helped wash down the meal. After dinner we sat on the beach again. More and more Carnaval celebrations are going on. Buses keep driving by with their decorations and loud music. On occasion you would see someone dressed up on costume. Wigs were common. 

One of the bars on the waterfront had live local music and we sat down for a few beers. Some street guy named Louis sat down and talked to us. He spoke English pretty well and had experience in the States. He told us a lot about the music of Colombia. He had two hats with broad rims that he had made with woven palm leaves. They were pretty slick. A kid came up to out table to beg as often happens and Louis snapped at him in Spanish "Can't you see I'm working here?!?". After we talked for awhile he brought out his ribbon with the three colors of the Colombian flag. It turns out we turned this guy down a few nights previously at a restaurant. I gave him 4,000 Colombian pesos for the bookmark and entertaining music information. Kirby was tired after a long day so we went back to the hotel to pass out. The bar next door was rocking hard with lots of people outside. 

pics and videos from Santa Marta (again)

back to Santa Marta (again)

Unfortunately we only spent a few hours relaxing in Parque Nacional Tayrona before we hiked out that morning. Kirby did some reading and writing on the beach and I walked around exploring the beach and rocks checking out crabs, jellyfish, and more crabs. They had a little café/bar on site and we had breakfast there overlooking the beach. They had a couple parrots that hung out accepting food from the tourists. We packed our day packs, turned in our hammocks, and headed out.

Yesterday was cloudy and misty without any sun (which gave me some trouble getting good pics). Today was sunny and hot that made for a sweaty hike out through the mud. We didn’t see much wildlife hiking out except for all the ants. Although I did spot another chiguiro. A couple mules trotted past us and Kirby talked with the guy who was leading them. He didn’t actually lead them he was walking behind them yelling out verbal commands. He seemed to be a nice guy and gave us some insight on how the park was run. He’d pull out his machete on occasion to clean his finger nails. We also met up with a gal from Switzerland and hiked with her for a good portion of the way. 

Once we got out to the main road at the park entrance we were going to wait for a bus to take us back in to town. A taxi was parked there and offered to take the three of us for 30,000 pesos. We denied him because the bus trip is 4,000 and comes every 15 minutes. A few minutes later he offered 20,000 pesos. And then right before he took off he offered 15,000 pesos. We should have taken him up on that because it was only 1,000 more for each of us compared to the bus and he would have been able to take us wherever we wanted in Santa Marta. Our Switzerland friend was set on waiting for the bus so we hung with her. While Kirby waited near the road to flag down a bus me and my fellow pale companion from Switzerland sat in the shade. A bus came before too long and it was a large bus as opposed to a buseta which goes in to town. We hopped on, they guy charged us 5,000 each after first telling us 4,000 and Kirby didn’t argue (1,000 = $0.42). 

At the first checkpoint the police made us all get off while they searched the bus for drugs and checked our IDs. They pulled a few things off the bus to examine and we stood around for awhile. Meanwhile, two more buses pulled up behind our bus. They basically checked their IDs and sent them on their way with only a few minutes of delay. We kept waiting for the cops to finish with our group. It appears they mess with people indiscriminately and let buses pass on through if they are busy. They hassle the locals if they don’t have IDs. They pretty much ignore us gringos. After awhile we decided to ditch our current ride and jump on the next mini-bus that passed by. Somehow the three of us managed to squeeze in a small van type bus packed with locals. Kirby sat on my lap. Of course the next checkpoint the cops stopped us and had everyone get out. We were thinking that luck was not on our side but they just checked our IDs and let us on our way. 

When we traveled eastbound the previous Sunday the police would just poke their heads in the bus at checkpoints. Going westbound on Tuesday and today they would often make us exit the bus, check all IDs, and go through the luggage. We assume this is because most of the contraband travels eastbound along the Caribbean coast from the remote areas to the more urban areas or ports of exit. 

Back in Santa Marta we checked in to Juan’s Hotel Costa Azul again and relaxed for the day. We had dinner at a small local place away from the waterfront. A common local dinner came with a large bowl of soup and a main dish of chicken/fish/beef, beans, rice, and plantains for 5,000 Colombian pesos ($2.12). Kirby skipped the meaty soup and had the fried fish while I had the chicken. There was a small cat who was very interested in my meal. We think that cats and dogs pretty much fend for themselves in Colombia regardless of if they have an owner or not. 

After dinner and after the sun set we walked along the beach and sat for a bit on some rocks that served as a surf break perpendicular to the beach. All along the surf break there were little minnows jumping out of the water all over the place. They must have been avoiding the larger fish. A dozen would jump out of the water at the same time. We stopped by an internet café we liked but it was closed so we found another nearby. Internet cafes were all over the place but usually with only a few computers along with a fax, phone, and copy service. It always takes some time to get used to a foreign keyboard and a foreign version of Windows. 

We decided to check out the club next to our hotel. This is the source of the outrageously loud music we hear each night while staying in Juan’s hotel. The place was decent with artwork inside and a good group of people near our age. Kirby was feeling good after a rum and coke. After a couple drinks we explored the roof of our hotel for a bit. 

Parque Nacional Tayrona pics and videos

Santa Marta pics and videos

Parque Nacional Tayrona

After hanging in the desert for a couple nights the plan today was to head to the rain forest. Kirby woke up at 6am and played guitar on the balcony of our former hotel which overlooked the beach. Around 7:30 she was back and we packed up our gear before heading out to breakfast. Eggs, arepa, coffee or hot chocolate, and fresh fruit juice was starting to be our standard breakfast in Santa Marta. I’ll never understand why they drink hot chocolate with breakfast; it comes with the eggs and arepa. After eating breakfast while overlooking the beach we walked the two blocks back to the hotel. We packed up our day packs for an overnight trip and gave our big packs to Dr Juan the hotel owner.  

