Cali - Tierra de mi Sangre, Land of my Blood.

May 2010 -  Cali, Colombia.

So as of this writing, I am long past the voyage herein recounted. Regardless, recounted it should be - Colombia overall is a fresh and provocative land. Alive and fresh everywhere, what thrives and abounds in every city and throughout the countryside is a plethora of flora, fauna, water, and sun. Regionally, it's a spectacularly diverse smorgasbord of ecosystems, tribal groups, foods, landscapes, language, and music.
I began this trip spending time with family and trekking across the region from Cali to a few hours north.

La Ciclovia - the 'bike way', on Sunday mornings in Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. Tens of miles of city streets are closed to motor vehicles, yielding way to thousands of pedestrians, cyclists, artists, and vendors.

Picking fresh guava near el Rio Cali. Cali, Colombia.

Typical mountainous dwelling in the same river valley. Cali, Colombia.

I love me some open water! Rio Cali, Cali, Colombia.

Sounds like that could be anywhere, right? It's national parks include the Amazon River basin and the Andes Mountain range, and its the only South American state with coasts on both Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. I spent nearly 14 days among 3 regions, either exploring with family or on my own. And loving every minute of it. It is from here that my blood most directly is sourced.

Watching evening over the eastern end of el Valle del Cauca, on the Central Range. Nirvana, Valle del Cauca, Colombia.

Dusk over eastern Valle del Cauca, from Central Range. Nirvana, Valle del Cauca, Colombia.

Rural bus travel - but infrequent. Catch it or leave it. Nirvana, Colombia.

Doorstep to rural mountain farmstead overlooking Colombia's Central Range. Nirvana.

My cousin's most awesome first son, to whom I am godfather.  Juan David, in Nirvana, Colombia.

A common cultural dichotomy in much of the world today.
Artwork by local artist; Nirvana, Colombia.

May 2010 - Nirvana remains to many a word from the Far East, a vague notion of escape, or peace, tranquility, and mythology. In Colombia, it is a small community of rural landowners and small farmers nestled up against the country's Central Mountain Range - and includes the entrance and visitor center to a large regional nature reserve.
One night here, in Nirvana, provided a wonderful respite from a city renowned for its nightlife, music, and party scene. And a great launch pad for further journey's into the heritage of Colombia.

The photos laid out heretofore are taken with an Olympus Stylus 1050 SW

 
These works by Tim Paez are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License