Arriving in Casa de Nelly, I knew I would want to stay longer, and clearly, instead of the 3 nights initially planed, I stayed a whole week. Between the bed in mezzanine, the well equipped kitchen, the extremely cute dogs and the comfortable cats, there was nothing to make me want to leave this place.

I took a few days to chill and some time to renew my visa online to stay in Colombia for 3 other months. Validating the visa took around 2 hours between the time I submitted the form and the email confirmation. I am still stunned any administration would treat this kind of request so fast! Some countries can learn from it, maybe?

I spent some other days horse riding, visiting the nearby archaeological park, the surroundings in a jeep to go a bit further, mostly with a French crew met there.

The statues there are still questioning our understanding of the civilization that erected them, and while discussing them in the hostel, they surely reminded us about jage ceremonies and the whole cultural aspect around Pachamama, including the Moaï in Easter island, albeit on a different scale.

San Agustín, you treated me well, thank you!

Silently I step up with a subversive subtext
Trying to feed the need for more than just remedial subjects
Place my faith in the belief that the general public
Will open up their minds to more than just an industry puppet

I ain’t a preacher preaching doom and gloom, well not just yet

But if there’s something I feel strongly about, then I’ll discuss it
And if I only make one album before I kick the bucket?
I’ll hold that album to my heart in my grave and say "FUCK IT"...

Waiting for the beat to kick in
But it never does

Waiting for my feet to grow wings
That lift me above
All of these tiresome things
That we know and love
Waiting for the beat to kick in
But it never does
Waiting for the beat to kick in
But it never does
Waiting for my feet to grow wings
That lift me above
All of these tiresome things
That we know and love
Waiting for the beat to kick in
But it never does

A lot of my poems and writings seem to start with me waking up, or being in a dream, or dream like state. Now, this implies a certain level of abstraction in my work. You might say I’m keeping it surreal but I’d rather you didn’t. > Fact is, I sleep a lot. It’s as simple as that. I like sleeping, man. It’s a nice place to be

...Right

I was walking along through unfamiliar streets

And it felt strange because there didn’t seem to be anyone else around
I don’t know where I was but it had a feeling of New York
But not New York in real life, the New York you see in old films
I can’t really explain why it just had that vibe
Every step I took felt somehow more dramatic
So I kept walking and down an alley behind a bar sitting on some metal steps I saw a man
From the look and smell of him it was clear that he enjoyed the drink
But he wasn’t in such a state I felt him to be any kind of irrational threat so I approached him
With due care

"Ah Mr Pip" he said out loud

"We’ve been awaiting you, my name is Elwood P. Dowd",
Now just what he meant by ’we’ I didn’t really get
But all the same I took a seat next to him on the step
He said "You’ll meet a few people before this day is through
Who will administer advice and guidelines to you
Now what each of them says I’ll tell you now is true
But whether or not you take their advice is for you to choose"
At that point he acted as if someone had whispered in his ear
Which, since no one else was there, was pretty damn weird
Awkwardly I looked away and kinda played with my beard
And he cleared his throat for a second and said "Listen here
In this life you can be oh so smart or oh so pleasant
For years I was smart, I recommend pleasant
Being smart can make you rich and bring respect and reverence
But the rewards of being pleasant are far more incandescent"

With this information I was encouraged to walk on
I continued alone through these empty streets
Thinking over what Elwood had said but at the same time thinking about how fucking strange the day had been so far
I was in my own little world when a hand was placed on my chest
And a guy said "Look out, there’s some broken glass on the floor there"

I looked up

He said "Hi, pleased to meet you, my name is Lloyd Dobler,
I’ll get straight to the point, won’t take too much time from ya
I’m probably the youngest person you’ll get advice from today
And you may think that a guy my age wouldn’t have anything to say
But it’s said that observation, not old age, brings wisdom
And I observe every single life lesson I’m given
I won’t attempt tell you how to love or be loved
Because you get a different genie each time that lantern is rubbed
But I will offer you advice on dealing with life
Its ups and its downs
Its troubles and its strife
Now I’m sure you’ve had times when you’ve felt down or angry
Wanted to lash out, punch a wall and be manly
But the question I pose now will offer you a plan B
And maybe some peace and quiet for your friends and family
How hard is it to decide to be in a good mood
And then just be in a good mood?
That’s all I have to say because it’s a straight up fact
You control your emotions it’s as simple as that"
He walked off then, leaving me to contemplate this brief encounter
I barely had time to realize I was being taught something before he was gone
And I was back on my way