There was an intersection on the other side of downtown that was the pick up point for trips out to Parque Nacional Tayrona. Tayrona is a large national park with about 22 miles of sandy beaches to the north and consists of a rain forest that rises 2000 feet in the south. The park boasts some fascinating wildlife including black howler and titi monkeys, red woodpeckers, iguanas, a variety of lizards, tropical marine life, and jaguars. During the walk to the bus we experienced an odd precipitation. The sun was out and there were no clouds above us but there was definitely water falling from the sky. It was more than a mist. It was similar to a light rain but you didn’t get soaking wet (pic and video). There were dark clouds in the mountains outside of town but we were standing in the sun. We found our bus when we walked up to a street corner and someone out of the blue told me that the bus parked a few feet away was going to Tayrona. How did he know I was going there? It wasn’t a big charter bus, which wouldn’t fit on the roads in town, this was a buseta no different than those used for city transport. A few other tourists sat down and we were off ten minutes later.

Driving out of town and in to the mountains we started to understand where the rain was coming from. There was a constant rain in the mountains and as mentioned previously there can be a serious wind on the Caribbean coast. I think the wind was blowing the rain from the mountains in to town. It has been 85 degrees and sunny everyday I’ve been there and the thought of looking at the weather for planning purposes never crossed our minds. Now we were driving in to rain with plans to spend the night in a rain forest. The trip was probably about 45 minutes for $1.60 each. They dropped us off at a park entrance which looked like many park entrances in the US. A normal road led in to the park with a gate across the road and a small building for park employees to collect the fee. It was almost $13 for foreigners ($3.70 for Colombians) which is quite expensive in Colombia. They give you a wrist band which made me feel like I was walking in to a weekend festival. Apparently a yellow fever vaccination is required to enter the park but it is not usually enforced. I didn’t learn this until after the fact. 

You can walk along the road or pay for a ride to the first establishment that has a campground, cabins, restaurant, and small museum. We decided to walk, the other tourists that came with us all took the jeep. The first thing we came up on was a campground that, even though it was half\-maintained, it was quite slick. There was a grassy clearing with coconut trees. Grass is something you rarely see in Colombia. A path lead you around the campground to a full but dirty and unmaintained pool, the beach, and camping spots for tents. There were bathrooms and showers. One tent was set up and one park employee was doing some work. The surf was rough. Most beaches in the park are too dangerous to swim in because of the rough surf, rocks, and currents. The waves are relatively large with short intervals. It is a great sight to look at but not inviting for a swim. 

We saw a ton of ant colonies. You will often come across their big nests built off the ground in the trees or you will accidently step on an ant highway. We saw their nests and came across their marching colonies constantly. They cut paths right through the forest. They find a source of leaves, cut a path to the source, chop it all down, and carry it all back to their nest. In the campgrounds which had grass you could see their paths coming from some unfortunate tree and leading off in the distance as far as you could see. It was quite an example of dedicated group work. You could see the big solider ants and the smaller worker ants. Half of them were lugging large pieces of leaf in one direction and the other half were racing back in the other direction to get more. I was hoping to see them devour some large insect or beetle that came across their path but I missed out on that fun. 

Other than the ant colonies which we came across every few minutes we also saw large spiders, two types of monkeys, and a large rodent type thing called chiguiros. I was happy to see the monkeys and ant colonies, I was also hoping to see some outrageously large spiders and beetles but (fortunately?) we never came across any. I’ve always been fond of jaguars and was keeping my eye open but we didn’t see any of those either. Toucans were another animal we hoped to see but didn’t. We had to wait till we stayed at the Santa Clara hotel to play with those. The palm leaves on the trees in the rain forest were a good 10 feet long. The coconut trees were deadly. I’ve heard of a few tourists getting seriously injured by falling coconuts. Getting hit in the noggin with a heavy coconut falling 25 feet does some damage. The vines were different than I’m used to in the seasonal forests of North America. They appeared to have seed pods or something in them which gave them a flat ribbon appearance with the pods in the middle. 

Our route went from a paved road, to a dirt road, to a muddy trail. While Kirby and I avoided the mud as much as we could we’d pass people coming from the opposite direction with mud up to their ankles. On occasion a mule or horse caravan would go by with supplies or tourists. Those mules and horses went through some slippery and steep terrain with inexperienced and uneasy foreigners on their backs. I was very much enjoying the rain forest and gazed up in the tree canopy while hiking as much as I could. Kirby wasn’t enjoying the mud so much; she was missing the desert beach.

After a few hours we came up on Arrecifes which is the main spot to sleep in the area. It was quite the nice set up. It was a little opening in the forest with a few cabins, an open air building for hammocks, a restaurant and café. All of this was overlooking the beautiful beach. The surf at this beach was just as dangerous as the last one. There were a few establishments along the beach. Walking another 20 minutes you came to a small protected area that was safe to swim at. Another 20 minutes took you to another area with lots of tents and hammocks. We saw more backpackers at this little location than we saw anywhere on the trip. Kirby didn’t like the vibe there so we went back to Arrecifes and hooked ourselves up with a couple hammocks. The guy who made all the reservations was sitting in this tiki hut with a computer. We were thinking he had the best office ever. It only took him about 45 minutes to make our reservation and hook us up with hammocks. Along with the hammock you get a mosquito net that the hammock fits inside.  

The cafe/bar was full with backpackers from all over drinking and playing cards. We heard the service was not so attentive so we opted for the expensive outdoor restaurant they had on site. I had a seafood casserole thing that was loaded with all kinds of animals from the sea. After dinner we found an open table at the cafe/bar and had a few beers.

