WELCOME TO 2-2-2 TUESDAY
Here are 2 Cultural Highlights, 2 Quotes, and 2 Brief Stories for you to enjoy.
Inspired by Minca and Jardin, Columbia
2 CULTURAL HIGHLIGHTS
1.
Sardines on Wheels:
Picture this. After purchasing a ticket, you walk onto a full bus at the exact time of scheduled departure. “Phew,” you think. “I just barely made it.”
To your surprise, you end up waiting another ten minutes as nearly twenty more passengers cram into the bus. At this point, it feels like there’s no more room to sit, stand or even breathe. You wonder where that odor is coming from as you slyly look around out of the corners of your eyes. In that moment, the driver announces he is now ready for departure.
In Latin America, the above scenario seems to be the normal routine for buses, boats, trains, tuk-tuks, and off-road transportation. Somehow, it still shocks me every time they fill vehicles to what feels like 300% capacity.
Fortunately, my amazing wife, travel partner, and wing woman always makes these situations more tolerable, if not fun. She calls on her adventurous spirit during these chaotic moments. She laughs, smiles, chats up our neighbors, and sometimes films the experience.
After all, life can almost always be a grand adventure if we see it that way.
2.
Mind Boggling Palm Trees:
We recently explored Salento, Columbia with a small group of travel friends from Belgium, Spain, and Philidelphia. Despite the fact that we each came from homelands representing a wide variety of landscapes, this place was truly unique to all of us.
Cocora Valley is home to the world’s tallest palm trees reaching high above the clouds on a typical day. As we hiked the area, we learned Quindio Wax Palms can tower over 180 feet! The max lifespan for these giants is equally impressive — stretching past two hundred years. The palms thrive on massive rolling hills of green grass.
As we hiked past the palms, we wandered into rainforests featuring countless hummingbirds, waterfalls, and lush green plant life. The contrast in such a small region was mesmerizing. In the end, we all felt the bond that comes from sharing an experience of a new world for the first time.
The journey to and from Cocora Valley was also exciting. The best way to get to and from this region is by a twenty-minute scenic jeep ride, which costs about $3 round trip per person. Not surprisingly, the inside of jeep was packed to the brim, so Farah and I stood on the back while gripping the top rack
2 QUOTES TO CONSIDER
- “Circumstances are the rulers of the weak; but they are the instruments of the wise.” – Samuel Lover
- “Only chase what gives you energy.” Tom Bilyeu
2 BRIEF STORIES
The Best Ships Are Friendships:
Last Tuesday, we scheduled a paragliding adventure in Jardin, Columbia. It seemed to be the absolute ideal situation for two reasons: First, the cost was substantially cheaper than other parts in the world. Second, the landscapes were more significantly more picturesque. Needless to say, we were stoked!
A couple hours before our scheduled adventure, the tour operator cancelled on us. They cited bad weather, which felt like a low blow as we watched paragliders in the air thirty minutes later. Alas, the weather was forecasted to only get worse for the rest of the week. Bummer.
We quickly scrambled to see if we could book a tour with a canyoneering company we read about on a random sign the day before. To our surprise, the company welcomed us last minute. About ninety minutes later, we were all smiles as we rappelled down five waterfalls with stunning views in all directions.
During that excursion, we became friends with our guide. Juan and I took turns teaching each other our preferred tips and tricks with regards to rigging rappel stations. We became friends, exchanged contact information, and planned to find opportunities to meet up for future canyoneering trips. As it turned out, Juan wouldn’t have been guiding the remainder of the week.
Story 2:
On the next day, the weather surprised us as it often does. The conditions were perfect for paragliding. Blue skies, and great wind for paragliding.
We also met an amazing young family from Israel who had just arrived in the area. They also were traveling the world for one year and we loved learning about their story. They were kind, knowledgable, and equally eager to get to know us. We instantly hit it off, and had a wonderful day together. We bumped into them multiple times over the next couple of days. After exchanging information, we hope to connect in the future.
In retrospect, it’s interesting to realize just how close we were to missing out on those new friendships had life played out the way we initially hoped. Experiences like these continue to teach Farah and me to see the way life happens for us in ways we cannot predict.
Serendipity is a beautiful thing. Sometimes in life, you may find yourself in a situation that feels like a major blow or setback. Down the road, days, weeks, months, or even years later you discover the positive opportunities and relationships that resulted from the perceived setbacks. That’s serendipity.
Thanks for tuning in to 2-2-2 Tuesday!
If you have any feedback, comments, or suggestions, we’d love to hear from you. Have a wonderful week!
– Zack and Farah
Your blog is always a delightful highlight of my week! Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful adventures 💕
Thank you for the kind words!