Mirroring

Colombia is in a nationwide drought (though up here in the mountains we have been getting some drizzle). Yet another reminder than 2015 is an El Niño year. All the way along my route, I've been hearing of strange weather. The absence of winter this year in South America. Drought in South America and Indonesia affecting farmers and crops.

Travelling up across South America and learning about the earthquakes and volcano, I've also been reminded that I'm still in the Pacific Ring of Fire. It's like a mirror of Indonesia. The other side of the pond.

Bogota: Beautiful and Badass

I've arrived in Bogota, where I'll be settling for a couple of months. Hopefully this will give me time to catch up on some backdated blog posts as well!

Been here just over 24 hours now and it's a huge and beautiful city situated in the Andes. The parts I've seen are very hilly, and the official elevation is 2640 metres. Therefore, although it is in the tropics (and therefore has no seasons), it is colder than I had expected!

I am also apprehensive, as I keep getting warnings about crime here (and this place does have a reputation!)

Overall, one of the more overwhelming things about being here is the surprising lack of familiarity, the difficulty in finding my feet. In spite of having spent the last 1.5 months in other parts of Latin America (all of which felt more comfortable), I find myself missing points of reference. That may be because I've mostly been in more touristy parts of LatAm to date (although I am currently residing right in the heart of Bogota's backpacker district, apparently). It's hard to put my finger on it, exactly....