Once the sun goes down you discover the nocturnal crawlers of the rain forest come for the night. Small little lizards also came out and hung around by the lights waiting for small bugs. We came across a grasshopper-looking thing that was about 4 times the size of a normal grasshopper. Going to the crapper in the middle of the night in a rain forest can make you think twice. You don’t want to see two cat eyes peering at you from behind a tree that belong to some flesh eating jaguar. Fortunately I only came across an aphid-looking thing. This aphid was the same size as the gigantic grasshopper. 

pics and videos

back to Santa Marta

We woke early to try to get a decent start on our journey back to Santa Marta. We didn’t want to risk getting stranded again. We packed our stuff and headed down the beach towards the beach village. We ran in to Jeff, one of the backpackers, on our way back. We told him about the great hotel/restaurant place we found and it sounded like they didn’t enjoy such a good time on the beach while stuck in the blazing sun all day. We suggested they pack up quick if they want to head out of town because we had heard the cars leave early. In fact, we actually heard they leave about 5:00 in the morning and we ran in to Jeff probably around 7:30. 

Kirby and I walked to the other side of town where the road leads in to the desert back to civilization and waited for someone to drive by. Things looked a bit scarce for awhile but soon some guys in a pickup truck said they would take us and they had to pick up three others. Sure enough when they came back the three backpackers were already in the bed of the truck. We throw our gear in and we went off-roading through the desert. As opposed to the trip out, this trip back we seemed to follow some type of established path. We passed by some small ponds and dry water beds that it appeared to have evidence of salt harvesting. 

Jeff talked about seeing the locals on the beach pull in a huge sea turtle about 4’ wide. This is a rare endangered animal to you and me. To the locals it was a ton of food. The flipped it over so it couldn’t get away and would suffocate. It was too big for them to carry or move so they tied a rope to one of its fins and tried to drag it behind a truck. This basically ripped the turtles fin off we were told. They finally got it in the back of the truck and it filled the whole back. Jeff said its head was super huge; the largest turtle he had ever seen. I had heard about sea turtles and fisherman catching them but I didn’t see any during my trip.

We got dropped off in Uribia very close to the same spot Kirby and I were dropped off two days previously. As opposed to the first instance, this time we had people with a car service take our packs and start loading them in a car before we were all out of the truck. As usual we had to slow everyone down and confirm they were going to take us in the direction we wanted to go. After about five minutes or so of weighing options and verifying directions we let them pack up the car again. At first I thought it was the exact same Corolla style Toyota that we rode in to Uribia. It had the same Toyota seat covers with flames, matching seat belt pads and steering wheel cover, a windshield banner, and plastic chrome colored wiper attachments. It even had the same little sandal hanging from the rear view mirror. I realized it was a different car though because the last one the driver kept the steering wheel at about 2:30 to keep it going straight and this car had to be driven at about 10:00. Somehow we fit all five of us and all our gear in this compact car. Thankfully the trip was on one long paved road.

The car dropped us off at the same remote intersection from Sunday. Our timing was perfect and we immediately got a bus back to Santa Marta that was making a stop as we were unloading the car. I think we filled the last five seats on the bus. Kirby and I were in the last seat with my pack at our feet and other luggage falling off the shelf behind me. There wasn’t air conditioning on this bus and it was blazing hot. Especially when it wasn’t moving. Once we got to the first stop at Riohacha a few people got off and Kirby and I were able to move up to more comfortable seats. Going west back towards civilization we were more closely checked by police. On the trip out they would just poke their heads in or wave us through. On the way back we were stopped at every police checkpoint. They would open the luggage storage area and check under the bus. Once we had all our IDs checked by a police that came on board.  Police in Colombia don’t look any different than a military solider often with an automatic rifle strapped over their shoulder.

I assumed the bus was stopping at the main bus terminal in Santa Marta where we picked up the bus but apparently that was not the case. Thankfully the Texan Zack asked where we were at and we discovered we were on our way out of Santa Marta. So we jumped off, got our packs, said good-bye to the three backpackers, and took a taxi back in to Santa Marta. Instead of going back to the Park Hotel we decided to try something else. The Park Hotel was more expensive than most places because it was on the beach. I can’t remember exactly but by expensive I mean somewhere around $30 for the both of us. Before I arrived Kirby met a doctor from Mexico who had a hotel called La Costa Azul one block from the beach. His story was that he came to Colombia to care for a relative and opened the hotel while he waited the 12 months it took to get his doctor’s papers. We ended up there for the rest of our time in Santa Marta paying $16 a night. I couldn’t talk to the guy but he was very nice.  They had a tree in the courtyard and a small kitten. 

It was about this time that I noticed some missing items from my pack. In the front pocket I had a small flashlight, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, and other miscellaneous items that were all gone. The stuff had to have been taken while my pack was in the back of the bus after Kirby and I moved up. The only other person I noticed back there other than our three backpacking “friends” was the bus driver assistant. Thankfully everything that was taken was replaceable and not too expensive. 

The other crappy thing that happened was my own fault. I brought a half dozen memory cards for my camera with the idea that I’d swap them out every few days so if/when I lost my camera I’d still have most of my pics. This idea works very well if you don’t lose or delete one of your cards. While checking the amount of space available on that first card I formatted it by accident. There was no confirmation message; after I hit the OK they were gone forever. All pictures up to that point were deleted. I was not happy.

