11/1/2010 - Calí, Colombia: Chilean Miner Fight!

Colombia is just fantastic. It's really been a motorcyclists paradise. Tourism is relatively new here since the drug wars ended. Medellín was once considered the most dangerous city on the planet, but as soon as they capped Pablo Escobar on a rooftop, the country has really turned around. It's all well deserved since Colombia is filled with some amazing natural terrain. The riding here is the most spectacular driving I've ever done. At one point I was riding along a ridge line with a vast green mountainous valley to my right, and on my left there was another one. Just plain gorgeous. It's strange, this is the first country I've been to where I really feel like I've missed too many things. Sometimes all the time in the world isn't enough. I'm just going to have to come back.

Probably the best part about Colombia, aside from the wonderful coffee everywhere, are the cutesy little cities and their people. The big cities are also nice, Medellin was nestled in a valley with a great energetic vibe. But the heart comes from crazy little towns that sometimes have never even seen a tourist. It's a totally virgin landscape where I can drop kids jaws with my giant (it's a 650cc, gasp!) motorcycle. The culture here is so very different than at home. I'll give you an idea. I was lost and couldn't find the hostel I was looking for. I knew it was close, but couldn't pin point it. So, I ask a guy passing by on a motorcycle where it is. He doesn't know, but his ten year old on the back does. So what now? Yep, you guessed it, the kid jumped on the back of my bike and showed me the way. Then when BJ and I got there I told him I'd give him a ride home, but before I could offer again he just took off smiling. What an amazing kid! I mean that would just never happen in California. From the parents perspective: Oh you're lost? And even though I just met you thirty seconds ago, why don't you take my only son on the back of your motorcycle, and don't worry about him getting home, he knows the way even though it's almost dark. What the fuck? This is something I'm definitely not used to, but it's damn refreshing.

My guide for the night: John

 Colombia is a country in transition, and I'm sure this amazing travel experience won't last forever. Because as long as there are tourists, there are always some shady people figuring out new ways to take advantage of them. It's a shame, but it just brings out a different attitude towards foreigners. Costa Rica runs almost purely on tourism, and depending on what you're looking for it is a wonderful place to visit. As for me, Colombia is heaven for now, it has some of the most beautiful landscape, amazing people, the food is great and dirt cheap. I'll be sad to leave, but I've heard some great things about Ecuador too.

I'll admit I'm a pretty lucky guy, knowing that I've had and taken advantage of the many opportunities in my life. Yes, I wasn't born a peasant in China, but there's something to say about grabbing whatever you've got and taking what you want out of it. For me, it was allowing myself to give up my career for a bit and take a vacation, albeit, on crack, but hey, like my dad always told me, "life's not a dress rehearsal". Take your chances when you can, get out of your comfort zone, and allow yourself to have a good time. Life's too fucking short.

That said, I want to tell you about my Halloween experience. I was feeling kind of blue. I've been away for a long time, and there are a lot of friends and family that I desperately miss. Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays, so it struck up some great memories of old friends. Like just last year with Nicole in her sexy maid costume, or yelling at Sofia "Snow White fight!" so the other Snow White would know who's the boss, or Josh coming in third at a competition as Dr. House, or Jacob telling everyone to shut the fuck up. Even years past in Hollywood have been more fun than ever. So anywho, I was supposed to meet a friend in Calí, and when he didn't show, BJ and I were kind of deflated. Maybe no Halloween this year. Then all of a sudden our hostel actually livened up, and people were actually dressing up. I then decide that looking like an idiot with a mustache is the best costume I could come up with. Whatever. After some drinking at the hostel, we all pile into a taxi and head for the best club in Calí. Once we're there, I'm totally stoked to get some kind of Halloween. Even though the beer is an outrageous five bucks a pop, I suck it up and have a fun time. It's crowded, and dancing in clubs here is very different than at home. Instead of asking to dance, you just go grind on some chick, and hope she doesn't run away. It's very entertaining to watch these ugly dudes give their best shot with hotties. Too bad for them, but hey that's life. Anyhow I continue dancing with some girls dressed as crayons, then I get pushed. I turn around to find it's a massive fight breaking out. Kind of stunned, people start breaking it up, then as people are breaking it somebody else gets pushed, gets angry, then throws a punch. This just keeps happening, and gets totally wild in there for about five minutes, but eventually some people get kicked out, and people just kind of relax. Then normalcy finally resumes. I've never seen anything like that before. It's was totally crazy! It's just too bad, that it wasn't superman fighting a vampire, or a pirate fighting a zombie. I should have probably lied, but I think the only legitimate fighter in costume was a Chilean Miner. Oh well, maybe next year I'll see a wizard and soccer player duke it out. Here's to hoping. The rest of the night was pretty normal, except some absurdly loud pyrotechnics. Then once everyone was tapped out or danced out, we all crammed back into the taxi and called it a night. Halloween accomplished.

I'm the dude in the middle.