Posts Tagged ‘Cranky Croc Hostel’

Carrera 7 is one of the main avenues leading into central Bogota and on New Years Eve it’s closed off to cars and buses to make way for street vendors and live music. As I walked down the street to the big concert downtown I was offered everything from beaded necklaces to weed to life-size Justin Beiber posters. Although tempting, I brushed them all off and walked over to where a big crowd had formed in the middle of the street. It was a good ‘ol fashion game of Hide the Guinea Pig! I definitely would have kept moving if it was “hide the gerbil” but this was exciting… The crowd bets (individually) on which of 15 mini houses setup along the street the guinea pig will run into after the announcer gives him a push. These little furry entertainers are quite the well-trained crowd pleasers. They casually walk down to …

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On the morning of an international flight to a place I’ve only heard about from glorified gangster movies you would think that my nerves would be at an all time high. Well as anti-climatic as it may be, they weren’t. Even with JFK being packed with stranded travelers no anxiousness or doubt set in. Even without a guidebook, local contact or any excuse of a legitimate plan, there was still no nervousness or uncertainty. In the weeks leading up to the trip I was actually starting to get worried about how un-worried I actually was. All that Stoicism slipped right out the taxi window as I raced through the dark back streets of Bogota from the airport to my hostel.  As I passed by the boarded up shops and empty sidewalks late Wednesday night all the emotions that have evaded me until this point quickly rushed in. I sunk down …

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