Kirby and I had a decent dinner and I bought sunglasses ($4), bug spray, and sunscreen. We got on the internet for an hour at $0.50 each. Afterwards we sat in a park for a bit that we called Love Bird park because there were usually couples on all the benches. It was a nice little park with trees and fountains. Finally we went back to the hotel to pass out. This is when we discovered the disadvantage to our doctor friend’s hotel. Next door was one of the most happenin’ night clubs in the city and the music is blaring till late in the morning every night. Thankfully vacation is tiring and by the time we got in to bed each night there wasn’t much keeping us awake.

One interesting fact about living in Colombia is the plumbing. There is no hot water in the country. The sinks and showers have one temperature. That happens to be whatever the temperature of the water is in their storage tank. Usually that is about room temperature although in the middle of the afternoon it could be quite hot if the tank is in the sun. Kirby said that people with money have an electronic gizmo on the shower head that heats the water. This goes against everything I learned about electricity and water as a child. The other problem with the plumbing is that the small pipes and low water pressure cannot handle toilet paper. That means only items you have digested can go in the toilet. Every toilet has a little trash can next to it and that is where your paper waste goes. At first I thought this was quite disgusting but it wasn’t as bad as I thought. It does make you aware of how much toilet paper you use when you see the trash can fill up. In the tourist places the foreigners forget this all the time and there are reminders in most bathrooms. It felt like a luxury to just drop the TP in the bowl when I got back.

Cabo de la Vela

In developing countries such as Colombia it seems people go about their day in accordance to the sun. Whatever time the sun rises people start their day, and when the light is gone the day is done. I’m not exactly sure when the sun rises as it was up every day when we woke but I can tell you it sets at about 6:30pm. Sleeping outside in a hammock we woke with the sun at whatever time that was. Our guard dog was still around and we chatted with the woman we ran in to a few hours earlier during the whole theft episode. We got a little understanding of how people lived on the beach and she commented on how white I was. I also discovered that my sunglasses were missing. They were presumably taken at the same time as my little bag but not returned. I don't like to spend more than $50 on watches or sunglasses so it wasn't a huge loss other than the fact I was standing on a beach with little shelter. 

We left our packs with the three backpackers and took a walk down the beach to the far side which seemed to have a few huts or structures. Our dog friend followed us along the way. We found a very cool little establishment that had hammock huts, cabins, and family sleeping quarters around a two-story building. It was the only two story building I remember seeing on the beach. It had a cement foundation but was built with wooden poles and the same small wood strips as everything else. It was decorated with shells and coral set in the cement base which came two or three feet above ground. The second floor was an open air restaurant dining room. The tables where nice with glass tops showing beach artifacts such as coral and starfish mounted in the table. Outside lining the building were the biggest pieces of coral I have ever seen out of water. We ran in to a guy who called himself something similar to Twenty who was very nice and worked at the hotel/restaurant.

We enjoyed a very nice breakfast on their shady second floor dining area overlooking the beach. We ate what was becoming our standard breakfast of eggs with arepa. Like other places they serve it with coffee or hot chocoloate. Kirby gets the coffee, I get the hot chocolate, and she drinks half of my hot chocolate. And of course you can't forget the fresh fruit juice. I'm not even sure what fruit I was drinking while I was there. I think guanábana and granadilla might have been involved on occasion.

We decided to grab our stuff and stay at this wonderful little place we found that had no other customers. Once we retrieved our packs it was time to enjoy the beach. I’m not a huge fan of the sun being that it will kill me via skin cancer at some point in my life so I was happy to have a place to relax with a roof on this remote beach near the equator. Spending a few hours exposed, let alone a whole day, is a nightmare for me. In this direct sun I can get serious burns in 15 minutes. I have to lather up with sunscreen on all parts of my body every day a few times a day. You get used to feeling grimy before too long. 

Before going for a swim I tested out my hammock while Kirby did some reading and writing. First I noticed the large bumble bees which were very interested in my wood hut. After a while they settled down and I noticed a small lizard or two running around. That must have drawn my attention to Joe just a few feet behind me. Joe is the sand crab that lived in a hole in our hammock hut. He was a good 5 inches wide with legs and 2 – 3 inches high. His body was over an inch wide and an inch high in the front but narrowed towards the back. He walked sideways but I didn’t see him walk much. I watched him for awhile as he hung out at the top of his hole. He bolted in his hole before Kirby had any chance to come near. Later when we saw him from a distance at the top of his hole he would disappear before we got anywhere near. I assume he felt us coming. 

We swam for a bit. We had a nice beach area in front of our hut thingy. Other parts of the beach had seaweed and plants on the bottom. A sailboat pulled in to the bay and dropped anchor near us. Kirby and I swam out to it but I think they were passed out in the cabin. I then got stung by a jellyfish for the first time in my life. I’ve seen them all over the Chesapeake Bay and heard stories of people in pain. I knew right away what it was, it felt like a nettles plant had wrapped around my arm. Growing up in the woods I experienced that quite often. So we get out of the water and walk back to our hotel/restaurant place (that 10 minute walk fried my back). I had red spots where I was stung and they swelled a bit above my skin. It seemed to remain wet after I dried off and I’m not sure if I was just sweating in that area on my forearm or if I was reacting to the sting and seeping some liquid or what. After 15 minutes or so the stinging really died down and it wasn’t that uncomfortable. 

