|
Post by onlyMark on Feb 21, 2022 17:14:23 GMT
Our consuegros dragged us to visit Bolivar's finca in Santa Marta. Can't say it's the kind of thing I would choose to visit, but as I have certainly said elsewhere, I'm a lousy tourist as far as monuments of various kinds go. I have a reasonable interest in monuments as they add to the knowledge of the history and other aspects of a country. Even the self-aggrandising ones. I don't miss them out but I don't go to every single one. What are you not a lousy tourist with, what do you either go to see or have interest in when visiting?
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Feb 21, 2022 17:38:37 GMT
Bolivar's finca in Santa Marta was just his house with a bit of furniture.
When I go somewhere, I like to see local architecture, wander around towns and cities, go to markets, certain museums like national fine art museums, churches,and if it's a country with particularly notable physical things, then I'll do that if possible. I also like to go to places where I know people because that gives a different perspective on things.
|
|
|
Post by onlyMark on Feb 21, 2022 23:15:29 GMT
I've got some photos of Bilovar's finca. I'll let you know when I post them so you can scroll past. No problem. Same with the other monuments.
|
|
|
Post by onlyMark on Feb 22, 2022 0:46:14 GMT
Got a bit lost today. Went on one of them - Somehow ended up there - Then to there. Don't know how -
|
|
|
Post by onlyMark on Feb 22, 2022 20:43:08 GMT
Change of mode of transport again. Went in one of these a long way. Actually there were two different ones to get to the top - Saw some of these and these - Snack lunch on the go was this. I could eat them all day -
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Feb 22, 2022 22:17:34 GMT
I like those carry you through the air things, although they make me a little anxious.
Incredible bromeliad! Is it a type of pineapple that can be eaten?
Bird of paradise, of course, but are those wasabi peas in the last picture? They look like fresh peas.
|
|
|
Post by onlyMark on Feb 22, 2022 22:35:59 GMT
Not edible, and I'm not sure it's even a pineapple thing. Fresh peas. Love 'em. I eat them like you would eat nuts. Hand full at a time.
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Feb 23, 2022 8:53:34 GMT
Fantastic photo of that Bromeliad Mark - I googled the name and can tell Bixa it is not related to a pineapple although one would think so !
A sad fact is that a Bromeliad plant blooms only once - After it gives you a flower, it will slowly die over the next year or two. *insert sad face* However, you can continue to care for your Bromeliad plant until it produces new plants, called pups. The Bromeliad plants are epiphytic like orchids, which means that they do not grow in soil, but they grow on rocks, trees, or other plants. They are not parasitic, but they use the structures as perches from which to gather nutrients, sun, and water. However, Bromeliad plants are considerably more tolerant than orchids in careless feeding, drought, and fluctuations in temperature.
|
|
|
Post by mickthecactus on Feb 23, 2022 9:33:04 GMT
Not strictly speaking true. There’s quite a wide range if terrestrial Bromeliads i.e. plants that grow in the ground, Dyckia and Puya for example.
The fresh peas are interesting as we rarely see fresh peas here these days, just tinned or frozen. I don’t think today’s generation can be bothered to pod them.
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Feb 23, 2022 10:03:57 GMT
Mick, that's what I was thinking when I read what I found on Google, because in our first house I inherited a bromeliad and am sure it was growing in a flower bed in soil. So when I read they don't need soil I was a bit baffled but no longer! You have shown me I'm not half daft....
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Feb 23, 2022 12:52:51 GMT
Just because they don't need soil doesn't mean that they would necessarily reject it...
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Feb 23, 2022 13:14:35 GMT
Fresh peas. Love 'em. I eat them like you would eat nuts. Hand full at a time. Found a magazine article praising the goodness of peas - have something in them that prevents stomach cancer.
|
|
|
Post by mickthecactus on Feb 23, 2022 13:40:39 GMT
Just because they don't need soil doesn't mean that they would necessarily reject it... I'm afraid they would. The roots cannot absorb water or nutrient and are solely used as crampons to hold on to a support. They absorb through their leaves.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Feb 23, 2022 16:27:33 GMT
I don’t think today’s generation can be bothered to pod them. My problem is not podding them -- it's getting enough to do anything with them. I tend to eat them as I go along. We get fresh peas here in late spring but they are quite expensive since more than half of what you buy goes into the compost bin. Most of the year I use frozen peas.
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Feb 23, 2022 18:26:36 GMT
I enjoyed shucking peas very much as a child, but I think they are just fine frozen.
|
|
|
Post by lugg on Feb 23, 2022 18:49:25 GMT
Late to the party but what a party! - great thread Mark, fantastic images - as ever I am predictable so I especially love the photos of the coast, stunning . Great image of that evil beast of a monkey , parrots scare me nearly as much but enjoyed those shots too. The soup near to the beginning of the thread looks yummy but I would definitely give the peas a miss - unless they are raw And just a wow re the moon and croc shots - fabulous. I hope your internet , room choice problems are resolving but i guess that really it is just so great to be out and travelling again. Is there a particular reason for your visit or just a chance that happened to come your way ?
|
|
|
Post by mich64 on Feb 23, 2022 18:53:44 GMT
I am enjoying following along on your holiday Mark. And yes, I probably spent more time looking at the colours and patterns of the baskets and bags.
