Chat Zone for The Big Big Trip Journal!

[HobbesOnTour]

If a stranger who looks so different to 'us' pulled up in an English village, would she/he/they receive a similarly curious but warm welcome I wonder?

Now this (how you are being addressed) would be different in different parts of the UK. I wonder how someone with English as a second language, when arriving in a Yorkshire village shop, would react when welcomed as 'duck'?

Well, to veer into NACA territory for a moment I read something recently to the effect of how the Union Jack has undergone a striking change in meaning from the days of "Cool Britannia" to a type of isolationist nationalism these days.
I've no doubt though, that welcomes, especially in smaller places, would be just as warm. You're a local, remember, and see through local eyes.
I think I included in the text too, the value of wearing a smile. That always helps!

As for greetings...... I was welcomed to Scotland by someone yelling obscenities at me as only a good Celt can do! I can understand the friendly intent but I'm not sure how some others might interpret it!

Interestingly, I hate the typical "luv" from barmaids and shop assistants (that I rightly or wrongly always associate with England) yet here, amor is used in exactly the same way and I find it charming - once I got used to it.

Travel - it broadens the mind

 

[Scoosh]

Another sound today was water. It was almost ever present whether as a raging río, a whooshing waterfall or countless roadside rapids. There was a fury to the water today, like it didn't want to be here, was angry, in fact, and in a fierce rush to get somewhere else. The water alongside the road, in particular, whether in man made canals or self made rivers was flowing at a tremendous rate. Too fast to tinkle and sing it growled instead.

Wonderful how one's senses can be so heightened to be 'in tune' with nature.

The first Hospedaje I tried was full but they suggested another around the corner

Quite a few have been full. Are these [for] travelling business people, country people come to town to re-stock ... ???
Do they really have that many 'travellers/tourists' ?

The AbSoLuteLy FABulous tree in the Plaza in Iquira

WOW – that's a stunner !

If you ever tire of the humdrum of normal life, feel that you're insignificant and that life consists of just going through a series of numbing, repetitive motions then I have a cure!

Travel with Hobbes ! The huge difference between being a 'tourist' and a 'traveller'; one looks and goes away, the other becomes part of where they are and eat and drink it all in (both literally and figuratively).

Then I saw the third way; Down to La Plata and stop. Make up my mind tomorrow!

Now that's travelling !

unexploded ordinance???

I was thinking 'explosives in use' - but you're probably more accurate, given the locality and it's recent past...

Travel - it broadens the mind

 

[Scoosh]

MOD HAT ON:
I've Edited some of the links from recent posts on the Tour thread, so you should not be meeting someone from Cumbria now.

 

[Scoosh]

Most interested in how so many of these small towns seem to have a real sense of civic pride – their "Yo .... (town name)" everywhere, the clean-looking plazas, brightly painted buildings, street art etc. It conveys a sense of pride, friendliness, happiness and peaceful way of life.

I can see why you are so laid-back about it all and enjoying it so much.

... as are we, through you !

 

[cwskas]

ferocious waterfall

That is incredible . . . I assume there is a canyon between you and the waterfall. It looks like it is going straight into the earth.

And just imagine how many of those are in the mountains and not beside a road.

 

[cwskas]

The Towns along the way

The churches in Agrado & Garzon seem to me a bit different style. The stone is very pretty. As you go deeper into the interior, does it seem to you to be older areas? I will look it up on wikipedia and see if I can find an answer. Still in Huila district I see.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Wonderful how one's senses can be so heightened to be 'in tune' with nature.

You flatter my senses! You have to remember that I'm slowly, very slowly going uphill - I'd need to be a particularly dense bike tourist not to notice. These flowing waters are not exactly subtle!

Quite a few have been full. Are these [for] travelling business people, country people come to town to re-stock ... ???
Do they really have that many 'travellers/tourists' ?

Eh, I can't recall too many being full. There was one place that I'm pretty sure the girl just didn't like the look of me.

But yes, there can be a lot of people staying, the type depending on the location.