That afternoon we decided to hike to a hill in the distance. It was a different color than the foreground and appeared to be another type of soil or rock. We were told it would take about 40 minutes. My guess would have been at least double that. We walked through the arid desert brush. There were lots of goats, trails in the dirt from small lizards, and a crab skeleton here and there. I guess a fish carried the crab over? I don’t think this type live far from the water. We passed a few families with land fenced off with their single or couple room wood house built in the middle. Along the way we made some friends when two boys and three girls joined us. The oldest could have been anywhere from 6 – 9, it is hard to pin point it now. They walked with us for about 20 or 30 minutes and Kirby tried to talk to the oldest. The locals in rural areas spoke a native language although it seemed everyone we encountered spoke Spanish. Apparently Kirby was having trouble communicating with the girl mainly because of the girl’s lack of Spanish. The girls walked very close to Kirby holding her hand at first (I noticed they weren’t so eager to touch me). After awhile the oldest stopped and they all stood looking at us. That was as far as they went. Kirby and I waved good-bye and continued the second half of the hike on our own. We saw a cemetery in the distance at the base of a ridge. The north end of that ridge ran to the sea at the end of our beach. The south end seemed to meet the ground in the area we were walking. We noticed a shallow lake on the way that was hidden from the beach. There was a large herd of goats in the area. 

We were rather close to the hill we were hiking to but still not at the base when the trail turned to sand and went uphill. At the crest we came upon a surprise. We walked across the peninsula and had the ocean in front of us. We were looking at a small bay with a surf. On the left were rocks, the water was a good 40 – 50 feet down but with a nice rock plateau at the base. On the immediate left was a 150 foot wide open semi-circle in the 40 foot tall rock. It wasn’t anywhere near smooth rock but rugged sharp rocky rock with the surf pounding it. This was a place you didn’t want to in swim. But just to the far side of that was a short sandy beach. There were a dozen tourists swimming who all came from a mini-bus parked up above them at the same elevation we were at but a few hundred feet away. On the far side of the beach was the hill we were walking towards. This hill was the right boundary of the bay and was surrounded by ocean on three sides (I assume having never seen the opposite side). At the top was some type of catholic artifact we think. These are the pictures I wish I still had. 

On the way back we ran in to a few guys herding their goats. They make a funny loud noise. The goats were of all shapes, sizes and ages. They herd them by voice but mostly by throwing rocks at them. This is how dogs are usually treated in the country I’m told. So we walked among 150 goats for a bit before they took a right in the road. We walked along the beach before having a dinner by candle light (electricity not available). They brought us the usual fried fish, fried plantains, and coconut rice. They added an extra fish though and we had trouble finishing it all. Twenty and his hidden kitchen crew were quite hospitable and brought us a water pan with soap at the end of our meal. 

We passed out in our hammocks and were very happy to have a real hammock hut with one wall that blocked the strong steady wind. It was a comfortable night and I wasn’t complaining about having my own hammock this time. 

the incredible journey

We woke at 7:30 with the plan to enjoy the morning and head out to a remote beach in Guajira. We had a breakfast of eggs with tomato and onion, arepa, fruit juice, and our choice of coffee or hot chocolate which came with the meal. Hot chocolate isn’t my normal beverage while eating breakfast on a hot beach but I try to adhere to local cultures. 

Thinking back on it I wasn’t 100% sure exactly how and where we were going but I had trust in my Spanish speaking companion Kirby. We took a taxi to the bus station and hopped on a bus going east. Unlike the buseta intra-city mini-buses, the buses that go from city to city are full on charter buses. We rode the bus for about two hours passing by police check points and very small clusters of street side houses and businesses. We had the coast on one side the mountains on the other. The street side establishments started looking very similar with their pool tables, people selling tamales, and Virgin Mary statues between each banana tree field. We drove in to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and started to see cactus and the tough vegetation that grows in arid environments. The bus didn’t seem to care which side of the road it drove on and passed all kinds of slower vehicles including large trucks around blind turns. I tried not to imagine what a head-on collision would be like in a full-sized bus going 55mph. I noticed that large vehicles tended to rule the road because most cars coming in the opposite direction drove half in the shoulder. 

There was some confusion as to which stop was ours. We originally thought that we got off at the first stop in Riohacha. Although after Kirby talked to the bus driver he suggested we get off at the next stop. Thirty minutes later the driver’s assistant tells us it’s time to jump off. They hand us our packs and the bus pulls away. I find myself standing at some remote intersection in the middle of nowhere which reeks of urine and nothing other than one or two street venders in sight. I’m hoping the urine is coming from the goat tied to the pole a couple feet away. There happened to be a mini-bus and a car or two hanging out. Kirby talked to the car who seemed a little eager and talked to a few other people loitering in the remote intersection verifying her bearings before committing to a ride in the riced out Toyota. Kirby and I squeezed in the back with some other guy and her guitar for an hour or so ride along a railroad track which we hoped was the direction of our destination.

Along the way we saw a mangled train next to the track. We learned later that it was blown up by the rebels a year earlier. This is why we saw an armed police guard every 1km along the railroad tracks. The speed limit was between 60 and 80 kmh depending on the section of road and this guy was going a steady 110 – 120kmh. It was a wide straight road out in the middle of nowhere and I wasn’t afraid of the speed as much as I was of some cow/goat/bull walking on to the road at the last moment. They don’t just honk at pedestrians, street vendors, and other vehicles in their way, they also honk at various livestock which may or may not have learned what the honking signifies. Another advantage of driving in Colombia is that you can drive on the left side of the road to avoid speed bumps at check stops. The one or two stop signs that we saw where ignored completely. 

The guy drops us off in the middle of Uribia which is a small establishment of people living in very basic structures. It was late afternoon and after talking to the few curious boys who came up to Kirby we got the impression that there were no more rides out of town. Kirby talked to more than one person and I wasn’t likin’ the look on her face. The thought of trying to find a place to stay in this little town was not appealing. We would have been at the mercy of the locals because I didn’t see anything anywhere that resembled a business of any kind that I recognized. 

