BuenAVENTURA

Where do I start really. Well I met Louis tonight where I stopped for dinner. Stopped just before nightfall in the center of Colombia where I once again feel safe. Far away from all the things that were the last two days of life. Man where to begin... Well it's far too often if not all of the time, seriously every single person you ask, that you're told a city is dangerous and you shouldn't go there. Start with our state department and their bullshit excuses for travel advisories and safety suggestions and end with every person in S. America telling you that if you go to the next town over you'll get killed. Sometimes even the next block is deadly, it's fucked, it's stupid, it's paranoia and fear at its worst. So when we were told to go Buenaventura for a boat to Panama and only a couple of people tried to warn us we thought we were gold. Easy breezy, typical shit right? The whole thing, strait from the start, was F'd. Approaching the docks and having 6-10 jacked dudes surround Kombi, stroking knives, asking what "what happened to you" means in Spanish. All the while trying to sort out transportation on boats north manned by these very same cats. Three times over we were swarmed and at least two of those it seemed some really bad shit was happening if we didn't get out of there fast. We did get out of there fast and the next morning out of Buenaventura fast. Shit man that could've gone so wrong so many ways, it tried to but we were able to see it coming and split. To close in my book, but nothing really compared to what I learned about the route to and from that city itself. The road to Buenaventura is a hot spot for FARC attacks and activity. apparently the whole region is teeming with them and it really is random when and where they strike but the military presence all along the route along with armored vehicles, automatic weapons, and the like really makes one understand that this country is at war. It's real and it's active, hundreds of soldiers at the ready to protect me, Kael, and everyone else trying to get through that shit-show of a road. All in all we got out of there burning the whole of two days in the process, enduring the craziest traffic jam of my life, and leaving me with a bunch of content that I'm not able to put into a post worth shit.  Whether he knew it or not, Louis brought me back to the reality of the trip and the whole reason I'm doing it.  Thanks man.

I'm terrible at this, but something about the past four days has me very thankful that I have such amazing, thoughtful friends and family back home. It also gives me the feeling of being very, very alive.  I love you guys, talk to and see you soon. 
William