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Post by tod2 on May 4, 2022 8:21:50 GMT
More interesting photos! What an unusual chandelier. I bet that staircase is solid teak.
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Post by onlyMark on May 4, 2022 9:45:13 GMT
I bet it is teak as well. Later I realised we'd actually come in through the back entrance.
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Post by onlyMark on May 5, 2022 18:05:40 GMT
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Post by onlyMark on May 5, 2022 18:07:34 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on May 6, 2022 6:07:33 GMT
Except for the workers at the beginning, it looks like all human being have disappeared. At least you had the animals to keep you company.
I can't say that the motoring museum looks every impressive.
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Post by onlyMark on May 6, 2022 6:12:46 GMT
I was somewhat disappointed. But other things made up for it.
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Post by tod2 on May 6, 2022 9:02:44 GMT
Some superb botanical specimens Mark! Those bright colours are sensational! Those cute yellow birds maybe Cuckoo Finches. They do resemble the Yellow Weaver but their beaks are shorter and stouter in the Finches.
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Post by fumobici on May 6, 2022 17:50:22 GMT
Great garden shots! I dig the NSU as well.
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Post by onlyMark on May 6, 2022 19:39:20 GMT
Tod, I'll take your expertise on this matter. Nice colours though whatever it is.
Fumo, there were a few NSU's in the UK but they were similar to the BSA Bantam which was my first motorbike and the BSA was cheaper so more of them around. The little Yamaha monkey bikes were popular when I was young as well.
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Post by lugg on May 6, 2022 19:47:10 GMT
Catching up - those iguana shots - wow , the variety of what you have shown us in this report is really incredible.
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Post by lugg on May 6, 2022 19:48:32 GMT
I did wonder about the little thief and it seems as if it is an Andean squirrel
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Post by onlyMark on May 6, 2022 20:01:13 GMT
I may have got the same make of flower a couple of times somewhere because they were all so nice looking anyway. I do have a photo of a sheep as well I've not posted. Bit too commonplace. Looking up about the squirrel, I think you must be right.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 6, 2022 20:19:12 GMT
I'm behind again in commenting, but still very much enjoying this report. The visit to the El Castillo museum & grounds looks wonderful -- so tropical, all that Spanish moss & nicely care for plantings. The sculpture & bonsai here and there really shows that it was the work of love by an individual. Poor Benedikta -- such a sweet face & so much tragedy in her life.
I love Mr. Nosey Squirrel and the sweet yellow birdy, ditto all the bromeliads & that magnificent golden bamboo.
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Post by onlyMark on May 7, 2022 9:50:13 GMT
El Castillo was certainly a nice little oasis out of the busy city.
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Post by onlyMark on May 7, 2022 11:31:17 GMT
The next and nearly last day we sat here, waiting for the plane to empty for the last internal flight, back to Bogota. I was a bit fractious, irritable and uncomfortable due to my underpants. I’ll explain why in a minute - Eventually got on and took off. I don’t have the excitement feeling I had many years ago with flying. It’s a bit of a chore nowadays - Here is something I mentioned before. On landing and pulling up to the gate, everyone still stays seated. Not really expected in such a country. Even the rule followers that are normal in some countries, like Germany, will get up as soon as the plane stops and crowd the aisle. Not here. You can just make out the cabin staff person in red near the front. She walked down to about aisle 10 and told everyone on the left side between her and the exit door to get off. Then it was the right side to exit. She’d then move down to row 20 and do the same - eventually getting to the last rows near the back. It made everything quite calm and less hectic, but, certainly took twice as long to get everyone off. At least though I didn’t have to suffer the slings and arrows of discontent of waiting for a checked in bag. Bogota can suffer regularly from long baggage waits but I/we travel most often, especially when moving around a lot, just with a bag allowed to be taken into the cabin. Same really as a lot of travellers but unless they are on business for a day or two, the locals seem to carry an excessive amount from place to place. Again though quite normal in some countries. This meant for me a restricted amount of clothes that had to be washed and dried at regular intervals. I’m sure you don’t really want to know this but I’d washed a pair of underwear the day before and due to the climate, hadn’t yet dried properly - Then a comfortable taxi from the airport to where we were staying about 40km out of Bogota. Heavy traffic and raining. In Bogota with vehicles they use still the system where they restrict vehicles with certain number plate end numbers to enter the city on a certain day, usually odd number one day and even numbers the next, to diminish traffic and pollution. The idea may have been with good intent but I’m told a few times by locals that all they do is instead of buying one good car, is buy two crappier ones with the different plates. Hence doesn’t diminish anything, just ends up with the same number of vehicles more or less, but now also two higher polluting cars than one not so polluting -
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Post by tod2 on May 7, 2022 13:15:36 GMT
I’m sure you don’t really want to know this but I’d washed a pair of underwear the day before and due to the climate, hadn’t yet dried properly - Mark you woes! What do you think hairdryers were made for.....Yes to dry damp clothing. Now you know. BUT, did you know this..Hairdryers can iron clothes.? Put on a rumpled shirt that has a bit of Polyester in the fabric. get someone or yourself to pull the fabric taught whilst blowing the hot air onto it. Works extremely well with Viscose ( a fabric made from wood pulp).