On I walked and almost immediately I spotted the next guide
And it couldn’t be clearer
This guy was standing on the street corner and pacing back and forth
Skinny looking guy leather jacket tight jeans, retro look
I’d rarely seen someone look quite so uncomfortable in their own skin
Twitching, smoothing his hair back, kicking the floor and looking up and down the street
He clearly didn’t enjoy waiting around so I approached him quickly
To put him out of his misery
And to let him start his spiel

"Hi my name is Billy Brown,

I ain’t gonna give you some quote
Instead I’m gonna use some stuff that YOU wrote:
’Always had the feeling I could never be the villain
Cause the villain in the films is always backlit
Always had the feeling I could never be the villain
Cause the villain in the films is always backlit
Now I find it pleasing to defend myself with reason
But this clock is always sitting on my back
Tick, tick tick
Then, no explosion but persistence brings erosion
Like a picture over overly exposed and
Like a fox that’s been run over in the road and..’
Basically what I’m trying to say to you is
You don’t achieve anything by letting the past dwell within you
Getting all pent up and angry about stuff just eats away inside you
What’s that other line of yours..
’If you can’t forgive and forget
How’s this
Forget forgiving and just accept that that’s it
See that’s how it’s got to be
Then you can fall in love, get on with your life and be free"
Almost before he could finished this sentence he was off down the street
Hands in his pockets, hurrying away..

Now quite accepting of the totally surreal time I was having I rounded the corner

And continued on to my next encounter
Resigned to the fact this was some dream or hallucination
I made my way through the now dark street
To the one window that had a light on
I walked through the unlocked door which incidentally had blinds down
And a silhouetted figure like a film noir scene
But sadly no sign saying Private Eye.
As I entered a voice promptly said:

"This journey’s almost over, I’m the only one left

Allow me to introduce myself; my name is Walter Neff,
The other guys have taught you things of great positive worth
But I’m afraid I’m here to bring you back down to Earth
See you can live your life in control and be nice
But even that will not promise you a happy life
You may think yourself in general to be a nice guy
But I’m telling you now - that right there is a lie
Even the nicest of guys has some nasty within them
You don’t have to be backlit to be the villain
Whether it be greed, lust, or just plain vindictiveness
There’s a level of malevolence inside all of us
You can paint yourself an image and live in your own little dream
But this ain’t a dream, it’s one big silver screen
So when you think you’ve got your happy ending don’t ever forget it
It ain’t over til you hear the sound of your end credits
You’ll be waiting for the beat to kick in
But it never does
Waiting for you feet to grow wings
That lift you above
All of these tiresome things
That you know and love
Waiting for the beat to kick in
But it never does
Waiting for the beat to kick in
But it never does
Waiting for you feet to grow wings
That lift you above
All of these tiresome things
That you know and love
Waiting for the beat to kick in
But it never does"

Lyrics from genius.com, with also a nice comment: https://genius.com/14118856

Well, you made me weep and you made me moan
When you caused me to leave, child, my happy home
But someday, baby, you ain’t worry my life anymore

I get satisfaction everywhere I go
Where I lay my head, that’s where I call home
Whether barren pines or the mission stare
Take tomorrow’s collar and give ’em back the glare

Bang, bang, bang, bang!
Vámonos, vámonos
Bang, bang, bang!
Vámonos, vámonos

You told everybody in the neighborhood
What a dirty mistreater, that I was no good
But someday, baby, you ain’t a-worry my life anymore

Doctor or lawyer, I’ll never be
Life of a drifter, the only life for me
You can have your riches, all the gold you saved
’Cause ain’t room for one thing in everybody’s grave

Bang, bang, bang, bang!
Vámonos, vámonos
Bang, bang, bang!
Vámonos, vámonos

If I had money like Henry Ford
Lord, I’d have me a woman, yeah, on every road
But someday, baby, you ain’t worry my life anymore

Invocation of the dummies, requiem for a head
Cash in at the corner, piles of street cred
I get satisfaction everywhere I go
One day baby, you’ll worry me no more

Bang, bang, bang, bang!
Vámonos, vámonos
Bang, bang, bang!
Vámonos, vámonos, yeah

The white walls are everywhere and you might need sun glasses if your eyes are sensitive to light like mines are (or suffer… Your choice and pleasures).

The first day, I did something seemingly normal, but more and more unusual for people relying on Internet to define what to do and where: I went to the office tourism. Eh… What better than locals to talk about what to see? I met a super foody guy who recommended me a very nice place to eat carantantas con hogao, empañadas de pipián and the amazingly deliciously sweet salpicón.