Thankfully it wasn’t very long and someone in a truck did stop. The initial offer was 100,000 pesos each.  The normal rate is about 1/5 of that. Not knowing Spanish and not wanting to spend the night in Uribia I was willing to pay the ransom. We threw our packs in the bed and got in the back seat of the pickup. We took a tour of the town first as our driver apparently has some errands. The main part of town is paved with one-story thin concrete buildings. Outside of the main area are dirt roads and self-built housing with cactus fences. We picked up his old lady and stopped by his place of employment. It appears there are no working gas stations outside of cities and like most things entrepreneurs sell the needed commodity on the side of the road. We gave the guy 20,000 for gas siphoned from a container and sometime later we were on our way. 

As we pulled out of town we stopped at the intersection and picked up three backpackers. Our driver offered them the same trip for 20,000 pesos each which was 80,000 pesos less than Kirby and I were paying. They all jump in along with their gear and we have one guy in the bed of the truck with five packs, four of us in the backseat, and two sitting shotgun. The whole ride was off-road. The first half was on a straight and wide dirt road but by no means smooth. Then the guy takes a left straight in to the desert. For the next 45 minutes we were on nothing resembling a road. We followed tracks in the dirt through brush and dried up river beds but never saw anything resembling a road, sign, or marker indicating our location or direction. The sun starting going down and I was feeling glad I wasn’t driving in these conditions. 

They guy drops us off in the darkness in what we hope is beach our beautiful beach destination. He collects the 20,000 from the other four and Kirby and I try to give him our 20,000 each (which would total 60,000 with the gas) but the guy and his obnoxious wife wasn’t having any of that. After threatening to take her guitar we gave him the full 100,000 pesos and they stopped yelling and were on their way. We joined up with three of the four backpackers we came with and walked through the remote beach village. The two guys were Americans fluent in Spanish and the gal was from Spain. They all met up recently while traveling around South America. They wanted to walk past the beach dwellings and camp. I brought my hammock purchased over a decade ago at a Phish show so we joined them walking down the sand road in the dark. Jeff was from NY, Zack was from TX, and we never did get the name of the woman.

There are only a few times in my life where I have seen the sky look as it did that night. There were not thousands of stars, there were millions of stars in every piece of the sky. The cloudy Milky Way stretched above our heads. Stars of all different levels of brightness were out from horizon to horizon.

We found a spot past the beach village where the three backpackers pitched their tent and we tied up our hammock in a small wooden shanty. It was four poles with a roof. I’m not sure what wood they get from the desert but it is very small diameter thin strips used for walls, fences and roofs. Kirby and I walked back towards the center of “town” to find some food. It was late and there weren’t any other tourists so most places were closed or empty. We found a cool place with a bar, dining room, kitchen, and residences all under the same roof built with the small wood strips. It was decorated nice and even had a TV at the bar. We had the best shrimp and rice dinner we’d ever had considering our expectations an hour earlier. I got a few beers from the 4 year old bartender who I seemed to have no problems communicating with. If there is one thing I learned from passing through different countries in Europe it is how to order a beer in all languages.

I thought we were lucky to have a roof but I realized later having at least one wall for the wind was crucial. Besides the 85 degrees and the sun, the other consistent factor was the wind. It blew hard and consistent for a good portion of the day and night. You can forget about it during the day, but when you are sleeping in a hammock on the beach without any cover things can get a bit nippy. Some dogs were out and about and one decided to sleep a few feet away from us. As loud as they were early in the night it was hoped we’d have a good alarm if anyone came close while we slept.

The wind kept me from sleeping for any long period. Fishermen who had boats tied up to the beach left at all hours of the morning. On occasion a truck would fly by on the beach. The backpackers mentioned something about not pitching their tent in tracks and now I understand why. Around 4am I heard something a few feet away from me coming from where my pack was at. I turned over in my hammock and saw a guy walking away slowly back towards some wooden structures. I got up and checked out my stuff to discover my bath bag was missing. Normally it would be full of replaceable items such as toothpaste, toothbrush, shaving cream, deodorant, etc, but I happened to stash all my American dollars in an inside pocket which totaled at least $300. I ran towards the direction the guy disappeared with my flashlight. 

I didn’t realize how close we were to this last block of beach housing.  Everything is made out of that thin wood. This string of housing had a fence about 4 feet high around what appeared to be many different buildings/residences. There were a few structures of different sizes inside sharing the same roof (I think it is the property on the end). I saw one or two guys walk between two buildings and shined my light in that direction. I ran around the corner to the side and got him again with my light while he was behind the building. Running back to the front a guy came up to the fence and seemed non-confrontational and understanding. Not speaking Spanish I tried to describe the bag with my hands and he nodded and told me to wait a minute. He disappears for a second and comes right back with my bag. His friend had joined us by this time and Kirby was wondering up dreary eyed. The guy claimed he saw someone run past and ditch my bag. We talked for a few minutes and an older woman showed up. They offered to take our stuff and watch it for us as well as making us food. We gave them a few thousand pesos for their time figuring we were sleeping in their hammock hut. We learned our guard dog belonged to them. Needless to say I slept with one eye and ear open for the rest of the night. I was happy to get my bag back but felt rather confident we would be left alone for the rest of the night.

We stayed for two nights at this beach as mentioned in the next couple posts but unfortunately I lost the pictures and videos from this area. I brought a bunch of memory cards for my camera with the plan of swapping them out every few days regardless of how full they were. If I lost my camera I didn't want to lose all my pics. While quickly checking the pics on this memory card I formated them. No confirmation message on my camera. Bummer.

advice from a former hostage

In an exciting start to my trip, I noticed my ATM card expired on 1/31 about one hour before I left for the airport. Bummer since that was going to be my main source of currency while traveling for two weeks. I ran to the bank two blocks away and they couldn’t do anything for me. So I ran home and threw my apartment apart looking for the new ATM card that was apparently mailed to me a month ago. A few minutes before my scheduled departure time I find the card and make the call to activate it. Crisis averted. I also received a new shipment of contacts the day I left which enabled me to have more than one extra pair on my trip.