A roadside town? A lot of truck drivers.
A non-touristy town? Folks working in or around the town for a (presumably) short time. It may be staff for a temporary medical clinic, people working on the road construction (there's been quite a bit) and I've seen a Policeman leaving in the morning in full uniform. Some will have a room with anything up to 8 people. And an equivalent number of motorbikes parked up outside.
In all the places the cheapest options will have young couples looking for a bit of "privacy".
There seems to be quite a lot of internal tourism taking place at the moment, explained to me as people who can't or won't go abroad discovering their own country.

Travel with Hobbes !

I'm not quite sure that such an option would be pleasant for a lot of people

 

[HobbesOnTour]

MOD HAT ON:
I've Edited some of the links from recent posts on the Tour thread, so you should not be meeting someone from Cumbria now.

Thank you!

What happened?
My internet is rarely good these days and uploading can take a long, long time but one uploaded I thought they were "safe"?

And you'll need to explain the "Cumbria" reference. Even I would know if I was that lost!

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Most interested in how so many of these small towns seem to have a real sense of civic pride – their "Yo .... (town name)" everywhere, the clean-looking plazas, brightly painted buildings, street art etc. It conveys a sense of pride, friendliness, happiness and peaceful way of life.

I can see why you are so laid-back about it all and enjoying it so much.

... as are we, through you !

I first noted the civic pride back in Durango in México and invariably the little old ladies sweeping outside their vividly painted houses no matter their condition. It's something that has continued more or less since there.

I really like the big signs although México has the best placement of them. Some in these parts are hard to manoeuvre to.

Interestingly, there are often big billboards outside the town announcing a warm welcome to X but these are normally sponsored which is odd to my eye. Not local businesses either, usually a national soft drink or even beer (even stranger to my eyes) sponsor.

What I get a real kick out of are when the locals themselves are picked out and honoured.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

That is incredible . . . I assume there is a canyon between you and the waterfall. It looks like it is going straight into the earth.

And just imagine how many of those are in the mountains and not beside a road.

It falls into a (surprisingly small) river that flows under the road just before encountering the waterfall.
I could hear a tremendous noise (not that unusual) but didn't see the waterfall until I passed it at that building in the photo.

The teeny tiny río!

 

[HobbesOnTour]

The churches in Agrado & Garzon seem to me a bit different style. The stone is very pretty. As you go deeper into the interior, does it seem to you to be older areas? I will look it up on wikipedia and see if I can find an answer. Still in Huila district I see.

In some of the bigger towns yes, there are older buildings but in the smaller more roadside places not so much.
In some places other than perhaps the church and the civic offices there may not be much of a colonial vibe.

Of late I'm finding the towns less architecturally interesting (generally) but that's compensated by interesting and interested people.

 

[Scoosh]

What happened?
My internet is rarely good these days and uploading can take a long, long time but one uploaded I thought they were "safe"?

"safe" ?? – well, Yes ... but we Mods have access under the bonnet to some bits of the machinery and we can Edit/ Delete/ correct spelin and a few other things.

When I clicked on the Chat Zone link, I was taken to the New Member's Introduction page, so did some checking and noticed that the last number of the Chat Zone link had been dropped, which changed the link to a New Member from Cumbria's introductory page - from March 2009 !

Members should be able to Edit their own posts for a day or two after posting – but we Mods can see if posts have been Edited and check back on the History.

 

[Scoosh]

Look closely - a tree and a cactus embracing! There's inspiration in a troubled and divided world!

Lovely illustration.

..... She handed me three bananas when I asked for two and would take no money. At all. ......

Always interesting how people who relatively have so little, are often the most generous.
Humbling too.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Just an FYI ......
The Trampoline of Death is coming up soon so I'm not expecting to be online for a few days.
Those without a nervous disposition can have a peep on youtube or just wait for my reports
"Trampolin del muerto" "trampolin del diablo" will probably work and between Macao and Pasto.
Three days is pretty common to cover the ground and me being me I may take longer. There are some spectacular views but often lost in mist, cloud and rain. I may shorten days if I think I can improve the views!

 

[cwskas]

He got that look in the eye that suggested he was imagining himself inserted in some of my stories. At one stage he said that he'd love to do something like that himself

Whaaat! Who would do such a thing!!!