I spent the rest of the day going to the Morro del Tulcán, getting lost in the woods while trying to go to Capilla de Belén (not the best experience after people told me it was dangerous to head another way), and visiting the Natural History Museum, among other things.

After scanning for vegetarian restaurants on arrival, I decided to head for Comida sana to have dinner, just to discover they only served lunch. Never mind, I tried their hojaldra with hot chocolate. I didn’t crave another round afterwards, but their daily menu ended up to be savoury! For COP7000, you get a drink, a soup, a complete meal and a small dessert. You might end up sharing a table because it’s always full at lunch time. This lead to one funny encounter where the woman in front of me removed the salty sauce I dropped in my dessert, with her finger. It was both funny and revealing another sense of limits in Colombia.

I went to Silvia with B. whom I met in the hostel, which was being driven by P. and P. since San Agustin. The Tuesday market was worth visiting as it shows both the Misak indigenous and part of their culture. We then went for a small hike around the city and its surroundings with G. and T., met in the same hostel.

We also found a potatoes market! The seller told me there was about 30 different types of potatoes in Colombia. Frenchie’s dreamland.

I then took the bus on Wednesday evening to climb the Puracé volcano. I met S. and F. there with whom I shared a guide on the next day, but most importantly, a conversation and a beer in the hot springs belonging to the base camp. Taking a hot bath at 3000 meters is not something I was thinking of and, oh boy, was it good.

The next day was both beautiful and really tough. Climbing to 4000 meters, although tiring, was OK. Passed 4300, I started feeling like I wanted to vomit a bit and had to stop every 20 meters in order to reach the summit. The whole experience was interesting for testing my limits and knowing what I should do for next time.

My plan was to go to the immigration office in Popayán to see if it would be easier to renew my visa without having to buy an exit ticket, but the overly lovely person went through all the steps to use the website, mentioning all the foreigners had to use it to renew their visa. Considering I heard stories from people for whom it hasn’t been the case, I doubt it, but confronting her would not have brought anything good. So I sailed for San Agustín.

I was not entirely sure tagging along was the right thing to do for me, as I needed some time for myself and I did not want to spoil the good vibes from Barcelona Alta. That proved right as both environments being really different definitely changed people’s behaviours and expectations. I became a night owl, but not much of a party‑goer any more. This taught me I should trust my feelings and thoughts more. :)

We spent the second evening on going to Ubari, a rave party which seemed promising and ended up being not so great. I’ll blame it on the crowd that seemed more like a social‑network type and the extremely repetitive music. One funny anecdote is that, at least in Cali, there seems to be multiple places that share the same name, sometimes not making it easy to search what you’re looking for. In this instance, the address on the flyer seemed to lead to a community lead bakery, in a really different direction than the venue.

I tried to attend salsa classes once, twice and thrice, and the salsa did not want to cooperate: the classes did not happen or ended just as I arrived. Serendipity; I focused on visiting the city (including eating too much pan de chocolate from La Baguette and “white chocolate, almonds and coconut” ice‑cream from Pollyanna).

The food was also pretty eclectic with a good lot of options. I still would like to try the Teatro Mágico Del Sabor if I’m going back to Cali.

The San Antonio area is enjoyable to walk trough, with tons of graffitis and paintings, maybe more than in the rest of the city. Streets and shops being pretty much empty on Sundays, the big market in La Alameda was surprisingly animated with wedding ceremonies merging with people going about their groceries all together.

Scouting the city involved going to Cristo Rey, which I would not recommend at that point. The journey was unnecessarily long and complicated if you don’t take a taxi or drive yourself, and the view is not the best I’ve ever had from a city lookout.

It happened Cali International Festival of Animation, La Truca was set to run the week we were there, so I had the chance to at least see Coco in Spanish. I found it is an amazing movie about Mexico. Disney still know really well how to play with cultural references: the beautiful introduction really made me miss the country. The story also made me want to call my grand‑ma; this happened the next day and I believe the discussion ended up being one of the longest we had on the phone, ending in my usual heartbreaking feeling she might think that conversation was the last time we would talk to each other.

An evening encounter with a beautiful person also brought back a lot of memories from someone I miss from China. It’s funny how doppelgängers can affect your spirit sometimes.

Overall, Cali was a nice city to explore (for a short time) and the people met there are really amazing; this is a common pattern in Colombia, it seems. I most likely be back if I’m going to Ecuador next, maybe salsa and myself will find a new beginning?