For some reason I was flying out to Miami in first class. Maybe that was why my ticket cost so much? I usually fly Delta and this was American who I have no privileges with. I think there were about four congressmen on the flight with me heading home for the weekend last night.

This morning as I waited in the ticket line at the Miami airport I was talking to the British guy in front of me and an American behind me. We seemed to be the only gringos getting on the Avianca flight to Bogotá. The British guy was a young backpacker like myself and the American was a nice clean cut guy looking former military. He was talking about how nice Colombia and their people were and that his wife was from Colombia. We talked for over 40 minutes or so as we waiting at the ticket counter with everyone else on our flight. Apparently Avianca is known for being late but they assured us we’d board and take off on time. 

I ran in to the American again in the security line and that is when I discovered who he actually was. He was held up by security because he didn’t look like his picture. This is because his picture was taken while he was being held hostage by the FARC for over five years. He was one of three Americans freed in a daring rescue last summer along with the Íngrid Betancourt the Colombian-French politician. I met him on his way to Colombia to meet with the Minister of Defense. When I looked it up I found out his name is Keith Stansell. After coming back from Colombia they started talking to the media for the first time and went on a tour talking about their new book: Out of Captivity.

We actually did end up taking off about on time. I was happy about this because I had 70 minutes to catch my next flight which I was told was at the domestic airport next door to the international airport. I thought maybe the flight attendants forgot they were in the main cabin when they started handing out hot hand towels like they do in first class. Then they served breakfast. I guess airlines aren’t having such a hard time in the southern hemisphere. Bogotá is at over 8600 feet and sits between two mountains. The land around the airport looked rural and farmed among the cloudy mountains. Making the connection to the other “airport” was rather easy as Avianca had a shuttle. It became very apparent in the Bogotá airport that I was in a land of a different language and I could communicate with very few people.

The flight from Bogotá to Santa Marta was a quick one. The Santa Marta airport is by far the smallest airport I’ve ever seen. We landed on the single runway with little infrastructure in view. The pilot had to make a U turn at the end of the runway and go back to the building that I assume was the “airport”. I don’t remember anything about the airport other than the small open air building that housed the baggage claim. Kirby was standing outside the bars that served as walls peering in. I was quite happy to see my bag made it as well.

It was hot on the coast of Colombia and I was in jeans and a long shirt. The airport is out in the middle of nowhere so we took a buseta in to town. These mini-buses are one of the most popular forms of transport in the country. The ayudante who hangs out the door enticing people aboard takes your money and you can get dropped off anywhere on their route as there are no official stops.

Santa Marta is an interesting small town. There is some tourist infrastructure because it has a beach and is a jumping off point for the hike to the Lost City and other places such as Parque Nacional Tayrona. There weren’t a lot of tourists while we were there. The tourist season is in late December and January. One of the first things you notice is that traffic signs and signals are optional. Drivers may yield but mostly hook their horns when passing through an intersection. They honk their horns at all times for everything and at everything. There are street vendors everywhere selling all types of food, drink, and household goods including calculators and remote controls. In Colombia you can sit in the 85 degree sun on the beach in the afternoon and you will be offered coffee every 15 minutes from some vendor (along with sunglasses, necklaces, water, beer, and an assortment of food). Everyone has something to sell. It is quite convenient to have the ability to buy a water, beer, or snack on any corner. 

Kirby had a room reserved in a decent place, Park Hotel, on the main strip in front of the beach. It had a nice open balcony on each floor overlooking the beach. I think we might have been the only ones there. I met a Colombian refuge artist who Kirby befriended, Evan, who sold interesting ink art. We also ran in to a German named Norm who was just starting his 10 week travel tour. The four of us had beers at the one bar on the beach side road that had live vallenato music. Carnaval was a week away but people were already busting out their costumes and getting in the mood.

pics and videos from Santa Marta

the trip starts

At this time I am sitting on a plane on my way to Colombia. It will be a nice 15 day vacation on the 85 degree Caribbean coast. The current plan is to hang in the Santa Marta and Taganga for a few days before heading to a music festival and carnaval in Barranquilla. The last week will be spent on the beaches and islands around Cartagena. It is an interesting city with quite the history. I hope to hang out below and above the water. Hopefully I won’t die of skin cancer during those two weeks. My blond pale self won’t stick out at all in South America.

I enjoy traveling, not having a set schedule, being able to go here or there, and experiencing new things. It’s been awhile. I’m looking forward to forgetting about the real world. I won’t have my laptop or phone while I’m gone. Therefore no pics till I get back and updates may be few and far between but I hope to post a bit here.

I think at this point in time I feel much more comfortable about traveling to Colombia than I would crossing the US border in to Mexico!

70 degrees and windy

It was 70 degrees this winter February day and I decided to bike to work for the first time in awhile. As I was flying down Wilson in Rosslyn going about 25 mph in traffic I came in to the N Lynn intersection and an insane crosswind slammed in to me. It almost blew me off my bike. It literally pushed me over to one side and I had to immediately brake, turn, and lean in to the wind to keep from sprawling across the intersection.  

It looks like it will be warm again tomorrow and, perfectly enough, get back to normal winter weather this weekend as I'm napping in a hammock on the beach in Colombia.

Ray's the Steaks is gone!

I walked past Ray's the Steaks today and it is no longer there.  The location is closed.