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Post by onlyMark on May 7, 2022 13:56:12 GMT
There was no hair dryer unfortunately and we don't carry one with us. I take note of the ironing technique and will use it if the need arises. However I do use the method of laying it out under the mattress the night before and sleeping on top. That works quite well for me. I'm also not too averse to the rumpled look anyway. Matches my face.
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Post by kerouac2 on May 7, 2022 15:35:13 GMT
I would never dare to say that your "raindrops on the window" photo is the best of all that you have posted, but it is still a brilliant picture.
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Post by onlyMark on May 7, 2022 17:49:36 GMT
And with the strangely placed pink chair on the pavement between the two roads......... I was trying to snatch a photo of the chair but the camera just focussed on the raindrops. Turned out better that way.
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Post by onlyMark on May 7, 2022 17:55:37 GMT
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Post by onlyMark on May 7, 2022 17:57:20 GMT
Very last post tomorrow morning then. I just need to sort it out.
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Post by htmb on May 7, 2022 17:58:37 GMT
What a beautiful place to stay! Really lovely.
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Post by kerouac2 on May 7, 2022 19:06:53 GMT
It doesn't look at all like what most of us normally think of Colombia. If you had said that the photos were taken in Switzerland or Slovenia, I could have believed it.
Did you not have an urge to straighten the picture frames on the wall? I would have.
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Post by onlyMark on May 7, 2022 19:42:42 GMT
There's certainly varied countryside depending on the local climate and often reminiscent of other places - though there is a minimum of my favourite environment, (sandy) desert, unfortunately. It wasn't the picture frames, it was the wall lampshade that got me.
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Post by onlyMark on May 8, 2022 7:11:46 GMT
Once the rain had stopped we took a long walk along the lane the house was on to stretch our legs - A late afternoon snack of small, but tasty, but small and not very filling empanadas. That’s one of the problems of staying somewhere out of the way. The food is the food. You can’t nip out onto the street for something. The juice was good though. This was, apart from breakfast the next morning (eggs on toast) my last “taste” of Colombia - And that was it. A long but comprehensive report. I particularly like to go away from the European winter in February and next year a plan is forming, the year after that I’ve no idea yet - one of the problems is being in Bosnia and getting a visa beforehand for some countries can be difficult. This restricts where I can easily go. The following year, 2025, could be back to a different area on Colombia but I’m open to alternatives that I think of. It’s a long way ahead yet and probably I won’t be in Bosnia then, more likely for a spell in Germany, so I’m more easily able to apply for and get a visa to some country I need there than here. Lastly, a video I put together for different friends and relatives who wanted to see photos but didn’t want to (understandably) sit through long explanations or have to flick through albums themselves. It’s four minutes long, two bits of music and sets the scene of Colombia to give a flavour of the diversity. The photos are many of what has been in this report, just so you know. Both songs are regional, the first music being “La Candela Viva - Toto La Momposina”, the second being “Corre Morenita - Martina Camargo & Andrea Echeverri.” Bye Bye.
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Post by mickthecactus on May 8, 2022 8:50:36 GMT
To start with it looked like the English countryside but the cactus rather gave it away. Love those silver leaved trees. Wonder what they are?
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Post by onlyMark on May 8, 2022 9:39:34 GMT
You're asking me? If it hasn't got an engine I've no clue. I can classify it as 'tree' though it might be 'very large bush'.
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Post by tod2 on May 8, 2022 10:05:23 GMT
Mick - those trees are: Cecropa Telenitida or in Spanish...Arbol Yaruma Blanco - I thought they look very interesting and certainly stick out among the other green foliage. Here is the link: tinyurl.com/3np7a6xuMark, lovely interesting pic again! At the farm house I wondered why they had a long covered walkway to what could be stables ( red roof).
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Post by mickthecactus on May 8, 2022 11:25:32 GMT
Mick - those trees are: Cecropa Telenitida or in Spanish...Arbol Yaruma Blanco - I thought they look very interesting and certainly stick out among the other green foliage. Her is the link: tinyurl.com/3np7a6xuMark, lovely interesting pic again! At the farm house I wondered why they had a long covered walkway to what could be stables ( red roof). Thanks tod. I see it is one of the world’s 100 most invasive species though.
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Post by onlyMark on May 8, 2022 11:50:26 GMT
Tod, I can't remember where any stables were and don't remember seeing any, but the long walkway goes up to what I believe to be the owner's bungalow though there does appear to be two structures up there. Also the walkway is the beginning of a footpath we didn't go on that leads to the tops of the surrounding hills. I can only identify also that the reddish bungalow bottom right, just off the courtyard bit, is for the maids/staff to live in.
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