| PART 2. | | | | and excruciatingly long delay. |
| Oh how Colombians love their music. The type of | | | | As I was thinking about how glad I was going to |
| music coming from the smoothie vendor | | | | be to get back on one of those colorful busses, a |
| boom-boxes always seemed to set the distinctive | | | | crusty old man on a Burro walked past us and |
| tone of that town. They always played the music | | | | gave me the stink eye. I tried to ignore it as I |
| that was popular in that particular area. Whether it | | | | turned my glance upward and away from him. I |
| was "Salsa", "Costeño", or whatever type, it | | | | began to stare at the thick mountain foliage that |
| was always pure Colombian music. | | | | surrounded that little town. It was still a very wild |
| As we were waiting for our smoothies, my eyes | | | | and untamed country out there. Civilization barely |
| began to wander. I started to take in the sights | | | | had a foothold. I could see how maintaining control |
| and sounds of that little village in the mountains. I | | | | would be difficult for the Colombian Government. |
| saw two soldiers who looked about seventeen | | | | Suddenly, I received a tap on my back and I |
| years old standing across the street in front of a | | | | jumped as if I had been electrocuted. It was the |
| small cafe. They were holding machine guns, and | | | | smoothie guy, letting me know our freshly |
| giving me the eye. These were Colombian | | | | blended fruit smoothies were ready. He handed |
| Government soldiers who were stationed in little | | | | them over to us, and we paid him with a few |
| towns like this to keep them out of the control of | | | | Colombian coins that equaled about ten cents in |
| Leftist Guerillas who live in the jungles that | | | | American money. The smoothies on that trip |
| surround them. | | | | tasted better than anything you could ever buy in |
| Some of those remote Colombian towns have an | | | | the United States. The milk they used was so |
| aura of unrest, and that one was definitely one of | | | | fresh it seemed like it was squirted straight from |
| them. I dared not pull out any cameras at that | | | | the cow into the blender. They also blended in all |
| moment. The last time I decided to videotape in a | | | | kinds of exotic tropical fruits with names like |
| town like that, I was immediately approached by | | | | "zapote", "tomate de árbol", and |
| two soldiers and promptly escorted away. I | | | | "maracuyá", all of which are incredibly delicious |
| thought I would never be seen again. Lucky for | | | | and can be found growing wild in the areas around |
| me, my wife's brother-in-law was with us at that | | | | the towns we visited. Those smoothies were like |
| time. He happened to be a Colonel in the | | | | something a Slurpee aspires to be in it's wildest |
| Colombian Military, so he interceded on my behalf. | | | | dreams. |
| He explained to them that I was just some | | | | As we were enjoying our smoothies, another local |
| "crazy Gringo" who was in Colombia to visit his | | | | man walked up to us and made a sales pitch for |
| wife's relatives, and to surf the waves that | | | | a very interesting product; dried iguana eggs. He |
| Colombia had to offer. They released me to the | | | | had several strings of them hanging around his |
| good Colonel, and I promptly put my cameras | | | | neck like necklaces of giant white pearls that |
| away. Apparently, Guerillas have been known to | | | | were about the size of quail eggs. His semi-white |
| come into town and videotape the soldiers and | | | | tee-shirt had a sweat stain from his neck down |
| the police. Then they hand the footage over to | | | | to his belly that had a brown border of dirt |
| hired assassins who slip into town soon | | | | gathered on the edge of it. It was really hot out |
| afterwards and kill them. I can understand the | | | | there, but he did not seem to mind. His face and |
| soldier's apprehension with cameras. After that | | | | hands told the story of a man who had worked |
| incident, my M.O. on the trip was to stay low-key, | | | | hard his whole life in the South American sun. He |
| and not draw attention to myself. | | | | was probably only about fifty years old, but his |
| My wife and I were getting some evil stares | | | | skin was wrinkled beyond it's years. This man |
| from several local folks that were wandering | | | | claimed that the iguana eggs provided magical |
| around the streets. I wanted so badly to pull my | | | | powers of fertility and sexual stamina to anyone |
| cameras out and pass the time documenting | | | | who eats them. He then looked at me and |
| everything we were experiencing, but I could not | | | | winked. I could not help but wonder at that |
| risk it. Soldiers are not the only ones I needed to | | | | moment how many kids this iguana egg vendor |
| worry about. Being kidnapped by Guerillas was | | | | had back at home. My wife and I chuckled at his |
| always in the back of my mind. Although I was | | | | bold claim, and politely declined his offer. As my |
| able to get a lot of great footage and photos | | | | wife turned away for a moment to find |
| along the way (when it was permissible), my | | | | something in her backpack, I quickly handed the |
| memory was my camera most of the time. | | | | man several crumpled up bills on the sly. He then |
| It was going to be dark in a couple of hours. We | | | | winked at me again, and handed me two strings |
| did not want to be in that village after dark. I | | | | of iguana eggs, which I promptly concealed in my |
| would much rather have been viewing that town | | | | day-pack. I figured I may be able to use these |
| from the safety of a bus seat just passing | | | | eggs on a romantic moonlit night in beautiful |
| through, but sometimes you have to stop to | | | | Tayrona, after a long, arduous journey. |
| change busses. In that case, the bus we were | | | | Copyright 2006. Michael P. |
| waiting for was running late, thus the unscheduled | | | | |