The good news is they moved it to 2300 Wilson BLVD across from the Courthouse Plaza and the new location opens today.  I haven't been inside but it looks at least twice as big as the original place.  Also, they gave out a phone number so maybe they are taking phone reservations again in this new bigger location.

A sign at the old location hints that Ray's: The Catch is coming soon (seafood).

Washington Auto Show

A guy that used to work for me hooked me up with free passes to the Washington Auto Show again this year. He plays drums and his band played at the show. It is only $10 or $12 this year depending on the day, I think the price might have gone down since last year. It is nice to just walk right in though.

My first auto show was the Detroit Auto Show and I will forever be spoiled. The show in DC has stepped up a notch since it moved to the new convention center but it’s not really all that. The theme for all the car shows the last two years has been hybrid/electric vehicles. I was quite disappointed this year because I didn’t see Porsche, Ferrari, or Lamborghini. 

I sat in all kinds of cars from Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, Smart and a few of the boring ones. The new Accord and Acuras are kinda slick. The ALMS had a booth. I walked past them and felt bad they were tucked in a corner with no one around but I see their cars all the time (and they were probably the coolest cars at this show). There was a supercharged Corvette and a racing Z06. Dodge had a Lotus Elise electric look-alike. I think I heard the spokesperson mention that Lotus was involved but I could be wrong. It was interesting to see the Smart car engine under the back floor. As noticed last year the Audi A8 has a back seat you could have a party in. Lexus has some pretty sweet back seat controls. They also have some IS F with over 400 hp and an 8 speed sport direct-shift (whatever that is). I could have gotten used to sitting in it. Scion always has a big display. The whole VW area was raised many inches off the ground and was all white which made you feel as if you were walking around an Apple Store with VWs parked around.

The ladies at Toyota were walking around with Fujitsu tablets. When I inquired one of them told me they can collect prospective customer info, access the Toyota website, and send customer info to local dealerships for follow-up. 

pics and video

travel quiz

Q: What country has the highest rate of homicide and kidnapping per capita in the world?

A: The one listed on my plane ticket!

 

Off to Colombia I go. Only two bombs have exploded in the country that I know of since Kirby arrived. But hey it's a big country! We plan to hang along the Caribbean coast for last two weeks of February. There was discussion of trekking through the rain forest past native villages to the Lost City. We may pass on that and hang out in Santa Marta first, head to Barranquilla for a music festival and the Colombian Carnival, then relax around Cartagena with some sailing, snorkeling, and whatever else.

Wish me luck!

karting round 3

Tonight was round 3 of the PCA Karting Championship. I was leading after round 1 but didn’t show up for round 2. The format tonight was heat racing. Instead of 2 or 3 races of decent length we have a whole bunch of 10 lap races with random starting positions. I like this format because they are fast and aggressive races with lots of passing. Normally I might start 3rd or 4th with people next to me running almost the exact same lap times. The random grids of heat racing means you could start in last position and still be the fastest person in the race. 

I didn’t have too good of luck tonight. I don’t think I made one legitimate pass in all of my races. I got by a few people who made mistakes but because of either my crappy kart draw or traffic I had difficulty moving forward. A little frustrating but racin' is always fun. I think I ended up in 6th place for the night. Results will be posted here at some point in time but I won’t be near the top after missing last round.

my own case of HopSlam

So I heard through my secret beer connections about a possible source of the elusive Bell’s HopSlam. As mentioned in my previous post, this stuff is in high demand and not easy to find. This is something special for hophead beer geeks. It is a nectar explosion of floral hop goodness. The website doesn’t say much about it other than it’s made from honey, available from Jan 7th in to February, and is 10% ABV. That doesn’t jive with local distribution though because sales started here per the brewery on Saturday Jan 31.

The info was that Total Wine in Manassas had a few cases. I made some phone calls and got confirmation. Driving past three Total Wine stores (with a fourth not far off) I finally got out to Manassas. The store was not as big as the two locations I frequent but they had one thing the others didn’t… the glowing green HopSlam. I walked out with a case of my own. $2.25 a 12oz bottle. I don’t think there is much more around in the DC metro area. I’ve heard of a bar or two that has it own tap. I’ll be savoring mine.

new stuff and a taste of HopSlam

I found a new beer source, tasted some new brews, picked up new beer for my beer stock, and got a new belt buckle on Saturday. Rick's Wine & Gourmet had some beers out for tasting but their main draw was a small supply of Bell’s HopSlam. I’ve seen the HopSlam before at some festival or tasting but I’m not sure if I’ve ever had it. I was given half a gulp as a sample and it was quite impressive. Just the smell is overwhelming. The taste is a honey citrus explosion. At least I think so, again this was from a little sip. I think the beer guy said they got 5 cases. They started selling them at noon that day and were out in 10 minutes with a two 6-pack per person limit.

The tasting line-up:

• Blue Mountain (VA) Evil 8  ABV: 7.7%
  
• Smuttynose (NH) Really Old Brown Dog  ABV: 7.0%.
  
• Lagunitas (CA) Hairy Eyeball  ABV: 8.8%.
  
• Stone (CA) Cali-Belgique IPA  ABV: 6.9%.
  
• Bell's (MI) HopSlam  ABV: 10.0%
  

The Stone Cali-Belgique IPA was pretty good. It’s hard to remember after the HopSlam. I picked up a couple bombers of that and the Smuttynose Really Old Brown Dog. I’ve been on a brown ale kick lately. 

Rick’s had a decent beer selection. It wasn’t a huge inventory but what they had was quite nice which included the full Allagash 750ml line-up. They also had a nice large pewter Arrogant Bastard Ale belt buckle. Complete with the “You’re Not Worthy” moto (on the back). I had to add that to my collection.