I've Got A Lovely Bunch Of Coconuts

CIMG5326, originally uploaded by stangroomm.

Token "Carry On" style photo opportunity, I attempted the Sid James laugh as well.

Bogota

P3142399, originally uploaded by stangroomm.

OK I can't remember when I last updated this, but I am now in Cali, Colombia, not California. This pic was in Bogota, looking over the city and the mountains up in Montserrat. Dont know why I was looking so smug, must have been the hangover from the night before wearing off.
Anyway, just a quick update, have been in Medellin as well, where I did the AWESOME Pablo Escobar tour. Will be here in Cali for a week and then off to San Agustin.
Having some issues trying to work out what to do with my life, I will be back in England on 21st April, any suggestions please email.

Back In Bogota

Thats right. I´m in Bogota. Got here after a horrible 18 hour journey from Salvador, Brazil, via Rio de Janeiro (where I slept in the airport) and Lima, Peru. Stayed in a nioce hostel in the Candelaria area on the 1st night and then with a CS friend, Diana who I will stay with until Saturday ight, when I´m off to Medellin.

No photos as of yet, camera is broken, so all though I have for the first time here done something cultural (Botero Museum, Plaza Bolivar, Museo de la Policia for the Pablo Escobar exhibition) I have no pictures to show.

Off to a techno night tonight, could be interesting.......

Capoeira

P3072341, originally uploaded by stangroomm.

So. I´ve got into capoeira. It´s fun. And humiliating. I thought I´d be half OK at it. I was wrong. Those guys have incredible strength and flexibility. I did a couple of informal classes with my new friend Arri, a guy from Itacare and then today in Salvador with a 20 year old girl, who has been doing capoeira for 15 years. I really, really sweated, and failed miserably at walking backwards in the crab position, doing a sweep, that looked more like breakdancing, and was moderatley succesful at the cartwheel based moves and more familiar spinning kicks.
Still, it´s good to try new things and test ones self. Even if it leaves you dripping wet and feeling useless, as well as knackered. Todays class also involved a music lesson, for those of you that dont know capoeira is a Brasilian martial art, brought from Angola originally by slaves, it was disguised as a dance, hence the music and rhythm of the moves.
Another class to look forward to tomorrow, befoer flying back to Colombia, last stop on the tour.............

Today Was A Good Day

P3062284, originally uploaded by stangroomm.

Went to the beach this afternoon, sun bathed a bit and then wandered up to the Capoeira circle that overlooks beach 2 in Itacare. Started chatting with Arri, a fella selling capoeira clothes and his friends and hung out with them until sunset, Arri teaching me some basic capoeira moves, the jonga ( it think its called), some basic blocks and kicks, plus he explained the music. All in Portugese. I understood some of it, actually most, when he spoke slow and clearly. It was really good fun and he invited me back tomorrow for more of the same.

Daybreak In Itacare

P3012205, originally uploaded by stangroomm.

Here I Go Again On My Own

P3022236, originally uploaded by stangroomm.

In the words of Whitesnake, "I dont know where I´m going, but I sure know where I´ve been" . This is not strictly true but it does allow me the pleasure of a link to this soft rock classic, a video featuring some of the girliest haircuts from the 1980´s.

So basically, I am now travelling on my own, again. Mike and I said our goodbyes at Salvador bus station after 3 months of being on the road. I then hooked up again with Benja from Ibiza for 5 days, who has now flown back to the white island, leaving me, well, on my own. As such, I am in an internet cafe at 11pm on a Friday night. Mainly because I have been partying a little recently, so fancy a night off. I´m back in Itacare, I went to Morro de Sao Paolo for 2 days but came back. Morro has changed since i was last there in 2002, it has been developed alot and is a bit lumpy on the pocket so I took the boat and bus back to Itacare, its cheaper, more chilled, and I just like it more. I´ll stay here until the 9th or 10th, there are some amazing beaches that I have yet to visit nearby so it makes sense. Plus the best bar I have been to in Brasil is here, Favela Cafe. A very relaxed place with some great music, good crowd, good vibes in general, hip hop, reggae, Brasilian funk and some good Cairpirinhas. Life here is basically as follows

-get up
-have breakfast
-go to the beach, read, train, sunbathe, run along the waters edge, look at girls, have a coconut milk and some lunch
-go back to the pousada
-sleep
-have dinner
-walk the street (it´s a small town)
-drink a couple of cans of beer
-see whats happening at Favela cafe and maybe even talk to people. Have met some cool people recently actually.

Have been doing some great training recently, every day in fact. Either in my pousada or down at the beach. I´m really pleased that I haven´t let my kung fu slip, as could easily have happened. I guess thats a sign, it is something I love doing , but I think i knew that anyway. So, planning a trip to China after I´ve been home for a bit. The recession seems to be biting bad, and I think I can live cheap in China, especially if I am spending most of the time getting voluntarily tortured by Shaolin monks, or at least the sell out ones that will train you for Western money. Apparently the hard core ones wont even talk to you if you are Western, I heard one Swedish guy approached a temple and was made to stare at the sun every day for a week, before they would talk to him. Must remember to pack my shades.

Anyway, I am gibbering. I´m off to Colombia (again) next week in case you didnt know and then fly back to London from Rio on the 20th April. Get the bunting ready, bake a cake etc.

Ciao