I did not realize that I was afraid of monkeys until I went to Costa Rica. Maybe not afraid, maybe nervous better reflects how they make me feel.
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Feb 23, 2022 20:23:42 GMT
I had to face attack monkeys in Bali and I know that I will never trust them again. (Actually, I never trusted them.)
|
|
|
Post by questa on Feb 23, 2022 21:41:54 GMT
I did not realize that I was afraid of monkeys until I went to Costa Rica. Maybe not afraid, maybe nervous better reflects how they make me feel. The worst thing is the monkeys know all the tricks, humans only think they can outsmart them. Dozens of times I've seen monkeys jump onto a tourist shoulder, grab camera, sunglasses, backpack and be sitting on a high branch before you can say *S--*! Then the tourist has to pay the Ranger for extra bananas to coax the beast down and retrieve their property.
|
|
|
Post by onlyMark on Feb 23, 2022 23:39:13 GMT
Tod, if they are good against stomach cancer then that's a bonus for me then.
Bjd, I never bother cooking with them, yes, frozen peas are mainly used, but same as you, eating them as quick as I pod them is the norm. I tend now to often be in countries where certain times of year you can buy them already podded anyway, though obviously more expensive.
Lugg, as per the other posts, they are raw. Room problems are better now and internet, well, still so-so really. It is good to go far away but it needed countries to open up again, though I always did travel around Europe and the Balkans most of the time previously. No great particular reason for coming to Colombia, just that the time allowed it, the opening up allowed it and there are/were still places we'd not been. For us it is easy to communicate, the weather is good and the country interesting. It is my third time, Mrs M's fourth plus she lived here for a year.
Mich, I'm not afraid of monkeys, just don't like them at all. Encountered far too many of them to view them as warm and cuddly things.
|
|
|
Post by mich64 on Feb 24, 2022 0:32:08 GMT
The worst thing is the monkeys know all the tricks, humans only think they can outsmart them. Dozens of times I've seen monkeys jump onto a tourist shoulder, grab camera, sunglasses, Yes, exactly Questa. I watched them quite a bit one day when we were at a beach in the National Park. They sat up in the trees and waited for people to go into the water and then they would hurry down and got through bags, backpaks, even opened up tupperware. One of them took a bowl of fruit up the tree and dropped the bowl back where he found it. Smart little critters! I did not think you were afraid of the monkeys Mark, just was recalling my interactions with them after reading some of the posts. I remember seeing many at the zoo quite a few years ago, but behind barriers obviously, and being amused. It sure makes a difference to see them right in front of you and watching them grab at people along the pathways of the Park. Looking forward to the rest of your adventures in Columbia!
|
|
|
Post by onlyMark on Feb 24, 2022 2:04:14 GMT
Talking about thieving monkeys, but one of these nearly stole my cake today - That was after a long uphill walk to here - What this is, will remain a mystery for now as I never found out what it was or for -
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Feb 24, 2022 6:36:13 GMT
Squirrels can be nasty, too. YOu don't think that was a natural rock formation then?
|
|
|
Post by onlyMark on Feb 24, 2022 21:56:18 GMT
In my nightmares it could be. Travel day today. One more day doing very little and day after tomorrow, stop off in Spain and then home -
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Feb 25, 2022 5:45:02 GMT
Well, you probably had a better time than you will in Europe at war.
|
|
|
Post by mickthecactus on Feb 25, 2022 7:24:23 GMT
And which home is that?
|
|
|
Post by onlyMark on Feb 25, 2022 14:08:44 GMT
Home is where I have my winter clothes. Currently they are in Bosnia.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Feb 25, 2022 14:52:48 GMT
Mark, thanks for taking us along to Columbia. It's great to see normal fun travel & your pictures and commentary are great.
Even though you & Mrs. M are such seasoned travelers, it seems like quite the contrast to go from a relaxed tropical vacation to what surely must be a tenser-than-usual Eastern Europe.
At any rate, keep those cards & letters coming, please!
|
|
|
Post by onlyMark on Feb 25, 2022 17:25:56 GMT
You're welcome. I just need to post a couple from today but as we are relaxing in a farmhouse/finca we've not done or will do much apart from go for a walk locally down the lanes.
Tomorrow is a late flight to Madrid, overnight there, early flight via Germany and Austria to Bosnia, five days there and then fly back to a different part of Germany. The question we faced was we had already booked all the flights to Colombia and the three internal ones before knowing it became necessary to return back to Germany less than a week later but then go back to Bosnia after three weeks. I pondered and researched over costs and logistics to change the return flights but taking all the factors into consideration is was better to leave the Colombia arrangements as they were and book some stand alone flights to Germany and back.
Regarding the Eastern Europe situation, I'm on holiday and have turned a partially blind eye and deaf ear to it all for now. When I get the chance I'll start stringing all the gazillion photos I've taken into some semblance of comprehension. It'll be a long job.
|
|
|
Post by onlyMark on Feb 25, 2022 19:00:24 GMT
Last photos until sorting them out. Went for a long walk up here - A wary eye was kept on us though. I did shout "mint sauce" at it to no effect but I think it only spoke Spanish -
|
|